Duh! We Shuda Knowed!

Clintonites, Republicans, Friedmanites, Reaganites, one progressive and a couple of innocuous clucks. Take a look at the Initial Obama Cabinet and Staff:

1. Rahm Emmanuel - Managed fight for NAFTA, Likudnik, Goldman Sachs, Clintonista. Gone, but not forgotten.
2. Robert Gibbs - Press Secretary. Was unknown, but now identified as a neo-liberal. Attacked ‘professional leftists.’
3. John Podesta - Head of Transition Team (was Clinton chief of staff).
4. Sam Nunn & Warren Christopher - State/Defense Transition, Clintonistas.
5. Madeleine Albright, Economic Envoy to G20, a Clintonista.
6. Eric Holder - Attorney General - Deputy Atty General, Clinton administration. Has now endorsed Bush legal policies on Guantanamo, spying, detentions, etc.
7. Tom Daschle - Health & Human Services - long term senator. Lobbyist of health care companies at his law firm.
8. Hillary Clinton - Sec of State - Clinton's wife. ‘Nuff said.
9. Dana Pelligrino - Dept of Homeland Security, recommended sending national guard troops to border – and did! AZ governor.
10. Bill Richardson - Commerce Secretary, Clinton UN Ambassador, Energy Secretary, withdrew due to ‘conflicts of interest.’
11. Judd Gregg, Republican #1, became Commerce Secretary
12. Joe Liberman - Kept as head of key Senate Committee. VP on Gore Liberman ticket. Gore was Clinton's VP and later tried to be McCain's VP.
13. Tim Geithner - Treasury Department, former Summers protege/Clinton period. Federal Reserve / Goldman insider.
14. Larry Summers - Head of Financial Policy Board in cabinet, Clintonista and pro-deregulation.
15. Christina Romer - Head of Counsel of Economic Advisors. A Friedmanite.
16. Robert Gates - Secretary of Defense, was Bush Secretary of Defense. Republican #2. Pro-surge in Iraq and Afghanistan.
17. Susan Rice - UN Ambassador, Supported Invasion of Iraq. Former Clinton Sec of State officer.
18. Arne Duncan - Sec of Education. Obama friend. Supports "No child left behind," supported by the professional Republican centrist David Broder of NYT. Endorses charter schools and privatization.
19. Lisa Jackson - EPA, career EPA official. And we know how the EPA has been doing.
20. Carol Browner - Environmental coordinator, Clintonista.
21. Ken Salazar - Dept of Interior - (Clintonista) Supported Republican Alberto Gonzalez. Did not close the Bureau of Mines Management as he promised, then changed it a bit after the BP oil spill. Timber /Mining /Ranchers like him. Clinton-like politics on environmentalism. Which means nice talk, pro-corporate acts.
22. Tom Vilsack - Agriculture - Supporter of industrial agriculture, bio-tech, agribusiness, pro-ethanol, friend of Monsanto.
23. Steven Chu - Energy Secretary. Scientist. However, got $500M from British Petroleum for bio-fuels research. Supports nuclear power.
24. Hilda Solis - Dept of Labor, very pro-labor. Best pick of bunch. Totally quiet. Did not push “Free Choice Act.” Heard she is quietly strengthening OSHA.
25. Mary Shapiro - SEC, former head of NASD/FINRA. A proponent of industry self-regulation. SEC appointee, by Reagan initially.
26. James Jones - National Security Advisor - Hardline, Pro Vietnam War. Clintonite/McCainite. NATO and Afghan war-monger.
27. Dennis Blair - Director of National Intelligence - 4 star admiral. Hmmmm.
28. Roy Lahood, Transportation Secretary. Republican #3. 'Nuff said.
29. Shaun Donovon- HUD, Clintonista.
30. Ron Kirk - US Trade Representative - Attorney at Vinson & Elkins, African American. Dallas Mayor. Chamber of Commerce likes him. Supports 'free trade' and NAFTA.
31. Dawn Johnsen - Office of Legal Counsel (former Clintonista) but hard critic of presidential overreaching. Was denied nomination, of course.
32. Virginia Seitz – Office of Legal Counsel. Appreciated by Republicans. Hmmmm.
33. Leon Panetta - CIA, Clintonista Chief of Staff, but not a prior spy.
34. Jennifer Granholm - Called Free Choice Act "Divisive." Obama Economic adviser.
35. Steven Rattner - Car "Czar" - former Investment banker, knew nothing about the auto industry. Got bailout for GM/Chrysler, which resulted in plant closings and more off-shoring. Recently fined $$$ by SEC.
    
36. Ben Bernanke - Chair of the Federal Reserve. Former head of the Fed under Bush too. Head of Bush's Council of Economic Advisers. Republican #4.
    
37. Barack Obama – President. Initially was thought to be to the left of Hillary Clinton, but revealed to be solidly in the Clinton/neo-liberal camp. Obama won the election but Clinton and the Republicans won the war.

Red Frog
11/16/2010