Now that President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are preparing to move into the White House, speculation has begun as to who will be packing their bags and joining them. The nation eagerly awaited the announcement of some of Obama’s Cabinet members, hoping to see some political big wigs working together. That’s exactly what they got, but now that some of the staff has been disclosed, people have begun to worry if the high profile, big personality politicians chosen will be able get anything done or will it be a clash of the titans.

“Obama’s Cabinet is being filled with personalities who may or may not have their own agendas. However, I think that these people have achieved a degree of fame because of their skills as politicians,” said Rachael Nole, a senior at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

One of those personalities includes Sen. Hillary Clinton. Clinton, a Democrat, most notably almost defeated Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. After campaigning against him, Clinton will now work alongside Obama as his Secretary of State.

Robert Gates will return to his post as Secretary of Defense. Gates, who has very different policies than that of Obama, is a Republican who was appointed Defense Secretary in 2006 under President George W. Bush, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. Another Republican entering the mix is General James L. Jones. Jones is a retired commander for the United States Marine Corps and will hold the position of National Security Advisor. With these two high profile and very opinionated men to compete with, the question has been raised if compromises will be able to be reached.

A group of Republicans will round out Obama’s key cabinet members. Eric Holder, Obama’s senior legal advisor, will become the first African American to hold the office of Attorney General. Another first is Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano becoming the first woman to be named the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Finishing out this group is Susan Rice, who will serve as Ambassador to the United Nations. Rice served on the National Security Council and was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President Bill Clinton.

“I think the more personalities the better. Too many liked-minded people making decisions leads to one-sided outcomes. The more personalities present, I think the more chance for change,” said Colleen Ciriello, a junior at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

While many question Obama’s choices, others wait in anticipation to see what these key players can do for our nation. Heather Suboleski, a Fairleigh Dickinson University senior, said, “I think that people are too quick to judge Obama. Let him pick his cabinet and if he screws it up, then we can criticize him. I think he’s shown sound judgment in choosing people to run his winning campaign, I wouldn’t underestimate him.”

Others question Obama’s promise of change. With many of his picks being around during the Clinton years or Republicans, how can he promote change?

Finally, Obama does not seem to have any real core issues on which he will not budge. Does that mean he is only interested in getting things done, as opposed to taking a stand when necessary?
By choosing such a diverse group, one can only question how many compromises Obama will have to make in order for there to be any progress. It’s going to be interesting to see just how much he listens to all these people, and how much he puts his foot down, as well as what it is he really wants to accomplish.

So will these politicians be able to play nice? Only time will tell.

LAURETTE SLATTERY
Student Voice Contributor