"bunch of Jesse Jackson/ Rev. Wright appointments."

1) Huge difference between just those two.

2) Obama said he would strive to have a post-racial, post-partisan administration.

I suppose the shock is in finding out that he appears to be a politician who intends to follow through on a campaign approach.

It just proves, yet again, that he is a very smart guy.   With the votes of Lieberman, who is now indebted to Obama for saving him from the wolves of the Left, and the votes of a few moderate Republicans, (e.g. Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins), he will have enough votes--on some issues, not all--to beat a planned filibuster. It's not the supposed 60 Senate votes for a filibuster-proof majority--which never would have been enough anyway, with some conservative Democrats in that 60--but enough for an issue by issue possibility of beating a filibuster. Key will be just how conservative those conservative Democrats (e.g. Tester) will be.