A Cabinet for Hillary Clinton

Posted by Brandon Crow on 03.06.2008

Now that Hillary Clinton supposedly has the momentum again, let's think about what if she wins. What would a potential Clinton cabinet look like?

Let's give Hillary Clinton her due. She won on Tuesday because she had to. Her wins in the delegate-rich states of Ohio and Texas didn't do a thing about her delegate count as she didn't win big enough, but in the eyes of the media and the populace, she won pretty big and now holds the momentum.

So, seeing as Clinton technically "won" both Super Tuesday contests, let's give her a round of applause (for now) and give her possible presidency a little focus.

Back on January 30th, after Senator John McCain edged out Mitt Romney (or Mr. Moneybags, as Ashish calls him) in Florida, I posted a column giving McCain's potential presidency a quick once-over. In that column, I made an educated guess/earnest suggestion on what a McCain cabinet should roughly look like.

In following with that tradition, let's give Hillary Clinton some recommendations on her cabinet picks. Here is what a [Hillary] Clinton Administration could look like:

President: Hillary Clinton

Vice President: Barack Obama (Illinois Senator), Evan Bayh (current Indiana Senator and former Indiana Governor), Bill Richardson (New Mexico Governor) and Kathleen Sebelius (Kansas Governor).

Secretary of State: Joe Biden (Delaware Senator), Bill Richardson, Evan Bayh and Antonio Villaraigosa (Mayor of Los Angeles).

Secretary of Defense: Joe Lieberman (Independent Connecticut Senator), General Wesley Clark, Daniel Kahikina Akaka (Hawaii Senator) and Jim Webb (Virginia Senator)

Secretary of Homeland Security: Daniel Kahikina Akaka, Diane Feinstein (California Senator) and Bennie Thompson (Mississippi Congressman).

Attorney General: John Edwards (former North Carolina Senator), John Conyers (Michigan Congressman).

Best Choices:

For Vice President, the best choice for Clinton to make would be Obama. If Obama loses the nomination in the end, he would still have the biggest name recognition next to Clinton. He would also have the large amounts of popular support, both from Democrats and Republicans. And let's face it, a Clinton/Obama ticket would still be a dream ticket for many. But I can absolutely see Clinton going with long-time friend and supporter, Bayh. Bayh, in any other year, probably could have made a superb run for the presidency, but got drummed out by rock stars Clinton and Obama before he even started this time around. Bayh would be a very solid choice for Clinton—a Democrat from the heartland who understands "conservative" issues and concerns, and has proven he can win in those "red states" and those "red areas." Richardson is also a long-time Clinton supporter, and has a long history of service with Bill Clinton.

If Hillary really wants to shake things up, and present a true "progressive, CHANGE" ticket, she could easily put another woman on the ticket. In this case, I'd pick Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius for her resume: eight years as a state representative, eight years as insurance commissioner, governor since 2003, and in 2005, named one of the top five governors in the nation.

For Secretary of State, Clinton would be wise and well-served to nominate either Biden or Richardson, if he's not on the ticket as VP. Either men would probably make better Secretaries of State than any other officer, what with their vast foreign policy experience ad knowledge. Bayh would also make an interesting Secretary of State with his experience on subcommittees such as International Trade and Finance, Armed Services and Intelligence. If Clinton really wanted a "shocker," she would put forth Villaraigosa. The LA mayor has long been mentioned as having national connections and aspirations so this would be the way to go. And it wouldn't be too big a stretch, considering Rudy Giuliani tried to make the jump from mayor straight to president. If Clinton went with Villaraigosa though, it would mostly be for two reasons: first, to shore up more of the Latino vote for her reelection effort, and second, as reward for the years of support and the very open endorsement.

For Secretary of Defense, Clinton's best choice would be General Wesley Clark. Much ado was made about Clark when he ran for president in 2004 and lost. It was widely acknowledged that had John Kerry won, Clark probably would be in that office right now. General Clark would be an excellent Secretary of Defense as he's certainly got the experience and credentials. Although I believe Jim Webb would do a fine job, putting Webb there could be risky. Firstly, it puts his narrowly won VA senate seat back into play. Also, though he's got moxie and pluck, he is a little lacking in personality and just a bit stoic. Not that the Secretary of Defense should be a comedian, but a little more vibrancy and humanity would be good.

The most interesting choice Clinton could make for Secretary of Defense would be to nominate little-known Hawaii Senator Daniel Akaka to the position. She could put an Asian American in a major, national role, and perhaps "earn" some Asian American votes, which tend to go more Republican, especially the older generations. But Akaka would not be a strictly "political" appointment. He's well-qualified. Akaka served active duty in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1943 to 1947. Also, he was elected to the U.S. House in 1976 and later was appointed to the Senate when Senator Spark Matsunaga passed away. According to his website, he won reelection in 1990, 1994, 2000, and 2006." Akaka is currently the Chairman of the Veteran's Affairs Committee, the Armed Services committee, and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittees. This man is clearly ready to go.

For Secretary of Homeland Security, Clinton could again go with Akaka should she not choose him for Defense. If Clinton wanted to shake things up a bit and start chipping away the stereotype that women aren't strong and can't handle wars, military actions and defense, she would be wise to put CA Senator Feinstein in the homeland security spot. Feinstein has proven herself capable and very tough on defense and all things "hawkish." It could also go a long way to ensure Clinton wins CA in 2012. The other choice would be Bennie Thompson, who is African American and the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. If Obama is VP, putting another African American in a top-level cabinet post could cement Hillary as the "second" black president.

Lastly, for Attorney General, Clinton's best choice would be to put the working class' favorite son, John Edwards to work as AG. He would be a fine choice, and perhaps do the best job to return American law and policies back to its heyday ways after the louse of a bum that was Alberto Gonzales completely trampled the Constitution and other basic rights and liberties. Michigan Congressman John Conyers, Jr. would be anther fine choice. He's the current House Judiciary committee chairperson and his name is swirling in the news as he investigates one Bush Administration "gate" after another. He would go a long way in returning trust and competence to this office.

So there you go. Those are my picks and rationale for a Clinton cabinet. What do you think? Did I miss someone? Give me holler and add your recommendations.

In Crow We Trust.