When Donald Trump was elected president three weeks ago, many Democrats - and even some Republicans - openly fretted about whom he would pick to be in his Cabinet. Would he appoint only loyalists who affirmed his views? People with zero experience?
With the announcement of General James Mattis as his pick for Secretary of Defence, Trump continues to demonstrate that those early worries were way off base. In fact, Trump's Cabinet choices - and some of his potential choices - reflect a political savviness that many people haven't been willing to grant the President-elect.
Trump has, without doubt, installed a handful of trusted allies in both senior staff roles and Cabinet positions. Choosing Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney-General is one obvious example. But, whether or not you agree with Sessions's views - and Democrats don't - he's not someone whose resume suggests he couldn't do the job. He's been in the Senate since 1996 and before that was a US attorney and was nominated for a federal judgeship by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. Yes, in picking Michael Flynn for national security adviser and Stephen Bannon as his senior counsellor, Trump has put controversial allies by his side. But installing loyalists in a handful of key positions is nothing new.
In his choice of Mattis, Tom Price for Health and Human Services and Elaine Chao for Transportation, Trump has gone outside his direct inner circle and chosen people who are, by almost any estimation, qualified for the jobs to which they have been nominated.. And that trio is decidedly within the normal bounds of Republican politics.
Mattis will provide great leadership to Defence and Trump will find his advice to be invaluable.
