Almost One Week

It has been almost a week since Barack Obama became the first Afro-American elected president of the United States. The campaign was so long the election seemed almost an afterthought, however momentous historically it might be considered by most.

When I talk to friends -- working, middle and upper middle class folk - they are already concerned that Barack is practicing cronyism in his choices of staff, cabinet members and advisers. This is on the tail of his hiring Rahm Emanuel, a well-known Chicago congressman and former member of the Clinton administration, to be his chief of staff. Now Emanuel has a rep for being a terrier with a bone - he doesn't take no for an answer and gets in peoples' faces until they say yes. He is a perfect bad cop to Obama's calm, good one, a longtime Democratic supporter, a guy who takes Judaism seriously, and someone who might scare people enough they will think twice before going up against him. Some say this is completely contrary to Obama's mantra of coalition and support - I say it will keep his early days structured and disciplined, and that Emanuel will protect the Obama presidency from any caveat such as those that plagued the Clinton administration. And let's face it: effective is sexy.

Of more concern are the rumors surrounding his choice for Secretary of State -- Christopher Dodd and John Kerry. There is simply something about Dodd I do not trust; Kerry seems to me to be too weak to handle such a broad, internationally-important post. There are lots of issues yet to be addressed about their respective relationships with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Sure, Obama owes them for jumping off the Hillary bandwagon, but wouldn't an ambassadorship or something more local suffice? In my mind, no one would be better for Secretary of State than Hillary - she knows the world from her time in the White House and from her stint as a Senator from New York. I think we should start sending Obama notes to this effect -- I have already sent mine.