America is waiting with bated breath for Barack Obama to announce his nominations for key cabinet posts. His choices will reflect everything from how he plans to govern (from the center or from the left) to what he sees as the proper role for government in the economy to how he intends to improve America’s standing in the international community to his priorities on health care and education.

For my money, I’d ignore the appointments for the top jobs at Treasury, State and the Pentagon and keep an eye on the First Pup.

In his victory speech on Nov. 4, Obama told his daughters, Sasha and Malia, they had “earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House.”

Ten-year-old Malia suffers from dog allergies, so the field of possible breeds is limited. With those constraints in mind, here is a layman’s guide for interpreting the Obama family’s pooch pick and translating it into public policy.

1. Rescue or Buy

The first hurdle for the Obama administration is the choice between adopting a dog from a shelter and buying one from a breeder. (Full disclosure: I have a breeder-bought standard dachshund and two adopted greyhounds and am indifferent on canine sourcing.)

How Obama finesses this issue will be an indication of his intentions toward Detroit’s automakers. Congressional Democrats won’t allow these old dogs, who can’t seem to learn new tricks, to be put to sleep. So the new administration will have to choose between throwing car companies a lifeline (again) and nationalizing them, dumping the management, wiping out the shareholders and putting them into a receivership until they can be restructured and sold.

The puppy pick will tell which one it will be.

On a personal level, the easiest way for Obama to shed the label of elitist is to get a pound dog. Someone who spends US$21 for a haircut can’t fork out US$2,500 for a dog whose monthly grooming costs exceed his own and expect to be seen as an ordinary Joe. Bow-wow.

2. Purebred or Mixed Breed

Malia is reportedly interested in a goldendoodle, a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle. “A lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me,” Obama said at his first post-election press conference, referring to his mixed-race heritage.

If the president-elect goes with the doodle, there’s a good chance we’ll see a cabinet that looks like America.

Not just black and white, male and female, straight and gay. The selection of a mutt over a purebred is a sure sign Obama is looking to reach across party lines, become the first post- partisan president and appoint a cabinet that looks like the dog pound.

1|2|Next Page>>

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 1000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos Respond to this email