Word is leaking that Jack Lew — currently President Obama’s Chief of Staff — is going to get the Treasury Secretary nod, a development that’s been rumored for weeks.
So let’s pause and review how Obama’s second term Cabinet is shaping up. There’s Sen. John Kerry at State, ex-Sen. Chuck Hagel at Defense, John Brennan at the CIA, Lew at Treasury…
Uh, where are the women at?
Wasn’t it the Republicans who were allegedly propagating a “War on Women?” Obama has talked about wanting his Cabinet to reflect America. This Cabinet reflects the demographics of a men’s locker room. In Nebraska.
Look for Nancy DeParle — currently the deputy chief of staff — to step in for her old boss Lew. Maybe. Others think she might get big-footed from outside— by men. Regardless, chief-of-staff isn’t a Cabinet position.
White House press secretary Jay Carney sort-of addressed this lack of diversity Monday in the way that he sort-of addresses many questions. The fact remains is that Obama is 0-for-4 on the Women-in-the-new-Cabinet Scoreboard.
On to Jay:
Jay, the recent personnel announcements that we’ve heard have all been men. I’m wondering how important it is to President Obama to have women in prominent roles in his new Cabinet.
MR. CARNEY: Well, I appreciate the question. The President does believe that diversity is very important and he also believes that picking the absolute right person for each job is very important. And the nominees he announced today represent that principle in that he believes Senator Hagel and John Brennan are the right individuals for the jobs to which they have been nominated.
I would remind you that as part of President Obama’s national security team we have Secretary Clinton, who, after four years, is leaving office. We have Secretary Napolitano, who continues as Homeland Security Secretary. We have Ambassador Susan Rice, who has indicated that she will be staying on in New York as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations, a Cabinet-level position. And there are obviously other remarkably capable women in positions of high office in this administration and will continue to be.Q But presumably, I mean, some of them will obviously leave over time, and I’m wondering, in terms of having a replacement, for instance, with Secretary Clinton leaving, do you think that —
MR. CARNEY: Well, I think that any suggestion that Secretary Clinton was chosen because of her gender would be rejected by Secretary Clinton and others. And any suggestion that nominees not be chosen for their qualifications would be rejected by everyone whose interest is in, as the President’s is, the very — finding the very best people for each job. And that’s what he’s done today and that’s what he’ll continue to do.And he, in that process, insists on diversity on the lists that he considers for the job because he believes that in casting a broader net, you increase the excellence of the pool of potential nominees for these positions. But in the end, he’ll make the choice that he believes is best for the United States. In this case, that would be Secretary Hagel — or Senator Hagel for Secretary of Defense and John Brennan for Director of the CIA.