Thursday 25 June 2020

Is there such a concept as a Joe Biden dream team?

If, and it's still a big IF, Joe Biden wins the election and becomes president in January 2021, is there already a dream-team cabinet waiting in the wings? Will a President Biden go for lots of older folks from past Democratic administrations or choose new young fresh blood - new ideas but no vast experience? In January 2021 Biden will be 78, two years away from becoming an octogenarian. For that reason alone I suspect he will look for hefty experience before youth but if he was sensible he would get a balance of both. Experience will be crucial of course but how will the American voters and the rest of the world react if a Biden cabinet is filled with oh-so-familiar faces from the past? Several names have already been put forward as likely candidates: John Kerry returning to his old job as secretary of state and Susan Rice as national security adviser or secretary of state, even Condoleezza Rice back in again in some form. Two Rices. I have a lot of time for all three. John Kerry was a tireless and dignified secretary of state, succeeding Hillary Clinton, under Barack Obama. Condoleezza Rice is super-smart and a brilliant pianist, and Susan Rice (no relation) was a pretty dynamic national security adviser and is one of the very few elite Rhodes scholars of cabinet or presidential rank but suffered a bit career-wise when she was caught up in the mixed messages about the appalling murders of the US ambassador to Libya and three other US embassy officials in the assault on the American consulate in Benghazi by militia forces in 2012. But a Biden cabinet with any or all of these experienced players would probably be a good move. I've not seen any name being put forward for Biden's defence (defense) secretary but I'm going to go wild here: David Petraeus? It would cause huge resentment no doubt and concern among stereotype oldies who would point out that the former super-general of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and ex-director of the CIA blotted his copybook for good when he foolishly gave his mistress/biographer Paula Broadwell a lot of classified documents to help her in her research. But Petraeus is an exceptional individual. He made a huge mistake but he paid for it by being ousted as CIA director. He is an intellectual, forward-thinking man, the right kind of person to take over the Pentagon and ensure that it returns to being one of the absolutely crucial departments, not, as at present, often shoved to one side by the incumbent commander-in-chief. Kamala Harris, a presidential hopeful until she stepped aside in December, must play a key role, either as vice president or as attorney general. Other names from the presidential candidate list, such as Pete Buttigieg, would also make good cabinet members and bring down the average age of a Biden administration. Mike Bloomberg has been mentioned for a big job. Surely not! Bernie Sanders perhaps? No I don't think so.

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