Obama Proposes 'Team of Rivals' Cabinet

ABC's Political Punch:

An amusing question and an historical answer at Sen. Barack Obama's town meeting in Boca Raton, Fla.

The questioner asked, "You're about to achieve a truly wonderful, historic nomination, but we both know unless you, and we, win in November, it's going to be a footnote. So, my question is when the time comes, will you be willing to consider everybody who is a possible help to you as a running mate, even if his or her spouse is an occasional pain in the butt?"

Read the whole story: ABC's Political Punch

Comments

[getoffmedz]

Suggestion: How about a team of qualified, loyal Americans without a hidden agenda?

At least until the mess made by the past ten years or so of sloth, blatant partisan whoring and corruption at the highest levels of government is cleaned up?

[fiatpax]

Just don't put Hillary anywhere near the top of the chain of command. Abraham Lincoln is a great role model, but just remember how his term ended.

[elsrks]

not to bo conspiracy theorists..but..
Kennedy/LBJ????...

[researcher]

lets put some war mongering repubs in there that should work out well for him.

repubs are bottom feeders if he puts them in there then he becomes one of them.

this man may end up being the biggest joke yet. check out what he said before elected as senator and how he actually voted when he arrived in wash.

have learned in my old age not to trust any of them. they are bought and paid for by lobbyists.

also be sure and send nader some gas money for his car. i swear that is what he is asking for in his emails. gas money.

americans dont want anyone that will detune the industrial military complex they love being the big guy on the block. ie bully.

go find another country to run in nader dont want your kind. war for profits nader it is the american way. now go away and let us sink deeper into imperialism and debt and corp fascism.

payback time for being the bully in the world. bankrupt americans. could not have happened to a more loving nation.

we killed one million vietnamese in their civil war and did not lose a moments sleep over it in fact called a guy a war hero for bombing men women and children. truely christian.

[Detestable]

bitter?

[Jazzcomedian]

Obama is thinking on a much more elevated level than most people and politicians are accustomed to. I applaud it. He means it when he says that the nation comes first over partisan differences. If you are a partisan Democrat idealogue, he is not the man for you. But if you, like I are interested in seeing a more enlightened, and pragmatic approach in the White House regardless of party affiliation he is. JFK had Republicans in his cabinet because he wanted the "best and the brightest", and how can you have a better President than Abraham Lincoln to emulate no matter what your political beliefs? He seems to be synthesizing JFK and Lincoln with his approach. For a country locked in partisan gridlock since the '80s this is a breath of fresh air in our politics.

[piezoid]

Ahhh the very ESSENCE of KUMBAYA!!!

Maybe it's something they're putting in this guys Snapple?

500,000 dead Americans in the Civil War, so it wasn't ALL good was it?

[Jazzcomedian]

The Civil War was not a result of Lincoln's cabinet choices. It was caused because one part of the country wanted slavery, and one part of the country did not. It was a divided country not Lincoln's cabinet which caused the conflict. It was Lincoln and his cabinet of rivals that saved the union, according to every history book I read, as an American history major at UCLA thirty years ago. If you hate all Republicans with all your heart, that's fine. I don't have much use for them myself, but I do recognize that there are some of them, not many, who are moderate with America's true welfare at heart, and Obama knows who they are.

[ronspri]

I'm all for settling partisan differences but there is a good way to do it and a bad way to do it. I have attempted to listen, compromise and unite with the cons for years. All I got in return was insults, bluster and bull****. You can't unite with people that hate you. Unite on the issues that positively unite us, and there are many. That is the way to go.
If he picked a Republicon as VP it makes it too "easy" to end up with a Republicon Pres.. I am quite distressed by the Clinton/Obama row this year. I would vote for either and am amazed that they are fighting each other rather than who would be the best at dealing the big blow to the Republicons. No Republicons in the Cabinet! It's not 1860 nor 1960.

[Jazzcomedian]

You're right. The neo-cons can't be reasoned with, which is why their time is finally coming to an end as being the driving force in our foreign policy. The whole world has tuned them out, as they have absolutely no influence with any other nations. It was funny and pathetic watching Bush go to Saudi Arabia and beg for increased oil production--only to be rebuffed. Like you, I and the rest of the world evidently are tired of their bluster and bull***t. Either we trust Obama or we don't. He's obviously got more information and personal knowledge on who he can work with on various issues, than any of us on this site.

[PKSSK]

Although I agree with his admiration of Lincoln and the concept of rivals in his administration, but one cannot disregard the act that ended Lincoln's Presidency. One must be very cautious when applying the logic of adding rivals to an administration.

[DustyRebel]

The act that "ended Lincoln's presidency", being assassinated by a Confederate sympathizer, was not related to the make-up of his cabinet.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Zealot whack-jobs tend not to weigh cabinet composition.

[going2ireland]

In your mind, is there not one ounce of doubt that perhaps Booth was acting on the orders from one of Lincoln's rival cabinet members?

Just think about it for a minute and perhaps there is just a chance that it was one of his rivals behind the assassination.

[ronspri]

No Republicans!! I've had more than enough of them for a lifetime. They have completely ruined my country, made everyone our enemy, and keep insisting that they are the only ones working for a living and the rest of us are all welfare cheats. Being a person with a high work ethic that insults me more than anything other than being called treasonous which they have also done. The republicans can BITE ME and if Obama picks one my estimation of him will drop dramatically. Bringing people together is about working on common goals, like say ..ALTERNATIVE ENERGY. It's not about inviting the wolves into the flock.

[Jazzcomedian]

Is Hagel a wolf to you? Either you trust Obama or you don't? Which is it? He's trying to make people think of themselves as Americans first--totally in keeping with his 2004 DNC speech. If you've heard that speech, and read his book then you shouldn't be surprised or disappointed when he follows through on it.

[ronspri]

jazz, how do you make the radical right think of themselves as Americans first and not cons fighting the liberal monster? Hint, you can't. I love idealism. That is why I am a liberal but pragmatically they will never join us. They don't even think on the terms we think on. Believe me I have tried mightily over the years. As an old guy I still have hope but not for the slime that has ruined our country. They have jumped the shark, irretrievable, you can't fix stupid. That is not a partisan comment. It is the uncomfortable truth. I would vote for a real Teddy Roosevelt(R)(McWar is not TR and never will be) any day. Continue your dream of Kumbayah but be prepared to face the truth when it smacks you in the face. No Hagel...go look at how he's voted man! He's wingnutty as any of them on nearly everything except the war. No I don't trust Obama..nor any of the rest of them. Feingold or Kucinich would be the only ones I would even get close to trusting.

[FlowerGirl]

There are some worthy Republicans. In addition to Hagel, I would like to see Paul O'Neal's voice heard. He was an excellent Secretary of the Treasury -- so naturally Bush canned him. And I think Ron Paul could be helpful on some issues. One doesn't have to agree with everything someone says to recognize the merit in others.

[going2ireland]

There ARE many admirable Republicans who would be valuable in Obama's cabinet.

Chuck Hagel
John Warner
Jim Webb

This just to name a few.

[VSamuels]

Webb is a Democrat!

[ApolloniaCreed]

Obama has always praised Lincoln... So, I'm not surprised his governing style would have hints of a Lincoln's.

[Faith101]

I can see his point, but I do caution who will actually be his VP. He might want to look at some govenors. Just a thought.

[Testtubebaby]

He can have a host of rivals for all I care just not Clinton. I would rather see Daddy Bush than Hillary Clinton.

[vinny]

Maybe Hillary could be in charge of a new gov dept on fighting sexism in the media?

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Rev Right can run Faith-Based Initiatives. Deal?

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Right (sic).

[harriscrl3]

See this is the strenght of Obama and what some repugs and far right people use against him. He is someone that can surround himself with diverse opinions with people that dont agree with him and yet maintain a strong sense of self. Thats why he can complement Reagan and Bush and criticize Bill Clinton. He believes that good ideas can be found even in oppositional parties. He can be something that most other presidents can't be or refuse to be OBJECTIVE.

Carol

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Sad to say, I predict...
Obama 48 = McCain 08.

[Jazzcomedian]

You're 100% correct Carol. I'm an independent, and I've always felt that neither the Dems or GOP had all the answers. I've always felt that if you could take ithe best deas from both parties we'd be better off, but with partisan idealogy dominating our politics and government, the ideas of the other no matter what their worth, are always immediately dismissed and demonized, resulting in this worthless, ineffective gridlock we've had for many years.
Obama has made very clear on many occasions that he is a pragmatist and not an idealogue. I think that some you haven't been listening. It's obvious that Obama is far more cerebral than emotional--unlike many on this site. He is attracted to ideas, first as he is a thinker. He epitomizes the philosophy "let cooler heads prevail". That's what I want, and what we need in the White House.

[nellie]

I hope he means this. We had a lot of excellent candidates this year. Biden, Richardson, Edwards, Dodd, AND Clinton. Sounds like a good cabinet to me. And leave the VP slot open for whomever Obama believes will make the best ticket and the best executive.

[ChiGuy]

One of the GREAT things that sets him apart from all of the other candidates, is his willingness and ability to see the other side's point of view, and to recognize that he alone doesn't have all of the answers.

He has shown it in the Illinois Legislature, and in the United States Congress, and will be an excellent President of the United States because of it as well.

[AMJordan]

YES! He's read the book! If you haven't read "Team of Rivals" what are you doing wasting your time on this blog? GO READ IT!

[piezoid]

Team of rivals?

Man that Obama sure loves him some Republicans don't he?

Praises Reagan, and the elder Bush but Bill Clinton... total failure as a president.

F**K Obama! Wussy girly-boy. Watch while the dems self-immolate again this year with this clown heading the ticket.

[eanderso]

Things aren't often black and white, but in this case they are. Obama is right and you are wrong.

[nellie]

Do you really expect to persuade anyone with this anger-mana­gement-cha­llenged post?

[LeftHandedBrain]

More love from Clinton supporters.

We love you back.

Obama '08

[IndomitableLion]

Wow! Everyone..­...piezoid needs a hug...... :-))

[harriscrl3]

This is ironic because Hilary behaves more liek a republican than Obama does. Obama likes people with Integrity like Edwards, Dodd, Biden, Hagel. His favorite President was a republican Lincoln but he appreciate policies from many others Kennedy, Reagan and even Bill Clinton. In fact he paid Clinton a huge complement in that same town hall. He said that there is no way that there woudl be a meeting between Syria and Isarel and America NOT be involved if Bill Clinton was President. In the 90's he was very involved in Middle Eastern affairs now look at Bush a WEAK President.

Whats even more interesting still is that he recognize that the President of the US the office is the most powerful in the world even when someone was saying differently. The office is powerful GWB is WEAK.

Carol