Beth's Contradictory Brain

Fantasy Cabinet

This became our lunch conversation - who I'd appoint to what cabinet positions. Nerdstar came up with the idea of fantasy cabinet, you know, like fantasy football.

I started off talking about Newt, and how he always plays coy with running for president. As they say, either shit or get off the pot. But even he knows he'd never win. Which led me to say I'd put him in charge of education and give him free reign. Abolish the DOE, find a way to really make schools competitive, and insure school choice.

Then we talked about how no GOP president would take that chance, because of Newt were really successful in overhauling education, then people would wonder what the president had achieved, and then Newt would be better positioned to run for president.

But I'd seriously be willing to risk being one term to see the schools in this country finally be all they can and should be.

Then I said I'd absolutely put Larry Kuldow in at Treasury and let him pick who'd be in charge of the IRS and budget stuff. We'd abolish the IRS, scrap the tax code and go to a true flat tax.

Now, I'm aware that those two moves alone would leave quite a few people unemployed. So I figure, take the total 3 year budgets of DOE and IRS and simply distribute them to all employees based on years of service as a pretty damn good severance. It'd still be cheaper in the long run.

I think I'd put Andy McCarthy in at state, unless he knew of someone who'd be better.

Charles Krauthammer would be special adviser to the WH.

As for DOD, I'm not really sure. But I'd get DOD and State together to hold a fire sale of all our older/unnecessary equipment to newly developing democracies. The proceeds would go straight to cutting the deficit.

I think it'd be cool to have Tammy Bruce as Press Secretary/PR. It'd just be fun.

I asked Nerdstar what her initiative as First Lady would be - she's not sure yet. I'm pretty sure it would involve food - but not in a nanny state way.

As I've learned from O's first 18 months. I'll just do whatever the hell I want, regardless of polls and whatnot, and see where it all ends up.

So, yeah. This is what we talk about over lunch.