Obama's Cabinet

With an Obama administration almost statistically inevitable, attention is turning to the post-election struggle for positions and power.

His current aides include Gregory Craig, Scott Gration, Ben Rhodes, Richard Danzig, Samantha Power, Tony Lake, and Susan Rice – a team which is said to funnel through Denis McDonough, an Obama confidante, who briefs the senator. But when it comes to populating the administration’s key slots, many of these aides may have to take a back seat in favour of more well-known and politically-connected candidates.

Joe Biden has warned that an Obama administration would face an international challenge in its first six months. Faced with such a prospect – or at least fears of it –the advisable option is for Senator Obama to emulate George W Bush, by flanking himself with national security heavy-weights ready to stare down Iran, deal with Afghanistan, handle Russia, withdraw from Iraq and mollycoddle all the Europeans from day one. But a President Obama will also need an impressive economic team and reform-minded coalition-builders manning such portfolios as health, transport and energy.

Since everyone has been guessing at what an Obama cabinet will look like, it is only appropriate for Coffee House to get in on the game. So here’s a more exhaustive list of picks than usually found, with a few additional posts (marked with *) that will require legislative change:

Bill Richardson
Secretary of State

Marc Grossman
Deputy Secretary of State

Chuck Hagel
Secretary of Defence

Michelle Flournoy
Deputy Secretary of Defence

Jim Steinberg
National and Homeland Security Adviser*