Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Crazy or Brilliant Cabinet Pick

Could this report be true? Could Obama really be bringing on Steven Chu as energy secretary? I was expecting Democrats and Republicans, Blacks, Jews and Hispanics in the cabinet - but an Academic? Wow, someone's really pushing the limits here.

The report lists that various Democrats are uneasy with the choice. I wonder if that's a clue as to how tricky this nomination might be to pass?

Personally, I'm excited by it. But that's not a surprise, as I come from a family of academics (being in business means the black sheep of the family, if you will). I like the idea of taking someone who is immensely knowledgeable about a topic, and putting them in charge. I also think it shows a real commitment to try something different in the energy front. This is definitely not business as usual.

Of course, the question becomes is he the right man for the job? That I'm not sure of yet. But, I certainly wouldn't disqualify him for lack of political experience. There are plenty of folks in Washington who can tell you how politics works. There are far fewer nobelaureates.

I wonder if my excitement is partially the the way some Republicans felt when Palin was nominated. That is, here's a person who's both an outsider and a has a profile that fits with an ideal I respect and appreciate. Given that, I should be doubly careful about jumping on this bandwagon till I find out if the profile actually matches up to the person.

Update: There's a lengthy interview of Chu on YouTube - so far, it's an interesting listen. As another connection I just learned: Chu went to Univerisity of Rochester - a school that my Dad taught at, and I grew up a few miles from.

1 comment:

  1. I love it! I think putting someone who actually knows about the subject into that type of position is a pretty gutsy and smart move. Who cares if he has no knowledge of politics? He knows about his subject and THAT is what's important!

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