Many have characterized Obama’s cabinet picks as “A Team of Rivals,” borrowing from historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s description of Lincoln’s cabinet.

But, in fact, Julian Zelizer in CNN.Politics.com maintains Obama’s team is shaping up as a group of Clinton-era centrists and that Bill Clinton must be smiling.

“The most striking characteristic of the current lineup ( including Senator Clinton) is how the personalities reflect the centrist vision of the Democratic Party promoted by Bill Clinton and his colleagues at the Democratic Leadership Council in the 1990s.

Obama has called on experts who aggressively promoted globalization and deregulation on economic matters, pushed for welfare reform, and accepted the necessity of military force and a strong defense. There are exceptions, but overall thus far, it appears Obama will be advised from the center.

Some of Obama’s core supporters are surprised and upset with his choices while others say his choices are a logical reaction to the crises facing his administration.

A close look at Obama’s development since 2004 suggests centrism should have been expected. There is little evidence beyond his history as a community organizer to indicate Obama is left of center.

That’s part of the irony of the attacks made by Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin against Obama for his association with 1960s radicals and statements about progressive taxation.

When Obama was introduced to the national scene at the 2004 Democratic Convention, his keynote speech focused on the need to overcome political polarization and long-standing divisions. In the most famous part of the speech, Obama said, “there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America.”

This is far from the rallying cries of Sen. Ted Kennedy who has enthusiastically defended the liberal tradition of his party.

During his presidential campaign in 2008, Obama’s policy proposals were not at all radical. Indeed many of his key positions looked much more like those of Bill Clinton than Franklin Roosevelt or Lyndon Johnson.”

So Hillary Clinton may be a perfect match, after all.