His Team Chosen, Obama Flies to Hawaii

In general, the government chosen by Obama reflects the diversity of the country, with four African-Americans, three Hispanics and two Asian-Americans.

The President-elect of the United States announced Friday the last appointments of a diversified firm and centrist, before leaving for Hawaii to celebrate Christmas with family.

Obama, end of Act I. A month and a half after his election, the future American president completed his first phase of transition on Friday. With the announcement of the two recent appointments of his government, he has met his commitment to work promptly in succeeding to complete this process in a record time, unbeaten for thirty-two years and without a false note, if we exclude the scandal of the Illinois governor.

Although Rod Blagojevich wanted to “sell” Obama’s seat at the Senate, the supreme court of Springfield did not exempt him from his prerogatives. According to Julian Zelizer, historian at Princeton University, it is “one of the transitions that has been better organized and more prepared than we have seen.”

Today, the Obamas have to leave a Chicago covered with snow and fly to Hawaii for vacation. Appearing tired during his recent press conferences of this week, the President-elect could relax after a month and a half of a hectic transition and nearly two years of a harsh campaign. He will stay ten days in the Pacific islands where he was born and raised. A completely private stay which will include a tribute to his grandmother who died the day before his election.

The Public’s Opinion Stays the Same

Upon their return to the mainland in early January, the Obamas should settle in Washington. The young Malia and Sacha will go back to school there. The family will probably stay at a hotel before the inauguration on January 20th. Since his election on November 4th, Obama has worked with his team in a hotel in Chicago, his electoral headquarters.

That is where he has to hold his last press conference on Friday afternoon, announcing the appointment of California representative Hilda Solis, as the secretary of Labor, Mayor Ron Kirk of Dallas as the U.S. Trade Representative and Illinois Republican Ray LaHood to be the secretary of Transportation.

These names close the establishment of a diversified and balanced government. The Hispanic, Hilda Soli,s is popular among labor unions, unlike Ron Kirk, a strong supporter of the free trade agreement that the labor unions criticize. Ray LaHood is the second Republican to the team, with Roberts Gates as the Bush secretary of Defense who remains at his post. The environmentalists will benefit, with many names to defend their cause.

By choosing an eclectic team, Obama wanted to reassure and give a moderate tone to his government in the image of his hero, President Abraham Lincoln. At the expense of disappointing his extreme left wing supporters. After a campaign focused on the idea of change, nobody regrets that nearly half of the positions returns to former or actual officials. For the blogger David Sirota, it is a “cabinet of establishment.” Even Bush complimented the choice of his successor.

The most spectacular was the appointment of his Democratic opponent Hilary Clinton at the State Department. She went on Thursday to visit her future department; she still must be confirmed by a congressional vote in January. Doubts were raised about the potential conflicts of interest with her husband’s activities. His foundation, which fights against disease, poverty and global warming, revealed Thursday the list of its 200 000 donors, including some states like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Brunei.

Several other Clintonites are part of the new team, as Larry Summers, the first economic adviser at the White House. On the financial front, appointments are not likely to startle Wall Street, as Timothy Geithner, actual chairman of the FED of New York to the Treasury, one of the heads who decided to let Lehman Brothers bank go bankrupt in September. In its whole, the government reflects the diversity of the country, with four African-Americans, three Hispanics and two Asian-Americans.

Starting in January, the President-elect, surrounded by his team will pick on controversial issues such as the economy. It may save them glowing support from the public’s opinion which will stay intact. If 82% of Americans believe the country “goes in the wrong direction,” according to a Washington Post-ABC News, 70% of them approve of Obama responses to the crisis so far, while Bush collects only 24%. Also, 70% hoped for the withdrawal from Iraq, the second priority of the new Obama Administration.