Simple Man Politics

Well it seems that President elect Barack Obama is in a hurry to get his cabinet members selected, appointed, and confirmed. Hillary is apparently his first cabinet pick and his choice for Secretary of State. I don’t really think he will have a problem getting Mrs. Clinton confirmed, but it might be a different story for some of his other picks.

Three of these people stand out as possible problems with regard to the confirmation process, Governor Bill Richardson, Governor Janet Napolitano, and Eric Holder. All three of these individuals are familiar players on the national political stage. They will also come to the confirmation process with their own baggage, as each has made some politically disastrous decisions.

Bill Richardson has been a very good Governor for the state of New Mexico; however he has two potential problems that may plague him. One of these problems is his involvement in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. It seems that he had offered Miss Lewinsky a position at the UN in an effort to guarantee her silence for then President Bill Clinton.

The other problem he may have is for failing to safeguard nuclear secrets after departing the UN to become Energy Secretary. Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia declared he would never again receive Senate support for any office he sought. This would appear to be very problematic since Senate confirmation would be required for him to become Commerce Secretary.

The apparent appointee for Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is another appointee who may have trouble with the Senate confirmation process. In addition to being a lousy Governor for the state I live in, which is Arizona. She was also directly involved in the Anita Hill sexual harassment case against then US Supreme Court Justice nominee Clarence Thomas. Her part in that failed attempt to smear the reputation of an honorable man was as part of the legal team representing Anita Hill when she was a private attorney. It was said that she may have coached a witness for Hill into changing testimony.

The only real obstacle that Attorney General Appointee Eric Holder will have to confront was his choice to pardon Marc Rich when he was Deputy Attorney General under the Clinton administration. Marc Rich was the billionaire on the run who was given a pardon by Bill Clinton on his last day in office. He may have received his pardon because of his estranged wife’s activities as a high paying Clinton donor.

I don’t really believe that if Barack Obama appoints these people to his cabinet that they would fail to get through the confirmation hearings, but I do think that they might get held up there. However Obama’s two picks for Secretary of the Treasury in Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director in Lawrence Summers appear on the surface to be strong picks, but I guess time will tell.

Have a terrific Tuesday my friends CIAO4NOW!!!!!