IdaBriggs's Journal - I finally get why Dean can't be in charge of HHS.

I don't like it, but I get it.

Yahoo news put up this article http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090302/ap_on_...

with an interesting spin that got me thinking. One of the quotes is this:

"Obama will introduce Sebelius on Monday afternoon in the White House East Room. The announcement of his health and human services secretary nominee comes just days before the president holds a White House summit on health care. Lawmakers from both parties and representatives of major interest groups, from insurers to drug companies to consumers, will attend.

Gaining their support — as well as winning confirmation — are among the 60-year-old governor's first challenges. A vast bureaucracy that handles everything from Medicare to cancer research to food safety awaits her. She will also be a very public face for Obama's plans for health care, although a White House-based counterpart will handle many of the new policy moves.

Originally, the president had counted on former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to shepherd his health overhaul agenda through Congress. Daschle would have worn two hats: health secretary and head of a White House health reform office. He was on a first-name basis with many in the Senate, where health care legislation faces its stiffest test."

The bold is from me. We can't have Dean because he *is* partisan, especially after running the DNC. Reality is that he, personally, is pretty much responsible for the Republicans loss of power.

Well, that and the fact they are incompetent fuckwits.

Bums me out. The position actually requires a grown-up to be in charge, and Dean despite being beautifully qualified, would be like waving a red flag in the face of the opposition: YOU LOST. It wouldn't matter how good his ideas are, the opposing folks would TRY to sabotage everything he does just for the payback of trying to make him look bad regardless of what it does to the country.

It would be like putting Michael Moore (an incredible human being I respect and admire) in charge. Heads would explode, and everybody would be so busy screaming their outrage, nothing would get done.

Governor Dean deserves the thanks of a grateful nation, but unfortunately, Obama is going to have to find a position for him where his partisanship isn't a liability. He was able to do it with Hillary; by playing to her greatest strengths -- the relationships she's already built overseas and in the legislature, she is in a better place to benefit this country than (in my opinion) she would have been as President, where the bad guys would have spent her entire term trying to destroy her. Now, they can pick between Hillary, and fill-in-the-blank terrorist folks.

Well, there you have my insight for the day. Sigh. Bummer. Obama is a smart guy; I don't think he'll waste the talents of Governor Dean. Hopefully he'll find a good fit.

Best, Ida the Insightful

ON EDIT: Fixed the ending of Bold/put in an excerpt thingy.