So in my perusal of newsworthy items, one of the newest discussions has been of Eric Holder, and President-Elect Obama’s desire to have him serve as the U.S. Attorney General during his administration. The historic nature of this cannot be ignored. While no formal offer has been made and Holder has not been vetted and his background check finished, we can say that the wheels are in motion to have the 1st African-American Attorney General this nation has ever seen. 
There was a time when the Attorney General in this country was put in difficult
positions regarding race and protecting the rights of Blacks within the context of Federal Law. The idea that a Black man is highly qualified and highly considered for this position almost 50 years later is a testament again to a cultural progression in this country.
I would be very happy if he was selected, not simply because of his skin color – but because of his high level of qualification, and also because of his central appeal. In an area that is supposed to be as objective and factual as the legal field, having an AG that is middle of the road keeps interpretation of the government’s legal authority from being too expansive or too constrictive. Also, he demonstrates a neutrality of party politics in his history as a legal appointee. He has served under Republican appointee with President Reagan, and also under the Attorney General in the Clinton Administration.
I do worry about the perception of Obama’s picks to fulfill these positions up to this point. So far, John Podesta heads his transition team. Rahm Emanuel will serve as his chief od staff. Pending approval, formal offer and formal accepatance, Holder will serve as his next announcement of a major level advisor role filled. Other talk in the news recently has been about the likelihood of Senator Clinton being appointed Secretary of State. What do these names all have in common aside from their connection to Obama?
Bill Clinton.
Podesta served as Clinton’s chief of staff. Emanuel was a senior advisor during the Clinton Administration. Holder served under the AG in the Clinton Administration. Hillary Clinton is the wife of Bill. It seems that these first few picks and some of the considerations that Obama has in mind come from an era of Democratic politics that saw great gains, but was also in the 20th Century.
My only concern about the perception is that Obama’s appeal was the belief that change was going to be widespread – from the current state of the economy and energy use to a new state; from old politics in Washington to new. I can see skeptics and cynics looking at these appointee considerations as a form of the old politics that a political power circle like the Clintons may represent.
Obama has demonstrated good judgment however, and I do not doubt that these moves will set up the Obama administration to take over January 20th, 2009.
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