Oprah's too busy to take a job in her Obama's administration

Oprah Winfrey, the billionaire TV talk-show diva who's almost solely responsible for the election of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president and first African American chief executive and his approaching inauguration, says she's not taking a job in the new Democratic administration.

At least not yet. (See video below.)

The secretary of State job is filled. And Treasury and Defense and Attorney General. So too is first lady. But Education and Labor are still open. And Energy.

What about Obama's now empty U.S. Senate seat? Illinois' governor has yet to name a replacement. Winfrey could certainly fill it.

And Oprah, who used to attend the same Chicago church of Rev. Jeremiah Wright with the Obamas, was perhaps the most prominent celebrity to endorse the ...

Illinois ex-senator. She held a large fundraiser at her luxurious California house. And she led massive rallies for Obama in three states, including Iowa and North Carolina, where he won. (Never mind the New Hampshire blowout for the woman in the Democratic primary race.)

During the voting on Nov. 4, knowing the outcome in advance, Oprah announced she already had her inaugural ball gown, and she was there in Chicago's Grant Park with the Rev. Jesse Jackson crying on election night.

She's also taking her popular talk show to Washington's Kennedy Center for two appearances around Inauguration Day, as The Ticket reported last week. But apparently she doesn't plan to stay in town.

She says she's not yet heard the call of political bureaucracy and hasn't given an administration job "one iota of a minute's thought." (Not unlike the Western governor The Ticket wrote about here this morning.)

The reason being she has so many contractual commitments. "I have a few full-time jobs already," she added.

Sigourney Weaver, however, thinks Oprah's certainly qualified because "she's so generous with her power." And Glenn Close thinks she's great to talk with.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[Tammy]

I love Oprah. My day's not complete without her.

[Thom]

Saying that Oprah is "almost solely responsible" for Obama's election is overstating the case, to put it mildly. Nothing against Ms. Winfrey, but really! Such hyperbole is completely unnecessary.

[Oinker]

Wow! Oprah's 200 pounds now... The "O" Stands for OINK!

[Kate]

Oprah's TOTALLY responsible for electing Obama. 2 economists proved that she got him over a million votes in the primary. He only beat Hillary by less than half a million votes so he would have lost without her:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/31/AR2008083101761.html

[hgardman]

Ophra a politician....WOW.....