Back to Politics: What Obama's Cabinet says about him

There are few things more telling about a President than his cabinet.  A cabinet likely reflects a president's vision for what he wants to achieve and also for how he wants to get there.  

What does Obama's cabinet say about him, his vision, and his desired pathway?

About Him

Let's dispense with the "Team of Rivals" thing now.  I've read too many references to it lately.  It's bogus.  For Obama to have a Lincoln-style team of rivals, he'd have to have McCain in there somewhere, Lieberman, and probably Sarah Palin, too.  He didn't do that.  

He did the prudent thing.  That says something about his caution.  He got a bunch of people with experience who happen to be well-respected and very intelligent.  No extremists as far as the eye can see.  

He did the confident thing.  There are people in his cabinet (notably Clinton) who have had disagreements with Obama in quite strident terms.  He's not afraid of strong people or smart people, or hard-working people.  He's brought them all in.

He also did the political thing.  Race was a factor in this contest.  Turns out to have been a net-zero effect in the vote.  But it did mean that white Americans were willing to trust people who did not look like them in prominent national roles.  Credit where credit is due: Clinton had a groundbreakingly diverse cabinet.  Bush's was even more racially diverse.  Obama takes that precedent one step further.  

I belong to a lay church.  We often say, when asked to serve in a certain capacity, that "Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies."  That's the euphemistic way of saying that you may not have a clue how to keep 144 kids aged 18 months to 12 years old occupied and happy for 2 hours every Sunday, but if you're asked to do it, you'll figure it out.  Obama hasn't taken that much liberty with his cabinet members, but he has taken the notion that there are many individuals who are fully qualified to do any given job.  This is likely influenced by his own resume.  If there are a bunch of people qualified to be the Ambassador to the UN, then you can pick any of them for a good pick for job function.  Then you look at the image of your cabinet to America and to the world.  Who looks the best for the job?  The old white male statesman?  Or the younger black female who has taken a principled stand about some really difficult problems?  Both have pros and cons, and Obama can make the call to extend America's increasingly diverse population makeup into his cabinet.  

That says that he's a good politician.  It also says that he understands the values of legacy.  Simply put: your forebears have a greater influence on whether you attain greatness or not than you would like to believe.  By putting a more racially, culturally, and sexually diverse team in his cabinet, Obama is sowing the seeds for the rest of America's groups to catch up with its powerful white plurality.  White men will be judged henceforth not on the color of their skin, but on the content of their character.