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It's official: Kathleen Sebelius will be nominated for Health and Human Services director. This blog has commented on Sebelius extensively, and there's not really a whole lot new to say, so I'll just quote from that post:
Sebelius is well-liked by the activist community and broadly respected for her political and managerial accomplishments in a red state. She knows health care well from the regulatory side, having served as insurance commissioner in Kansas. Her tenure in that position wasn't dramatic, but it was a solid performance that she smartly played for populist credibility. She refused to take money from the insurance industry or individuals connected to it and blocked a mega-merger between BlueCross/BlueShield of Kansas and an interested insurance based in Indiana. Her philosophy in the position should help her standing among liberals. “I don’t mind standing up to the big powerful lobbies, I think that is the role you play in public office," she said. "There will always be well paid, very articulate lobbyists for industries that make money. What needs to happen is that the other side needs to be brought in, we need to bring that viewpoint to the table.”A few caveats on Sebelius: Many people could have served admirably at HHS. No one but her could turn Kansas's 2010 Senate election into a Democratic pick-up opportunity. Moving to Washington this year makes that less likely. You wonder whether Chuck Schumer wants to throttle the White House this morning.Second, Sebelius is not being brought in to run the Office of Health Reform. That suggests, as argued here, that she's being envisioned for a managerial, rather than political, role. She will be Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department. She will not be Secretary of Health Reform, as Daschle was meant to be.
