Gamut Issue 06 Part 2

a mOst peculiar gang ...the president has surrounded himself with to save the world (USA). By Anh-Thu Tran & Medha Raj

100 days. That’s three months and some odd days President Obama has had to tackle the monstrosity of a financial chrisis, charm world leaders, end the war in Iraq, overturn the global gag rule, free stem cell research and get a puppy, not necessarily in that order. Not all of them have been

crossed off his list of things-to-do as the head honcho of America, but one thing Obama was sure to do in the nick of time, on day 99 to be specific, was complete his Cabinet. The recently sworn in form a most peculiar gang alongside his two personal advisers and deserve their own fair share of fame and glory since for the next four years they will be the executors of change: the Education Secretary tapped to organize the nation’s school system, but can be counted on for some pickup basketball with the Presiden; a Secretary of State who alternately travels to the remote regions of the world and returns for a meeting on Obama’s swing set; a Chief of Staff who with wit and cheek will check the president’s anything, no arbitrary command will pass without harrassment. And who knows? Those vague figures behind the presidential chair might be our next president, ergo they appear before you in order of succession.

THE CABINET Joseph R. Biden Jr. Vice President Better known for his off-the-cuff comments which sometimes ostensibly make him the butt of jokes, nonetheless Biden is considered a shrewd man among politicians. With an extensive career of 35 years in the Senate beginning with his victory over Senator J. Caleb Boggs when he was just 29, Biden has gone on to become chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Biden puts behind him several failed attempts for the President’s seat and now looks to carve a unique role for himself as second in command. Enlisted as an all-purpose adviser, Biden has taken up the task of overseeing the distribution of the economic stimulus bill, championing the middle class and often, being the opposing voice for Obama. In fact, his candid remarks may be his most viable asset in this administration. Hillary R. Clinton Secretary of State Clinton has an unusual resume: former partner at Rose Law Firm, First Lady, New York Senator, and oncefierce rival of Obama. In an awkward transition from the cage-fighting matches of the election campaign to this new alliance, Obama had to swallow some of his words about her foreign policy experience. Indeed, Clinton may not have Condoleezza Rice’s policy prowess, but she has a sort of ‘in’ with these countries, many of which she had visited as First Lady. Only about four months in, Clinton has already packed up her pantsuits and clocked over 60,000 miles overseas, trekking across South Korea, Israel, and joining Obama at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. Timothy F. Geithner Treasury Secretary With the weight of the financial crisis on his shoulders, Geithner has some heavy lifting in store as Treasury Secretary. President of the New York Federal Reserve since 2003 and once director of the International Monetary Fund, Geithner with former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulsen Jr. tackled the credit crisis of 2007 and helped save Bear Stearns and American International Group. Despite his delayed confirmation for failing to pay his taxes (an ironic hiccup for the future head of the IRS), Geithner is now on the front lines to battle the economic recession, revising the nation’s finances, dreaming up new policies on foreclosures, and goading private buyers into investing in “toxic assets.” Robert M. Gates Defense Secretary Gates is a curiosity to the cabinet for being the only one to have served under a Republican administration and being, appropriately, old. He was appointed Director of Central Intelligence under President George H. W. Bush in 1989, after working for 26 years in the CIA and National Security Council. After Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation in 2006, Gates left his position as president of Texas A&M University

and accepted the nomination as new Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush. With his April 2009 proposals, the first Pentagon overhaul under Obama, Gates has slashed the budget for missile defense systems and traditional weaponry, pouring billions into new technology for counterterrorism. Eric H. Holder Jr. Attorney General Returnee to the Justice Department, Holder served as deputy attorney general under Janet Reno in the Clinton administration. He brings a bursting resume—12 years as a federal prosecutor, US attorney for District of Columbia, judge on the superior court bench and private partner for clients such as Chiquita. The newly-instated Holder carries baggage from his days under President Clinton, receiving flack for an indirect yet damning role in Clinton’s heavily criticized pardon of tax fugitive Marc Rich. Hilda L. Solis Labor Secretary Staunchly proworker, Solis is set to change the businessfriendly winds of Washington. Prior to her nomination, Solis served for eight years as representative of East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley and, later, became senator with a landslide 61 percent vote. Her policy of equal resource distribution among racial minorities, women and the economically disadvantaged earned her the 2000 John F. Kenned Profile in Courage Award. Recently, in an effort to support A m e r i c a n workers, she has proposed to suspend regulations that would make it cheaper and easier for agricultural employers to hire foreign labor.

Steven Chu Energy Secretary Chu comes from a background of Feynman, xkcd and molecular biology. Before his appointment, he worked as Professor of physics and biology at the University of California, Berkeley. His resume boasts a shared Nobel Prize in Physics along with several directorial positions heading research facilities such as Bell Labs and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A vocal advocate for increased research in alternative energy and nuclear power, Chu hopes to shift the country away from the use of fossil fuels and combat global warming. He plans to suspend nuclear waste site Yucca Mountain. Chu is the first Nobel Prize winner and second Chinese American to be appointed to the Cabinet. Arne Duncan Secretary of Education The tall, lanky and graying Duncan has had more personal experience playing ball with the likes of Obama and Michael Jordan (he was a professional basketball player in Australia) than teaching in a classroom. Still, his resume is not lacking. In 2001, Duncan impressed Mayor Richard Daley with his involvement in programs providing educational opportunities to inner-city youth in South Chicago and earning him the position CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Though he carries seven solid years of expertise in education, Duncan may find his limited brushes with national politics a handicap as he faces the daunting task of distributing $100 billion in emergency aid school funds from the stimulus package and wrestling with the fickle No Child Left Behind law. Janet Napolitano Secretary of Homeland Security With a knack for making history, Napolitano is only the third to be appointed to this young post and the first woman to serve in this position. Prior to her nomination, she served as Arizona Attorney General—the first woman to do so—and as twice-elected governor of Arizona, 2002 and 2006 with an overwhelming 62 percent vote. She scored two other firsts for women by becoming Chair of the Western Governors Association and Chair of the National Governors Association. Obviously, Napolitano can handle politicians, but can she deal with pigs? As the unexpected swine flu strikes the borders, Napolitano will have to guide the nation through a possible pandemic.

THE ADVISERS David Axelrod Senior Adviser to the President Axelrod is best known as the mustachioed hero of Obama’s presidential campaign and current Senior Adviser in the White House. Originally a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, Axelrod started his political consultancy company, Axelrod & Associates, in 1987 working on the successful reelection campaign of Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington. Now, every Wednesday, Axelrod the selfdubbed protector of Obama’s image with a handful of trusty vassals reviews the president’s speech and engages in verbal battles with Rush Limbaugh. Rahm Emanuel Chief of staff As former representative of the fifth district of Illinois and Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Emanuel is known as an advocate for Chicago’s “labor-class” families. From 1993 to 1998, he filled the role of senior advisor to the Clinton administration, after which he took a break from politics to dabble (successfully) in investment banking. Emanuel was initially apprehensive about taking up the role of Chief of Staff, believing he had made a political promise to his supporters to represent the people of Illinois—an unusually heartfelt reaction for this famously profane character who once mailed a dead fish to a foe. Emanuel quickly came on board to shape the current cabinet, however, this former ballerina grand jete-ing from the role of ring bearer to best man.