Who would you like the president to nominate as Secretary of Defense?

[jmowreader]

My vote is for Joni Ernst: the SecDef essentially has no power at all - appropriations come from Congress, war is declared by Congress, short-term police actions are declared by the president, and all the real decision-making at DoD is done at the O-5/O-6 level, colonels, lieutenant colonels and their Navy equivalents - and making her SecDef almost completely eliminates her ability to cause lasting damage to the nation.

[think]

1. Alan Grayson /nt

[pkdu]

2. John McCain - shut the old fucker up

[jmowreader]

3. Works for me

Naturally, the ideal situation would be to pick a Republican senator from a state with a Democratic governor, but are there any of those anymore?

Or we could go back to my usual suggestion, and install the Little Mean Guy, retired Command Sergeant Major Raymond J. McKnight. This guy has been described as "the worst prick to wear the uniform in the history of the Republic." Turning him loose on the Republicans would be entertaining to say the least.

[Angleae]

10. Republican senator with a Democratic governor, there are 8 of them with the new congress next year.

Cory Gardner (CO)
Mitch McConnell (KY)
Rand Paul (KY)
Roy Blunt (MO)
Steve Daines (MT)
Kelly Ayotte (NH)
Pat Toomey (PN)
Shelley Moore Capito (WV)

[jmowreader]

11. And naming Yertle the Turtle would be the sweetest one

[Man from Pickens]

4. not Joe Lieberman

please

[genwah]

8. Funny you should menion that...

"Today's resignation reflects the ongoing damage caused by President Obama's misguided foreign policy of leading from behind," Cruz said.

"One strong option would be former Sen. Joe Lieberman, a member of the President's own party with deep experience and unshakable commitment to the security of the United States. I urge the President to give him full and fair consideration for this critical position."

As a close friend of Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, the incoming Armed Services Committee Chairman, Lieberman would likely win easy approval from the committee if considered.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/24/politics/ted-cruz-hagel-lieberman/

[tammywammy]

5. Ashton Carter

I think he could be effective at restructuring the procurement process and had extensive qualifications for reducing nuclear proliferation. But I don't know if he would be good against the ISIS threat.

[GoCubsGo]

6. Carl Levin.

He's retiring. He'll make it past the Senate vote. He was head of the Senate Armed Services committee, so he knows Defense things inside and out.

[Chan790]

7. Pick a Republican Senator from a state with a Democratic Governor. n/t

[JI7]

9. chuck hagel

[Recursion]

12. Jim Webb

It might derail his Presidential run, but I think he'd be good as SecDef.

[TheKentuckian]

13. Let's try someone who is not now nor ever has been a TeaPubliKlan just for kicks.

[B Calm]

14. Dennis Kuchnich

[bemildred]

15. Lindsey. nt

[Tommy_Carcetti]

16. Perhaps Wesley Clark? nt

[jmowreader]

17. He would be good

Is he confirmable by this new senate?

[hughee99]

18. I'll bet there's a few people in the Clinton campaign

that wouldn't be thrilled to see Clark get such a prominent position at this point in time.