Even if President Obama names minorities to fill the few Cabinet openings where there isn’t a white, male frontrunner, his team will still be far less diverse than the second terms of the last two re-elected presidents: George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
As he faces criticism for turning his Cabinet into a good old boy’s club, it is growing increasingly apparent that it will be impossible for the nation’s first black president to have a second term cabinet as or more diverse than his predecessors.
As it stands now, Obama will have three minorities–one African American and two women–in his Cabinet. Bush had seven minorities as did Clinton in their second term.
He does have a chance to pad that, however. Should he name a minority to Commerce, Transportation, or Interior, he could have six minorities, including Attorney General Eric Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
While a number of his Cabinet secretaries are leaving, or rumored to be retiring, either the president has already nominated a white male or white men are in line to be named.
Those still up in the air:
— Labor. No serious candidate has emerged to replace Secretary Hilda Solis.
— Interior. Mostly white men have been named as potential replacements for retiring Secretary Ken Salazar, though one media outlet suggested Hispanic Arizona Rep. Ra?l M. Grijalva.
— Transportation. Secretary Ray LaHood, who has elevated the prominence of DOT, is rumored to be leaving. Among the potential replacements is Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
