Obama meets with his Cabinet during his first term. (Flickr Creative Commons)

President Obama's second term will see changes in a few key spots in his Cabinet.  Now unbound by re-election campaigns, the president can ignore demographics and superficial strategy in replacing those who leave.

According to the National Journal, Obama will probably have to fill several seats, including the Secretary of State position and the Treasury Secretary, as Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner plan to step down.  The Washington Post added that Attorney General Eric Holder will probably also leave and will likely be replaced eventually by Department of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano. 

In the five two-term presidencies since World War II, only one or two Cabinet officials in each administration have remained in office for both terms, according to the National Journal.  Bill Clinton kept the most for eight years, with five Cabinet secretaries staying.  Others like Nixon and Reagan only kept one each.

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Obama has stayed quiet on plans to replace Cabinet members, and in his first term, he limited the scope and power of his cabinet officers.  "His White House did not give his Cabinet a lot of running room or a lot of responsibility," former Bill Clinton adviser William Galston told the National Journal. 

In 2008, Obama did say that if he were elected he would want "a team of rivals" in his Cabinet.  "I don't want to have people who just agree with me," he said, according to Vanity Fair.  "I want people who are continually pushing me out of my comfort zone."  Obama got this idea from Lincoln, but hardly pulled through on it.  "He's a total introvert," one of his former advisers said.  "He doesn't need people."

With the election just over, speculation grows about whether Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2016.  She's already said that she will leave her Secretary of State seat as soon as possible.  The last Cabinet member to become President was Herbert Hoover. 

Clinton's role increased in the last weeks of the election as the president's handling of the Libya embassy attacks took the foreground in Romney campaign attacks.  Rumors say that former presidential nominee John Kerry could be the person to replace Clinton, especially given his close relationship with Vice President Joe Biden.

The president will think carefully about how to replace Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner amid the dire financial crisis, the most pressing issue Obama will face entering his second term.  The Washington Post said that there's been much chatter about White House chief of staff Jack Lew or former chief of staff Erksine Bowles taking over if Obama doesn't look to someone from the financial world.

(MORE: Despite Weak Economy, Obama Re-elected As Ohio Pushes Him Past 270)

Leon Panetta will retire after leaving his position as Defense Secretary, once the fiscal cliff has been settled.  The National Journal listed a bevy of possible replacements, saying that "the next secretary must be able to manage implementing budget cuts and working closely with Congress."

Obama may retain several Cabinet members, putting him ahead of some of the other two-term presidents.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and Health and Human Service Secretary Kathleen Sibelius are likely to stay.  Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki will probably stay too.

Obama may keep Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the only Republican in the Cabinet.  Because of Obama's silence on the matter, it's hard to tell what kind of statement the president will make with his choices of new officials, whether or not he'll go more bipartisan to try to appeal to the conservative Congress.

Liberals meanwhile hold their breath to see if Obama will veer further to the left now that he's won re-election.  It's clear that the president's style doesn't demand collaboration or a community of minds.  It's possible that the president only looks for people who can execute his plans or work independently.

In any case, we shouldn't expect news about Obama's next cabinet to come soon.

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage of Obama here.

Reach Assistant News Editor Michael Juliani here.