Much has been made of President Barack Obama’s assemblage of “a team of rivals†for his first-term cabinet. Political observers compare his choices of Joe Biden for vice president and Hillary Clinton for secretary of state–fierce competitors for the Democratic presidential nomination–to the same political genius President Abraham Lincoln demonstrated when he selected political opponents to serve in his administration 148 years ago. Grappling with a nation divided by civil war and the issue of slavery, Lincoln wanted access to the country’s best minds to help him preserve the Union. He believed he would receive candid, straightforward advice from his critics. It is true that Obama has taken a page from his political hero’s book, but his cabinet and White House staff represent so much more. Consider them the Obama Dream Team, a diverse cadre of accomplished, well-educated public servants–many of whom served in the Clinton administration–equipped to take on America’s unprecedented economic, national security, and environmental challenges. We offer this snapshot of Obama’s White House staff and cabinet-level choices, looking at them through the lens of his policy priorities.
WHITE HOUSEÂ TEAM
Joseph Biden
Vice President
Past Position: U.S. Senator from Delaware
Value: One of the nation’s influential policy leaders dealing with foreign affairs, terrorism, drug policy and crime, Biden will lead a new task force aimed at helping working families
Rahm Emanuel
Chief of Staff
Past Positions: U.S. Representative from Illinois; Senior Advisor to President Clinton
Value: Nicknamed “Rahmbo†for his aggressive, in-your-face style, Emanuel’s ability to get things done and his insider’s knowledge of Congress is expected to be a huge asset–especially in getting Obama’s economic stimulus plan enacted.
Valerie Jarrett
Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison
Past Positions: CEO, The Habitat Co.; Chairman, Chicago Stock Exchange; Chairman, Chicago Transit Authority
Value: A close friend, confidante, and mentor, Jarrett brings years of political skill and business acumen to a post in which she will work closely with state and local government officials.
Greg Craig
White House Counsel
Past Positions: Partner, Williams & Connolly; Special White House Counsel for President Clinton
Value: The only attorney to represent a president (Clinton) as well as a would-be assassin of a president (John Hinkley, who shot Ronald Reagan), this ultimate Washington insider is a foreign policy maven who can nimbly maneuver through a maze of complex legal and political issues.
David Axelrod
Senior Advisor
Past Positions: Senior Strategist for Obama’s presidential campaign; Senior Partner AKP&D Message and Media
Value: Considered a keen observer and political genius, this trusted adviser will fiercely protect Obama’s image, message, and the integrity of his proposals.
ECONOMIC RECOVERYÂ TEAM
Timothy Geithner
Secretary of the Treasury
Past Positions: President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Undersecretary of the Treasury for International Affairs (Clinton administration)
Value: As New York Fed Chief, Geithner has participated in such industry-saving acts as the sale of Bear Stearns to JPMorgan Chase and the multibillion-dollar rescue of AIG. Also, he’s an experienced hand at Treasury, having worked for five secretaries.
Ron Kirk
U.S. Trade Representative
Past Position: Mayor of Dallas
Value: A free-trade advocate, Kirk fully understands the impact of global partnerships on economic development and job creation. He helped produce 45,000 additional jobs through his involvement in developing the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Peter R. Orszag
White House Budget Director
Past Positions: Director of Congressional Budget Office; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Value: Orszag has operated the nonpartisan CBO, the agency charged with providing objective analysis and data on economic trends and budgetary issues, and knows the federal budget cold. He comes to his new position with expertise in pensions, taxes, Social Security, homeland security, and health policy.
Lawrence H. Summers
Director of the National Economic Council
Past Positions: President, Harvard University; Treasury Secretary (Clinton administration)
Value:
Ray LaHood
Secretary of Transportation
Past Position: U.S. Representative from Illinois
Value: A centrist Republican, LaHood has spent his career in government dealing with transportation issues, including his participation on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. He shares Obama’s philosophy that government spending jump-starts economic growth.
Hilda Solis
Secretary of Labor
Past Positions: U.S. Representative from California; California State Senator
Value: A favorite with organized labor, Solis has served as a strong advocate for low-wage workers and supported legislation making it easier to unionize workers. A huge plus for the Obama camp is her close relationship with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Shaun Donovan
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Past Position: Commissioner, New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Value: With two decades of experience, Donovan has effectively managed a multibillion-dollar HUD subsidy program during his years with the Clinton administration as well as in New York City’s mammoth affordable housing program.
Tom Daschle
Secretary of Health & Human Services
Past Positions: U.S. Senator from South Dakota; Senate Majority Leader
Value: A 26-year congressional veteran, Daschle is expected to apply his passion for healthcare reform as well as his relationships and knowledge of the Senate to gain support for Obama’s ambitious programs.
NATIONAL SECURITYÂ TEAM
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Past Positions: U.S. Senator from New York; First Lady of the United States
Value: Obama’s most tenacious rival for the Democratic nomination, Clinton gained foreign policy bona fides through her involvement on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She reportedly plans to expand the State Department’s portfolio of diplomatic activities to include a special focus on economic matters.
Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
Past Positions: Secretary of Defense (Bush administration); CIA Director
Value
Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Homeland Security
Past Positions: Governor of Arizona; Arizona Attorney General
Value: Lauded as one of the nation’s best governors, Napolitano has been a leading advocate for federal protection of the nation’s borders. In her new role, she will utilize her leadership skills to overhaul a sprawling agency charged with securing institutions against terrorism and responding to natural and manmade disasters.
Gen. James L. Jones
National Security Adviser
Past Position: Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Value: Jones possesses a diplomatic management style and a knack for coalition building that served him well as commander of all NATO military forces. During the campaign, it was Jones, a four-star general, who briefed Obama on the status of American and allied involvement in Afghanistan.
Susan Rice
U.S. Ambassador for the United Nations
Past Positions: Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (Clinton administration)
Value: One of Obama’s leading foreign policy advisers during the campaign, Rice offers breadth of experience in foreign policy and the global economy. Hers will be a powerful voice against acts of genocide such as those in the Darfur region of Sudan, among other issues.
Eric K. Shinseki
Secretary of Veteran Affairs
Past Position: Chief of Staff of the Army
Value: In his previous post, this Vietnam War veteran developed revolutionary programs to modernize the Army as well as make soldiers more effective in urban terrain. He presciently advocated an increased deployment of troops in Iraq–a position that led to his public clash with then Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
LAW & EDUCATIONÂ TEAM
Eric Holder
Attorney General
Past Positions: Partner, Covington & Burling L.L.P.; Deputy Attorney General (Clinton administration)
Value
Arne Duncan
Secretary of Education
Past Positions: Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Public Schools; Director, Ariel Education Initiative
Value: Since 2001, he’s overseen the nation’s third-largest school system, which services more than 400,000 students. Through his consensus-building management style, he’s increased state test scores, boosted graduation rates, opened new schools, and built strong relationships with teachers’ unions.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTÂ TEAM
Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
Past Position: Lab Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Value: Chu, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1997, built a solid reputation for the management of research teams on climate change, advanced biofuels, solar power, and energy efficiency. To develop and fund such projects, he created successful public—private partnerships.
Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Past Position: Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Value: In her previous role, the former chemical engineer was an activist regulator who developed a program to reduce carbon emissions as well as ordered compliance investigations to stop polluters from ravaging urban hubs
Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
Past Position: Governor of Iowa
Value: Another candidate for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Vilsack is an expert in agriculture policy. He believes rural America can undergo an industrial and economic transformation through the discovery of renewable energy sources, and he will use his political capital to make it happen.
Ken Salazar
Secretary of the Interior
Past Positions: U.S. Senator from Colorado; Colorado Attorney General
Value: Cited for his political pragmatism, Salazar will seek to strike a balance between focusing on the preservation of public land and endangered species and the creation of new energy sources and climate change.