President-elect Barack Obama made some surprising choices for new departments within his administration on Sunday during the Inaugural Celebration in Washington, D.C.
Obama sat down with a reporter from the Associated Press and spoke candidly about his appointments.

Commenting on his appointment of Jamie Foxx to head the newly-formed Department of Hip, Obama said, “Jamie always made me chuckle while he was on the television show In Living Color, but he really stepped up his game with the movie Ray and especially with his collaboration with Kayne West on the song Gold Digger. Jamie has style, and that is what the federal government is sorely lacking. Let’s face it, this country has had over 200 years of mostly old white guys running things. It is time we class it up.”
Obama chose classic rocker John Mellencamp to head a new division of the Department of Agriculture called Farmland Forever. Obama says, “To be honest, the was (chief of staff) Rahm Emanuel’s idea. I really messed up during the campaign with that ‘guns and religion’ comment. A lot of people in rural America didn’t appreciate that, even though I meant it in the best possible way. John is a man of the people, and he really understands farming issues. On a personal note, I have fond memories of a high school dance with my date and John’s song Hurts So Good. That is really all I can say about that.”
Of the three picks announced, none is more surprising than Obama choosing actor and comedian Steve Carell as head of Homeland Security. Obama comments, “A lot of people don’t realize that Steve is a remarkably smart individual. He is going to bring many creative ideas to the job. Currently, getting through airport security in the U.S. is a nightmare. Steve is going to change that – to make it fun again. Honestly, the last two guys that George W. Bush put in the job were like trained monkeys. This is a fresh start.”