Howard Dean was just on The Young Turks, and without saying it (because that is a political no-no), he seemed to indicate interest in Secretary of Education position. His first answer about "educational issues" in the interview below seems like a clear indication of where his priorities lie.
There is a good reason why people shouldn't be openly lobbying for positions in cabinet, but at the same time, it is our job as political analysts to be able to read between the lines. Furthermore, we do an opinion show, so I don't mind sharing my opinion on this -- I would love to have Howard Dean in the cabinet. Not so much because he's a progressive as because he is right. I am of the naïve belief that that should matter.
He also has a strong progressive voice that should be heard at the table. I believe in Obama's idea of a diverse cabinet with their own beliefs, but if you want a diverse cabinet, it'd be a crime not to have someone like Gov. Dean on it.
Honestly, I don't care if it's Education or Labor or EPA. If I had my druthers, based on his answer on Afghanistan and Iraq at the end of the interview (and based on how right he has been on Iraq and other foreign policy issues), I would put him as Secretary of Defense. I know that won't fly in DC. As I've explained before, you can't have people who were too right in positions of power.
But no one can dispute that Howard Dean was right about the 50 state strategy, and this undoubtedly helped Barack Obama and a lot of Democratic congressmen and senators get elected. He's also been exactly right on the policy issues. Shouldn't the Obama administration reward competence?
Listen to the Howard Dean interview here (also listen for how deeply he cares about women's rights issues at the end of the interview -- and for the record I absolutely agree with him on the values issue he brought up in regards to women's rights in Afghanistan, and as usual, I love the way he says it strongly):