Cabinet Devoid of Southerners

President-elect Obama has named most of his Cabinet picks—yet thus far, he hasn’t chosen any Southerners, Politico reports. Every president since at least JFK has named Southerners to his cabinet, and some southern Democrats aren’t happy about what they see as “geographical snubbing.” But others say Obama’s simply picking the best people for the job, regardless of where they’re from.

“Who comes to mind immediately? No one, really,” a political scientist says of possible Southern candidates. “The leading politicians in the South at least for the last generation have been active as Republicans.” And Obama’s getting high approval ratings for his selections thus far. If geography is the problem, “then why not Swedish Americans?” joked a former Texas representative. (More President Obama stories.)