Heavyweight Cabinets

Ana María Salazar from Friday, drawing lessons about Obama's transition: 

Now, as president-elect [Obama] has sought to not only surround himself with advisors with a lot of governmental experience, but also the Cabinet of political heavyweights is coming into view, people tested in "the difficult art of governing," nothing of inexpert rookies who don't know where the controls are, that don't know how to react to the turbulence that they'll surely face.

In Mexico, what has been the case with the selection of some of the cabinet secretaries, which is to say, the pilots that the have the responsibility of implementing projects and public policies that reflect the president's proposals? Many people would say of some of those selected that their principal attribute would be their closeness to the president, which obliges them to use their post to grow and acquire a level of experience that the don't have. When it should be completely the opposite.

I think one way this could work in the security cabinet would be more help from academia. Most American administrations install something of a revolving door between the elite institutions and White House, even the Bushies (Philip Zelikow, Ben Bernanke among others). It seems men and women who've studies the issue for years --Jorge Chabat, Luis Astorga, or Salazar herself-- could have a lot to offer a Mexican president.