Obama's Bi-Partisan Cabinet

Now that the news has emerged that Obama will probably appoint conservative Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire to be his Commerce Secretary, that would bring to three the number of Republicans in Obama's Cabinet, or 20% of the total, for those inclined to keep score.

In the months leading up to the Inauguration, many conservative friends predicted that Obama would not keep his campaign promise to govern in a bi-partisan way. They were wrong.

But our new President's attempts to gain GOP support for his administration's stimulus package has utterly failed to date. Are Republicans holding to principle because they feel the proposed legislation is no good?

Or, are they deliberately returning to the politics of polarization that have led to gridlock in Washington, D.C., ever since Newt Gingrich launched his disastrous "Contract with America," in 1994, just because that's all they know how to do?

The nation's prospects for real political change hinge on both parties being willing to cooperate. So far, the minority party seems unwilling to do so. A honeymoon? Apparently not for this President, despite all of his efforts.

If these early signs prove long-term, the Democrats should build on their majorities substantially in the next mid-term elections, in 2010, because the one in five voters who identify as conservatives will not be able to elect any Congressmen against the tide of reasonableness and moderation personified by Obama.

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