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This is the political scene, a weekly conversation with New Yorker writers and editors about

politics. It's Thursday, January 10th. I'm Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor of The New Yorker.

This week, President Obama announced several new appointments.

The most controversial so far is Republican Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense.

Chuck represents the bipartisan tradition that we need more of in Washington.

In the Senate, I came to admire his courage and his judgment, his willingness

to speak his mind, even if it wasn't popular, even if it defied the conventional wisdom.

Today, Steve Kahl, Jane Mayer, and I are discussing Obama's nominees for his national

security team and how they could shape the administration's foreign policy.

Steve, Obama wants Hegel a defense, John Kerry at the State Department, and John Brennan at the CIA.

Do any of these come as a surprise to you?

Well, it's a resounding vote for the status quo.

And so in that sense, no, all of these candidates were the leading practitioners of the status quo, except for Hegel.

The other two had been working closely with the president in similar sort of positions carry as a kind of special envoy.

...