President Elect Barack Obama made his first pick for cabinet days after his historic victory. Obama and his vice president Joe Biden formally made all of the appointments with much help from the 12-member Obama-Biden Transition Team overseen by Obama’s closest advisers.
By December 19, Obama had filled all the Cabinet posts save for the Secretary of Commerce nominee Bill Richardson who resigned pending an investigation into business deals in his state.Â
Rahm Emanuel, the Chief of Staff appointee is a close friend of Obama from his Chicago circles and was the first pick that the President-Elect announced. An Illinois congressman, Emanuel is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. He worked in the Clinton administration and is trusted by Obama because of his knowledge of the inner workings of the White House. Emanuel who is Jewish has seen his combative attitude earn him a nickname “Rahm-boâ€.
Hillary Rhodham Clinton, Secretary of State nominee is a junior US Senator for the State of New York. She was Obama’s main rival for the democratic presidential nomination. Clinton, wife to Bill Clinton the 42nd US president will replace the current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She will be Obama’s chief foreign policy adviser as well as top diplomat. Some analysts saw it as a demonstration of Obama’s capability to look beyond divisive politics.
Robert Michael Gates, Secretary of Defense nominee is the current serving 22nd US Defense Secretary. He took office in 2006 and is the only republican official to stay on in the Democratic administration. He also has served as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Gates is not in favor of withdrawing from Iraq or of direct negotiations with Iran, as Obama is but Obama is keen to keep him in the position reportedly for at least the first year of his presidency.
Eric Himpton Holder is Attorney General-designate. Born in 1951, he served as deputy attorney general from 1997 to 2001 during the Clinton administration, and previously served as the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Holder will oversee the Department of Justice responsible for enforcing all federal laws including combating terrorism. He has been a critic of US torture policy. If confirmed, Holder will be the first African -American Attorney General of the United States.
Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury-designate was the head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He also served as assistant secretary of the treasury for international affairs during the Clinton administration.
Ken Salazar will be Secretary of the Department of the Interior upon his confirmation. Salazar is currently a US Senator representing Colorado and previously served as the state’s attorney general and head of its Department of Natural Resources.
Hilda Solis, the California Democratic Congresswoman, is Labour Secretary-designate. Solis will have to do much, given the economic situation in the USA where thousands of jobs were lost last year. Obama ran a campaign also based on improving conditions for working families and Solis will be handling this task.
Ron Kirk was appointed as US trade representative. As a representative, the former Dallas mayor and free trade advocate will have the complex, delicate task of juggling global negotiations.
Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security appointee has been the governor of Arizona since 2003, and was Arizona’s attorney general from 1999 to 2003. She will be the third secretary of homeland security. Napolitano was one of the earliest backers of the Obama presidency.
Tom Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa, will be Obama’s Secretary for the department of Agriculture. Previously, he served as a state senator and mayor.
Tom Andrew Daschle, Secretary for Health and Human Services-designate served as a US senator representing South Dakota from 1987 to 2004 and currently leads a health care working group for the Obama transition team. Daschle will also serve as the director of a newly-formed White House Office of Health Reform.
Ray LaHood,  Transportation secretary is Republican congressman from Illinois. He is an Arab-American of Jordanian and Lebanese descent with a reputation for bipartisanship. LaHood also adds to the number of Catholics on the Obama cabinet.
Steven Chu, Secretary for Energy designate is a Chinese American and a 1997 Nobel Prize winner in Physics. His research in laser cooling and trapping of atoms won him the prize. He is currently a Professor of Physics and Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley .
Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development nominee is a commissioner of housing preservation and development in New York City.
Retired General James Logan Jones Jr. National security advisor nominee was the Supreme Allied Commander for Europe (SACEUR) and served as the 32nd Commandant of the Marine Corps before his retirement from the Marines in 2007.
Arne Duncan, Secretary for Education-designate currently heads the Chicago public school system. Duncan spent his early years serving at Children’s Centre for African American youth run by his mother in Chicago. He has a strong relationship with African Americans with friends like singer R. Kelly and martial artist Michelle Gordon.
General Eric Shinseki, Secretary of veterans’ affairs nominee is a former U.S. Army chief of staff. Shinseki is the first Asian American to reach the rank of four-star general. During his 40-year army career, Shinseki served two combat tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded in action.
Susan Elizabeth Rice, US ambassador to the United Nations appointee has been Obama’s foreign policy advisor since his presidential campaigns. Rice served on the staff of the National Security Council and as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during President Bill Clinton’s second term. If confirmed, Rice will become America’s third female ambassador to the UN also the first African-American woman to hold the position.
Obama’s cabinet has been hailed by many for its diversity. It includes eight State Schoolers, seven Ivy Leaguers, five Women, four Basketball players, two African Americans, two Hispanics, two Asian Americans and two Republicans.
Analysts have compared Obama’s cabinet picks to the “team of rivals†assembled by Obama’s political hero, Civil war president Abraham Lincoln.
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written by ANTHONY, January 22, 2009
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written by sara, January 23, 2009
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written by sara, January 23, 2009
you know I was always worried that barack obama wouldnt win but now that he has won my heart isnt pumping as hard as it used to so :woohoo: i am free to know that obama has won and that is are new priesdent this may actualy be the real priesdent we have been looking for. So:cheer: for barack obama joe biden and the cabniet members of u.s
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written by Gary Paulson, January 23, 2009
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written by D, January 23, 2009
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written by Omar Take, January 23, 2009
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written by WASAJJA SAM, January 24, 2009
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written by abu muhammad al-kankiyi, January 24, 2009
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written by Thinker, January 25, 2009
:angry: time alone, only time will tell, we are watching, he is black outside but more like a jew inside.
Ok Abu muhammad. I think you need to take a step back. I can tell you do NOT like Jews.
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written by Thinker, January 25, 2009
I ALWAYS LOVED AMERICA AND OWE HER MY HIGHER EDUCATION AS A FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR AT MIT. MY HEART WAS HURT FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS BY THE POLICIES OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S SURROUNDING GANGSTERS - THEY MANIPULATED THE POOR MAN FOR YEARS AND LEFT THE WORLD IN A BIG DIG - NOW WE HAVE A SAVIOR AND AN INSPIRER, HE'S OUR ONLY HOPE - MAY GOD BLESS HIM AND PROTECT HIM FOR THE SAKE OF ALL HUMANITY - HE IS THE GREATEST GIFT FROM THE ALMIGHTY SINCE JFK - BUT THIS TIME LET'S ALL PRAY FOR HIM BECAUSE HIS SUCCESS IS THE SUCCESS OF ALL LIFE AND PEACE LOVING CREATURES ON EARTH. HOWEVER, LET'S ALL FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE AND HELP HIM - IT ALL ADDS UP HE CANT DO IT ALL ALONE BUT HE CAN LEAD US TO THE PROMISED LAND! MAY GOD BLESS THE MOST AMAZING NATION ON EARTH - I LOVE YOU AMERICA
The people of this great country are the ones of run this country. How did Bush get into office? The people voted him into office as well as Congress. I find it comical and distrubing how much the media has played up Obama as our savior. Not to mention posts like this that portray Obama as our savior. Part of me hopes he fails, but then the other part hopes he gets it right for the sake of our nation.
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written by jal, January 26, 2009
:cheer:
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written by Richie, January 27, 2009
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written by hwg, February 03, 2009
I ALWAYS LOVED AMERICA AND OWE HER MY HIGHER EDUCATION AS A FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR AT MIT. MY HEART WAS HURT FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS BY THE POLICIES OF PRESIDENT BUSH'S SURROUNDING GANGSTERS - THEY MANIPULATED THE POOR MAN FOR YEARS AND LEFT THE WORLD IN A BIG DIG - NOW WE HAVE A SAVIOR AND AN INSPIRER, HE'S OUR ONLY HOPE - MAY GOD BLESS HIM AND PROTECT HIM FOR THE SAKE OF ALL HUMANITY - HE IS THE GREATEST GIFT FROM THE ALMIGHTY SINCE JFK - BUT THIS TIME LET'S ALL PRAY FOR HIM BECAUSE HIS SUCCESS IS THE SUCCESS OF ALL LIFE AND PEACE LOVING CREATURES ON EARTH. HOWEVER, LET'S ALL FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE AND HELP HIM - IT ALL ADDS UP HE CANT DO IT ALL ALONE BUT HE CAN LEAD US TO THE PROMISED LAND! MAY GOD BLESS THE MOST AMAZING NATION ON EARTH - I LOVE YOU AMERICA
The people of this great country are the ones of run this country. How did Bush get into office? The people voted him into office as well as Congress. I find it comical and distrubing how much the media has played up Obama as our savior. Not to mention posts like this that portray Obama as our savior. Part of me hopes he fails, but then the other part hopes he gets it right for the sake of our nation.
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written by stanley muhindo, March 29, 2009
i congratulate president obama.this is the first time to have a black president of the USA.
in africa (uganda) a groupe of members have come up with a project after knowing that itsHIV aids that is killing africans than other diseases.we kindly request for your help as members
we are dying.we need your funds sir
grants writter stanley(+256752455841)
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written by stanley muhindo, March 29, 2009
g.writter stanley
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written by Ashley, May 14, 2009
hey it doesnt matter if he is black thats being racist so all of you out there that dont like black or white you are a racist!! :pinch: :pinch: i dont care if it hurts you but it is true!!
and by the way obama is doing a great job out there!! :cheer: :woohoo: :woohoo:
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