Picks for the first Obama Cabinet - By: James Darnell

Now that President-elect Obama has the election out of the way and a mandate to govern this nation with a new style. Here's an independent's view of what his cabinet should look like:

Secretary of State:

I would love to see someone out of the ordinary for this pick. A favorite Democrat of mine is Gary Locke, former governor of the state of Washington. He decided in 2003 not to seek a 3rd term and has largely been out of the limelight since 2005 when he left office. But he has largely worked on Chinese-American issues and would make a great envoy to other nations. His pick could help us further stabilize relations with China, whom we are greatly indebted to.

Another solid choice would be my personal favorite: Bill Richardson, the current governor of New Mexico. Richardson is a Latino, has a boatload of experience and is just an all-around great story. Make him the first Latino Secretary of State. I'm sure that re-election in 2012 won't be too difficult.

Secretary of the Treasury:

I'm going out on a limb here. But I would hope that the Secretary of the Treasury would be a guy like Warren Buffett, someone who knows the markets and is known for his pragmatic approach to business and life. With Buffett's age and his business, I'm sure it won't happen, but wouldn't that be a score for the American people.

Another solid pick would be: Jon Corzine. Governor of New Jersey and former player in Goldman Sachs. He has a solid knowledge of what we're going through and has even worked with current treasury secretary Henry Paulson, which could prove for a seamless transition.

Secretary of Defense:

Everybody wants to go with the current Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, who wouldn't be a bad choice. But I have three words for you: General Eric Shinseki. A consummate professional, General Shinseki told the truth on the war and got shoved out by an ungrateful Bush administration. Look whose laughing now. His ideas to push forward with the modernization of the Army and his ability to stand up and fight a President shows that he is just the man we need to lead us out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Take it from me, I served under the guy and I think he was an excellent leader capable of bringing the best out of his men. And if you like the coolness of Barack Obama, this guy is known as one of the most professional and reserved fighting men out there.

Attorney General:

Remember Janet Reno? Some of the frontrunners for this office would be Janet Napolitano and Eric Holder. I'm tossing my hat to Holder on this one. Remember Janet Reno? I think Napolitano would be better served in staying in Arizona. Believe me, they need her with the fight over gay marriage and other issues cropping up.

The rest of the Cabinet positions are important, but I'm not going to belabor you guys with too much. I could see Colin Powell as Secretary of Veteran Affairs. That would be cool too. So those are my picks. We'll see where it falls.

About the Author

James Darnell is the Co-Editor of Downthecenter.org - America's Premiere Centrist Blog

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