A 'Team of Rivals' in the White House? .....

It's been noted that Presidents typically say they want to be surrounded by strong-willed people who have the courage to disagree with them ... but President-elect Barack Obama actually might mean it.

According to this report from the Associated Press, Obama has spoken several times of the book, "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin, about how President Abraham Lincoln brought foes into his fold.

Now, "Obama is considering [Hillary] Clinton for secretary of state or another senior position, meeting John McCain on Monday to see how his Republican presidential rival might help him in the Senate, and sizing up one-time opponents in both parties for potential recruitment. He made one Democratic presidential opponent, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden his running mate." Read the rest of the story

"I think it reflects a great inner strength on Obama's part that he is seriously considering creating a team of rivals as Lincoln did," Goodwin told The Associated Press on Friday. "By surrounding himself with people who bring different perspectives, he will increase his options, absorb dissenting views and heighten his ability to speak empathetically to people on different sides of each issue. The challenge, of course, is to ensure that the discussions do not become paralyzing, and that once a decision is made the inner circle accepts that the time for debate is over."