No celebrities. Period. No Oprah. No Whoopie. No Kennedys. No Clinton Administration retreads, although I expect we’ll see a number of them in some capacity. Hillary Clinton must become the next Senate majority leader. Harry Reid is a milquetoast who can’t even deal with Joe Lieberman. The problem is nobody has a clue what it’s like to lead a Cabinet agency. Cabinet Secretaries come to DC with the best of intentions and leave purely frustrated at how little they’ve accomplished. Robert Reich titled his Cabinet memoir, “Locked in the Cabinet” for a reason. Many Cabinet agencies, like Agriculture and Commerce, are captive to special interests. Then there is the Executive Office of the President, which numbers about 2,000 staff members and includes entities like the Council of Economic Advisers and the Office of Management & Budget. The problem with this is that more times than not, these staff members end up mediating issues that used to be the responsibility of a Cabinet agency. When Bill Clinton tackled health care reform, it was Hillary Clinton & Ira Magaziner who led the effort, not Health & Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. Dream all you like about who should be in Obama’s Cabinet. I guarantee it won’t look anything like the real thing.

From what I am reading, it looks like Larry Summers is on the short list. He will probably keep Gates. I would like to see Richard Holbrooke, perhaps as Sec’y of State. One question for anyone in the know….how many under-secretaries are there in a presedential administration?

I think I am so beyond the era of political correctness—must have women, must have Blacks, must have Latinos, must have supporters, must have Republicans—-unless these people are the best of the best!!!!! This country is in very bad shape, the world is still a dangerous place, and I hope he keeps to his word that he wants only the best people in those jobs. Oprah btw is starting her own network and taking her show with her. So I doubt she is interested unless Obama needs a Sect’y of Book Clubs.

I’d like to see Hillary in there. Also, I really liked Madeline Albright and I would cast a vote for Colin Powell as well. But really, Oprah? Come on kids, don’t play!

Amen, this morning, Carol! A true breeze from the ocean - how I miss water of any kind (think we can get that into any amended ADA legislation - water?). Has anyone mentioned Sheila Bair (FDIC)? Such an independent, dedicated, ethical, free thinking leader is rare in DC the past 40 years. I hate this - putting in my 2 cents, now but my gut keeps reacting, and in the best interests of my own physiology, I must emit. Oh, woe is me at the news of O’s own network. Well, that certainly personifies her control issues, which I’m sure are very well founded, but there does come a time when one must heal thyself - in this case, not dragging her adoring public with her - lest she so quickly forget those panting females who lapped up Palin ah paling anti-intellectualism forcing them all to the lowest common denominator - had she been a Latino or black … oh my. We’d have had riots in River City!

I agree that Oprah has her own thing going on, I do not think she would be interested in a government position and why should she. I also heard she was starting her own network, so her plate is full and she is far more influential doing what she does now. President elect Obama has run one of the best campaigns in history, he has shown he knows how to make smart decisions and from what I have seen so far like his press conference and the people he had gathered around him who seem to be respectable, reasonable and not rash; to me that is reassuring and I think we need to be patient and believe that he will introduce us to a very well qualified team. I do not believe we will have a cabinet of celebritys.

bill clinton for the UNITED NATIONS position. rosie