Obama forms "Team of Rivals?"

By: Patrick Fancher

Posted: 11/18/08

President-elect Barack Obama could be in the midst of bringing change to our nation's capitol at an almost unprecedented level. According to abcnews.com, Obama has extended an offer to Senator Hillary Clinton to become the Secretary of State of his administration and is currently awaiting the decision of his former rival.

It is also believed that New Mexico Governor and Obama campaign supporter Bill Richardson may be in the running for the position as well. Richardson previously held a position as former President Bill Clinton's Ambassador to the United Nations. The Secretary of State serves as the President's principal adviser on U.S. foreign policy, as defined on the U.S. Department of State website. After such a contentious primary between Obama and Clinton, it comes as a surprise to me that Obama would consider adding someone who constantly brought up his lack of experience regarding foreign affairs during their primary debates. I stated in a previous column that, "Obama goes against the grain of traditional politics." Adding Clinton to his cabinet would be another example of that.

Unlike the Bush administration, Obama is not surrounding himself with "Yes Men," though he has included some members of the previous Democratic administration. He is rumored to be considering individuals with opposing points of view, even some Republicans, for high-level cabinet positions. After all, Obama did select one of his rivals in Joe Biden as his VP pick. If this possible addition of Clinton is true, it is a bold move with more moves like it to come.

According to a story on msnbc.com, Obama may be following the precedent set by former President Abraham Lincoln, as described in the book "Team of Rivals" by presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, in which he would plan on giving some of his rivals positions in the administration. Lincoln named three of his rivals for the Republican nomination to his cabinet.

Obama said at one point on the campaign trail, "Lincoln basically pulled in all the people who had been running against him into his Cabinet because whatever personal reasons there were, the issue was: How can we get this country through this time of crisis?"

This quote perfectly illustrates the bipartisan unity Obama is said to be working towards. On Monday, former Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain and Obama held their first meeting since Obama won the election on November 4. According to a story on politico.com, the two men discussed having a sit down, during a phone conversation on election night.

McCain and Obama, along with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and McCain's friend, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham discussed the current financial crisis, energy and national security, plus the recent closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, according to politico.com. Senator McCain and President elect Obama released this joint statement, "At this defining moment in history, we believe all that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time."

If the two men can work together, it would definitely signify that Obama will truly bring change to Washington by crossing party lines when doing so is in the best interests of the country.

What is the value that Obama might see in bringing in people that disagree with him?

I think the underlying answer is that all the aforementioned candidates bring an abundance of political experience and differing points of view that could provide a more accurate representation of the wants and needs of the American public. Obama had said often times during speeches "that experience is needed to bring change."

The partisan fighting in Washington over the years has kept both parties from being able to collaborate to reach a consensus on what will work best for this country. It will be interesting to see which candidates Obama picks for his administration and the impact the people selected will ultimately have.

If Clinton, and possibly even McCain, join the Obama/Biden administration, Obama will have organized his own modern day version of a "Team of Rivals."

Patrick Fancher is a junior in new media communication. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily Barometer staff. Fancher can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.