BlackLiberalBoomer

Why are the Cabinet picks of President-elect Barack Obama important? Exactly what do Cabinet Secretaries do? (Remember, Governor Sarah Palin did not know what the Vice-President does, which is one reason why she’s not VEEP-elect!)

In addition to being the most senior-level appointed officers of the President and the Executive Branch, they are Constitutionally required (Article Two) and are in the line of succession should the President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House, and President pro tempore of the Senate become unfit for office.

The first Cabinet Secretary in the line of succession is the Secretary of State; which probably explains why there is so much hoop-la over whether Hillary Clinton will be appointed. The Attorney General, who doesn’t have the title “Secretary”, is in charge of the Department of Justice and is fourth in line. Eric Holder will apparently be nominated for the top Justice job.

Next in line is the Secretary of the Treasury; and with the economic crisis now being experienced, this nomination is also being highly anticipated. But while we wait, the Secretary who is 9th in line is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Former Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) is reportedly up for nomination for this post. For some reason, the Secretary of Homeland Security is 15th in the line of succession. Governor Janet Napolitano (D-AZ) is reportedly up for this Cabinet post.

It has been 2 1/2 weeks since the election, and watching this transition (and how it is different from the campaign) has been both interesting and informative.  Mr. Obama is walking a fine line between “change” and “experience”, trying to balance having some of both.

There has been much speculation about the President-elect’s choices. It may be good to remember that Mr. Obama has repeatedly said that there is no choice until he says there is a choice.  Until then, it’s just an exercise in lots of talk and conjecture.

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