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Obama picking Washington insiders for cabinet despite promising change

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Hope Obama doesn't give any jobs to the King of Washington Insiders, John McCain!

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"despite promising"

I'm afraid we're going to see a lot of articles in the next 4 years including "Obama" and "despite promising."

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Perhaps sarge, but we won't be seeing "miserable failure" when we google him....

...and then, heh, we've seen you're past Predictions.

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Forget about change. I'm just thankful he hasn't selected Farrakhan, Wright, Sharpton, or Jackson yet.

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Groan.

The KosKids are wailing; let them. Where, exactly, do they think that Obama is supposed to get his subordinates, anyway? (If they had their way they'd run the country into the ground). The Freepers are gloating; let them. The Republicans are sunk and will be wandering the wilderness for the next 8 years or more.

What Obama is doing, by all accounts, is appointing highly effective people to the right positions. What he will do with them, when he gets into office, has yet to be seen. Reserve your judgement until then. The man isn't even president yet.

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and why would he, they have nothing to offer except nothing..

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He has given change, he can string an intelligent and coherent sentence together as opposed to others in Washington. He is about to replace a Republican administration with a Democratic one. Yep, looks like change to me.

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It's going to be nearly impossible to form a government without at least some "insiders" because they are the ones who have all of the experience.

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Every time a party loses an election there is a lot of change and people running for the unemployment offices. The old administration is changed for the new one.

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Triumvere,

Well stated.

Taka

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What Obama is doing, by all accounts, is appointing highly effective people to the right positions.

Nah..Returning favors is more like it for their support.

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obama's administration is starting to look like clinton's third term.

Heh, so much for obama's campaign pledge to bring "fundamental change to Washington".

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Heh, a lobbyist married to a lobbyist is chosen to lead HHS.

"Change" that spits on all Americans.

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When does obama start "reaching across the aisle"? So far, it's been only liberal retreads. Is that the "unification" he kept harping about?

Oh, that's right, I forgot. Only Republican presidents are expected to reach across the aisle.

Never mind.

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Romeo - Obama hasn't even taken the reins of power yet. Why don't you lay off attacking him until he does and then judge him on his merits?

You would only expect the same if you were in his position.

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Romeo, sorry, I forgot - you voted Bush and McCain.

What else can we expect than angry insults?

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Obama is hiring experienced agents of change. People who will know how to accomplish our liberal agenda. Get used to it! I'll be sure to get used to the bitter conservative losers who whine all the time. So far he has chosen powerful politicians who know how the game is played. That is what is needed to succeed when the opposition will try to stand in our way. When the conservatives are whining on these threads we know we are doing a good job.

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Thanks, Taka.

I must say, I am mystified by this idea that Obama somehow going to sweep in and fill all these cabinate posts with magically appearing super-compitent Washington outsiders (mini-obamas as it were). From most of the accounts I've read (that aren't hyper-partisan, one way or the other) the choices he's made so far are well thought out, experienced and capable.

What I am most interested in right now, is whether he will name Hillary Clinton as Sec. of State... I have a knee-jerk dislike of Clinton, but I can't decide if co-opting her would be brilliant or a colossal mistake; there are plausable arguments both ways.

As an aside, it is also interesting to see where, as Palin so politely put it, the "real America" is. That is, who's going to get on board now that the election is over, and unite behind the duely ordained President of the United States and who is going to throw stuff on the tracks. That's not to say the hard right (or the hard left, for that matter) should cease to be critical, but there is a big difference between being healthy criticism and blind partisanship. Now we'll see who will put "country first"...

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Madverts, I, heh, predicted that Obama would win by a landslide.

Triumvere - "What Obama is doing, by all accounts, is appointing highly effective people to the right positions"

By all liberal accounts, maybe.

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Despite his campaign promise to American voters to bring "fundamental change to Washington", looks like obama is instead starting pay off all his many political debts.

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This article must be infuriating for all the Obama supporters.

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Sarge, why? This is great news?

Romeo seems to be the only one who is "infuriated" here. :-)

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Funny. When pushed during the recent campaign season to provide conservatives and skeptical independents with a list of accomplishments Obama had that actually qualified him for president his devotees were forced to admit that while his resume was thin we were supposed to be impressed with how he defeated the Clinton Machine.

So why is it that in defeat they are all being called to Washington by the prophet of 'change' and installed once again in some of the most influential posts to be had?

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Powderfinger - "we were supposed to be impressed with how he defeated the Clinton Machine."

As opposed to your guy, who didn't.

Considering this was Obama's first run for president, the fact he bet the Clinton Machine and the GOP slime machine on his first outing is incredibly impressive, but I think you just need someone to hate. :-)

He is 'reaching across the aisle', something the GOP seems to know nothing about.

Change - I like it. :-)

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Sarge said:

This article must be infuriating for all the Obama supporters.

Not at all Sarge; no anger here. I accept that a free, fair and balanced media will not always present the news to please me. I don't need to whimper about how they are unfair. I know what Obama needs to do and I hoped for the cabinet he is now forming. How could I be angry anyway, my president was elected with a mandate. He kicked butt. And we just won the Alaskan senate seat. Infuriated, hardly Sarge, I am still enjoying the moment.

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"He is 'reaching across the aisle', something the GOP seems to know nothing about."

First part of that statement is correct. You know next to nothing of US politics, and it's reflected in the second half of your statement.

I like Rahm Israel Emmanuel.

And Larry Summers.

I'm hoping Obama brings Holbrooke on board.

I noticed they will let Lieberman be.

It is driving his wingnut Daily Kos fan base crazy.

But I think you already knew that...

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Triumvere,

You are welcome.

While I think Sen. Clinton would be a very capable Sec. of State and a huge step up from our current one, I truly believe the best person for the job is Gov. Bill Richardson.

I read the other day (can't remember where) that President-elect Obama is also trying to bring Gen. (ret.) Tony Zinni onboard as a member of his staff.

I don't care what capacity it is, I really hope that turns out to be true. Gen. Zinni was my guy for president but said he wouldn't run. I have the upmost respect for him and think that he would really benefit the Obama Presidency, no matter what position he fills.

Taka

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sarge, no, you flip-flopped. But then again, you were a die-hard bush supporter so who cares...

I'll reserve judgment like the other people with brains on this thread, until he's taken office and has had time to act.

As to the detrimental comments on this thead....well, heh, they just sound like the gratins of the most bitter and sore losers the planet has ever seen...

"Sarah" Who?

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powderfinger - "You know next to nothing of US politics."

That may or may not be accurate, but at least I know how to pick a winner, unlike yourself, who I actually once thought was American. :-)

And, I am in agreement with Good Donkey - no anger at all.

I'm stoked! Life IS good!

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Actually it seems like the GOP supporters are the ones who are angry and gnashing their teeth.

Their party is down to 42 seats with two still at risk. Some Senate Republicans are in a deep funk. Some are in denial. Some want a return to conservative principles. Some want to cut deals. Some want more filibusters.

Others want to jump out a window — but they’re afraid they’d screw that up, too.

“We probably wouldn’t die,” a Republican Senate aide joked Wednesday. “We’d just lie there, hurt and suffering, which is not too much different from where we are now.”

[www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15812.html]

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Triumvere - Good Post. It seems that no matter who Obama selects, nor what he does, he won't please the far right. But that's the nature of the game. As P.T. Barnum put it, you can please all of the people some of the time, or some of the people all of the time, but you can never please everyone all the time.

Thus, there's no reason to be surprised that those who voted for McCain are not going to be happy with anything he does. It's a proud part of the constitution's Bill of Rights that allows for freedom of speech. It's only during Bush's time that anyone who disagreed with Mein Fuher Bush's actions was labeled a "liberal" supporter of terrorists and marxism.

I am all for the council of Rivals. They should be able to keep each other honest. And it's the first big step towards mending fences and reaching across aisles.

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It seems that no matter who Obama selects, nor what he does, he won't please the far right. But that's the nature of the game. As P.T. Barnum put it, you can please all of the people some of the time, or some of the people…

Or as the neocons say, you can torture all of the people some of the time, or some of the people all of the time...

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Pretty funny article. I bet if everyone Obama picked were unfamiliar faces, these cats would be whining about him giving uncapable, inexperienced people too much power. As long as his choices don't ride on the policies of the last administration, change is nigh.

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If obama were really serious about making good on his campaign promise to make "fundamental changes in Washington", he would have filled the HHS position with medical doctor who actually knows something about health and human services. Instead, obama gives the job to a person whom he owes a political favor to.

During the primaries, obama hammered hillary as being an insider. He claimed he was an outsider, and that it would take an outsider to effect "change" in D.C. Now, he is loading up his administration with insiders and cronies.

Yet another great example of obama's idea of "change". Heh, nothing like filling his administration's posts with retreads from the past.

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Madverts - "sarge, no, you flip-flopped"

I did not.

"the detrimental comments on this thread"

Heh, any criticism of Obama is "detrimental" to liberals.

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Taka313: "While I think Sen Clinton would be a very capable Sec of State and a huge step up from our current one..."

You've got to be kidding. On what basis do you say this?

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a clever, handsome new president in USA

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Sarge - probably that someone with an ounce of sense has picked her. And it's like Obama's first term: to be hailed as a success he's not really got to to much considering his predecessor.

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