Our first black president might appoint our first openly gay cabinet member! Or, you know, maybe not. And the job is really one of the most toothless and sadly irrelevant in the cabinet. That's right: Secretary of Labor! As if there was even any of that "labor" stuff left, in this country. Anyways, please say hello to Mary Beth Maxwell.

Maxwell is a labor activist, a "community organizer" (CACKLE CACKLE SNORT OF DERISION), and this is a sign of her union cred: both the moderate old AFL-CIO and the splinter progressive SEIU-backed factions support her! As does Human Rights Campaign, who amusingly sent Obama a letter endorsing Maxwell a week after they sent a letter endorsing Rep. Linda Sanchez for the position.

Of course, there's no indication that Obama's Labor Department will be much of a power in the Obama administration, and also Maxwell shares the shortlist with two much more famous ladies, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (still the favorite) and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (Michigan is something of a union stronghold).

So let's not get too excited about an out lesbian getting to be in charge of the department that tells the nation how many jobs its lost each month. If it doesn't happen, you can at least be grateful that Arizona Governor and lifelong bachelorette Janet Napolitano (we're not saying! we're just saying...) will be our new Secretary of Homeland Security.