Jim also wrote:
"BTW, where are all of the Bush-haters now that our President-elect has
chosen a surprisingly culturally diverse group for his Cabinet? Does anyone
care to say something positive? <tapping my foot expectantly...> Anyone?"
Jim, I'd love to, but as I'm sure you understand, I have a reputation to
maintain. ;-)
Seriously: cultural diversity is important, but it's only a part of the
equation. The president-elect's picks may be "culturally diverse," but
they're also pretty ideogically uniform, with a couple of notable exceptions
(e.g., Colin Powell, who's been nominated for a position in which he won't
have much of a chance to implement he pro-affirmative action, pro-choice
views; Christie Whitman, ditto for the latter issue). And in key positions
(e.g, Labor and Justice), he's chosen to dip into the far-right wing of the
Republican party.
I know Mr. Bush has a right to nominate whomever he chooses. However, he
faces an equally split Senate, lost the popular vote, and won the state that
gave him the edge in the electoral college by the slimmest of margins. He
also ran on the platform of being "a uniter, not a divider." I just don't
see that here.
Yes, I'm disappointed.
Mary P.
