At Last, a Full Cabinet

AFTER ZOE BAIRD AND KIMBA WOOD, NEITHER THE Clinton Administration nor its critics were in the mood for another imbroglio. So Dade County (Miami) prosecutor Janet Reno faced a Senate Judiciary Committee eager to accept her as the first woman Attorney General. She made the most of her opportunity. Reno opened with a folksy but appealing tribute to her parents and their stern self-reliance. Beyond declaring support for strong gun-control laws, she had little specific to say about policy. She stressed the need for social programs to keep children from turning to crime but also affirmed the necessity of punishment for "horrible" criminals. Republicans Arlen Specter and Orrin Hatch, ogres to feminists because of their hostile questioning of Anita Hill, gushed admiration for Reno, and the committee suspended its rules in order to vote immediately -- and unanimously -- for confirmation. So did the full Senate, 98 to 0, the next day. On Friday, Reno was sworn in, filling the last Cabinet chair.