Howard Dean's Shadow Cabinet
note: I started writing this before I saw the open thread with this topic on the unofficial Dean blog. I have not yet read it; once I get this posted, I'll take a look and see what everyone else is saying. Also, a big thanks to Matt Langer over at Untelevised, whose "Political Quick Reference" was a great help and inspiration.

second note: I have tried to fill most every posiion, although I'm sure I missed one or two somewhere. Two sources of potential cabinet members that I have not really explored are academia and think-tanks, as I'm less familiar with those fields. None of these people have been vetted by the appropriate agencies, and, in some cases I'm not entirely sure which way their political sails blow, but based on their bios and records seem good for the jobs. In terms of people from the political sphere, I tried to keep an eye on Congress, the Senate, especially, and did not tap people who would be replaced by Republican governors or leave a too-Republican district, since we need to keep Congress at least as close as it is now. And this cabinet would work for any Dem candidate, really.

third note: Comments, please!

Secretary of Agriculture: Iowa Governor Thomas Vilsack. Leadership in Iowa, of course, means leadership on agricultural issues. Even if Vilsack later comes down endorsing Gephardt, he and Dean seem to get along whenever they meet. In addition, having Vilsack on board will help to ensure that Iowa stays blue this time around.

Attorney General: Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle. Doyle is someone who gives a rip about civil rights and the idea of justice--the name of the department he will head. He was Wisconsin's AG before moving down the hall to the big office. Plus, it leaves Barbara Lawton in the governor's office here, and she's just awesome.

Secretary of Commerce: Former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Unsafe at Any Speed ushered in an area of consumer protection the likes of which we've never seen rivaled. His concern for the means, whatever the ends might be, is valuable and refreshing. Despite what you may think of him for his actions in 2000--and some of them were despicable, sure--he cares about the consumer, the voter, and the process.

Secretary of Defense: West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller. This is a post where an academic may fit better, but Rockefeller's got the experience, knowledge, and gravitas to pull it off, having spent time on the Intelligence, Veterans' Affairs, and International Relations committees. His quiet determination stands in stark contrast to Rumsfeld's snarkiness, and Rockefeller, I'm certain, will not honk off the brass with any autocratic abuses.

Secretary of Education: Executive Director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform Warren Simmons. Simmons is a leading figure in public school reform (the good kind) as well as a respected leader among minority groups and the post-secondary establishment. He can address many of the major concerns of the day--increasing minority enrollment in colleges and universities, strengthening public schools, and working on student loan and tuition troubles.

Secretary of Energy: Executive Director of the American Wind Energy Association Randall Swisher. Swisher comes with a ton of legislative experience, though mostly as staff, as well as from a broad network of alternative and renewable energy partnerships.

Director of the Environmental Protection Agency: Audobon Society Director Juliet P. Tammenoms Bakker. Bakker has her feet firmly in both the environmental and business communities and can help these two groups work together and actually improve the environment.

Secretary of Health and Human Services: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Julie Gerberding. Despite her use of the non-existent word impactful, she comes with a major knowledge not only of public health but also of dealing with bioterror issues, something that should let us all rest a little easier. At least, since I have experience living under Tommy Thompson, any way to get rid of him will let me rest easier.

Secretary of Homeland Security: Uber-Democrat Gary Hart. No monkey business here: Hart has been telling he Whopper's administration what needed to happen in terms of defending ourselves from terrorists since January 2001, and if the Whopper had listened, 9/11 may very well not have happened.

Director of Housing and Urban Development: Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow. She is a rising star in the Democratic party who, like Vilsack, Rockefeller, and others could help carry states if they're part of a shadow cabinet. But beyond that, she is a talent, too, who could make a real difference at HUD. I know, who cares about HUD, right? But HUD is on the front lines of the fight against poverty, and a real activist, supported by her president, could lead a revolution on how we work with the poor.

Secretary of the Interior: Washington Senator Ron Wyden. A good chunk of Wyden's resume has to do with his tooth-and-nail fighting for Oregon's environment. I like that.

Drug Czar: Director of the Drug Policy Alliance Nathan Nadelmann. According to the DPA's website: "Drug Policy Alliance is the leading organization working to broaden the public debate on drug policy and to promote realistic alternatives to the war on drugs based on science, compassion, health and human rights." That sounds about right to me.

Secretary of Labor: Washington, DC, representative Eleanor Holmes Norton. As former chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she learned how to handle big business. Her successes as the District's House rep show she can work for the underdog.

National Security Advisor: New Jersey congressman Robert Menendez. His role as a House leader lends him depth that Condi Rice never had, and his experience with Homeland Security issues has made him an expert at knowing where we need our national security to focus. I firmly believe he can read all 90 pages of an NIE.

Press Secretary: Al Franken. I have to have one not-so serious entry here, and I toyed with making Martha Stewart the Interior Secretary, but I decided this was it. Actually, I think Franken could do a bang-up job: He's quick on his feet, he's brutally honest (much moreso than Micheal Moore), and he does well on camera. Plus, Stuart Smalley can give Howard Dean those little pep talks--"I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog-gone-it, people like me."

Secretary of State: Retired General Wesley Clark. One of the things I have found most interesting about the current administration is the rift between State and Defense. I think the Whopper made a huge mistake putting two such completely opposed ideologues--Powell and Rumsfeld--in charge of Departments that need to get along. I think a Clark-Rockefeller team would be far stronger, and Clark could really help restore our credibility in the eyes of our NATO allies and the rest of the world, moreso than almost anyone else in this spot.

Surgeon General: American Heart Association's chief volunteer scientific and medical officer Augustus O. Grant. Calling him a "medical officer" makes him sound an awful lot like Dr. McCoy, but Grant has a solid, research-based (as opposed to ideology-based) public health background.

Trade Representative: Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun. Braun is an experienced diplomat, which is one key part of being the trade rep, and she also recognizes the value of fair--as opposed to merely free--trade. She's too good to be left out of anyone's administration.

Secretary of Transportation: Delaware Senator Thomas Carper. Being on the Amtrak board isn't Carper's biggest accomplishment, but, combined with his fiscal discipline, connection to the National Governors' Association, and economics degree, I think he can do good things for the transportation sector. And I'm not talking about stuffing the g-strings of automakers and road builders.

Secretary of the Treasury: Retiring Washington Governor Gary Locke. Locke was my runner-up for Attorney General, and I felt he needed to be included here. No, he's not an economist, but his experience as a governor and his integrity lend him weight that cannot be denied.

Secretary of Veterans' Affairs: Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez. His concern for civil rights and his work with the Veterans' Affairs committee show that he is not going to roll over and let our vets get screwed the way they have been under the current administration.

Vice President: New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. It really only worked out this way because I'm doing it alphabetically; I wasn't trying to build the suspense. I had been leaning Edwards's way for a while, what with his good economic policy stuff (check my archives for June), but his penchant for fundraising scandals has turned me off. I mean, I liked the idea of the youngish-looking Edwards leading people to think about a 16-year administration. But Edwards isn't cutting it for me any more. So instead, former cabinet member Bill Richardson, who can carry those people who remember Clinton fondly and will also bring a whole lot of the southwest to the table. Dean can't win without New Mexico, which should remain a solid Blue State, but Richardson could bring Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado on board. That would make a Dean run unstoppable, even without Florida. I think we need to have a win-without-Florida strategy, and if Florida comes along, it'll just add to the rout we're all hoping for.