Dick Morris, the acerbic former Clinton adviser, wrote recently: “Obama based his innovative campaign on an emphatic and convincing commitment to change the culture of Washington and bring in new people, new ideas, and new ways of doing business. But now, Obama has definitely changed his tune.”
Morris concluded that “Obama appears to be practicing the politics of status quo, not the politics of change.”
Mr President-elect, a quiet plea from the island of your birth: Be true to your battle cry of “change” and look across the nation for fresh faces. Appoint no one else who has served in Washington for the last 16 years — no Clintonistas, no Bushies, no lobbyists, no beltway bandits, unless he or she has compelling credentials. You can always reach out, case by case, if you need counsel from former insiders.
In Chicago where you learned your politics, there was an old saying: “Throw the rascals out.”
You might sandpaper that to: “Keep the rascals out.”
Richard Halloran is a writer based in Hawaii.
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