President Obama's Choice for HHS: Kathleen Sebelius

The New York Times is reporting that Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is the President's top choice for Secretary of Health and Human Services (pending a review by H&R Block):

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, an early Obama ally with a record of working across party lines, is emerging as the president's top choice for secretary of health and human services, advisers said Wednesday. Should she be nominated, Ms. Sebelius would bring eight years of experience as her state's insurance commissioner as well as six years as a governor running a state Medicaid program.

But with President Obama about to begin a drive to expand health coverage, an issue on which the two parties have deep ideological divisions, her strongest asset in the view of the White House may be her record of navigating partisan politics as a Democrat in one of the country's most Republican states.

Well, who could have seen that coming? Oh yeah, me:

I like Dean for this post, but I think the job is Sebelius' if she wants it, and she's also an excellent pick.

Besides her obviously stellar qualifications, it will be nice to have a cabinet member whose last name sounds like a starship. Or a Battlestar. Either one works.

Politically, this pick works well for both Obama and Sebelius. For the President, this should be a quick confirmation of a highly qualified candidate, and another high-profile female appointment. For Sebelius, a bright spotlight on the national stage is just what the doctor ordered.

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