Obama's Appointments: Liberals Don't Jump the Gun and Whine
Dec 08, 2008

Liberal doubts on Obama's appointments have begun. The whines can be heard everywhere. See December 8 www.politico.com for a story that bears this out. John Isaacs is a notable exception. His quotes appropriately focused on policy as the real test for Obama.

Obama has made clear he expects his appointees to carry out Presidential policies. Those he has chosen are capable of performing well--whether they are Geithner,
Summers, Clinton, or Gates.

The test comes on policies. If Sen. Clinton has abandoned her quest for the presidency, she has political capital to help move us away from a bellicose Iran policy and towards an Israel-Palestine settlement. Let's see whether she will.  Let's hold the Administration to account.

Let's expect Secretary Gates to formulate and implement the plans that get our combat troops out of Iraq in the 16 months after Obama is sworn in.

Having General Jones serve as the President's National Security Adviser places in a pivotal spot a knowledgeable military person who severely criticized General Pace for not
telling Bush what Pace thought about the mistakes being made in Iraq.

It's the policies that matter. These include a whole arms control treaty agenda, abolishing nuclear weapons, ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, addressing nuclear proliferation, missile defense and other key matters.

Economic and energy policy is part of national security policy as well. Let's see if Geithner, Summers and others cam stimulate the economy, reduce unemployment, get  credit flowing and begin to reduce economic inequality.

The Obama Administration must be held to high standards of accountability. That's the test. If it's met let us praise. If the effort falls far short we won't lack for critics.

Meanwhile let's stay organized to hold Obama accountable as we work to ward off the conservative sharpshooters who will likely oppose many of Obama's constructive policies.
David Cohen