The Toronto Star's pick for Obama's Cabinet

[Liberalboy]

Having lived in Canada now for nearly two years I have grown accustomed to Canadian's fascination and misunderstanding with the United States' political system. Many envy my opportunity to cast a vote in a swing state (Colorado) and they mention all the time that they wish they could vote in American elections as who gets elected "South of the border" has implications on the whole world and not just 50 states.

That being said many Canadians I meet don't realize the serious differences between conservatives here and conservatives in the states. Bill Clinton could easily be the head of the Conservative Party here in Canada, and Stephen Harper would be a hawkish Democrat in the states; so when you try to explain right-wing ideology to Canadians they don't understand how someone like that gets into power.

Anyway here are Obama's "Dream Team" as complied by The Star (not that I agree with all of them, but I like the idea of Clark):

VP: Wesley Clark
Treasury: Michael Bloomberg
AG: John Edwards
Defence: Robert Gates
State: Bill Richardson
Energy: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Education: Christine Todd Whitman
INS: Janet Napolitano
VA: Chuck Hagel
FEMA: James Lee Witt
Joint Chiefs: David Petraeus
Special Advisor (Arms Control): Sam Nunn
National Poverty Commission: Elizabeth Edwards
Council of Economic Advisors: Joseph Stiglitz
Special Advisor (Global Outreach): Samantha Power
UN Ambassador: Colin Powell

Link here: http://www.thestar.com/News/USElection/article/463679

[polichick]

1. Colin Powell as UN Ambassador - didn't he betray our country before the UN?

[Liberalboy]

4. I don't agree with it

but the article states:
"Colin Powell, 71, former U.S. secretary of state, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Disgraced himself with exaggerated case to UN Security Council on Saddam's weapons of mass destruction. Committed multilateralist still regarded in world capitals as the lone senior voice of reason in the Bush White House prior to his 2005 retirement, is aching to vindicate himself by helping build global coalitions to combat terrorism, genocide, climate change and chronic malnutrition and disease in developing-world nations."

[polichick]

8. He's not "aching" enough to apologize to the American people...

Even though I feel sorry for him, imo he should vindicate himself by helping us hold the administration responsible. Redemption comes with a price, not a promotion.

[Labors of Hercules]

16. How could he do it without seriously incriminating himself?

Could he do a Scott McClellan and still maintain his credibility?

[polichick]

19. imo he has no credibility as it stands...

Maybe he could cut some deal to protect himself, I don't know.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Uh...no. Nice try, Canada, but fail.

Whitman? Witt? Petraeus? Powell as UN ambassador, after his star turn LYING to the UN? Hilarious. I don't think we'll see a whole lot of Bush retreads in the Obama administration, somehow.

[Canuckistanian]

18. I agree. And Hagel??

What was his voting record again? 95% with Bush?

Whoever compiled that list doesn't have a firm grasp on American politics or else has totally disregarded Democratic grass roots issues.

But then again, Canadian media OFTEN gets things wrong and tends to take White House press releases as the final word. I often find myself screaming at the TV or radio for some of the outright far-right wing talking points that get repeated without challenge.

This ain't no dream list.

[TwilightGardener]

20. Well, I disagree on Hagel--he'd make a fine cabinet pick wherever Obama

wants to put him (within reason--NOT energy or education, LOL!)

[gateley]

3. Some intriguing possibilities.

Bloomberg - Treasure. Hmmmm could work.

Not wild about Petraeus or Powell after their devotion to Bushco's illegal war.

I think this would be a pretty good cabinet.

[saltpoint]

5. It's a provocative list.

I like that both John and Elizabeth Edwards are on it, but balk at Nunn and Gates. I could personally do without Sam and Bob. Caught their act before, didn't like it much then, will pass on the second show.

I'd scratch Powell off and write in Bill Bradley, for instance.

Schwartzenegger?! Good god.

I don't hate Christine Todd Whitman as much as other Republicans, but feel we might do better with someone like Betty Castor, former President of the Univ. of South Florida and a U.S. Senate candidate who almost defeated Mel Martinez in 04.

If Richardson is not the veep, then Sec. of State would be great. It will be nice to have a decent, qualified soul in that job as opposed to the person who holds it now.

[Merlot]

6. If they think arnie would make a good energy secretary

then they REALLY don't know anything about arnie.

That little dash of euro-think he throws out every now and then has absolutly nothing to do with his ideas on environment which are very republican.

[Ichingcarpenter]

9. Arnold, Enron and the California energy crisis

Arnold's Enron Secret

The wannabe governor has yet to deny that on May 17, 2001, at the Peninsula Hotel in Los Angeles, he had consensual political intercourse with Enron chieftain Kenneth Lay. Also frolicking with Arnold and Ken was convicted stock swindler Mike Milken.

Now, 34 pages of internal Enron memoranda have just come through this reporter's fax machine that tell all about the tryst between Maria's husband and the corporate con men. It turns out that Schwarzenegger knowingly joined the hush-hush encounter as part of a campaign to sabotage a Davis-Bustamante plan to make Enron and other power pirates then ravaging California pay back the $9 billion in illicit profits they carried off.

Here's the story Arnold doesn't want you to hear. The biggest single threat to Ken Lay and the electricity lords is a private lawsuit filed last year under California's unique Civil Code provision 17200, the "Unfair Business Practices Act." This litigation, heading to trial now in Los Angeles, would make the power companies return the $9 billion they filched from California electricity and gas customers.>>>>snip
http://www.alternet.org/story/16902

[Faygo Kid]

7. Petraeus? Whitman? Bloomberg? Powell? Don't like this list.

I like Edwards as AG, and there may be a (very) few others you could convince me are OK, but this is mostly garbage.

I love Elizabeth Edwards, but she has her hands full right now with other things.

[Captain Hilts]

10. No, Stephen Harper could NOT be a hawkish Democrat and BillC a Cons Party head....

I lived in Toronto for 4 years and have been back for chunks of time yearly for the past twenty.

This is merely a celebrity list based on visibility. Why WHY should Christie Todd Whitman - who agreed to edit health warnings from Ground Zero out of the EPA's report be considered for a cabinet post.

WHY would Sam Nunn - who stomped on Bill Clinton's efforts to legalize gays in the military and who poured tons of defense dollars into his native Georgia be considered for anything unless we want another archaic cold warrior like Condi Rice. We don't.

Colin Powell for ANYTHING????

This is a stupid list.

[malik flavors]

11. I'm still amazed by people that don't think Obama will have republicans in his cabinet.

After everything he's said and done, I would think it's obvious.

"we're not red state or blue states, we're the united states." Remember that? Isn't that a pretty big part of his "Change" that he's proposing?

I mean, "Team of Rivals" is the one book he would take if stranded on a island. That book is all about bringing the opposition into your inner circle and making the most effective government possible. It's a sure thing there will be multiple republicans in the cabinet, and Powell will certainly play a role of some kind. Obama's already said as much.

[SwampG8r]

12. my first response was

"who cares what canada thinks"
as it should be the first reaction of any american when canada critiques the US
but then i looked it over and while i had particular disagreements with some choices
overall its not half bad
and it has a lot of across the aisle action too
its interesting to say the least

[Liberalboy]

13. Who cares what Canada thinks?

Considering over 600,000 Americans live here, we are the US' major trading partner, and have a long and intertwined history it does matter. Besides if there is one thing I have learned while living out of The States is that America's decisions and actions have lasting consequences on the planet and other governments. If you want to be a superpower you need to accept your role in the world and sometimes that means coming under the scrutiny of other cultures...

[Faygo Kid]

23. I care, eh?

Big fan of Canadian culture, which I regularly scrutinized growing up in Detroit, across from Windsor.

Keep yer stick on the ice.

[SwampG8r]

25. wow there goes the sterotype of canadian sense of humor

[quantass]

14. Hey... Canada isnt even close to being as corrupt as the US.

[quantass]

15. Hi Fellow Canadian! +1 K&R for brotherhood!

[PM7nj]

17. WHITMAN! No, no, no, no!

Half of the problems we have in the state are because of her administration. We are still trying to fix everything she screwed up. Not to mention her time at the EPA... ugh.

[ruggerson]

21. Why would Janet Napolitano give up the governorship of a vital Western state

to run INS?

Won't happen.

[ruggerson]

22. This list is HALF Republicans

it's nuts.

Although, most of the Repubs on the list, with the glaring exception of Hagel, are halfway decent on a number of issues.

[Sensitivity]

24. Their VP nod to Clark is a very LOGICAL CHOICE. For some reason Obama seems distant from him though

Some of his comments in the primary may be the cause.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

26. Petraeus and Powell, no

not until they fess up.

The idea of AHHHnold as energy has a certain appeal. He''s reasonably progressive on energy/environmental issues. Got my doubts about christie, but am willing to keep an open mind.

Clark, Bloomberg Edwards and Richardson are first class talent.

Erwin Chemerinsky for first SCOTUS appointment and Larry Tribe for Solicitor General.