Future Kerry Cabinet (post Edwards announcement)

[displacedyankeedem]

President: John Kerry
VP: John Edwards

Agriculture: Tom Vilsack (Iowa)-Payback for helping to deliver the Iowa caucuses to Kerry.

Attorney General: Eliot Spitzer (New York)-The most qualified guy to investigate all the corporate influence peddling that's been going on under Bushco.

Commerce: John Breaux (Louisana)-Breaux is a competent enough guy who would help make Kerry look more centrist.

Defense: Chuck Hagel (Nebraska)- After what McCain did(commercial saying Bush is his 'first choice'), no way he gets this now. Hagel's about as good as they come for Republicans.

Education: Gery Chico (Illinois)-Pleases the all important Richard Daley constituency as well as putting a Latino in power in a place that Latinos feel is absolutely essential.

Energy: Gray Davis (California)-I really don't know who to stick here, but wouldn't this be poetic justice.

HHS: Howard Dean (Vermont)-Kerry will need someone with deep knowledge of how to provide Healthcare for all; Dean did just this in VT with Dr. Dynosaur.

Homeland Security: Bob Graham (Florida)-I always thought that during his campaign Graham seemed to be a good point man on this, and his years of Senate service deserve to be rewarded.

HUD: John Lewis (Georgia)-Knows the challenges facing urban America. Plus the fact that you want someone with bona fide civil rights credentials around.

Interior: Robert Kennedy Jr. (New York)-Brings back the aura of JFK and Camelot, plus the fact that I can't think of anyone better for the environment. Payback to Ted Kennedy.

Labor: Dick Gephardt (Missouri)-Do I really have to explain this one?

State: Richard Holbrooke (DC?)-Makes sense as Kerry's Chief FoPo advisor already.

Treasury: Richard Altman-One of Kerry (and Clinton's) top Economic advisors. See http://slate.msn.com/id/2098894 .

Transportation: Gary Locke (Washington)-Asian American has experience with transportation problems as former Chief Executive of King County (Seattle).

Veterans Affairs: Max Cleland (Georgia)-Another self explanatory pick.

Non Cabinet (But Important)
CIA: Richard Clarke-A good counter-terror guy with a conscience. Exactly what's needed here, as well as the fact that he knows what he's talking about should keep the CIA careerists happy.

NSA: Wesley Clark (Arkansas)-Can't be SecDef, but this is just as good.

Chief of Staff: Mary Beth Cahill (Massachusetts)-Just a shot in the dark.

[carpetbagger]

1. No republican Sec of Def.

We've got some pretty good candidates ourselves, starting with Max Cleland.

[displacedyankeedem]

3. How about another NE Senator

Bob Kerrey perhaps?

[Zen Democrat]

9. Bob Kerrey is no longer a Senator, nor is he a northeasterner.

He's a Nebraskan. But as a Congressional Medal of Honor winner, Navy Seal, Green Beret, etc., there's a place for him too.

His drawback is his name -- John may not want to confuse the Kerry name: President Kerry/Secretary Kerrey.

[displacedyankeedem]

14. Isn't NE the postal code for Nebraska?

that's what I meant' sorry for the confusion.

[Mobius]

39. I agree Cleland for SoD

no rethug in admin. That would be a HUGE mistake. The rethugs would hammer on that selection with wild abandon. "See how weak dems are on def.? they have to pick a repug Sod." and much worse from Roveco, I'm sure.

[TriMetFan]

2. Treasury how about;

Ann W. Richards. She did a great job as Texas State Treasurer plus she modernized the operations of the state treasury. Man she also was One Great Governor.

[NewJerseyDem]

4. Too many white males

There will definitely be more than on black in the cabinet and there will be more than one hispanic. Also, there are no women in there and there definitely will be many.

Eliot Spitzer wants to be governor of New York so I doubt he wants to by AG. This might be a good spot for a black member of the cabinet and may have pointed to former Detroit mayor and head of ABA, Dennis Archer.

I doubt that Hagel would become defense secretary since he doesn't serve on the Armed Services Committee. He is more of a foreign affairs guy, than a military guy. Kerry said he John Warner, John McCain, William Perry or Carl Levin might get the job; Warner and McCain have publicly said no.

I don't see Dean getting a cabinet position. He is too risky for that post and Dean probably would rather work from outside the cabinet to promote liberalism in the party.

Other than that, there will just be more policy wonks like Altman and Holbrooke in the administration but those are people we don't know much about so it is hard to tell who they will be. Also, there be at least 2 or 3 blacks and at least 2 or 3 hispanics in the cabinet with probably 4 women or so.

[displacedyankeedem]

5. AG- Georgia's Thurbert Baker?

eom

[NewJerseyDem]

17. He may be too conservative

I understand that he is very much a law and order, conservative AG. So, that may piss off some liberal groups, but could do a good job of reaching out to conservative democrats.

[JNelson6563]

6. Press Secretary: Al Sharpton

heh heh

[Auntie Bush]

47. I used to tell my husband that during the primaries...but not anymore.

But Al would make a good one...people would listen any enjoy a press conference.

[Hippo_Tron]

48. The ideal place for Al is Chaplain of the House of Representatives

He could do some frequent preaching to Tom DeLay. Unfortunately, the Repukes will probably control the house for a few more years.

[Zen Democrat]

7. Max Cleland has already headed up Veteran Affairs under Carter --

He may be great at Homeland Security. Graham at Defense?

Any thought about Wes Clark at CIA?

[NewJerseyDem]

15. He was never a cabinet secretary though

So, Max Cleland has the experience of veterans' issues, so he would be ready for the job. Also, the current Secretary of Veterans' Affairs, Tony Principi, held the position before so it just shows that there is no reason why a person who held the job before can't hold it again.

[Zen Democrat]

8. There may be a spot for Jean Shaheen of New Hampshire.

And I'd LOVE to see Vernon Jordan as Attorney General. He turned it down for Clinton, but he may just rethink it after Ashcroft. We need a strong man at the Justice Department to clean up the mess.

Howard Dean at EPA would be inspired. I think Kerry needs to find a place for Howard and HHS or EPA would work.

What are the chances that Kerry will name his cabinet at the convention? That's a bold move, but bold moves may not be necessary anymore. The Republicans are m-e-l-t-i-n-g.

[IronLionZion]

12. The good Doctor has to be in somewhere

I would seriously love to see him as DNC chairman. But HHS, EPA, Surgeon General, etc. would be good too.

[serryjw]

32. ABSOLUTELY!

Dean for DNC chair

[Wabbajack]

10. Wes Clark Can't be SecDef?

How come?

[Massacure]

13. SecDef has to be out of the military for 10 years.

[HarveyBriggs]

29. Then put him in as Sec. State.

He'll do fine there.

Harvey Briggs

[Claire Beth]

33. I agree....

secretary of state for Wes Clark....IF he would want it. He might prefer civilian life so he can make more money for himself and his family. He could get paid big bucks for making speeches.

[Wabbajack]

35. Is that a law or something?

[NewJerseyDem]

44. Yes

I believe it was put in the law when they established the Department of Defense in 1947.

[Wabbajack]

50. Odd

do you know why?

[NewJerseyDem]

52. To keep civilian control over the military, I believe

I assume that the people who wrote the law wanted to make sure that the military remained under civilian control which is important so that the military doesn't get political power.

[Lefty Pragmatist]

11. Too many politicians.

I would prefer to see career policy makers in nearly all those positions. Cleland is, however, the obvious VA pick.

[TexasSissy]

16. NOT JOHN BREAUX!!!!! He helped author the awful Medicare Act

that the Repubs passed! The other Louisiana legislator, Billy Tauzin, has accepted a $2 Milliion/year job at a big pharmaceutical company after cosponsoring that bill (which benefits big pharma and insurance companies, and hurts the elderly). No telling what deals Breaux has going on because of it.

Dems in La. are NOT pleased with Breaux. He's a Repub in wolf's clothing.

[TexasSissy]

18. I believe Joe Biden is Kerry's chief FoPo advisor.

I see him as SOS (unless that messes up the senatorial mix too much). If not, Kerry is definitely going to put Biden on the cabinet somewhere. They go way back, and Kerry respects him greatly. I heard pundits on TV talk about Biden being Kerry's chief foreign policy advisor, and Biden has stated as much himself. (Of course, Biden probably advises everyone about FoPo, whether they want it or not.)

[displacedyankeedem]

19. I'd be afraid of Mike Castle taking his seat

Keep him in the Senate

[NewJerseyDem]

20. I think Holbrooke is his top foreign policy advisor

And I have seen in the media several times that Holbrooke is his most trusted foreign policy advisor. Also, Biden may not want to leave the Senate where he will be the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, hopefully.

[Zen Democrat]

21. Check it out. Rand Beers is the Coordinator of National Security and

Homeland Security for the Kerry team. He'll definitely be the National Security Advisor under President Kerry.

Rand Beers is Richard Clarke's best friend. Beers was the counter-terrorism expert on the National Security Council until he resigned in June 2003 to join the Kerry campaign. Beers had been on NSC through several administrations - Democrat and Republican.
Clarke took a lot of flak after his book came out because he is so close to Beers and with Beers being NS Coordinator for Kerry, Clarke was accused of being a Kerry supporter. Clarke said, "Rand Beers is my best friend, but I do not work for any political campaign."

I see Holbrooke as Secretary of State. I think he's Kerry's top foreign policy advisor. Joe Biden is a friend and colleague, but Joe's staying in the Senate, where he belongs. I don't see any jobs in the Kerry Administration for currently serving Senators and members of Congress. We need every vote.

I believe the only members of Bush's cabinet from Capitol Hill were 2000 losers Spencer Abraham and John "Lost to a Dead Man" Ashcroft.

[TexasSissy]

22. Well, did a search on who his foreign policy advisors are. Here 'tis:

I have found quite a few "foreign policy advisors" to Kerry in various articles. Here they are. Take your pick.

Joe Wilson (I think I heard Joe Wilson confirm this during an interview about his new book) Article dated 2/18/04

Richard Morningstar (former advisor to President Clinton on Caspian energy) Article dated 2/18/04

Rand Beers --articles dated in almost every month in 2004

William Perry -- article dated 2/18/04

Jamie Rubin (Christianne Amanpour's hubby) -- a forum in June 2004

Wendy R. Anderson, who works for the John Kerry Presidential Campaign as the Deputy National Security Issues Coordinator on the National Security Team -- article dated 2/04

Joe Biden ("the most influential foreign policy advisor to Senator John Kerry") -- article dated 5/28/04 http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/2004/vol8n22/WashUpdate0822-en.shtml

Biden reportedly talks to Kerry a few times each week. His is said to be the dominant voice in Kerry’s foreign policy ‘kitchen cabinet.’ Others include top foreign policy officials in the Clinton Administration, such as National Security Advisor Sandy Berger and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Sandy Berger is referred to in Kerry's website as a Kerry foreign policy advisor. ---in a May 2004 press release/article.

Judging from the above, there seems to have been a change in his foreign policy advisors after about March. Sandy Berger, Madeleine Albright, Joe Biden, Jamie Rubin, and Rand Beers are the only ones I saw mentioned after March 2004.

Didn't mean for this to be so long or to contradict you. I just got to wondering who, exactly, his foreign policy advisors are. I didn't see Holbrooke mentioned, but maybe he was replaced, so the articles about him are further back in time.

[NewJerseyDem]

24. An LA Times article from April that says Holbrooke is close to Kerry

And I know I have heard on TV people say that Holbrooke has the inside track to become Secretary of State. It doesn't mean that it is true, or that it will happen, but many seem to think he is a real contender for the job.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/2004/la-adna-foreignside11apr11,1,1645485.story?coll=la-headlines-elect2004

WASHINGTON — No one is picking out their curtains yet, but speculation about who might fill the top foreign policy positions in a John Kerry presidency is already intense.

Early handicapping on a Kerry secretary of State focuses primarily on three names. For many, the top two contenders are Richard C. Holbrooke, a veteran diplomat who served as Bill Clinton's ambassador to the United Nations, and Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), who has worked with Kerry on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for two decades.

Several Democrats close to Kerry place the 62-year-old Holbrooke, now vice chairman in the same private investment firm as James A. Johnson, the director of Kerry's vice presidential search, as the foreign policy thinker the Massachusetts senator looks to first.

Even Holbrooke's critics — a group that would not fit in a phone booth — consider him brilliant, creative and energetic.

[TexasSissy]

37. I can't read the article (not registered to that mag). What's the date of

the article?

[NewJerseyDem]

38. April 11, 2004 n/t

[Literate Tar Heel]

27. Jamie Rubin

Jamie Rubin was on Crossfire today captioned as Kerry's Foreign Policy Advisor, but I'd imagine he has more than one

[silvershadow]

23. Yeah, Eliot Spitzer for AG

I have been saying this for months. I can't imagine any other cabinet appointment that would cause the repugs to froth at the mouth during confirmation hearings.

[leyton]

28. Nah, I doubt Spitzer would want it.

Isn't he running for NY governor in a couple years? I'd rather be governor than a cabinet officer, especially if I had higher ambitions.

[BluegrassDem]

25. Not enough diversity

No way would can you have the big 4 jobs all belong to white males. Even Clinton had a woman at AG. There has to be a minority at either State, Defense, Justice, Treasury...or the Chief of Staff or NSC.

[John_H]

31. Cleland at DoD, Nydia Velasquez at HUD, bring back Rubin at Treasury

[ncteechur]

26. Former NC Governor Jim Hunt for Education nfm

[John_H]

30. EXCELLENT idea. He'd be perfect. One of the great Democratic

governors ever. Turned NC schools around, was a major education innovator, and was one of the first people on the planet to see the potential of technology to transform schools in rural, low-tax-base states.

[Carolinian]

46. Not Hunt,. No . Never . Never. Please. He left NC in financial mess and

the schools barely moved up from about 49th in the nation. Please do not even think about putting Lips in the cabinet.

[kwolf68]

34. Interior Sec

Easy

Congressman Udall from Colorado. If he's anything like Mo Udall then he's a hero.

[Mobius]

36. SoS should be Clark

NSA to Holbrooke, get real :eyes:

[NNadir]

40. I like a lot of what you say, but for Energy, if he'll take it, Al Gore

for Secretary of Energy or the EPA.

The President-elected is one of the few politicians on the planet who understands the issue.

Bill Clinton would be great at the UN and he would make the administration come out of the box shining. Wherever I've gone on the planet, they love Bill Clinton.

[goclark]

41. What about Harold Ford and Madeline Albright?

[NewJerseyDem]

45. Harold Ford, Jr. is probably running for Senate in 2006

So, I doubt he would want to be in the Cabinet and interrupt his Senate ambitions. Also, Madeline Albright's only logical position would be Secretary of State again and I doubt she would return. Very few major Cabinet secretaries return to their positions, and she may not want to do it. However, she could be used as a special envoy every once in a while.

[JohnLocke]

42. Bob Graham -- CIA Director.

[Hippo_Tron]

49. I like that idea

Graham could clean up this whole mess within the intelligence community.

[topdog08]

43. I'd like to see Bill Daley and Chaka Fattah in there

Maybe Daley for transportation, Fattah for education

[tishaLA]

53. I LOVE Fattah

but the Philly schools have always been a hot mess. I think nominating him for Secretary of Education would be a huge mistake.

[Paradise]

51. Great choices SC_Dem! :) n/t

[Pepperbelly]

54. NO Democratic Senators! WE do not need them as cabinet members.

We need them in the Senate to make a majority!