As we enter the month of December, the Obama Cabinet is taking shape, and the signs are good for the future.
President-Elect Obama has demonstrated vision, competence and steadiness, as well as a centrist, pragmatic approach in his selections. He has shown willingness to have a cabinet which will challenge him, rather than just be "yes men". He has shown elements of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D Roosevelt who both had outspoken advisers, and he also has stated as Harry Truman said: "The buck stops here!", that he would take full responsibility for decisions made.
It is a very impressive group that has been gathered together, including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Robert Gates staying on as Secretary of Defense, Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers as chief Economic Adviser, General James Jones as National Security Adviser, Susan Rice as United Nations Ambassador, Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce, Eric Holder as Attorney General, Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security, and Tom Daschle as Secetary of Health and Human Services.
The appointment of Hillary Clinton is particularly inspiring and one can have confidence that she will do an excellent job in the State Department and could still have a political future if she performs as well as many political observers believe she will demonstrate. It has been since before the Civil War that a Secretary of State has been elected President, but that does not mean it cannot happen in the future. Overall, the promise of future accomplishments by President Obama and his exceptional group of advisers is something we can look forward to as a likely scenario.