Politics

A Peek At The Bush Cabinet

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 5, 2000 / 10:25 AM EST / CBS

Hundreds of times on the campaign trail, by way of introducing his wife and supporters like Colin Powell, George W. Bush said, "I believe you can judge a man by the nature of the company he keeps."

By that standard, we're now in a position to judge, since President-elect Bush has to scramble to assemble his Cabinet and White House team after the protracted Florida election dispute.

Usually, a president-elect gets 73 days to build his White House. But thanks to the Florida recount fight, Bush will have less than six weeks, but that doesn't mean he's running behind.

As expected, Bush has named Powell as his Secretary of State and former Stanford University provost and Bush foreign affairs adviser Condoleezza Rice for National Security Adviser. He has also tapped Al Gonzales, a justice on the Texas Supreme Court, to be his White House counsel.

In addition, after the Nov. 26 certification of the Florida vote, Bush named former Transportation secretary and GM lobbyist Andrew Card as his White House Chief of Staff and put running mate Dick Cheney in charge of the transition.

Here's a roundup of rumored Bush appointments:

Defense Secretary - in the running are Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, former Indiana Senator Dan Coats and Paul Wolfowitz, a former ambassador and undersecretary of defense to Bush's father. Reagan adviser Richard Armitage may get the No. 2 position at Defense. Arizona Senator John McCain responded to rumors that he was in consideration by saying he will serve out his term in Congress.
Treasury Secretary - A tough act to follow after Clinton appointees Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers' eight years of economic expansion. Under consideration: PaineWebber chairman Donald B. Marron; former bank chiefs Walter Shipley (CHASE) and Jack Hennessy (Credit Suisse First Boston); and House Appropriations Committee chairman Bill Archer of Texas, a Bush family friend who is retiring from Congress.
Attorney General - Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, who was on Bush's vice presidential short-list, is the favorite for AG. Montana Governor Marc Racicot, who went to Florida to fight for Bush during the post-election controversy, is a possible Attorney General or Interior Secretary.
Dan Lungren, a former attorney general of California, and Gillette chief counsel Richard K. Willard have also been mentioned, as has Virginia Governor James Gilmore, whose spokesman said he will serve out his term instead of considering any offers.
Health and Human Services Secretary - Welfare reformer and Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson could get this one, or Secretary of ducation. Two women's names have been floated for HHS: American Red Cross President Dr. Bernadine Healy and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission chief Gail Wilensky.
Education Secretary - In addition to Thompson, Houston school superintendent Roderick R. Paige and Democrat William Gray of the United Negro College Fund are possibilities for this job.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary - Bush domestic policy adviser Stephen Goldsmith, a former mayor of Indianapolis, and Texas Congressman Henry Bonilla's names are out there.
Office of Management and Budget - Retiring House Budget Committee chairman John Kasich made Bush's long list of potential running mates. At 47, he was a little green and a little flaky for veep, but he's perfect for OMB Director.
Transportation Secretary - Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci, United Way official Elaine Chao and Texas Railroad Commissioner Tony Garza.
Energy Secretary - Bush campaign chairman Don Evans is mentioned for this spot, and for Secretary of Commerce. Enron chairman Kenneth Lay's name is in the mix. And the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reports Democratic congressmen Ralph Hall is a possibility, too.

Administration roles should be assured for the three Texas advisers known as the "Iron Triangle": strategist Karl Rove, spokeswoman Karen Hughes, and campaign manager Joe Allbaugh. Bush stuck with his campaign braintrust despite occasional grumblings and second-guessing by Beltway Republicans.

Jeb Bush is another story. In an interview with CBS News' Scott Pelley, George W. Bush ruled out any cabinet role for his brother the Florida governor.

Many political observers feel Bush must include a Democrat in his Cabinet, a conciliatory gesture after the divisive election for the man who ran as a "uniter, not a divider."

But several Democrats whose names have been mentioned for Cabinet posts - Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana, former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn of Georgia and outgoing North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt - have already signaled "no thanks."

Roll Call named these Congressional Democrats as possible Bush appointees: Cal Dooley of California, Ken Lucas of Kentucky, Bud Cramer of Alabama, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, and Alan Boyd of Florida.

Texas Democrat Rep. Charles Stenholm is reportedly in the running for Secretary of Agriculture.

A president's choices can be fateful for both the administration and the individual appointees. Just compare the divergent fortunes of Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, regarded by Wall Street as a patron saint of the 90's bull market - and Attorney General Janet Reno, demonized by her critics as a bungling water-carrier for a corrupt administration.