In The Crosshairs

By Text By Mitch Frank

[BLUE] DEMOCRATS WON'T PUT UP A FIGHT [RED] GET READY FOR A SHOWDOWN * NOT A FORMAL CABINET LEVEL POSITION

MODERATE

[BLUE] Norman Mineta TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY The former Congressman and Clinton Commerce Secretary is Bush's token Democrat. He's liberal but pragmatic

[BLUE] Colin Powell SECRETARY OF STATE Moderate and cautious on foreign issues, an advocate for children and minorities at home, he could be the Cabinet's social conscience

[BLUE] Christine Todd Whitman EPA ADMINISTRATOR She has had some success protecting public land and cleaning the water, but puts business interests first. The moderate face of Bush environmentalism

[BLUE] Condoleezza Rice* NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER A Republican ever since President Carter mishandled Afghanistan, Rice is conservative on foreign policy issues, moderate on domestic concerns

[BLUE] Rod Paige EDUCATION SECRETARY Like his new boss, he believes in accountability, local control and charter schools. Unlike Bush, he's cautious about school vouchers

[BLUE] Mel Martinez HOUSING SECRETARY As a Florida county chairman, Martinez cut property taxes and helped low-income families find housing. He axed the fire chief for not diversifying his staff

[BLUE] Ann Veneman AGRICULTURE SECRETARY A strong consumer advocate, Veneman spent her term as California's agriculture secretary stressing free trade

[BLUE] Paul O'Neill TREASURY SECRETARY Open-minded and pragmatic, Alcoa's former chairman is not a devout supply-sider. He once supported higher gas taxes, and has good relations with labor

[BLUE] Anthony Principi SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS A Vietnam vet and acting VA Secretary in the first Bush Administration, Principi wants to strengthen veterans' benefits

[BLUE] Donald Evans COMMERCE SECRETARY Evans is practical and down to earth. The oil executive will be pro-business. Dems are worried he'll repay all those contributors

[BLUE] Donald Rumsfeld DEFENSE SECRETARY Cheney's mentor, he will push hard for missile defense. Will he always see eye to eye with that hero over at the State Department?

[RED] Spencer Abraham ENERGY SECRETARY He has no energy experience, but he did sponsor a bill to abolish the department. Also opposed tougher fuel-efficiency standards for SUVs

[BLUE] Tommy Thompson SECRETARY OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Wisconsin's pro-life Governor passed strong welfare reform but matched it with better child care and health insurance for poor families

[RED] Gale Norton INTERIOR SECRETARY A fierce critic of Clinton's drive to protect national monuments, she has called for new drilling in Alaska. The conservative face of Bush environmentalism

[RED] Linda Chavez LABOR SECRETARY She has criticized minimum-wage hikes, bilingual education, affirmative action and many labor rules. Unions and civil-rights groups are taking aim

[RED] John Ashcroft ATTORNEY GENERAL He led the fight against a respected black nominee to the federal bench. He's staunchly pro-life. That honorary degree from Bob Jones University isn't going to help

CONSERVATIVE