On first blush it seems like a good idea to work with brilliance. On second thought, the sort of brilliance that can be alienating might better be left behind the scenes. This is no joke here. The USA is in trouble.

Fortunately for big media, there are lots of readers who fill in missing pieces.

Tundraveti's comments about Al Gore, for instance, are quite illuminating This poster says Gore would be suitable to lead EPA, but not Dept of Energy. I think he's right. Energy needs someone who knows all the complexities of various technologies and the business end.

I also think Hillary should stay right where she's at. She could do a lot of good work in the Senate - she's only just begun. She could help push universal health care through. She certainly knows about it, having put out her own proposal when Bill was President.

Whether or not she becomes a rival of Obama is another subject. Why can't it just be another subject? I thought that was the point of this article - to promote smart people in the cabinet, as opposed to politically expedient.

I don't share the view that Hillary is just power hungry. I was a Hillary supporter but converted to Obama as he started proving himself in the debates. Now I think he's going to be a great president. I'd like to see Hillary become a great senator.

I agree with a lot of what you say SallyQ. I wonder why all the "brilliant" people have to be famous political insiders. Maybe it's easier for the media to report on the same people over and over again but there must be some very smart and well-informed citizens who have yet to serve in an administration.

And with that I'd like to throw my hat into the ring. I'll even submit to Obama's more stringent vetting process, although a few of the questions will have to be left blank.

SallyQ & Lid;

I am not impressed with the most brilliant folks in the room. The best and the brightest of the Kennedy administration were led by the most brilliant of all, Robert McNamara, who brilliantly led us into Vietnam.

I am impressed by Obama who is smart, deliberate and not prone to unforced errors. His advisors do not have to be those who are regarded as the most brilliant -- in my experience those who are regarded as the most brilliant are not in fact more brilliant than the second tier. Obama needs to, and will, surround himself with team oriented, knowledgable professionals who are not afraid to speak up and warn him of the oncoming train wreck. That is the kind of loyalty and the level of brilliance that works ever time.

As for Hillary, she is certainly capable of joining this team. I don't regard her as a genius by any means, but she is no shrinking violet either.

John