Agriculture Secretary:
It'll be Vilsack. Not just because Vilsack was central to Obama's victory in Iowa in the primaries and the general election, but because he knows his stuff. As much as I like Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, we need as many Dems running "red" states as we can get.

Attorney General of the United States:
It'll be Andrew Cuomo, Attorney General of the State of New York. The reasons are obvious.

Commerce Secretary:
It'll either be Gov. Rendell or Fred Smith. Pennsylvania has been hit hard by the economic downtu— er, the recession, especially the coal and steel industries. But even so, Rendell has done his best to combat that in his state on his own. As for Fred Smith, well … if we're going to have a guy who's been running a Fortune-500 company in the Obama administration, the Department of Commerce is a good place to put him.

Defense Secretary:
I can honestly see Gates staying on for a year or so. Will he? That's the question. But President Obama may prefer to have a guy heading The Pentagon who will stay through his first term … in which case Hagel is his best bet. If Obama is going to have a Republican in his cabinet, Defense is the best place to show that he's serious about bipartisanship.

Education Secretary:
Wow, lots of good names there. But honestly, if I was President-elect Obama, I'd pick Joel Klein. He's had experience running one of the largest school district in the country (if not the largest), so he knows how to deal with underpaid teachers, underfunded programs, and the rest of it. Better to pick someone who's been in the trenches, so to speak, rather than someone who has made his or her mark on the theory side of the equation. Particularly given the New York Public Schools struggles with NCLB.

Energy Secretary:
Damn, lots of good names here too. Gov. Schwarzenegger? While he's done good work with pushing for alternative energy in California in his capacity of Governor of California, I really can't see him being given the nod. But he'd probably accept if asked. But far more likely options are Gov. Granholm of Michigan or Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). If Jennifer Granholm can figure out how to begin to free Michigan from being dependent on oil for energy, she can do the same for the rest of the country. And Markey's got some good points in his favor too. He led the call to "adjust" our Daylight Savings Time period, for one. But the question is, given that he's been in the House for 32 years, is he willing to give up that kind of job security for "only" four to eight years of heading up the Department of Energy? I really can't see former CIA Director James Woolseley or Jeff Bingaman even being asked.

Health and Human Services Secretary:
Again, lets start with discussing who it WON'T be. Honestly, I believe there's no way Howard Dean will leave his post as Chairman of the DNC, not after his 50-state strategy has been vindicated twice in a row. Now he's got to do it a third time, for 2010. Tom Daschle probably won't do it either … from what I hear, he's happy in his retirement. My money's on Kitzhaber. He's a licensed physician, has fought hard for expanded Medicare and Medicaid, and really kicked ass as Governor of Oregon.

Homeland Security Secretary:
It won't be Janet Napolitano, for the same reasons that Sebelius shouldn't be Secretary of Agriculture. Plus, I suspect Napolitano's got her sights on John McCain's senate seat when he's up for reelection in two years. Sen. Collins of Maine won't accept, even if asked. As moderate as she is, she is a Republican senator. When she leaves office, a Democrat will replace her … and I suspect she'll have a lot more influence with her party – and with the Senate – if she stays where she is. If I had to pick, it'd be LAPD Chief Bill Bratton. A police chief of the second-largest city in the country who's had to deal with innumerable threats after 9/11? Add to that, he's been commish of the Boston PD (beginning his career as a "street cop" there) and the NYPD as well. I'm sold.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary:
It'll be either Anthony Williams (formerly Mayor of Washington, DC), Dennis Archer (former Mayor of Detroit, MI), or Shirley Franklin (also a former Mayor of Detroit). If ever a Cabinet position was made for a former mayor of a highly urbanized city and the problems that comes with it, HUD is it.

Interior Secretary:
In a perfect world, it'd be RFK, Jr. But given his baggage (failing the bar exam twice, his heroin bust, the fact that he talks funny), it'd be perfectly understandable if he says no. If he does turn down running the Department of the Interior, it should be Jay Inslee. The last Democratic governor of Alaska? If that's not someone who was made for heading up the Department of Interior, I don't know who is.

Labor Secretary:
Andy Stern, head of the powerful Service Employees International Union is a tempting choice, but I have my doubts with the wisdom of putting a union boss in there. The Department of Labor isn't only about backing the unions, after all. And you can bet anti-union businesses like Wal-Mart will have something to say about Mr. Stern, if he's given the nod. Hence, I'm betting that Rep. George Miller, (D-CA) will do it, if asked. If not him, it'll be someone we never even thought of.

Secretary of State:
My money's on either Lugar or Richardson. President-elect Obama owes Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico big for helping him with the Hispanic vote, and this is a good place to put him. As for former Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), if Richardson won't do it, Lugar will. The only reason Lugar isn't my first choice is because he's a Republican. Bipartisanship is all well and good … but there's such a thing as too much of a good thing, particularly when it comes to the plum cabinet positions. Or is that unfair? Bill, if you're given the nod, shave. Due respect, you didn't look good with all that facial hair on the campaign trail.

Treasury Secretary:
I'm willing to bet money on Paul Volcker. The man's a former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, for heaven's sake. If that's not a guy who knows how to go to the mat for Barack Obama's tax plan and get Congress onboard, I don't know who is.

Transportation Secretary:
Personally, I don't like the AP's list of contenders for Transportation Secretary – former head of the FAA Jane Garvey? Clinton-era deputy Transportation Secretary Mortimer Downey? Ugh. No imagination whatsoever. So I did my own looking … and I think there's two possibilities. Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN) or Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) – the only one to bike to work, as opposed to taking a Lincoln Town Car or whatever like his fellow Members of Congress. Yes, you read that last name correctly; he's my old boss when I was an intern in the House five years ago. The only real downside to having Earl heading up the Department of Transportation is we'll lose a valuable advocate for mass-transit in Congress. But on the plus side, we really need someone who can push hard for viable mass-transit options at the national scale. If anyone can expand the infrastructures of Amtrak and Greyhound, Earl can. But the question is, will he want to leave Congress? He's been doing a lot of good work on Capitol Hill since he was elected, particularly since the Democrats gained the majority two years ago. Honestly, I'm betting that our new Transportation Secretary will be someone none of us has heard of all that much.

Veterans Affairs Secretary:
Max Cleland, no question. Here's a guy who's been in combat, wounded in action, and had to deal with the VA as a patient. I'm putting down good money that he knows how to improve the system. And we need a guy like that immediately.