Now that Barack Obama has won the presidency, it’s time to start speculating about who he’ll put into office with him. So far, we’ve heard about the appointment of Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff, though Emanuel has yet to accept the offer. Former Clinton chief of staff, John Podesta, will lead the transition team along with some other old staffers of Obama’s. And this just in, Robert Gibbs will be the new White House Press Secretary. This is a prestigious post once held by such dignitaries as Dana Perino, Scott McClellan, and Ari Fleischer.
Apparently, Sen. John Kerry, our favorite wind-surfing loser from 2004, is campaigning aggressively for Secretary of State. But Sen. Chuck Hagel is also pushing for the position, which is fascinating since he is a Republican. No one is mentioning Gov. Bill Richardson, but he’ll probably end up somewhere in the Administration.
The word around town is that Obama will keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates in office, because the Iraq war has gone so well. Keep an eye on Colin Powell for this one, though there is also rumor he’s a candidate for Secretary of Education. A general in charge of education? Hell, why not say the Hamburglar is being nominated for Attorney General?
A lot of boring names are being passed around for Secretary of the Treasury, though right now this is probably the most important post. Oddly enough, people are talking about Warren Buffet joining the team, though being a billionaire is probably more fun. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is being considered for Interior Secretary or head of the EPA.
But most people agree that because Obama is black, he’ll just fill all the posts with his homies from the hood. Oh, and William Ayers as head of Homeland Security.
NY Times – Transition Team
Wash Post – More on the Transition Team
Politico – Robert Gibbs New Press Secretary, Other Rumors
Huff Post – Rumors!
Volokh Conspiracy – More Rumors!
The Elitist 