Evaluating Obama’s Cabinet

One of the most important responsibilities of President-elect Barack Obama to do before he is inaugurated is to fill his cabinet. He has appointed 14 positions so far but four positions are more important to his administration than any others: Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State, and Attorney General. Obama has announced his appointment to each of those positions and is in the process of filling the rest of the cabinet before January 20th.

Secretary of Defense – Robert M. Gates

Gates is the current Sec. of Defense so Obama’s decision to stick with him is a good one. His role in the Obama administration is to be the principal defense policy advisor. He is also responsible for the formulation of general defense policy related to all matters of direct and primary concern to the Dept. of Defense, and for the execution of approved policy.

Gates has over 25 years of experience in two key defense programs: the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency. During his time in the CIA, he held the positions of Deputy Director for Intelligence and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence. After he left the CIA in 1993, he worked as an academic and a lecturer; he lectured at  Harvard, Yale, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Indiana, Louisiana State, Oklahoma, and the College of William and Mary.

Gates’ presence in Obama’s cabinet will bring experience and a steady transition between the two administrations. Gates will also help make sure the troops remain safe as the administration develops a timetable and returns the soldiers home safely.

Secretary of the Treasury – Timothy F. Geithner

The Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the Dept. of the Treasury, concerned with finance and monetary matters. I can’t think of a more important position in this time of economic distress this country is facing. The appointment of Geithner is a questionable one, but one that I think will work out for the better of this nation.

Currently, Geithner is the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In March 2008, he arranged the rescue and sale of Bear Stearns and later, in the same year, he is believed to have played a pivotal role in both the decision to bail out AIG as well as the government decision not to save Lehman Brothers from bankruptcy.

Since he played a big role in dealing with the financial crisis this year, his decisions will be called into question by everyone evaluating him for this job. However, current Treasury Sec. Henry Paulsonbelieves the Treasury needs new leaders to deal with the current crisis and described Geithner as a “very unusually talented young man…[who] understands government and understands markets.”

Secretary of State – Hillary Clinton

The Secretary of State is the head of the State Dept, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. Obama’s appointment of Clinton to this position is probably the most controversial pick because of her candidacy for president rivaling Obama and her husband’s foreign influence.

Putting that aside, Clinton brings to the State Dept. seven years of Senate experience where she served on five Senate committees. She shares very similar views on the Iraq War with Obama and the two of them also share somewhat similar views on health care.

Clinton said she was reluctant to leave the Senate, but the new position represented a “difficult and exciting adventure.” Time will tell how her taking of this position will affect her chances of a presidential bid down the road.

Attorney General – Eric H. Holder Jr.

If approved by the Senate, Holder would become the first African-American Attorney General. This cabinet position is concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government.

During President Bill Clinton’s administration, Holder served as Deputy Attorney General from 1997-2001 under Attorney General Janet Reno and was a pivotal player in the steps leading up to Clinton’s impeachment hearings. Holder also represented the NFL investigation of Michael Vick’s connection to dog fighting in 2007.

Holder shares very similar political views with Obama. Holder favors closing the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He is opposed to the Bush Administration’s implementation of the Patriot Act, saying it is “bad ultimately for law enforcement and will cost us the support of the American people.” He has been critical of US torture policy and the NSA warrantless surveillance program, calling the Bush administration’s “disrespect for the rule of law [and is] not only wrong, it is destructive in our struggle against terrorism.”

Besides Gates’ reappointment as Defense Secretary, Obama’s choices are controversial and surprising. But they are also full of potential. In a time of crisis, a new look and new administration needs to take charge and Obama is certainly getting his army ready to take battle. Time will tell if he has assembled the right soldiers.

Alex J Martin