More Cabinet Picks

Arne Duncan, superintendent of Chicago schools, has been chosen as President-Elect Obama's Secretary of Education. I'm pretty wev about this choice. Duncan's done some good clean-up in Chicago and recognizes the reality that educator accountability is nothing without financial investment (and vice versa), but he also (like Obama) supports vouchers, on which I'm not keen. UPDATE: Having read more now, it looks like he supporters charter schools, but not vouchers.

Frankly, education is another area where I'm glad to see Obama righting the apple cart, but I've always wanted it filled with oranges. The American educational system needs a radical overhaul; Duncan ain't gonna do it. But he's going to be competent, which is a change from the last eight years, anyway.

Ken Salazar, Democratic Senator from Colorado, has been chosen as President-Elect Obama's Secretary of the Interior. In other countries, that title is effectively equivalent to what we call the Chief of Homeland Security, so for our non-US Shakers, let me just briefly explain: Our Secretary of the Interior oversees the literal (state-owned) land in the US, totaling about 500 million acres, via agencies including the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Geological Survey, and the National Park Service.

I have no knowledge whatsoever of Salazar's credentials (or lack thereof) for this position; maybe some Coloradan Shakers can share their opinions on his selection. What I know of him generally is kind of a mixed bag. He voted yea on confirming Condi Rice as Secretary of State and he voted for the heinous bankruptcy bill (like our veep-elect; grumble), but he's also knocked heads with Daddy Dobson and doesn't dig the Patriot Act.

For those keeping demographic tabs on Obama's Colorful Cabinet, Duncan is white; Salazar is Hispanic.