Obama's dream team

I was on the phone with an old Clinton friend this afternoon and we picked out President-elect Barack Obama's ideal cabinet.

I know we're supposed to see beyond race and gender and all that, but we're both political realists, so we couldn't help doing the math. The way we see it, Obama's got four key groups to reach in his top level appointments -- he's got to pick a woman, an African American, a Latino and a Republican. Three of the four are pretty obvious.

First, Senator Hillary Clinton should be Secretary of State. She's heads and shoulders above the other candidates for the position, even though she voted for the Iraq War and she said some not so nice things about Obama during their presidential campaign.

John Kerry is a non-starter for Secretary of State. First, he's boring. My Clinton friend loves Kerry so she disagrees with this point. Second, he doesn't represent any key constituency Obama needs to include. Third, he doesn't have the gravitas that the Clinton name would bring to the job.

Bill Richardson, on the other hand, is an excellent choice...on paper. He's been UN Ambassador, Energy Secretary, Congressman and Governor. He knows the world leaders better than most, and he's probably the best qualified for the job. And it doesn't hurt that he's Latino. But -- and this is a big but -- he's not Hillary Clinton.

Love her or hate her, the one thing you can say about Clinton is that she's tough. She stared down Bill Clinton 10 years ago and was willing to stare down Barack Obama to win the presidency in her take-no-prisoners campaign this year. That's not somebody you want as your adversary, but it is somebody you want to represent you against Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, his protégé Dmitry Medvedev and Chinese President Hu Jintao. You say you want to put missiles in Kaliningrad? Talk to Hillary about it.

And for all the talk of baggage from Bill Clinton -- and there is plenty of baggage still -- the former president is still a net asset for his wife and for Obama. The Clinton name is still respected internationally and world leaders will instantly take notice when Hillary Clinton speaks.

Which leaves one last question. Would Hillary take the job? In a New York minute, she would. Does anyone really think Hillary Clinton wants to spend the next 8 years sucking up to the people of Schenectady and Poughkeepsie? Secretary of State is a much better job. She gets a dominant presence on the world stage representing the United States. She gets her own plane, her own security detail, and a big huge office to run in Foggy Bottom, not too far from her house in Georgetown. What's not to like?

But enough about Hillary. What about the other key jobs to fill?

Second, Eric Holder should be Attorney General. Yes I know it's already being reported tonight that he's been asked to take the job, but my friend and I made the prediction this afternoon. And she told me I should write it all down before the news breaks, but I'm lazy. 

Holder was one of four candidates we discussed on the phone today. We ruled out Deval Patrick, who I love more than any politician in the world except Barack. Deval's got his hands full as governor of Massachusetts right now. We also ruled out Charles Ogletree, a Harvard Law professor who's a superb lawyer but has never run anything in the Justice Department. We also ruled out Jamie Gorelick, who I worked with back in my days way back in the Clinton Administration. We already have a woman and we need a black guy in a top spot anyway.

Eric Holder is the perfect choice. He's smart, he's capable, he knows the job already, and he would make history as the first African American to serve as Attorney General. As Janet Reno's deputy, Holder got to learn the DOJ inside and out. And at a time when African American men are still disproportionately targeted for arrest and prosecution, he would send a signal that justice truly is -- or should be -- color blind.

Third, Robert Gates should stay on as Defense Secretary. Yes I know he's a Bush appointee, but the truth is Obama has to reach out to Republicans if he wants to be the president for all Americans.

There's precedent for picking from the other side. Bill Clinton chose William Cohen as his Defense Secretary and George W. Bush retained Norm Mineta from the Clinton Administration to serve as Transportation Secretary. And of course, Abraham Lincoln famously assembled what Doris Kearns Goodwin has called a "team of rivals" to serve in his cabinet.

Picking a Republican for a prominent position sends a message that Obama is not afraid of strong leaders around him and will not surround himself with "yes men" or "yes women."

But most importantly, Gates is not Donald Rumsfeld, Bush's horrible first Defense Secretary. Gates is reasonable and willing to work with both sides to accomplish what's best for our military. In the middle of two wars, Gates would provide a measure of continuity as the U.S. draws down its forces in Iraq and prepares to fight the real war on terror in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Fourth, Bill Richardson still needs a job. This was the toughest call for us. Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in the U.S. and Obama can't afford not to appoint a prominent Latino or Hispanic to his cabinet. The question is where. Since we already gave the Secretary of State job to Hillary, what's left for Richardson?

He can't go back to the U.N. That would be a slap in the face to repeat a job he's already done before. And he has to go in at a better position than Secretary of Energy, which was his job in the Clinton Administration. But the only big position left is Treasury Secretary, and Richardson is not the person for that job.

So what do we do? We think he should become Secretary of Commerce. It's not the sexiest job by title, but it can be made into sort of a roving ambassador for the U.S. The late Ron Brown transformed the job into a prominent position on the world stage by jetsetting across the globe to fight for U.S. interests. Richardson could do the same.

With the international economy in the midst of a global economic crisis, Secretary of Commerce Richardson could work closely with the President and the Treasury Secretary to open up markets worldwide and help pave the way for better U.S.-Latin American relations. He could even travel to Venezuela and face down Hugo Chavez. And he could help improve the U.S. image in Latin America.

Fifth, we still need a Treasury Secretary. My friend assures me that former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers is out of the running. It seems a lot of people have some issues with him from his tenure at Harvard, where he offended women and just about everybody else.

Personally, I don't think Summers is a sexist. Instead, I think he's a classic absent-minded professor. I remember meeting him for the first time 20 years ago on Mike Dukakis's campaign plane. He looked nervous and disheveled, but I figured it was a long day. When I opened up a box of M&Ms, he asked if he could have some and I passed the box to him. Five minutes later, the box was empty and I never saw my M&Ms again. Yes, I still remember that Professor.

Years later, I argued with Summers over the issue of race at a Harvard Law School black alumni event where Barack Obama spoke. Summers, then the president of Harvard, had repeated the misinformation that there are more black men in prison than in college and I challenged him on his facts.

But despite all that, I think he would be fine as Secretary of Treasury. I don't think he's a people person but he's incredibly smart and he knows his economics. Still, my friend in Washington tells me he's not getting the job. That leaves a big question mark.

Former Treasury Secretary Bob Rubin has no interest in the job; he's already done it before. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker would be an excellent choice, but he's older than John McCain. New York Fed President Tim Geithner would be another smart choice, but he would not reassure the markets as much as Volcker would.

So we pick Volcker as Treasury Secretary and Geithner as his deputy to replace him in a year once the markets have stabilized.

Sixth, who's going to fill those other jobs? Now that we've got a woman, a black guy, a Republican and a Latino in key positions in the cabinet, there's a lot more flexibility for the other positions. I think Tammy Duckworth would be a strong Secretary of Veterans Affairs. And given the president-elect's priorities, there's a lot of opportunity for leadership at Energy, HUD and Education. I don't have a preference in any of those spots right now.

The other prominent post people will be watching is Homeland Security. I recommend putting in someone like Gen. Wesley Clark or Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, of Hurricane Katrina fame. I think those choices would inspire confidence. I've also heard people mention Rudy Giuliani for the spot as well. Can I just say as loudly as possible: NO.

And finally, there's the White House staff. I worked with Rahm Emanuel in the Clinton Administration, and he's the best possible choice for Chief of Staff. He brings three valuable assets to the table. First, he knows the White House. Second, he knows the Congress. And third, he knows the president.

In contrast, Bill Clinton picked fellow Arkansan Mack McLarty as his first Chief of Staff, and although he knew the president well, he did not understand the White House or the Congress. McLarty was a disaster, an ineffective leader who was soon replaced by OMB Director Leon Panetta.

Among his many duties, the Chief of Staff functions as a gatekeeper between the President and everyone else. I can think of no one on Earth who could do this job better for Obama than Rahm Emanuel.