Obama Selects Energy Secretary

Dr. Steven Chu, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, has been nominated by President-Elect Barack Obama to serve as the incoming administration's Secretary of Energy. He currently holds a post at the University of California at Berkeley. As seems to be the typical reaction to every one of Barack Obama's cabinet picks who aren't already familiar faces in Washington, both politicians and pundits are asking if Dr. Chu has the experience necessary to rise to the occasion of a major governmental post.

Were Steven Chu not a highly accomplished professional in the same field as his proposed spot in the incoming cabinet, this would be a valid question. It seems that, though the election ended a month and a half ago, some people are still pursuing the smear campaign.

Dr. Steven Chu is not Harriet Miers. He is qualified for  the job of Energy Secretary due to his experience in the field that has most recently become relevant to US energy concerns. Our country needs an energy policy based on new innovations, many of which are being developed in the area of experimental physics. We aren't facing a future dependent on how to build a better oil drill, but rather one based on the potential of improved wind, solar and hydroelectric power. Even the prospect of fusion energy is no longer science fiction, but an eventuality. Whomever sits in the White House advising our president on energy policies ought to know a thing or two on the subject.

Dr. Chu has the knowledge and hands-on experience. He was awarded the Nobel Prize while he was on staff at Stanford University, sharing the honor with fellow US academic William Daniel Phillips of the University of Maryland and French physicist Claude Cohen-Tannoudji of L'École Normale Supérieure in Paris. Together they developed a process known as laser cooling, a system that makes it possible to slow atoms in a gaseous state for closer study.

But Steven Chu has never held political office. Blunt as it may sound, when it concerns a position like Secretary of Energy, doesn't it beg the question, "So what?" Sure, I could see some concern arising over an inexperienced Secretary of State or Vice President, but where specialized cabinet departments are concerned, we want experts, not familiarity.

I can't recall a president going under so much scrutiny for every decision. When Obama chose Rahm Emanuel and other Clinton-era staffers to join him in the White House, it took all of five seconds to register the first pot-shot against Obama's platform of change. Of course, when he selects apolitical outsiders like Steven Chu, the argument turns toward experience.

As always, the burden of proof is going to be on Obama and his staff when they're actually in office. For a strong counter-argument to the whole Change vs. Experience debate, just look at our current president's cabinet. Condoleezza Rice's resume was fairly impressive upon her selection, as was Dick Cheney's. In their respective cases, experience didn't equal diplomatic outreach or operational transparency. On the other end, Bush selected Margaret Spellings to be his Secretary of Education despite her having approximately zero teaching and administrative experience. That resulted in the useless "No Child Left Behind" program.

Any speculation concerning the abilities of Dr. Steven Chu as Secretary of Energy beyond his base of expertise is fairly empty. He has a solid background and he hasn't yet been mired in Washington politics. As with everyone on the new White House team, it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles himself next month and beyond.