Napolitano for Homeland Security?
Politico reports that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (who is awesome) has been tapped to be the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Gosh, who could have predicted it? Oh, that’s right, me. Just like I predicted Eric Holder for Attorney General and Tom Daschle for Secretary of Health & Human Services. And my prediction of Gates at Defense is looking pretty good right now.
Unfortunately, it looks like Obama is probably going to go with Clinton instead of Richardson at State, but it’s also pretty clear that Richardson is the top runner up.
Tags: Cabinet
Admittedly, not all my picks are likely to shake out. Supposedly Obama is considering Rep. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin (D-SD-AL) or Rep. Colin Peterson (D-MN-7) for Agriculture, which makes my choice of Vilsack less likely, and my choice of Rep. Oberstar (D-MN-8) probably won’t get Transportation if Peterson gets Agriculture. Cleland’s been mentioned as a possibility for Veteran’s Affairs – I picked Sen. Hagel (R-NE), who might bump one of my other picks if Obama has a different job in mind for him. And I really don’t know why I thought Greg Craig would get UN Ambassador – giving him White House Counsel seems pretty obvious in retrospect.
But still, go ahead and find someone who nailed Holder, Daschle, and Napolitano, I dare ya.
I don’t like this pick. I would have much preferred Richard Clarke at Homeland Security.
I don’t like picking up and coming Senators and Representatives out of their states before they reach their prime political potential. Napolitano should be running against McCain in two years for the Senate. Herseth-Sandlin should be running for Governor of South Dakota or the Senate herself in two years.
I did not make predictions like you, but I did say that Ed Rendell would be in the Cabinet. That prediction is going to be false because there is now no Democratic Lt. Governor for Rendell to turn the state over to now that Knoll died.
I’m sort of thinking that X is like one of those infomercials for sports betting…
Last week our picks went 87% and our super bonus, never wrong, always pays out, oh-my-god-I-don’t-believe-you-got-that-one pick was correct! Call now to find out who we are picking this Sunday!
It’s like having our own Celia Cohen. zing!
LG, I apparently don’t watch enough sports on TV, because I’ve never seen one.
That said, I do think I sound like a Fantasy Football columnist. “In 12-team leagues, Kathleen Sebelius is a solid buy.”
DD, here’s a cool thought – she serves 3 1/2 years in the Obama administration and then runs against Kyl! Getting rid of Kyl would be even sweeter than displacing the sometimes-useful McCain.
Yeah, I guess that is just as good. I just have grown to hate McCain is a visceral way.
So, will Richardson, Dean and Sebelius get a cabinet post? There’s been chatter about Tammy Duckworth for Secretary of Veterans Affairs as well.
X,
I never thought of the Napolitano v. Kyl scenario. It’s a good one. So, who will run against McCain in 2010?
McCain isn’t very healthy…
The other thing I do not like about this is it gives the Arizona Governorship to the GOP. Arizona has no Lt. Governor, and the next in line to assume office is Secretary of State Jan Brewer (R), who is elected separately.
Do you all think that Eric Holder for AG will actually stand up for consitutional law. Better check his past. Why did’nt Obama pick a Consitutional professor from some great university who doesnt have the “inside the beltway mentality”, who would bring back consitutional law. Eric Holder is a very bad choice for AG. So far, are you progressives happy with Obama’s cabinent picks? I am not. Nothing new here…just a Clinton reshuffle.
DD – AGREED on keeping state talent on the seniority tack. If there is a GOP next in line then NO WAY Jose should that be acceptable choice.
DD – AGREED on keeping state talent on the seniority tack. If there is a GOP next in line then NO WAY Jose should that be acceptable choice.
Hmmm, I’ll have to check to see if that would force a special election – I’d hate to leave Arizona in GOP hands all the way till 2010.
Talk of Arlen Specter in Obama’s cabinet? Too bad Spector voted for telecom immunity when he had the power to make the difference. Are you all seeing a pattern here? Where is the change we believed in?
Actually, this would be pretty bad for Arizona – they have a GOP legislature, too, and they’re as wingnutty as Kyl and Shadegg.
Link please, Liz?
BTW, giving Arlen Spector a cabinet seat would give Democrats 59 seats in the senate after Rendell appoints. However, I can’t think of anything he could do in the cabinet that would be more useful than having him be the ranking GOP on the Senate Judiciary committee.
As I recall, Liz, you were a latecomer to the bandwagon. You liked Edwards. Some of us liked Obama specifically because he wouldn’t listen to people like you.
if her years of failing to secure the Mexico-AZ border are any indication, then she’s on track to do a horrendous job securing the whole country
Taegan Goddard apparently shares my speculation that Napolitano and Lieberman are part of a filibuster-stopping deal with McCain.
Movie Fan – and doesn’t it please you to know she has McCain’s enthusiastic support? You anti-immigration nuts were completely abandoned by both parties this time around. That’s because you are irrelevent – just look at US History, the anti-immigrant forces always lose.
You are absolutely right. I was with Edwards because of his stand on health care and working people. I reluctantly went with Obama…there was no other choice. But now with the 20 Clintonites and neo cons already signed on or about to be..I am still reluctant to throw my arms around “change”. Have yet to see even one progressive on board. He did add 6 native americans in the Interior Dept.
My information on Spector came from Mark Miller at NYU. Wait fella’s you’ll hear about it when they ready.
My concern right now is that we are creating a unitary president. Bringing the republicans (even the neo cons) and the demcrats (even the neo cons) into the fold. From where I stand I call it “creating one corporate party” with a lobbyocracy.