Obama tilts to center, inviting a clash of ideas

Reported cabinet choices show preference for pragmatists over ideologues

WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination with the enthusiastic support of the left wing of his party, fueled by his vehement opposition to the decision to invade Iraq and by one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate.

Now, his reported selections for two of the major positions in his cabinet �?Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and Timothy J. Geithner as secretary of the Treasury �?suggest that Mr. Obama is planning to govern from the center-right of his party, surrounding himself with pragmatists rather than ideologues.

The choices are as revealing of the new president as they are of his appointees �?and suggest that, from its first days, an Obama White House will brim with big personalities and far more spirited debate than occurred among the largely like-minded advisers who populated President Bush’s first term.

 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27849923/ 

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{ This is exactly how many of us on the left expected Obama to lead. It is in fact why he is President elect. Americans wanted an end to the one-sided extremes of the Bush/Cheney administration and a return to leadership that is thoughtful, deliberate and rational. Obama is making sure he will hear many voices and get a wide variety of views so he can make the careful decisions necessary in this difficult time.

Already he is showing his careful reasoning {that was so obvious in how his campaign was run} in picking a group of experienced and diverse people to be the backbone of his administration. I would love to be a fly on the wall at future cabinet meetings.

Meanwhile..... many on the right wing, still angry and bitter over their profound trashing in the election continue their litany of hate and disgust aimed at Obama. They are truly lost......without a party or a leader.....and stuck in "SWIFTBOATING MODE" they wander around like ghosts unaware they are dead.

They keep mumbling about the "Messiah" and "Obama-zombies" but few are listening. Most us us are looking forward to helping to solve the problems at home and abroad most of which can be laid at the feet of the out going Republican administration. My my......how times have changed!}