Exposed: White House NCAA Office Pool
Exposed: White House NCAA Office Pool
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Intro - Imagine how hard it must be for Obama's famously basketball-crazed inner circle to manage the pressures of the White House during what must be their favorite three weeks on the sports calendar. The President has already announced his picks for the Final Four, but who do you think his cabinet members have winning it all? I assume that, like most of us, they'll pick with their hearts:
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Obama: Louisville - They both flew under the radar for a while, only to pick up steam as their campaigns progresssed. They've each got a unique style—Obama would rather work with Republicans than punish them for being in the minority, while Louisville's star point-forward Terrence Williams would rather get an assist than score himslef. The Cardinals just won the Big East regular season and tournament titles—the primary and general election, if you will. Now it's time for the real work.
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Clinton: Pitt - Both were tantalizngly close to the top spot. Both are tough as nails. Both have turned their losses into motivation for future success, and both expect to end up on top down the line. For Pitt, that could come during the first week of April. Clinton may have to wait a little while longer.
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Geithner: UNC - UNC was expected to dominate the regular season. Geithner was hailed as the savior for our ailing economy. Neither quite turned out to be true. Carolina enters the tournament with star point guard Ty Lawson hurt. Geithner is facing the worst economic crisis in 80 years with a skeleton staff. People are placing bets on when both UNC and Geithner will make thier exits. Unfortunately for the treasury secretary, the odds are shifting toward his coming soon.
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Biden: Morehead - OK, so the economy is in shambles. And Louisville will probably stomp Morehead by 50. But you know what? Joe Biden and the Eagles are punchdrunk just to be in the game.
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Daschle/Richardson - Daschle and Richardson were each one boneheaded move away from playing a huge role in this administration. VT and San Diego State, in part because of their own failings down the stretch, had their bubbles popped on Selection Sunday and lost the chance to make a run in the tourney. Regrets all around.
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Shinsekei: Syracuse - Syracuse beat UConn last week in six overtimes. Amazingly, the Orange didn't lead in any of the first five extra periods—they just kept finding a way to come back when it counted. Remind you of anyone? United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs Shinskei fueded publicly with then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on the Iraq war—Shinseki believed we needed more troops—and refused to back down. Now he's back, leading a department tasked with revolutionizing the support network for vets.
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Solis: Utah State - As I wrote this week on MSNBC.com, Hilda Solis is my pick for the breakout star from the Obama administration. Now is a particularly important moment for the department of labor, with green jobs at the top of the President's agenda and the fight over unionization about to pick up. Solis, the first Latina cabinet member in U.S. history, should provide leadership on issues beyond her department as well. Utah State, meanwhile, is my Cinderella pick in the tourney.