Sunday, December 7, 2008

Introducing Eric Shinseki




Click here for the wikipedia entry on Eric Shinseki.
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3 comments:

Brian Hunt said...

I am very happy to see that Shinseki will have a cabinet post in the next administration. I always felt that he got very badly mistreated by the Bush administration for testifying to congress that the Iraq war plan contained an insuficient number of troops to secure the country and obtain all the mission objectives. He was hounded into tendering his resignation shortly there after. Amazing how much credit McCain got for saying the same thing.

December 10, 2008 at 1:54 PM
Genepool said...

I was VERY excited to hear about Shinseki's appointment by Obama. This is a guy with a record for saying and acting on behalf of the military's best interest and not special interest. He will be an awesome addition to Obama's administration and a sharp change from the parade of yes-men that have held that position in recent times. I hope he feels at least a little vindicated for his forced retirement and the poor treatment he received for giving good, but unpopular advice at the onset of the Iraq conflict.

Obama has surprised and impressed me with most all of his cabinet choices. I am enjoying watching the Democratic party throw their arms in the air while they deal with someone who really doesn't seem to care about the status quo. Quite refreshing.

December 11, 2008 at 5:08 PM
Jennifer said...

Brian and Genepool,
I agree that Shinseki seems like a great pick for Sec. of Veterans affairs -- and that it also validates the concerns he had about troop levels and vindicates him in the court of public opinion (although I think that there were many who did so at the time of his hearing as well as in the immediate months and years that followed).

The only thing I'd disagree with you about Genepool is your assessment of Democrats reaction to Obama's cabinet picks. I do think that there are some very liberal-progressive types who are fretful that his cabinet does not reflect the theme of "change" he had promised and that moreover they may be more conservative than a liberal-progressive would like.

However, I don't think that's a majority Democrat opinion. I don't see the Democrats, either average citizen or politician, throwing their arms up in the air baffled at Obama's picks--I think his picks have reflected his politics all along--moderation. But they aren't uber-conservative--no one from a conservative Republican perspective would have chosen Hilary Clinton to be Secretary of State, and even some of his economic advisors as well as his pick of chief of staff and attorney general are not conservative picks, but are fairly partisan and show his desire to draw from a Democratic power base that has some experience with national and foreign affairs.

I do think that his selection of Steven Chu as Energy Secretary is a bold move and one in keeping with the theme of "change"--because it's brilliant to pick a scientist who has actually studied the effects of energy and the environment and who also has some executive experience in an academic arena.

December 13, 2008 at 11:32 AM

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