Obama’s Cabinet: A Diverse Center-Left Team, Picked Quickly
Even since President Bill Clinton vowed in 1992 to appoint a Cabinet that would reflect the American public, presidents have been acutely sensitive to race, gender and regional balance when selecting their inner circle.
In choosing his Cabinet, President-elect Barack Obama successfully navigated the diversity gauntlet, judging from the generally positive comments that followed the near-daily news conferences he held during the past two weeks to introduce the nominees. If he erred in any respect, it was in over-representing one particular demographic: current and former members of Congress.
Friday’s selections of California Democratic Rep. Hilda L. Solis for secretary of Labor and Illinois Republican Rep. Ray LaHood for secretary of Transportation mean six of the 15 heads of executive departments that make up the Cabinet will be current or former members of Congress.
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