Obama cabinet not diverse enough for some (has two white men, no Asians)

Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press offers "Obama is delivering diversity, but some seek more" (link). Since she's not liked by the nutroots, figuring out where she's coming from is left as an exercise:

Barack Obama, soon to be the first black U.S. president, is on the road to making good his pledge to have a Cabinet and White House staff that are among most diverse ever, although some supporters are asking him to go even further. He added to the minority representation at the top of his administration Wednesday when he named New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Hispanic, as Commerce Secretary.

But some Latinos are grumbling it is not enough after all the support they gave him in the campaign, and gays and Asian-Americans are pushing for some representation in remaining Cabinet announcements. But overall Obama is allaying some early concerns that a black president wouldn't need to put so much importance on diversity of those working under him...

...In Obama's seven Cabinet announcements so far, white men are the minority with two nominations - Timothy Geithner at Treasury and Robert Gates at Defense. Three are women - Janet Napolitano at Homeland Security, Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador and Hillary Rodham Clinton at State...

Bush and Clinton also made a point of diversity in their Cabinets when they moved into the White House. Bush's first Cabinet had four women, two Asian-Americans, two blacks and one Hispanic. Clinton, who promised to appoint a Cabinet that "looks like America," had three women, two Hispanics and four blacks when he first took office...

...Floyd Mori, chair of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, said with blacks and Hispanics chosen for the Cabinet, "what is missing now is an Asian-American."...

If you aren't sick enough, there's more at the link.

Politics · Thu, 12/04/2008 - 21:37 · · Importance: 4