Nowadays stand-up comics are all questioning who will replace famous Bush on the stage. It still is their job to do so and I think all of us will need someone to replace him. Maybe it hears silly but we need someone to laugh at,…just to remind us that ‘bushism’ relay is passed to another generation:)
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SECRETARY OF STATE: HILLARY CLINTON
Mrs Clinton, first lady from 1993 to 2001, lost a close race against Mr Obama for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
She will now have to step down as senator for New York.
Mrs Clinton will be able to hit the ground running, given her wide experience and international contacts.
Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton clashed on some foreign policy issues during the primary campaign, and with incoming Vice-President Joseph Biden also well-versed in foreign policy, there is scope for friction within the Obama team.
DEFENCE SECRETARY: ROBERT GATES
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates will remain in charge of the Pentagon when Barack Obama takes office, at least for the first year of his administration.
Robert Gates, 65, is a former director of the CIA and was appointed Defence Secretary by President Bush in 2006. He has promoted the military surge in Iraq that has been credited with stemming violence there.
Mr Obama opposed the surge but both men are agreed on a greater focus on Afghanistan.
Mr Gates is seen as a moderate and is widely respected among both Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
His appointment would also fulfill Mr Obama’s pledge to include a Republican in his Cabinet.
TREASURY SECRETARY: TIMOTHY GEITHNER
The 47-year-old head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Timothy Geithner, was instrumental in shaping the US government’s response to the banking crisis.
He played a pivotal role in the intense negotiations which took place before Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, and also helped forge the deals involving AIG and JP Morgan.
He regularly speaks about the need for major reforms in the financial system in order to avoid further turbulence.
Before joining the Federal Reserve of New York, Timothy Geithner worked for the International Monetary Fund.
He was also the Treasury’s under-secretary for international affairs from 1999 to 2001.
HEALTH SECRETARY: TOM DASCHLE
Mr Daschle was the Democrats’ Senate Majority Leader from 2001 until 2003.
As head of the health and human services department, Mr Daschle will oversee Mr Obama’s proposed reforms to the US healthcare system, which is likely to be one of the top domestic priorities of the new administration.
Mr Obama will be hoping Mr Daschle’s long legislative experience will help steer reforms through Congress.
Mr Daschle served as a senator for South Dakota from 1987 to 2005, and was an early backer of Mr Obama’s run for the presidency.
ATTORNEY GENERAL: ERIC HOLDER
Eric Holder occupied the number two position in the Justice Department in Bill Clinton’s administration.
He was a senior legal adviser to Mr Obama’s campaign team and co-chaired the vice-presidential selection committee.
If confirmed, he would lead the administration’s efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, a move Mr Obama has singled out as a priority.
Mr Holder, 57, would be the first African-American to occupy the position of attorney general.
One issue that may surface during confirmation hearings is Mr Holder’s controversial advice on pardons to President Clinton in 2000, on the last day of his administration.
Mr Holder told the outgoing president that he was “neutral, leaning towards favourable” about pardoning fugitive financier Marc Rich.
HOMELAND SECURITY: JANET NAPOLITANO
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano has been picked for the post of secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
This post was created in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks.
As a governor of a state bordering Mexico, Gov Napolitano has wide experience on immigration issues.
She served as US attorney for Arizona and was also state attorney general.
UN AMBASSADOR: SUSAN RICE
Barack Obama’s UN ambassador, Susan Rice, will hold cabinet rank, in a sign of Mr Obama’s plan to work more closely with UN member states than the administration of George W Bush has over the last eight years.
Ms Rice worked in the Clinton administration from 1997 to 2001 but backed Mr Obama for the Democratic nomination because of his opposition to the Iraq war.
She is also an advocate of tough action to end the killing in Darfur.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April 2007, she supported the idea of military action to force the Sudanese government to halt the massacres.
COMMERCE SECRETARY: BILL RICHARDSON
Bill Richardson, New Mexico governor, is no stranger to government, having served in Bill Clinton’s cabinet as Energy Secretary and UN Ambassador.
He also ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, but dropped out after poor performances in the early primary contests.
Alongside Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, he will be third of Mr Obama’s former rivals for the nomination to enter the incoming president’s inner circle.
OBAMA HIMSELF
I mean guys name is Barrack, middle name is Hussein and last name Obama. It looks like a great recipe for laughter but it has one drawback, the fact he is black, so every joke could be somehow treated as racist.