Secretary of Defense – Chuck Hagel
This puts a moderate Republican in charge of the war machine, giving some measure of political cover when Obama withdraws troops from Iraq or moves more forcefully on Bin Laden in Pakistan.
National Security Advisor – Susan Rice
She’d be a great Secretary of State or UN Ambassador, but Obama will get much less of a honeymoon than others and politics will dictate that he throw this bone to someone more known to the Senate and Congress to assure confirmation. Like Condi, she’ll move to the big spot in Obama’s second term.
Secretary of Transportation – Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.
This rewards the Congressman for his work as a campaign chair and would be the formal “thank you” to Illinois. It allows Jackson to push his Peotone airport efforts and deliver public transportation pork to the state, further cementing his platform as future Mayor of Chicago. It also opens up a congressional seat for Jackson’s wife to step into.
Secretary of Commerce – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg’s knowledge of business and fondness for innovation makes him a great choice to shepherd American business into a more 21st century model for participating in the global economy. Give him the keys and let him run with it.
Attorney General – John Edwards
Trial lawyer. Champion of the little guy. A natural.
Department of Labor – Governor Ed Rendell
Another appeasement to Hillary supporters, this choice puts a man from a working class state in charge of symbolically carrying Clinton’s message about jobs.
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fantasy draft 2
Vice President— Colin Powell
Forget about Hillary Clinton. She can’t be trusted to watch Obama’s back and besides—he’ll get two for the cost of one with hubby Bill attached to the deal. John Edwards looks good on camera but demonstrated as Kerry’s Veep that he’s not good at playing bad cop to the party nominee’s good cop; neither is Bill Richardson. Powell will make an unmistakable change statement for presidential nominee Obama. Selecting a Republican as his running mate would turn tradition on its head. The retired four-star general would cancel out John McCain’s military advantage. As a former presidential cabinet member for both Papa and Junior Bush, Powell was so popular among Republicans, independents and Reagan Democrats that many thought him a more viable candidate in 2000 than George W. I know this is out-of-the box thinking but Powell is basically a Republican by opportunity only and should be a welcomed addition to the other side of the aisle. Finally, for the nut jobs out there that might be planning an assassination attempt of the nation’s first African American Chief Executive, they’d be forced to think twice.
Chief of Staff—Gov. Bill Richardson
During the double-digit number of debates among the candidates for Democratic Party nomination for president, the governor of New Mexico demonstrated time and time again that he is both level-headed and a peace-maker. Richardson, who was one of the highest-ranking Hispanic appointees in President Clinton’s administration, brings the right blend of experience and respect to keep Obama’s White House in order.
Secretary of State—Sen. Joe Biden
At the risk of upsetting the balance of power in the senate, Obama will have to be frugal when it comes to recruiting for his cabinet among Democrats in the upper chamber. Fortunately, with the Republican brand in ruins, the Democrats should end up with enough new senate seats to offset Biden’s move into the inner-sanctum of the Oval Office. As the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the senior senator from Delaware has been a major proponent of a no-nonsense approach to bringing the troops home. Biden also commands respect on The Hill and in the Pentagon.
Attorney General—Lani Guinier
For the past seven years, justice has been denied to virtually any American whose net worth was not seven digits or greater. Labeled by the right as “anti-Constitution” and “the quota queen” when Bill Clinton nominated her for assistant attorney general in 1993, the president caved, kicking his former Yale Law School classmate under the bus. *Imminently (see Monroe's comment below) qualified, Guinier will make sure that the poor and the wage earner gets their just due.
Secretary of Defense—Sam Nunn
As a member of the Obama administration, the four-term retired Georgia senator will have to tamp down his opposition to gays in the military if any change is gonna come. But, beyond that discriminatory instinct, the former chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services is ideal for Defense Secretary. Right now, Nunn is the co-chairman—with Ted Turner--and Chief Executive Officer of the NTI (Nuclear Threat Initiative), a charitable organization working to reduce the global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.
National Security Advisor—Susan Rice
Rice will have her hands full correcting the international miscalculations of President Bush’s Condoleezza Rice. Currently on leave from the Brookings Institute, Dr. Susan Rice served President Clinton as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. She now serves as the Obama campaign’s senior foreign policy advisor.
Secretary of Veteran Affairs--John Murtha
The House already has a Democratic-margin safety net; therefore Obama can deftly move the Pennsylvania congressman into this important post. Like McCain, Murtha is a Vietnam War hero. Unlike McCain, three years ago Murtha called for a redeployment of American troops in Iraq. A Clinton supporter in the primary race, Murtha—along with Powell and Biden—would help the Obama administration consolidate support in military and veteran quarters.
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