Obama and the Republicans

Obama and the Republicans

Let me offer some thoughts about Republicans who I think would be good members of the Obama administration.

1. Schwarznegger ...

HEW, HUD, Interior but the big surprise might be Energy. Why energy? A lot of nutty promises were made during the election about how e can deal with this ongoing crisis. Words I hear all end in "project .. as in Manhattan Project or Apollo Project. However, there is also a lot of nonsense here. Apollo and Manhattan were engineering efforts, implementations of established science. Many of the dream projects are really still basic science, a process that will not pay off in the short term. Those that are largely engineering ... wind, tides, and clean coal may or may be be achievable but will take more than one term. Even expanded drilling is a dumb idea for many reasons but if done will not yield oil for four or more years.

Green jobs are likely a myth. We need to develop the technology before we get the jobs.

Ethanol is a loser fo the US economy! There are much better ways to subsidize our farmers.

Pork as the new energy source. Many of the enrgy projects, besides ethanol, are tainted with pork. Will we restart the Collider Project? Build a wind farm for TB Pickens?

Yucca Mountain, the ONLY true nuclear repository in the US, is an even bigger issue because it entails not only the newly red Nevada but the trains carrying the offenisive material across all of our states.

Alaska, Palin is a real piece of work and she may turn the siloly ideas about drill baby drill into a right wing mantra.

So, this Department is largely political. Schwarrznegger has the presence and the intelligence to lead such an effort while, as someone NOT eligible for the Presidency, the ability to do this in a bipartisan way.


2. McCain

Hopefully, McCain will stay in and retire form Senate. He could be President Obama's best Republican ally.

3. Luger

State, Attorney General

4. Gates

Defence

5. Collins

Not sure but she is mentioned a lot. Like McCain, she may be best in the Senate as an ally i9n a new coalition of the center.

6. Lindsey Graham

Again, like McCain, he may be best in the Senate as an ally i9n a new coalition of the center.

7. Colin Powell

Powell remains a very important chess piece. He says he doe snot want to be back in government but he is, after all, a good soldier. However, as a soldier, Powell can not take a demotion .. e.g. to UN ambassador. He could serve as National Security Advisor or special ambassador to some focus of interest.

One idea would be to upgrade the nearly defunct Organization of American States with Powell as amabassador. This has not yet been discussed, but a renewed OAS with Brazil and Mexico as real partners would be wonderful step toward a real new world order with America part of a series of regional alliances.