By AMY HARDER
Distinguishing between which new administration officials have been officially named -- and which ones are merely rumored -- can give anyone a headache. In order to alleviate the confusion, NationalJournal.com has compiled a list of the 36 new appointees who have been announced by Barack Obama's camp since his election on Nov. 4.
Notice that some major names and positions are missing, including Hillary Rodham Clinton for secretary of State, Tom Daschle for Health and Human Services secretary and rumored Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. None of these appointments have officially been announced, but many expect announcements to be made after the Thanksgiving weekend. Here's a rundown of the major announcements, cataloged by announcement date, as of Wednesday.
Complete list after the jump.
Continue reading One-Stop Appointment Shop: Who's 'Officially' In.
By DAVID HERBERT
(Anne Ryan-Pool/Getty Images)
There's a Lincoln biography under President-elect Barack Obama's arm, and it's not the one you think.
On Saturday night, the president-elect was photographed carrying Fred Kaplan's Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer as he left the Chicago home of friend and booster Penny Pritzker. The book traces Abraham Lincoln's self-education, from his love of the Bible and Shakespeare to his development as a writer and avid reader.
Kaplan, who said he supported Hillary Rodham Clinton's candidacy but was quickly won over by Obama when he became the nominee, was "thrilled" when he saw photographs of his book tucked under the president-elect's arm. He noted that for all the Obama-Lincoln comparisons, their educations couldn't have been more different: Honest Abe was almost entirely self-educated, while Obama attended the nation's best schools, from the Punahou School in Hawaii to Columbia University to Harvard Law. But that's not the end of the story, Kaplan added.
By MARY GILBERT
President-elect Barack Obama has used this short week to dominate the news cycle with announcements on how he intends to fix the ailing economy. Speaking in Chicago today for his third consecutive midday press conference, Obama revealed his plan to create a special advisory panel led by former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker.
Obama said his new President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, modeled on President Eisenhower's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, would bring together experts "from diverse backgrounds outside of government -- from business, labor, academia and other areas -- who will bring to bear their wisdom and expertise on the formulation, implementation and evaluation of my administration's economic recovery plan." He explained the need for such a group by acknowledging that "sometimes policymaking in Washington can become too insular." It is crucial that the White House get input from people around the country about how its economic recovery plan is playing out on the ground, he said.
Volcker, the Fed chairman from 1979 to 1987 and a close adviser to Obama throughout his campaign, will serve as the board's chairman. Obama praised Volcker as "one of the world's foremost economic policy experts" and someone who has provided "keen insight into the global nature of this particular crisis."
"He pulls no punches. He seems to be fairly opinionated," Obama quipped, elicitng a chuckle from Volcker.
Austan Goolsbee, another close adviser to Obama, has been tapped as the board's staff director and chief economist and will act as the "primary liaison" between the group and the White House. Obama also announced that he intends to appoint Goolsbee as one of the three members of the Council of Economic Advisers.
The rest of the board's members will be selected over the coming weeks, the president-elect said.
Challenged by a reporter on whether the Clinton administration officials surfacing on his team represent the "change" he promised during his campaign, Obama insisted that his goal is to find people who combine experience with fresh thinking. It is the president's job to provide the vision for where he wants to take the country, and to select a team that can carry out those plans, Obama said. He added that Americans would probably be alarmed if he chose, for example, a Treasury secretary with no Washington experience to steer the country through the current economic crisis.
Obama also told the press that his family will be doing its part to stimulate the economy this weekend, as they plan on getting some Christmas shopping done. "Malia and Sasha have already put their lists together," he said, attempting to inject a note of optimism into his comments. While Americans are alarmed about their family budgets, "people should understand that help is on the way," he reassured viewers. "I hope that everyone understands that we are going to be able to get through these tough times, but we're just going to have to make some good choices."
John Brennan, reportedly Barack Obama's top choice for director of the CIA, withdrew his name from consideration in a letter to Obama on Tuesday after the liberal blogosphere erupted in protest. A top adviser to George Tenet when he held the agency's top post under President Bush, Brennan is associated with some of the Bush administration's most controversial policies, including harsh interrogation methods and warrantless wiretapping. The left seems to be responding to the news with jubilation. Here is a sampling of reactions from liberal bloggers.
President-elect Barack Obama wants to keep his BlackBerry, he told Barbara Walters, because "one of the worst things I think that could happen to a president is losing touch with what people are going through day to day" (Chicago Tribune).
Saddled with low morale and a string of high-profile failures, the Food and Drug Administration will be looking to the new administration for an infusion of cash, manpower, technology and leadership (Washington Post).
After his chairmanships were nearly stripped from him, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I/D-Conn., has been effusive in his praise for Obama, calling his actions since Election Day "just about perfect" (AP).
Obama will tap former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to chair a new White House advisory board charged with stabilizing the financial markets and pulling the nation back from a recession (Wall Street Journal).
What Vice President-elect Joe Biden's role in the Obama administration is shaping up to be is more trusted confidante than task-master for a particular set of issues (New York Times).
The oil and natural gas industry's new top lobbyist doubts Obama can slash American consumption of oil by 10 million barrels a day by 2030 (Washington Times).
Some union advocates are dismayed that Obama is not giving labor a higher profile as he cobbles together his economic team, especially considering the millions of dollars unions spent getting Obama elected (Politico).
"Test The Mettle Of This Guy"
Obama will keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates at his post, making it the "first time a Pentagon chief has been carried over from a president of a different party" (New York Times).
Obama will tap retired Marine Gen. James Jones to be national security adviser, according to Democratic sources (AP).
John Brennan, a CIA veteran whose links to controversial CIA programs drew scorn in the liberal blogosphere, withdrew his name from contention to be the agency's next director (New York Times).
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev appears to be providing Obama with the "generated crisis" that Biden warned about during the campaign, as tough talk is emanating from Moscow and the Russian navy is beginning joint exercises with Venezuela's military (Politico).
Lean Times
Obama vowed Tuesday to trim wasteful spending from the federal budget to help pay for new programs aimed at rejuvenating the economy (New York Times).
Obama's new budget director, Peter Orszag, likes to find common sense solutions to problems that don't always involve spending money (Wall Street Journal).
Inauguration Conflagration
Obama plans to limit contributions for his inaugural festivities to $50,000 a person and bar special interests from donating entirely (New York Times).
Can't get tickets to the real thing? Check out the inauguration rehearsal on Jan. 11, complete with music, a parade and a fake swearing-in (Washington Post).
By ROBERT BRODSKY, Government Executive
Barack Obama's announcement of Peter Orszag as his nominee to head the Office of Budget and Management -- a pick that was first broken by Lost in Transition last week -- and his pick of Rob Nabors as OMB deputy director have received accolades from leaders of key congressional panels.
"[Orszag] is a talented economist who has provided invaluable information and insight on the federal budget," said Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. "He is highly regarded on both sides of the aisle. He has the rare gift of being able to translate complex economic and financial issues into clear, concise and understandable language. And his focus on addressing the growing cost of health care has demonstrated his firm grasp of the tremendous budget challenges our nation faces in the years ahead."
House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt, D-S.C., called Nabors a "first-rate addition" to Obama's team. "Rob Nabors has mastered both the process and substance of congressional appropriations," Spratt said. "While we will miss him in the House, I believe that Rob will strengthen the ties between Congress and OMB."
Republicans also were effusive in their praise for Orszag.
Continue reading Obama's Choice Of Budget Chief Garners Praise.
On NationalJournal.com's lobbying blog, Under The Influence, Bara Vaida takes note of the inaugural committee's newly announced prohibition on lobbyist and overseas donations:
President-elect Obama announced his inaugural committee will not accept contributions from corporations, political action committees, current federally registered lobbyists, non-U.S. citizens and registered foreign agents. Individual contributions will also be capped at $50,000 - though there is no law requiring this limit.
But putting such restrictions in place is sometimes easier said than done. Last month at NationalJournal.com, Neil Munro reported on the permeability of the Obama campaign's online donation system.
Complete release available after the jump.
by SHANE HARRIS
John Brennan, President-elect Obama's intelligence adviser and the person many thought would head the CIA, has formally withdrawn his name from consideration "for a position within the intelligence community." (Read the letter here [PDF].)
Why is this important? The netroots, liberal bloggers and others on Obama's left flank have been furious over the idea that Brennan might get a senior post because he has been associated with some of the Bush administration's harshest intelligence tactics, including waterboarding, overseas detention and domestic surveillance. As the intensity of criticism increased, team Obama seems to have decided it was best for Brennan to stand down. This is an important victory for the left base, which was still feeling the sting of Obama's decision earlier this year to vote for enhanced surveillance powers.
In an interview with National Journal earlier this year, Brennan revealed that he differed with Obama over the thorny issue of immunity for companies that assisted the government with warrantless surveillance of Americans. In the wake of that interview and other reporting on Brennan's policy positions, bloggers launched a Web-wide campaign to scuttle his nomination.
In the NJ interview, conducted eight months before the election, Brennan distanced himself from some of the Bush policies and struck a pragmatic pose on surveillance policies:
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the threshold [for gathering intelligence about terrorist suspects], quite frankly, was low, because we didn't know the nature of the threat we faced here in the U.S. Every effort was made by the government to try to get as much understanding and visibility into what else might be out there that's going to hurt us again. Now that a number of years have passed, we need to make sure the calibration is important. But maybe in a period of heightened threat you have to recalibrate that based on new information you have -- new intelligence that's going to give you a better sense of where to aim your magnet.
Brennan's departure could put a crimp in the transition team's plans to roll out its top security picks. But the bigger issue here is that, when pressed from his left on national security, Obama conceded. It's difficult to imagine that Brennan made this decision without consulting the president-elect first.
UPDATE: According to an Obama transition spokesperson, Brennan will remain on the team as an adviser during the transition period. A formal statement is expected shortly.
By DAVID HERBERT
Local colleges have a message for students looking to cash in on the inauguration housing shortage: not a chance.
Last week, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty relaxed city regulations requiring citizens to obtain business licenses before renting their homes, removing legal hurdles for District residents looking to capitalize on the more than one million revelers expected to flood the city. But Fenty's magnanimity did not clear the way for students to sublet their dorm rooms and, so far, colleges aren't in such a generous mood.
Within walking distance of the White House, George Washington University's student housing is prime real estate for would-be inauguration revelers. Dozens of modest studio apartments in Foggy Bottom are already renting from $500 to more than $1,000 a night on craigslist for the days surrounding Jan. 20.
But GWU is moving quickly to ward off similar gouging in its own dorms. Housing officials e-mailed students a special inauguration guest policy last week, limiting the number of visitors in each dorm that week and creating a first-come, first-served online registration system. Halfway into the notice, red letters in large font announce, "Students are reminded that they are not permitted to sublease or rent their space per the terms of the Undergraduate Housing License Agreement."
Continue reading D.C. Colleges Try To Contain Inauguration Gouging.
By AMY HARDER
A U.S. Chamber of Commerce official predicted a "firestorm" on Capitol Hill over the Employee Free Choice Act in a press conference today at the chamber's Washington headquarters. Randel Johnson, the organization's vice president of labor, discussed the chamber's efforts against the legislation and where he sees it fitting into the agendas of both the incoming administration and Congress.
The EFCA is designed to make it easier for unions to organize by allowing them to be recognized if a majority of workers sign cards -- hence the nickname "card check" bill. Opponents counter that the legislation would get rid of the current system of organizing -- the secret ballot -- and create an environment where union bosses dominate and workers feel intimidated. In the latest issue of National Journal, Peter H. Stone delves into the battle between business and labor interests. (The article is available to subscribers only.)
Johnson today released the first part of a report that aims to counter many of the arguments EFCA supporters put forth. The report, which is part of a nearly $10 million campaign against the bill, includes seven booklets featuring studies, polls and data that argue Americans want less unionization, not more, and that the workplace isn't as bad as union backers make it seem. The next booklet will be released next week, and the rest by the end of December, Johnson said.
With President-elect Barack Obama's administration coming together and most congressional races settled, Johnson said the chamber plans to ramp up its anti-EFCA efforts -- through polling, the report and TV ads.
"We are doing our best to point out to the administration that this will be a firestorm on Capitol Hill, bordering on Armageddon," Johnson said. "Mr. President-elect, when you peel back the onion, you'll find that there isn't much behind what the unions are alleging."
Predicting that Congress would consider the bill by April, Johnson said the chamber aims to "put a brake on the administration and the Democratic leadership." He said that less drastic alterations to current labor law should be examined before lawmakers consider the "sweeping" changes put forth in the EFCA.
Labor Vs. Business, On The Airwaves
At least three third parties are already up and running with TV spots on the issue: American Rights At Work, which supports the legislation, and two anti-EFCA groups: the Employee Freedom Action Committee and Americans For Job Security. The chamber is also gearing up to produce its own post-election TV campaign, Johnson said. Likening the bill to big government will be a primary focus, he said.
More Coverage Of The USCC
Where does the chamber stand on other battles stirring on the Hill over new policy for the upcoming year? National Journal recently sat down with Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue and Executive Vice President for Government Affairs R. Bruce Josten to find out.
The Congressional Budget Office this afternoon announced that deputy director Robert Sunshine will step into Peter Orszag's shoes on an interim basis now that Orszag is stepping down as director to head the Office of Management and Budget. Sunshine has been with CBO since 1976 and assumed the post of deputy director last year. He will serve as acting director until a successor is appointed by the Speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate.
Orszag anounced his resignation today after President-elect Obama named him to lead OMB. In his final post on the CBO director's blog -- yes, such a thing exists -- Orszag bid a fond adieu to his staff, writing, "I have absolutely loved my time at CBO.... Perhaps most fundamentally, CBO is a reflection of the smart and hard-working but also warm and wonderful people who work here. (If you find it hard to believe that budget analysts and economists can be warm and wonderful, please just take my word for it.)"
As first reported by National Journal's Alexis Simendinger last week, Barack Obama has selected Peter Orszag as director of the Office of Management and Budget. President-elect Obama made the appointment official at a press conference this afternoon, where he also named Rob Nabors as deputy OMB director.
Official biographies after the jump.
As Barack Obama begins to assemble his team, the pundits are weighing in on his selections and what they may say about his leadership style. Here is a sampling of Tuesday's transition-related op-eds.
Pundits highlight Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama's differences on Iraq and Iran, and warn that they must work together seamlessly if she becomes secretary of state.
Over on National Journal's lobbying blog, Bara Vaida notes that, although the Democratic women's group EMILY's List did not fare particularly well (subscription) in the 2008 election, they got a boost this weekend when Barack Obama brought them onboard his incoming White House team:
The group just received a huge vote of confidence from President-elect Obama. He has hired Ellen Moran, the executive director of EMILY's List, as White House director of communications. The move came even though EMILY's List played hardball against Obama during the primaries and questioned his pro-choice credentials. Clearly, Obama is looking to the future and not the past and the hire is very good for the group, which only endorses pro-choice female candidates.
From the Obama transition team this morning:
Today, President-elect Barack Obama will make an economic announcement at a press conference in Chicago. The press conference will be held at the Hilton Chicago at 11:00 AM Central Time. Vice President-elect Joe Biden will hold private meetings in Delaware and has no public events scheduled.
Check back with Lost In Transition later this afternoon for video and more details of Obama's economic presser.
An ethics investigation into Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., may hamper his work as Ways and Means Committee chairman -- and cause a distraction as President-elect Barack Obama pushes a new tax policy (Politico).
John Brennan, "a 25-year veteran of the CIA who helped establish the National Counterterrorism Center and was its first director in 2004," is a leading candidate for either CIA director or national intelligence director (AP).
By bringing David Axelrod to the White House, Obama is continuing "the very dubious notion of having the president's campaign strategist rubbing elbows with all the policy wonks in the West Wing" (Boston Globe).
In Desirée Rogers, the Obama are getting a White House social secretary who is a "well-known businesswoman, a Harvard M.B.A and a major fund-raiser," as well as a glittering socialite in her own right (New York Times).
President Bush granted 14 pardons and two commutations yesterday, continuing his infrequent use of the executive power (Washington Post).
Economy In Crisis
Obama's new economic team is market-oriented and favors limited government spending at a time when the prognosis for the nation's woes may require the opposite (Washington Post). The result is a centrist team charged with implementing radical economic changes (Los Angeles Times).
Obama and Bush are working closely to calm the financial markets (New York Times).
Women's groups have been silent on Larry Summers' appointment to head the National Economic Council (Washington Times), while even his harshest detractors at Harvard are cheering his nomination (Boston Globe).
Obama upbraided Detroit for asking for federal money without presenting a thorough plan, while Michigan lawmakers griped about the Citigroup bailout (Wall Street Journal).
Obama's stimulus package is expected to include long-range spending for roads, bridges, schools and clean-energy programs (Wall Street Journal).
Obama's transportation secretary will need to solve an "outdated air traffic control system, congested roads, rails and skies and crumbling highways and bridges" with dwindling funds -- a fiscal crisis that may require raising the gas tax (Washington Post).
'A Warm Bucket Of Spit'
Vice President-elect Joe Biden's Senate seat will be filled by his chief of staff and longtime friend Edward Kaufman, which clears the way for Beau Biden to run for the seat in 2010 (New York Times). But Politico reports that the move has not gone over well in Delaware.
Biden and Vice President Cheney have little in common beyond white hair, a wealth of experience and a penchant for cursing (Washington Times).
By MARY GILBERT
In anticipation of President-elect Barack Obama's noon press conference announcing his new economic team, bloggers are chattering about what his selections say about Obama's intentions for getting the economy going again.
Andrew Busch is relieved to see Obama pick his team early and gives the Obama camp credit for "listening to what the markets have been saying." He adds, "Clearly, the incoming Obama administration wants a continuation of the aggressive polices and programs that are in place to deal with the credit crisis."
Chris Bowers at OpenLeft believes that the selection of Timothy Geithner for Treasury secretary calls Obama's dedication to change into question: "Really? Obama is going with someone who is currently executing the bailout?" That "strikes me as less than change-y."
Lawrence Kudlow, a television commentator and former Reagan economic adviser, relates that Geithner "is highly regarded by those who worked with him as a very smart, sharp, and insightful player." He highlights Geithner's youth -- he is 47 -- and points out that "to the country at large and most of the Washington political establishment, he's a new face. Yes indeed, change is coming."
Ezra Klein at the American Prospect claims that Obama's selection of Peter Orszag as director of the Office of Management and Budget shows that the president-elect is serious about tackling health care. Orszag has "shown an almost single-minded focus on health care reform" during his time at the Congressional Budget Office, he said, and is preparing to release two books on the subject. Klein points out that Orszag has even taken to his own blog to refute the idea that the current economic crisis should put the brakes on a reform agenda.
U.S. News & World Report's James Pethokoukis defends the team's free-market viewpoint: "These guys are not Marxists, protectionists, or believers in a return to 90 percent marginal tax rates. They are believers in free trade," but they do believe in a larger government role in the economy -- creating a "safety net" for workers -- and in higher taxes to pay for it.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, reported to be President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Homeland Security secretary, has made a name for herself in the illegal immigration debate. Last December, she spoke with National Journal's Lisa Caruso about the terms of the debate, crafting policy and the federal government's responsibilities.
NJ: On the national level, the Democratic presidential candidates seem wary when it comes to illegal immigration. What should they say?Napolitano: You say, "Here's my enforcement strategy. It's multitiered: It's manpower. It's technology. It's equipment. And in my budget I'm going to put the money not only to do it but sustain it over time. Unlike my predecessors' budgets, my budgets every year will call on the Department of Homeland Security and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and local law enforcement at the border to be properly resourced so that we have continual operational control at the border.
"I'm going to direct the secretary of Labor to tell us what our labor market needs are, and we're going to adjust the visas accordingly, and we're going to put in place a process to do that, protecting jobs for American workers but realizing that we will have a national labor shortage moving forward. I'm going to pay specific attention to certain areas such as H-1B visas [for skilled workers], where there is such a demonstrated need and there's more than enough work for everyone to go around. The third thing is, we're going to deal with the 12 million in this country. We're not going to have a permanent underclass. They're going to have to pay a fine, get in line, and pay their taxes. And I don't call that amnesty."
The full interview is available to subscribers, as is Napolitano's profile in the Almanac of American Politics.
By MARY GILBERT
President-elect Barack Obama used his weekly radio address (now also recorded on video and posted on YouTube) to flesh out his plan to revive the stagnating economy. He opened by acknowledging that the crisis is growing worse: "We now risk falling into a deflationary spiral that could increase our massive debt even further." But he said the transition between administrations represents a potential turning point: "January 20th is our chance to begin anew -- with a new direction, new ideas, and new reforms that will create jobs and fuel long-term economic growth."
Obama said he has directed his economic advisers and Democrats on Capitol Hill to begin crafting an economic recovery plan that is focused on creating jobs -- 2.5 million by January 2011. "We'll be working out the details in the weeks ahead," Obama told listeners and viewers, but he said that he plans on signing this new legislation "soon after taking office." The president-elect wants to stimulate the economy by creating jobs in sectors he emphasized during his campaign -- rebuilding infrastructure, generating new "green" energy jobs and rebuilding and modernizing crumbling schools.
"These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis; these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long," Obama argued. He attempted to reach out to Republicans by soliciting ideas and suggestions from people on "both sides of the aisle." But he insisted on the need for "immediate action."
The president-elect put no price tag on his new stimulus plan, but experts agree that these steps signal the new administration's intention to go beyond the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and to inject perhaps hundreds of billions more into the economy.
Obama is set to announce his economic team at a noon press conference today. Timothy Geithner, the current president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, is expected to be named Treasury secretary, while former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers is to be the director of the National Economic Council in the White House and Peter Orszag, head of the Congressional Budget Office, will become the next White House budget director. By putting his team in place early, Obama hopes to demonstrate that he is serious about acting quickly on fixing the economy and calming investors' fears before conditions get even worse.
By ALEXIS SIMENDINGER
The National Archives and Records Administration sent agency officials who safeguard classified material a reminder Nov. 17 that government secrets should not slip away from government protection because the Bush administration is on its way out. "The responsibility to protect classified information, including information stored in one's memory, does not end with an individual's departure from government service," NARA wrote.
Read the memo [PDF].
Bill Clinton's eleventh-hour pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich may come back to haunt Eric Holder, President-elect Barack Obama's likely choice for attorney general and the man who signed off on the pardon recommendation (Wall Street Journal).
Obama has yet to attend church since Election Day, opting to hit the gym on Sundays instead (Politico).
Many of the Republicans being mentioned as possible members of the Obama administration have ties to Brent Scowcroft, a former Bush adviser who has stressed the importance of an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord (Wall Street Journal).
Even if Obama closes Guantanamo Bay prison, there are 20 to 30 prisoners "that present serious, serious problems" that may end up being detained indefinitely anyway (Los Angeles Times).
Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretary of State Cordell Hull offers some parallels -- both good and bad -- for Hillary Clinton and her possible new post (Los Angeles Times).
Obama has struck a bipartisan tone so far, which is winning plaudits from Republicans but rankling some on the left (New York Times).
First Family Adjusts
Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, advised Michelle Obama to "learn to like the back seat" in a Times of London column this month, one of the many pieces of advice being thrown at the incoming First Lady (New York Times).
Obama has "lamented the way his public rise has infringed upon his personal space" during the last five years, and moving to the White House will upset his routines even more (Washington Post).
Economy In Transition
Obama will likely delay his controversial tax increase for the wealthiest Americans until after 2010 (New York Times).
Obama will tap Christina Romer, an economist at the University of California at Berkeley, to head the Council of Economic Advisers (New York Times).
The economic stimulus package will need to be bigger than originally thought, a top Obama adviser said today (Reuters).
Obama will formally name Timothy Geithner his Treasury Secretary today, a top adviser said (Washington Times).
Obama will name New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, his one-time rival for the Democratic presidential nomination and a former Energy Secretary, his Commerce Secretary (AP).
Inauguration Conflagration
African Americans comprise a large chunk of the millions expected to descend upon Washington for the inauguration (AP).
Young military officers are vying for the coveted spots escorting VIPs around town during inauguration festivities (Washington Post).
Demand for inauguration tickets is outstripping supply across the country -- even in heavily Republican congressional districts (Politico).
By BRITTANY R. BALLENSTEDT, Government Executive
Backers of a public service academy are optimistic that their proposal will gather momentum under President-elect Barack Obama, and possibly even gain approval during the new administration's first year.
Chris Myers Asch, one of the architects of the proposal, said the creation of the academy could be a hallmark of Obama's first term in office, much like the introduction of the Peace Corps was for John F. Kennedy in 1961, and the AmeriCorps program was for former President Clinton in 1993.
"The Peace Corps is the best historical precedent," Asch said. "An incoming president has this idea that he wants to create a legacy in public service, and he often does that in the beginning of the first year. We see the academy as being that institution, that legacy of service for this president."
Legislation introduced during the 110th Congress by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Reps. Jim Moran, D-Va., and Chris Shays, R-Conn., would have established a 5,000-person undergraduate public service academy, on par with the nation's military academies, to restore prestige to public institutions and to attract young people to government jobs.
The academy would be free to students, at an annual cost of $205 million to taxpayers. After graduation, students would repay the country by spending at least five years working for the government at the local, state or federal level. Supporters say the academy would help the nation combat potential acts of terrorism and natural disasters and offset an anticipated wave of retirements.
Continue reading Outlook For Public Service Academy Brightens.
By KEVIN FRIEDL
Given the ability of the Obama transition team so far to control the flow of information from its office to reporters, this afternoon's relative deluge of appointment news represents either an unprecedented breakdown of message control or a concerted effort to let names slip out the weekend before Thanksgiving.
Just in the past several hours, the New York Times reported that Hillary Rodham Clinton had accepted Barack Obama's offer to be secretary of State; New York Federal Reserve President Tim Geithner was widely said to have been tapped as Treasury secretary; GovExec's Tom Shoop broke the news that Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown was being vetted for Veterans Affairs chief; and the Washington Post mentioned Bill Richardson for Commerce secretary.
The Obama team did something similar last week, dumping more than 100 names of its agency review teams after 3 p.m. on Friday. Why wait until the end of the weekly news cycle -- and the traditional graveyard of bad news -- to release the names of their best and brightest? The transition team may be trying to send up as many trial balloons as possible before the Thanksgiving tune-out. Or, as the Post reported this morning, they may simply have realized that Washington is a hard town to keep a secret in for long, and it's better to leak themselves than to lose control of announcements altogether.
UPDATED Nov. 21 at 5:12 p.m: The Obama-Biden transition team added to its Friday afternoon name drop with five new White House staffers, mostly notably Patrick Gaspard as director of the Office of Political Affairs.
Complete release, with biographies, is after the jump.
Continue reading Trickle Turns To Flood On Friday Afternoon.
(Credit: Ben Sklar/Getty Images)
The New York Times is reporting that New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has accepted President-elect Obama's offer to leave the Senate and join the administration as secretary of State. The appointment, if confirmed, would mark a surprising conclusion to the pair's epic primary contest, coming after a week of speculation over whether Clinton would take the post.
In February, National Journal reporters took stock (subscription) of just how much the two senators differed on foreign policy. Clinton had and has the more hawkish reputation of the two -- he opposed the war in Iraq, she voted to authorize it. "Most of their foreign-policy disagreements, though, are rhetorical, not substantive," the analysis concluded. On Iraq, both pledged to withdraw troops "swiftly; neither would do so completely."
On foreign-policy issues in general, "ultimately their goals are the same," said Moira Whelan, director of strategy and outreach at the National Security Network and an Obama supporter. "Their understanding of what the macro issues are is similar; their approaches to what comes first and how to address them is where you would see the differences."Perhaps because of their similar positions on so many issues, Obama and Clinton go to great lengths to differentiate themselves and appeal to primary voters by stressing whatever distinctions they can. Obama tees up his early opposition to military action in Iraq as evidence that he exercised better judgment than Clinton on the most important foreign-policy issue since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Continue reading Clinton Report Puts Policy Differences Back In Focus.
By TOM SHOOP, Government Executive
Not only is Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown co-chairing the Obama transition team at the Veterans Affairs Department, he is a leading candidate to serve as VA secretary.
A source close to the Obama transition effort confirms that Brown is being given "serious consideration" for the VA slot, and is currently undergoing the vetting process.
A member of the Army Reserve since 1984, Brown, who holds the rank of colonel, commands the 153rd Legal Support Organization in Pennsylvania. He is the highest-ranking elected official in the country who has served a tour of duty in Iraq, having spent 10 months in the country in 2004.
According to his official biography, the handful of issues Brown has been asked by Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley to focus on in his current position include the military base realignment and closure process, veterans affairs and health care.
By AMY HARDER
Legislation that would make it a misdemeanor to scalp inauguration tickets was not taken up in the Senate on Thursday night. With time tight leading up to Jan. 20, sponsor Dianne Feinstein's office hopes the Senate will consider the California Democrat's bill again when it reconvenes in December.
NationalJournal.com has obtained a copy of the bill's text [PDF], which spells out fines up to $100,000 and one year in jail. Gil Duran, communications director for Feinstein, said there has been interest on both sides of the aisle to pass this legislation. "People in general want to preserve the dignity of the inaugural ceremony," Duran said. "We want to avoid people being ripped off, which is what these scalpers do."
Internet sites like eBay, StubHub and craigslist have had postings selling Inauguration Day tickets, which are free, for thousands of dollars. The sites have stopped all such sales since meeting with Feinstein. The 240,000 tickets are not even available to members of Congress (who are the only ones who can distribute them) until a few days prior to the event. When asked about what may happen in the few days between the tickets' distribution and Jan. 20, Duran said that this law would make it harder for people to scalp them, even if they did have an actual ticket in hand, by making it a crime.
In her remarks to the Senate on Thursday, Feinstein said she finds it "unconscionable" that Inauguration Day tickets are being sold, especially online. "The chance to witness these solemn event should not be bought and sold similar to tickets to a football game," Feinstein said. "This is not a football game. This is a dignified and critical moment of transition in government, a moment of which Americans have always been proud."
Duran said that if Congress passes the bill, it would provide "ample time" to ensure the law is implemented in time for Inauguration Day.
By MARY GILBERT
As the Democrats' battle for 60 Senate seats continues, many are wondering how far President-elect Barack Obama is willing to go to help Georgia candidate Jim Martin (subscription) in his runoff match against Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss (subscription). While having a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate would certainly help Obama push his agenda through on Capitol Hill, throwing his weight behind a candidate who faces an uphill battle in a runoff election represents a huge risk to Obama's freshly minted political capital.
John McCain, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney have all turned up in the Peach State to rally behind Chambliss; Bill Clinton stumped for Martin this week, with Al Gore soon to follow. But for now, the Obama team has not committed to making a visit, opting instead to release a radio ad on Thursday in which the president-elect urges voters to come out and "head to the polls just one more time this year."
Obama begins the ad by thanking listeners for their support on Nov. 4 and goes on to endorse Martin as someone who will "do everything he can in the Senate to help me change Washington and get America moving again."
The Obama team has also sent staffers to the state and made its field offices available for Martin's use.
National Journal's Kirk Victor draws a parallel (subscription) between the Martin-Chambliss race and the 1992 Georgia Senate runoff between Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler and Republican Paul Coverdell, pointing out that then-President-elect Clinton took a big political hit for backing Fowler in a losing fight. Coverdell's victory represented a turning of the tide for Republicans, presaging their 1994 midterm election comeback.
Obama would certainly be wise to avoid a similar symbolic defeat before he even takes office on Jan. 20.
President-elect Barack Obama's personal cell phone records were accessed by employees of Verizon Wireless this week, according to a statement released Thursday by President and CEO Lowell McAdam. The account, which has been inactive for several months, was linked only to a cell phone, not a BlackBerry or other smart phone device with data services, such as e-mail.
Lowell said that all employees who accessed the account have been put on paid leave until the matter is investigated further. "Employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action," he said, though he did not specify whether it was grounds for firing or less severe punishment.
The incident illustrates the risks that the National Archives and Records Administration has pointed out to Obama, a well-known BlackBerry enthusiast, about sending e-mail as chief executive. Alexis Simendinger reports in National Journal (subscription) this week on NARA's role in the presidential transition and on the evolution of electronic security in the White House:
Obama will be expected as president to beef up White House attention to data security and preservation. He has promised that his administration will be more transparent and accountable and less secretive than its predecessors. Obama got a taste of how difficult it can be to protect electronic information when his campaign's website and computers were hacked this summer, reportedly by a foreign entity assumed to be Chinese. The Bush White House, which warned the Obama team of the seriousness of the breach, declined to publicly discuss similar hacking into the White House system.
At NationalJournal.com earlier this month, Meredith Fuchs, general counsel to the National Security Archive, discussed e-mail archiving in the Bush administration, the archive's expectations for the new president, and a lawsuit seeking to hold the Bush administration and NARA accountable for backing up and cataloguing electronic records.
UPDATED Nov. 21 at 11:12 a.m.
By BRITTANY R. BALLENSTEDT, Government Executive
One-fifth of Senior Executive Service members have no knowledge of presidential transition activities at their agencies, according to a new survey by the National Academy of Public Administration.
The survey results, released on Thursday at the academy's fall meeting, indicated that most senior executives appear to be making traditional preparations for the handoff, such as compiling information on agency budgets and mandates, and scheduling briefings on key programs and initiatives. But 21 percent of executives said they were not aware of such actions.
"I'm a charter member of the SES, and the response of 20 percent of existing senior executives who said they could not answer the question of the transition activities under way at their agencies -- that's deplorable," said Kristine Marcy, an associate at the consulting firm McConnell International, during a presentation of the survey results. "The whole premise of the Senior Executive Service is that you have the management skills and the leadership skills to step up to the plate."
Continue reading Many Senior Executives Unprepared For Transition.
After running an airtight campaign, President-elect Barack Obama's camp is springing leaks during the transition (Washington Post).
The National Rifle Association slammed Obama Thursday for asking potential appointees about their gun ownership (Politico).
Among the items on their wish list, civil liberties groups want Obama
to close Guantanamo Bay prison, end extraordinary rendition and
investigate President Bush's anti-terrorism programs (Los Angeles Times).
Obama will likely wait until at least 2010 before following through on a controversial campaign pledge to end the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy (Washington Times).
Twenty percent of the government's senior executives don't know their agencies' presidential transition plans, according to a new survey (Federal Times).
Obama's campaign message of "change" has resonated with Iranians, who hope Obama's election marks the beginning of thawed relations between Iran and the U.S. (Boston Globe).
State Drama
Obama plans to offer Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., the job of secretary of State after Thanksgiving (Wall Street Journal).
Clinton, meanwhile, is still wavering on the post because of her disenchantment with the Senate, but Democrats leaders are prepared to offer her a "still-undefined leadership role" if she stays (New York Times).
Latino politicians are pushing New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson for secretary of State and are worried overall about the lack of a Latino pick for the new Cabinet (Washington Post).
Inauguration Conflagration
In the mad dash to secure venues for inauguration balls and parties, "speed is the key now, as is a check in hand. Wire transfer is even better" (Washington Post).
The House ethics committee warned members not to let lobbyists or anyone else bankroll
their inauguration parties (The Hill).
In response to the 4 million revelers expected to descend upon Washington, Mayor Adrian Fenty signed an executive order allowing residents to rent their property without a business license (Washington Post).
The DC Metro is girding itself for record-breaking ridership on and around Jan. 20 (Washington Post).
Through The Grapevine
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is a front-runner for secretary of Homeland Security (New York Times) and the potential nomination is already winning praise across the political spectrum (Washington Post).
Penny S. Pritzker, a major Obama fundraiser whose business ties have been scrutinized in recent weeks, announced she will not be a candidate for secretary of Commerce (New York Times).
Eric Holder Jr., Obama's likely choice for attorney general, has extensive experience combating corporate crime (Wall Street Journal).
Duane Woerth, the president of the Air Line Pilots Association from 1999 to 2006, is a favorite for the top job at the Federal Aviation Administration (Wall Street Journal).
By AMY HARDER
While the incoming administration has its work cut out for itself in terms of revamping the Department of Homeland Security, the new 111th Congress isn't off the hook, either.
At a discussion this morning hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, current and former congressional staffers called for more cohesive oversight of DHS, which now answers to more than 100 committees or subcommittees throughout Congress. The discussion was part of a two-day conference, concluding today, on how the incoming Congress and new president should deal with domestic security issues.
David Olive, onetime chief of staff to former Rep. Asa Hutchinson, R-Ark., and co-founder of government relations firm Olive, Edwards & Cooper, noted that the name of the panel, "Congressional Chaos," was fitting for the state of DHS congressional oversight.
"That's exactly what it seems like for people on the outside looking in," Olive said. "And that's exactly how it seems for the people in the inside looking out."
Olive called upon House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to address the issue, which he said was a bipartisan problem. "It was created under Republican leadership and has continued under Democratic leadership. It will continue to be a problem until the Speaker herself weighs in," Olive said. "Thus far, she's not willing to do that."
Barack Obama could put former Sen. Tom Daschle in charge of the Department of Health & Human Services, where he would presumably help steer any health care plan Obama puts forward. In a National Journal panel held during the Democratic National Convention this summer, Daschle talked about the problems with the nation's health care system and about what parts of Obama's agenda would be easiest to pass.
By KIRK VICTOR
Senators, even those who dislike one another intensely, are known for their formality and graciousness towards one another on the Senate floor. They try to maintain that façade as much as possible in public.
Of course, there have been some famous feuds that burst into the open. Who can forget the bitter hostility between New Jersey Democratic Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Torricelli in the late 1990s? They even got into a well-publicized fight at a Democratic retreat in front of their colleagues and staffers.
But such outbursts are the exception. More often the enmity is submerged, out of view. So it was no surprise that when former Sen. Tom Daschle's name was leaked as the likely new secretary of Health and Human Services, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., hailed the appointment even though the two men had grown to dislike each other intensely before Daschle lost his Senate seat in 2004.
Yesterday, Baucus called President-elect Obama's choice of Daschle "a great nomination" and went on to say, "Having Senator Daschle at HHS and as the point person for the Obama administration on health care would only improve the chances of success."
Yet it wasn't all that long ago, when Daschle, then the Democratic Senate leader, was angry that Baucus had strayed from the party position and supported President Bush's top domestic priority, steep tax cuts. As Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., described it in his book, The Good Fight, published earlier this year:
Baucus was the only Westerner to vote against [South Dakotan] Daschle in his race for Democratic leader in 1994, which Daschle had only won by a single vote -- and they had been driven farther apart on the issue of taxes. By the end, they really couldn't stand each other, and had had several extremely testy exchanges on the floor and in private as a result.
Fast-forward to today, and it is a tad ironic that Daschle will be going before Baucus' committee, which not only is responsible for his confirmation hearings but also will be a key player in health care reform, a priority for the Obama administration.
By WINTER CASEY
Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement will rejoin King & Spalding's Washington, D.C., office after leaving his position at the Justice Department in June. Since that time, Clement has served as a visiting professor at Georgetown University's law school and as a senior fellow at the Supreme Court Institute.
During his time in the solicitor general's office, Clement argued 49 cases before the Supreme Court, including Tennessee v. Lane, McConnell v. FEC, Rumsfeld v. Padilla, Gonzales v. Raich and Gonzales v. Carhart. Clement once served as chief counsel of the Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights and has worked as a partner at Kirkland & Ellis.
Barack Obama's reported decision to ask former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head the Department of Health and Human Services was batted around on the political talk shows Wednesday night and this morning.
By ALEXIS SIMENDINGER
Chicago economist Austan Goolsbee -- once the chief economic adviser to candidate Barack Obama -- may be less of a shoo-in to chair Obama's White House Council of Economic Advisers than his admirers once imagined.
The Obama transition team is interviewing to find a woman, perhaps a minority woman, to fill the CEA chair -- a Senate-confirmed position. Informed sources suggest the candidates on the CEA list now include Princeton University economics and public affairs professor Cecilia Elena Rouse, whose specialty is labor economics. The hunt for a woman, explained several sources close to the transition deliberations, is aimed at broadening the white-male cast of the White House team assembled to date (the current tally of announced picks is 3 women, 9 men).
Goolsbee, a respected University of Chicago professor, remains in contention for other administration posts, the sources added.
CEA is the economic think tank inside the White House that serves the president and his team with detailed policy analysis. The top job there is a plum on the C.V. of any academically ambitious economist.
Goolsbee became embroiled this year in a minor controversy about Obama's views on trade. After notes from a meeting between Goolsbee and a Canadian government official became public in Canada -- suggesting that Obama's chief economic adviser had winked that his candidate's trade-pact critiques were less about policy convictions than political maneuvering -- the media had a field day.
Obama denied the accounts and defended Goolsbee. But by early June, at the start of the general election, he added another policy adviser -- centrist economist Jason Furman, from the Brookings Institution -- to his team, and Furman assumed the task of communicating many of Obama's policy views. Furman has since been mentioned as a possible deputy at the White House National Economic Council, according to sources familiar with transition discussions.
By SHANE HARRIS
Several news organizations are reporting this morning that Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is President-Elect Obama's pick to head the Homeland Security Department. If the reports are accurate, the choice would not come as a huge surprise -- Napolitano's name was floated early, and when the incoming administration signaled its interest in Eric Holder for attorney general (the other post Napolitano had been mentioned for), she naturally came into focus for DHS.
But if it's not surprising that Obama might turn to a trusted governor for this position, it is significant. DHS is the federal government's point of contact with state and local governments on disaster preparedness and counterterrorism issues. (The FBI also plays a significant role on the latter.) The first DHS secretary was a governor -- Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania -- but the current secretary, Michael Chertoff, was an attorney and judge. Some have argued that governors have a more intimate understanding of state and local governments' concerns, and therefore are a more natural choice to head the vast, often unwieldy department.
DHS is such a young department that one can't say with certainty what kind of experience best suits a secretary. But if nothing else, putting a governor in charge may appeal to state and local officials, who will feel that one of their own is in charge.
By MARY GILBERT
The citizens of Togo held a mock election in October to voice their opinion on who should win the U.S. presidential election. Barack Obama garnered 99 percent of the vote. That, says Ambassador David Dunn, reflects the enormous reservoir of goodwill that exists on the African continent as America's first African-American president prepares to take office.
But Dunn and two other Africa experts -- Howard Wolpe, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Africa Program, and Nicole Lee, executive director of TransAfrica Forum, an advocacy group -- see the potential for disappointment. Gathered at American University's Kay Spiritual Life Center on Wednesday night, the three talked about the high expectations surrounding Obama's presidency and the constraints he will face in trying to change the way America approaches its Africa policy -- particularly in light of the current economic crisis.
"Time will take its toll" on Obama's popularity on the continent, Dunn predicted. He, like all U.S. presidents, will pursue America's interests abroad, Dunn said, and those do not always coincide with what Africans would like to see from the U.S. Dunn suggested that an early trip to the continent could do a lot to secure the current amicable atmosphere.
All three panelists agreed that with America's economy in turmoil, the new administration will be hard-pressed to increase aid to Africa. Lee spoke of being "disappointed" when, in the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate, Joe Biden acknowledged that the U.S. probably will not meet its goal of doubling development assistance over the next several years. But they also said that the way in which aid money is distributed is also a crucial element, and one that the administration could have some control over.
While money for HIV/AIDS programs has ballooned, assistance for agriculture, infrastructure and other democracy-building and governance projects has stagnated, if not actually decreased. In addition, Dunn said, fewer and fewer African countries have been targeted for aid. He called for more universal assistance throughout the continent. And Lee emphasized the need to revisit trade agreements with African nations to make them more equitable.
The question of U.S. military intervention in Africa on human rights grounds is fraught with controversy. Wolpe argued that, under an Obama administration, the possibility of the U.S. intervening in places like Darfur and the Congo is back on the table. He and Dunn insisted that for some problems, strong military action is the only solution.
But they were also both confident that the Obama administration would beef up diplomatic efforts on the continent. Wolpe advocated a new model of conflict resolution that begins with the notion that places like Darfur are divided societies, and that the first step toward rebuilding them has to be directly engaging key leaders on both sides and bringing them together to find common ground. He expressed hope that the Obama administration would embrace this new model and optimism that the president-elect will devote more attention to resolving some of these "unresolvable conflicts."
Hotline's list of rumored appointees to the incoming administration -- culled from sources of varying reliability -- has already reached an impressive length just two weeks after Barack Obama won the presidency.
See below for the complete list, organized by department, of the players in D.C.'s favorite event, the name game (asterisk denotes that the individual has said publicly he or she does not wish to be considered):
State
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
Ex-Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD)
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Ex-VP/ex-Sen. Al Gore (D-TN)*
Ex-UN Amb./ex-Asst. Sec/State Richard Holbrooke
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN)*
Ex-Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA)
NM Gov./ex-UN Amb./ex-Energy Sec. Bill Richardson (D)
Treasury
FDIC Chair/ex-Asst. Treas. Sec. Sheila Bair
Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett
NJ Gov./ex-Sen./ex-Goldman Sachs Chair Jon Corzine (D)
JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon
NY FED Bank Pres. Timothy Geithner
Ex-Treas. Sec. Robert Rubin
Ex-Treas. Sec./ex-Harvard Pres. Larry Summers
Ex-Council of Econ Advisers chair Laura D'Andrea Tyson
Ex-FED chair Paul Volcker
Defense
Ex-Sen./ex-VA Sec. Max Cleland (D-GA)
Ex-Navy Sec. Richard Danzig
Ex-Dep. Asst. Defense Sec. Michèle Flournoy
Defense Sec. Robert Gates
Ex-Dep. Defense Sec. John Hamre
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)*
Complete list after the jump.
NationalJournal.com's David Herbert recently interviewed Margaret Colgate Love, former U.S. pardon attorney and a lawyer specializing in executive clemency, about the presidential pardon power's misuse and disuse over the last 25 years and how Barack Obama could revive the tradition of executive privilege.
Hear Love on presidential pardons and read the complete interview here. Edited excerpts follow.
NJ: Considering the bad rap the pardon process has developed in the last few decades, how would you advise Obama to go about reviving the pardon tradition?
Love: I would advise him to start pardoning pretty much right away. Give pardon to little people who are not particularly controversial, just ordinary people who have cases that fit within the Justice Department guidelines. I would also recommend that he do some grants that show some of the problems that people face in trying to rehabilitate themselves coming back to the community.NJ: In more controversial cases where you have groups that feel very strongly one way or the other, how do you minimize their role so that they don't overly politicize a pardon?
Love: Well, the pardon power is necessarily political. I mean, the only check on it is public opinion. So it's necessarily political in that good sense that the president is really acting as the conscience of the community. So if he can't sell his message to the public, then he's just going to have to do what he has to do.
By DAVID HATCH, CongressDaily
A communications industry lobbyist who has represented some of the nation's most powerful cable, Internet and telecommunications firms is drawing scrutiny for his role on President-elect Obama's transition team.
James Halpert, an attorney and registered lobbyist with DLA Piper, is advising on matters involving the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and intellectual property, according to many sources in the technology sector who are familiar with Obama's transition operations.
Critics are crying foul because they insist Halpert lobbied these issues just a few months ago, in violation of Obama's strict ethics guidelines, which state that parties joining the transition effort are prohibited from working in areas in which they focused as registered lobbyists in the last 12 months.
"When we saw his name pop up as the transition guy for IP, I mean, everybody nearly had a heart attack," an industry source said.
The flap over Halpert comes as corporate stakeholders and watchdogs jockey for position to influence decisions the new administration will make in the coming weeks and months that could profoundly affect their businesses and reverse eight years of largely deregulatory communications policies.
While the Obama team has released the names of its top transition advisers, several of whom have deep ties to communications firms and associations, hundreds more -- including Halpert -- have not been disclosed to the public.
"Everything we're doing is consistent with the principles that President-elect Obama laid out during the campaign," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Wednesday. "We are operating under the farthest-reaching ethics policy in history."
A transition official described Halpert as a member of an advisory team handling only patents and trademarks. Halpert declined to comment.
Sources pointed to Halpert's activities on behalf of the little-known Internet Commerce Coalition, whose members include Amazon, AT&T, Comcast, eBay, Information Technology Association of America, Monster.com, U.S. Telecom Association and Verizon, as evidence of a conflict of interest.
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano will use her experience as a border-governor as the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to anonymous "Democratic officials" (Politico).
On that note, John Podesta warns his transition staffers that leaking information is grounds for automatic firing (Chicago Tribune).
The Clinton Drama
Deal-making with Bill Clinton continues, but the former president assured everyone at a public appearance on Wednesday that he'll do "whatever they want" to ensure his fund-raising and globe-trotting don't prevent his wife from becoming secretary of State (New York Times).
The anti-war crowd that helped send President-elect Barack Obama to power are "increasingly concerned" about appointments of hawks such as Hillary Rodham Clinton (Los Angeles Times).
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., won't be overseeing the State Department, but he will oversee its budget as the new head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Boston Globe).
Reaction To Obama's Picks
A 2002 investigation of Eric Holder's role in the pardon of Marc Rich is rehashed, concluding that Holder ensured officials "did not have the opportunity to express an opinion on the Rich pardon before it was granted" (Washington Times).
The selection of former Sen. Tom Daschle as HHS secretary comes "even though he works for a Washington lobbying firm that represents health care interests" (USA Today).
Even without lobbying aspersions over Daschle himself, his selection "might be complicated" by his wife, who is a lobbyist (Washington Post).
Nonetheless, the prospect of passing health reform this time around comes with a "clear advantage over previous attempts." Apparently, everyone wants it to succeed (Wall Street Journal).
The man who coworkers call "Axe" is described as Obama's "longtime friend, strategist and political poet" in this profile of the new Karl Rove -- David Axelrod (Chicago Tribune).
The Decider
Obama will have to decide whether it makes sense to keep buying the U.S. Air Force's expensive F-22 Raptor despite the focus on ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Wall Street Journal).
A federal employees union wants Obama to "end the Transportation Security Administration's pay-for-performance system, eliminate the Internal Revenue Service private debt collection program, and reduce contracting by federal agencies" (Federal Times).
Agency leaders have already sent Obama a "hot list" of what they consider urgent issues. One group sent 44 items (Government Executive).
Transition Fodder
Happy birthday, Joe Biden! Many news outlets report on the 12 cupcakes that Obama gave the Vice President-elect for his birthday, which is actually today (AP).
The inside guide to landing a job with the Obama administration. Steps 1 through 100: Suck up to Jim Messina, director of personnel for the transition team (Politico).
The "Handshake Man," known as a "hero to wedding crashers and gate jumpers everywhere," said he will not be able to attend the inauguration. Then again, it's not like him to RSVP. (Washington Post).
What will be Obama's first act as president? Guantanamo? A stimulus package? Nope. D.C. voting rights advocates "are confident" that Obama will return the "Taxation Without Representation" license plates to the first family's limo (The Hill).
After weeks of speculation that David Axelrod would take on a role in the Obama White House as a senior adviser to the president, the campaign has confirmed that the former campaign strategist will indeed fill the role once held by Karl Rove. Axelrod joins longtime Obama friend Valerie Jarrett, who was also named as a senior White House adviser last week.
Complete release is available after the jump.
By BRITTANY R. BALLENSTEDT, Government Executive
Federal agencies have put together lists of top policy, management, legal and infrastructure issues for President-elect Barack Obama's agency review teams, a top presidential transition official said on Wednesday.
Gail Lovelace, transition director at the General Services Administration, said at a breakfast sponsored by Government Executive that agencies have submitted "hot lists" of key issues that will require immediate attention by new administration officials.
In a July 18 memo [PDF], the Bush administration's Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to submit lists of top issues to the White House for review by Nov. 1.
Lovelace said the range of issues at each agency differs, with one listing only 10 items and another identifying 44 considered urgent.
Obama's agency review teams began their work on Monday, and are expected to provide detailed reports to the Obama transition team prior to the Jan. 20 inauguration.
In past transitions, some review teams approached their task as a way to better understand agency operations and structures, Lovelace said. But given that many members of the Obama review teams served at their respective agencies during the Clinton administration, she added, many will be ready to "delve a little deeper" into the top issues facing federal agencies.
Continue reading Agencies Send Obama Review Teams 'Hot Lists' Of Key Issues.
By CORINE HEGLAND
The Obama transition team has announced policy working groups in seven areas: economic; education; energy and environment; health care; immigration; national security; and technology, innovation and government reform. Full biographies of the lucky wonks leading the groups are up on the Change.Gov Web site. The CliffsNotes version follows.
Economic
Education
Energy & Environment
Health Care
Immigration
National Security
Technology, Innovation & Government Reform
By AMY HARDER
The Federal Emergency Management Agency should not be taken out of the Department of Homeland Security, at least early on in Barack Obama's administration, according to a panel of security experts this morning at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The discussion was part of a two-day conference, concluding Thursday, on how the incoming Congress and new president should confront the country's myriad domestic security issues.
Whether or not FEMA should remain under DHS has been a topic of contention among homeland security experts ever since Katrina. In "Change For America: A Progressive Blueprint For The 44th President" from the Center For American Progress and the New Democracy Project, former DHS Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin suggests that such a move might make the agency more effective by providing it with a more "direct line" to the president. But CSIS panelists today disagreed.
"You can't take FEMA out now without doing too much damage to the system," said Daniel Kaniewski, former special assistant to the president for Homeland Security and senior director for response policy. Kaniewski, now a counselor at the Homeland Security Policy Institute, worked extensively on Hurricane Katrina relief efforts during his time at the White House. He stressed that if FEMA were taken out of DHS, the department would simply develop its own disaster-response capabilities, so, in practice, nothing would substantially change.
Matt Mayer, a former counselor to the deputy secretary at DHS and current visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, said that where FEMA is located within the government is not the issue. "I don't care if FEMA is inside or outside DHS. That's not what's key," Mayer said. "The key question is, what does FEMA actually do on a day-to-day basis?" When that question is answered, the placement of the agency could then be addressed, he said.
Michael Wermuth, director of the RAND Homeland Security Program, downplayed FEMA's importance in disaster relief. "Despite opinions to the contrary," he said, "the federal government does not have the primary responsibility." It's the states that first and foremost are responsible, he said, adding that because of the "over-federalization" of disaster response, money and other resources have been disproportionately spread around the country.
Panelists agreed that Obama and the 111th Congress should not make any major changes to DHS right away. "Don't do anything drastic" in the first 100 days that would "create more turmoil" in the department, Wermuth advised, adding that he did not expect that to happen. "I'm guessing it won't change dramatically in the early months," he projected. "There are a lot of other things that are on the new administration's plate that will take some precedence over the organizational structure of the Department of Homeland Security."
Check back later in the week for more coverage on the CSIS transition conference.
Barack Obama's reported selection of Eric Holder as the next attorney general garnered mixed reviews from talking heads on Tuesday night and this morning.
CNN and Roll Call are reporting that former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer to head up the Department of Health and Human Services, citing sources "close to Daschle."
Daschle, who has been an adviser to Obama throughout his campaign, was considered a leading contender for the position. He is also heading up the Obama team's health care policy working group, tasked with determining how to translate Obama's priorities into specific policy proposals.
For more on Daschle's career, see his Almanac of American Politics profile here.
By MARY GILBERT
Barack Obama has pledged to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay as president. But as several legal experts pointed out this morning in an online seminar sponsored by the American Security Project, that will not begin to address the litany of legal questions surrounding the war on terrorism that the new administration will be forced to grapple with starting January 20.
ASP Senior Fellow Bernard I. Finel, a former U.S. National War College professor; Anthony Clark Arend of Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service; and Damon A. Terrill, former Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State, have each released new policy papers on what the next president and Congress must do to restore a commitment to the rule of law in America's foreign policy. Terrill writes, and Finel and Arend agree, that the Bush administration "has undermined both the reality and perception of America's decades-old commitment to the rule of law and the values upon which it rests." This, they say, has damaged America's reputation abroad, weakened the country and made Americans less safe.
Obama must take both short- and long-term steps to begin to address the legal questions surrounding detainees, interrogation methods, military tribunals, wiretapping, and the targeting of terrorists abroad, they argue.
Terrill pointed out today that the new administration's first step should be to clarify where the law stands on these issues. He argued that the Bush team's use of executive orders and classified legal opinions has obscured the meaning of the current body of law, even for those within the government. There should be a comprehensive review process led by the National Security Council to determine what the law currently says and how it should be revised, he said.
Arend maintained that, as soon as Obama takes office -- preferably in his inaugural address -- he should issue a general policy pronouncement stating that the nation's approach to these issues will change immediately. Arend suggested three concrete steps Obama could take to signal his commitment to changing direction: closing Guantanamo, issuing an executive order saying that the intelligence community will be bound by the Army Field Manual rules for interrogation, and repealing the Military Commissions Act, which governs the trials of enemy combatants. Finally, Arend said he would like to see Obama create a bipartisan task force to determine how the U.S. should proceed on these issues in the future.
Arend pointed out that these are areas where existing international law is not fully formed. The Geneva Convention, for example, was written with traditional conflicts in mind -- wars with a clear beginning and end -- and it does not address how government should deal with non-state actors such as "enemy combatants." Finel said that the U.S. must not only figure out what to do with the detainees left in Guantanamo now -- how to try, sentence, continue to detain or release them -- but also must create a more legitimate legal framework for detaining suspected terrorists in the future.
All three policy papers are available on ASP's Web site.
By ROBERT BRODSKY, Government Executive
Barack Obama's transition team last week released a more extensive list of agency review team leaders to conduct detailed examinations of government agencies, departments, commissions and the White House. The teams include many well-known and experienced government hands.
The experience of team leaders inside their particular agencies could be an asset that allows them to hit the ground running, said Mark Roth, general counsel for the American Federation of Government Employees.
In previous transitions, some review teams approached their tasks as management audits, conducting top-down examinations and learning virtually from scratch about agency operations, Roth said. But many of the Obama team leads need no such refresher course. Rather than spending their time huddled up with current agency directors, Roth expects review teams to spend their time directly engaging with front-line employees and addressing their key concerns.
"The [team leads] have a unique front-line perspective and will be able to provide a 360-degree view of everything," he said. "They know what to look for."
The review teams began their work on Monday, and are expected to provide detailed reports to the Obama transition team prior to the Jan. 20 inauguration.
Continue reading Observers Expect Bottom-Up Approach To Agency Reviews.
By AMY HARDER
President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly "informally" offered the attorney general position to Washington lawyer Eric Holder, who has "informally" accepted. Even though there has been no official announcement as of this posting, the law blogosphere is buzzing.
The Wall Street Journal's law blog reports that names like Scooter Libby and Marc Rich will resurface quickly in light of this news. Holder signed off on President Bill Clinton's pardon of billionaire Rich, who had been represented by Libby for nearly a dozen years, the blog notes.
The Sentencing Law and Policy blog also discusses the pardon aspect of Holder's candidacy. Ohio State University professor Douglas A. Berman writes that while he's not "especially excited to learn that Obama's concept of hope and change for DOJ seems to involve the promotion of a former Clinton Administration high ranking DOJ official," he is going to keep an "open mind."
The Legal Times' blog acknowledges that while Holder does come "with some baggage," it's "probably not enough to jeopardize his nomination."
At the right-leaning Volokh Conspiracy blog, George Washington University professor Orin Kerr calls Holder a "very good pick." Reflecting on his time in the Justice Department, Kerr remembers Holder as being "smart and professional."
Meanwhile, TalkLeft has a series of posts on Holder's criminal justice record.
By BARA VAIDA
Barack Obama released reams of policy priorities along the campaign trail, from energy, to health care reform, to education, to ending the war in Iraq. Rescuing the economy from recession comes first, but lobbyists have been wondering in what sequence the rest of Obama's priorities will head to Congress.
Among those who will help with those priorities are experts lending their know-how to the Obama congressional affairs transition team. The congressional aides chosen by Obama and his transition directors to plot strategy before Jan. 20 are names to know on K Street -- and elsewhere around Washington.
An e-mail circulating Tuesday named the as-yet unannounced team of aides who are working with his newly designated White House lobbyist, Phil Schiliro. Helping Obama from the House: Dan Turton, a longtime aide to former Rep. Richard Gephardt, D-Mo., and majority staff director for the House Rules Committee (Turton was once a Timmons & Co. lobbyist); John Michael Gonzalez, chief of staff to Rep. Melissa Bean, D-Ill., who stands tall on the talent scorecard kept by Obama's designated White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel; Rob Nabors, majority staff director for the House Appropriations Committee, and a former Office of Management and Budget analyst during the Clinton years; Dana Gresham, chief of staff to Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala.; and Denise Wilson, professional staff member for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (Schiliro's former world).
And helping from the Senate: Paul Bock, longtime chief of staff for Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisc.; Ron Weich, chief counsel to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; Sean Kennedy, chief of staff to Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. (Kennedy was once a lobbyist for AT&T Services); Jennifer Duck, once an aide to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and now with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; and Ed Pagano, chief of staff to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
Sens. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., urged President Bush Tuesday not to embed political appointees in career positions around the government in his final days (Washington Post).
President-elect Barack Obama will likely tighten regulations at agencies that monitor consumer products, environmental policy and workplace safety (Wall Street Journal).
Obama is preparing to tap Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag, a former economic adviser to President Bill Clinton, to become his budget director (National Journal).
Business and labor groups are preparing to put a full-court press on the new president to encourage him to spend billions on major infrastructure projects (Wall Street Journal).
Malia and Sasha Obama toured DC-area private schools with their mother on Tuesday. Schools on the shortlist include Georgetown Day School, and Sidwell Friends, where "Chelsea Clinton attended and where two of Vice president-elect Joe Biden's granddaughters are currently enrolled" (Politico).
National Security Shuffle
If history is any indicator, one of Obama's first acts will be to choose his National Security Council (Washington Post).
Former Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., is reportedly being considered for secretary of Veterans Affairs or secretary of the Army (Washington Times).
Veterans groups and federal unions eagerly await Obama's promise of increased funding for the Veterans Affairs Department (Federal Times).
Holder At Justice?
Obama's first choice for attorney general appears to be Eric Holder, a senior Justice Department official in the Clinton administration who was also on his vice presidential search team (Wall Street Journal).
Holder has been a fierce critic of some of Bush's more controversial policies, including torture and NSA wiretapping (Boston Globe).
Holder's involvement in President Clinton's controversial end-of-term pardon of Marc Rich may tarnish his candidacy (AP).
State Department Drama Continues
An adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said the former first lady is flattered by Obama's offer to make her secretary of State, but has reservations about leaving her Senate post (New York Times).
Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., has asked Clinton to shepherd health care reform through Congress (Los Angeles Times) and she is reportedly considering turning down Obama's offer in favor of taking on this role (Politico).
Bill Clinton has "offered to submit future charitable and business activities to strict ethics reviews" if his wife is tapped to be the next secretary of State (Wall Street Journal).
It Ain't Easy Being Green
Obama guaranteed that the U.S. will slash carbon emissions by 80 percent by mid-century in a video address to a climate conference on Tuesday (Los Angeles Times).
But, one environmental group, Friends of the Earth, already says Obama's agenda isn't green enough (Politico).
By AMY HARDER
Want to partake in the inauguration festivities but feel overwhelmed about planning everything? No need to worry. NationalJournal.com has scoured sites like eBay, craigslist and StubHub to devise an itinerary, prices included.
Getting Here
If you're coming from New York, a post on eBay has tickets going for $200. Watch yourself on the return trip, though: The ad says buses "Start Departing Washington" that evening on a "First Come Basis."
Getting Around Once You're Here
Enjoy the sights of the nation's capital from a Rolls-Royce Phantom. A craigslist poster is offering chauffeur services in this "exotic automobile" for $575 -- an hour.
Accommodations
As everyone already knows, nearly all the hotels are booked. This won't be a problem, though. Judging from online ads, it seems as though every resident in the greater D.C. area is seeking to rent a room or house to visitors. A one-week rental of a one-bedroom apartment in the Courthouse area of Arlington will set you back only $4,000. Feeling a little richer? Then rent out a four-bedroom house near American University for $20,000. Are you feeling substantially poorer and willing to sacrifice housing altogether? Someone is offering a "like new" folding guest bed for a very affordable $35. You could also seek out hotel reservations second-hand. Two-night accommodations at the Fairfield Marriott Inn on New York Ave. NE, via a post on eBay, start at $699. Or, you could shell out $1,999 right now to make sure you've got it.
Party, Party, Party
The large number of parties and galas scheduled for the week surrounding the inauguration will certainly be surpassed only by the number of people seeking to attend them. And you'll want to make sure you don't miss out. You could go to the New Jersey gala for $452. But why do that when you could attend President-elect Barack Obama's own Illinois gala for $1,495? Worried about not getting into these high-profile parties? A post on craigslist implies, more or less, that professional ID cards can be tailor-made to any event, including inauguration festivities. In case you do get rejected from these parties, an eBay post is offering a cruise around the Potomac to enjoy the inaugural fireworks. This would set you back at least $2,000, with no length of cruise specified.
The Golden Ticket
To be sure, we never specified that this itinerary included the actual inauguration tickets, which are under lock and key until just days before the event. So, if you happen to come across any legitimate tickets -- or find that key -- the staff at NationalJournal.com would sure like to know.
By JERRY HAGSTROM, CongressDaily
Two weeks into Barack Obama's transition, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack continues to be the most-discussed candidate for Agriculture secretary, according to farm-savvy sources consulted by National Journal and CongressDaily. The sole opposition to the Vilsack option came from the Organic Consumers Association, which issued a pre-emptive statement criticizing the former governor and 2008 presidential candidate as too enthused about biotechnology interests and too close to Monsanto, the agribusiness seed company.
Initially a diehard Hillary Rodham Clinton supporter during the Democratic primaries after he ended his bid, Vilsack swiftly switched to support Obama once he won the nomination. Vilsack worked the state in which he remains a popular figure and helped Obama's impressive campaign team keep Iowa in the blue column.
By AMY HARDER
The fate of the Employee Free Choice Act under a Barack Obama administration and a Democratic Congress is the hot-button issue among advocacy groups on both sides of the debate.
American Rights At Work, a coalition of labor advocates and progressive organizations like the Sierra Club and the AFL-CIO, started running an ad Sunday that urges Congress to pass the bill, which is designed to make it easier for workers to unionize. Critics contend that the bill's provision eliminating mandatory secret elections for unionization in the workplace would leave employees vulnerable to intimidation and coercion.
Josh Goldstein, a spokesman for American Rights At Work, maintains that the proposal doesn't eliminate the secret ballot option, it simply gives employees the option to recognize a union after a majority of the workers sign a petition, rather than automatically going into a secret ballot election at that point -- which is how the current law stands.
Tim Miller, a spokesman for the Employee Freedom Action Committee, which opposes the law, countered that, in practice, there aren't really two options. Every union organizer would choose not to hold an election, Miller argued, since the employer would have to recognize the union at the 51 percent mark anyway. He compared a union organizer opting for a secret ballot election (under the proposed law) to a politician calling for a revote after he has already won.
Where this will fall on the incoming Congress' and president's agenda is unclear, considering the bigger-picture problems surrounding the financial crisis. Major labor groups, including the AFL-CIO and AFSCME, supported Obama throughout his campaign. This, Miller said, would be the only reason Obama would approve the law soon after taking office. "It would essentially be a payback to the special interest labor unions that funded his campaign down the line," he said.
After the weekend buzz over the possibility of Barack Obama's tapping Hillary Rodham Clinton for secretary of State, Newsweek's "Transition Toteboard" has moved the New York senator up to a 2-1 favorite for the position. Before Monday, Clinton was not even on the short list; the previous front-runners were Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., along with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) and former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke.
Other 2-1 favorites in Newsweek's admittedly "unscientific" calculations: former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers to regain his old job; Defense Secretary Robert Gates to remain at his current post; and former Deputy AG Eric Holder to become the nation's first black attorney general. Additional possibilities being floated by the magazine's staff include Colin Powell for secretary of Education, Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris for secretary of Energy, and New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly or Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton for Homeland Security secretary.
UPDATE: Newsweek's Michael Isikoff is now reporting that Eric Holder will be Obama's choice for attorney general, citing "two legal sources close to the presidential transition."
By ALEXIS SIMENDINGER
(Credit: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to tap Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag, once a veteran economic adviser in the Clinton White House, to become his budget director, according to several National Journal sources. The Office of Management and Budget job -- seen as a key post to help Obama deliver on his domestic policy agenda amidst the gloom of a $700 billion federal financial rescue, a recession and the prospects of a $1 trillion deficit next year -- carries Cabinet rank. An announcement is expected soon, but could come with other personnel decisions Obama is making to lead the Treasury Department and National Economic Council in his White House.
The two leading candidates to become Obama's "honest broker" lead at the NEC are Dan Tarullo and Jacob "Jack" Lew, both respected former members of Bill Clinton's deep economic bench. Both have senior government and academic track records. Tarullo, a former assistant to the president for international economic policy, is coordinating part of Obama's economic transition team. Lew, a former OMB director and former executive vice president at New York University, heads Citigroup's alternative investments group.
Informed sources report that economist Doug Elmendorf is expected to be the Democrats' choice on Capitol Hill to succeed Orszag at CBO. Elmendorf has worked at the Federal Reserve, Treasury, the White House Council of Economic Advisers and CBO, and succeeded Orszag as head of the Brookings Institution's economic-policy initiative called the Hamilton Project.
Orszag, who will turn 40 on Dec. 16, has been praised by lawmakers from both parties as an objective analyst with deep knowledge of the most pressing fiscal issues of the day, including health care policy, Social Security, pensions, and global climate change. He is the unusual economist who blends an understanding of politics, policy and communications in ways that wrap zesty quotes around complex ideas. If confirmed by the Senate to move to OMB, Orszag will have completed half of his four-year CBO term. Orszag, a father of two school-age children and an avid runner, holds degrees from Princeton University and the London School of Economics. The National Academies of Sciences' Institute of Medicine recently made him a member.
By MARY GILBERT
President-elect Barack Obama and the expanded Democratic majority on Capitol Hill face a "paradox" as they begin their tenure, according to Bill Galston and Elaine Kamarck, authors of a new policy paper, "Change You Can Believe In Needs A Government You Can Trust," released today by Third Way, a Washington think tank. While Americans have high expectations of the new administration, particularly when it comes to fixing the economic crisis, they are also deeply skeptical of government's ability to solve the country's problems, Galston and Kamarck write: "There is nothing new about this ambivalence, but how the next president deals with it may make the difference between success and failure" for a progressive agenda.
Galston, who served as deputy assistant on domestic policy to Bill Clinton from 1992 to 1993, and Kamarck, a senior policy adviser to Vice President Al Gore, said they learned their lesson about public trust the hard way. While Clinton "made the problem of public trust in government a central thrust" of his 1992 presidential campaign, he "relegated" it "to the back burner" in 1993 and 1994, a move that the authors argue led to the failure of his health care reform legislation. Their goal with this report is to help the president-elect and Democratic leaders in Congress avoid the same mistake.
Despite the notion that the Democrats won a mandate in this election, Kamarck emphasized that skepticism is a deeply ingrained characteristic of the American electorate and that trust in government does not automatically rise with the election of a new administration. In fact, an October survey found that public confidence in government is at an all-time low, according to the paper. Just 17 percent of people now say that they have confidence in the government to do the right thing most or all of the time. "Trust shapes the limits of political possibilities," the authors explain, and going into January, it seems that the new administration will be constrained by this unprecedented lack of faith from the American people.
So what can Obama do to combat this? Galston and Kamarck outline what they call a "trust strategy" that the new administration should employ. First, the new administration must understand the obstacle it faces and communicate to the American people that their fears are justified. "Employ a narrative that acknowledges the trust deficit and signals to Americans that the new leaders understand and will effectively address their misgivings," they write. Second, the administration should unveil short- and long-term plans to clean up government. Third, Obama's team must pay attention to policy design and implementation to ensure that it communicates principles of transparency and simplicity. And finally, Democrats must move on their agenda "strategically and sequentially to ring up early successes."
The authors emphasized that the paper is not an argument against change. "The issue is not boldness versus caution," Galston explained. The issue is "where to be bold and where to be bold first."
Specifically, the authors characterized the events of the last two months as the nation's "economic 9/11" and said that fiscal policy is the one area where Americans want to see the new president to do whatever it takes to stop the immediate crisis. Moving on a stimulus package has to be Obama's first priority, they said; bold and effective action on fixing the economy could serve as the administration's first trust-building endeavor. If Obama can get that right, he may gain enough credibility to then move on to other priorities, such as health care reform and a new energy policy. But the sequence is what is most important, the authors insist, and any initiative not directly related to economic growth will have to be rolled out carefully.
Galston and Kamarck remain optimistic that public faith in the efficacy of the federal government can be restored, but they maintain that "trust must be continually earned" by national leaders, particularly the president.
Read the full report here [PDF].
President-elect Barack Obama this morning spoke via video at the Governors' Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles, reiterating promises he made on the campaign trail to invest in clean energy technologies and establish a federal cap-and-trade system. In attendance were Govs. Rod Blagojevich (D) of Illinois, Charlie Crist (R) of Florida, Jim Doyle (D) of Wisconsin, Kathleen Sebelius (D) of Kansas and host Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) of California. Officials from other countries -- including India and China -- were present as well, according to a press release from the transition team.
Referring to the upcoming round of U.N. climate talks in Poznan, Poland, Obama said that while he would not be taking part, he has asked unspecified members of Congress who are attending "as observers to report back to me on what they learn there." He reiterated his point that the science behind global warming is "beyond dispute and the facts are clear," and he told the assembled officials that "any governor who's willing to promote clean energy will have a partner in the White House.... And any nation that's willing to join the cause of combating climate change will have an ally in the United States of America."
Video available after the jump.
Last week, we noted the presence of former campaign bundlers for Barack Obama on his transition team, including some who had raised over a half-million dollars during the race.
Now, Public Citizen's Becoming 44 blog has posted a chart detailing exactly which bundlers have been tapped for the transition, what area they're working in and how much money they raised during the campaign. Becoming 44 has so far identified seven members of the team who broke the 500K mark, with another dozen who bundled less than that.
By SHANE HARRIS
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., on Monday evening took a serious bargaining chip off the table in the committee's ongoing efforts to reveal secret Bush administration terrorism policies.
The committee has "postponed the return date" of a subpoena for Justice Department legal opinions that undergird the Bush administration's most controversial counterterrorism policies, including interrogation, detention and surveillance. The subpoena had been served on Attorney General Michael Mukasey and commanded him to "provide the legal advice issued by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel" regarding those policies, Leahy's office said in a statement.
But now, it's not clear when those documents will be turned over. What's changed?
A committee staff member said on background, "This a committee-authorized and committee-issued subpoena. It's committee business. It's a subpoena to the current administration, and was issued before the election."
The postponement removes a significant check on the executive branch. Leahy said in a statement, "We still don't know the full scope of these ill-advised policies." But as for President-elect Barack Obama and his new team, Leahy said, "I am fully confident that the remaining OLC documents will be reviewed under the new administration."
No deadline, no demand. Even though the committee has not rescinded the subpoena, it's unclear what leverage lawmakers now have over the incoming administration, or whether they intend to force the release of the OLC documents at all.
As National Journal reported recently, the OLC documents in question are classified opinions that the Obama administration is presumably reviewing very carefully.
The full text of the committee statement follows after the jump.
Continue reading Senate Judiciary Committee Postpones Counterterrorism Subpoena.
By AMY HARDER
More than 20 national security experts, including officials from the Homeland Security and Defense departments, will convene Wednesday and Thursday to discuss how President-elect Barack Obama's administration should confront the county's myriad domestic security issues.
Hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the two-day conference features six panels on topics such as disaster response, infrastructure protection, the National Guard's role and department oversight. Speakers include Paul McHale, assistant secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs; Mike Hickey, vice president of Verizon and chair of the Communications Sector Coordinating Council; and Col. Leslie J. Carroll, deputy chief of staff for operations in the U.S. Army Reserve Command. A representative from the transition team at DHS will also be attending, although the specific person has not yet been confirmed.
Ethan Wais, a spokesman for CSIS, said he expects nearly 250 people to attend the conference, which has reached the maximum number of participants. NationalJournal.com will be covering the event at the CSIS office on K Street. Check back later this week for more.
President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., met in Chicago Monday and pledged to work together to find common ground after a "productive conversation" (Politico).
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., a top contender for Obama's Senate seat, said he doesn't think "it's that important at all" that the vacancy be filled by an African-American (Roll Call -- subscription).
Foreign Affairs
President-elect Obama must prepare the military for three big challenges -- Islamic extremism, the rise of China and more nuclear-armed powers -- the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments reports (GovExec).
Obama has called Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to assure the tiny nation, an object of Moscow's ire, that it has Washington's continued support (Reuters).
Making His Mark
Obama will get the chance early on in his presidency to weigh in on issues surrounding presidential power and civil liberties (New York Times).
Obama is hoping to fill more than 300 technology positions that are presidentially appointed (NextGov).
The president-elect and congressional Democrats will likely get to decide how to divvy up the second half of the $700 billion federal bailout package (The Hill).
As Obama prepares to take office, the stars may be aligning for universal health care (Los Angeles Times).
Secretary of State Sweepstakes
If Obama taps Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., for secretary of State, he risks alienating Democrats like Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (Washington Times).
The possibility of Secretary of State Clinton is all the more interesting because foreign policy is the area she and Obama clashed the most over during the primaries (Boston Globe).
Former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke is pushing his own candidacy for secretary of State (Los Angeles Times).
The Inner Circle
Obama's White House team is being filled with pugnacious characters, despite the president-elect's own distaste for drama (New York Times).
An unpaid Obama transition adviser, Thomas E. Donilon, earned millions lobbying against increased oversight of troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae (Washington Times).
Obama talked of bringing a fresh perspective to Washington, but the president-elect is surrounding himself with plenty of Hill insiders, such as Rahm Emanuel and Pete Rouse (Washington Post).
The vetting process has become so intense that some potential Obama appointees hired lawyers in the spring and summer to "pre-vet" them and dig up any old skeletons (Washington Post).
Inauguration Fever
The congressional committee overseeing the inauguration is exploring options to expand the number of people who will be able to attend the Jan. 20 swearing-in (New York Times).
The estimated number of attendees for January's inauguration is now pushing 4 million (Washington Post).
Mr. Obama Goes To Washington
After Rev. Jeremiah Wright put a dent in Obama's candidacy during the primaries, the president-elect's church choice is "likely to be scrutinized" (AP).
The Clintons cut Chelsea off from media access, President Kennedy welcomed it for his two children, and the Obamas will likely fall somewhere in between for Malia and Sasha (Los Angeles Times).
By KIRK VICTOR
When Barack Obama tries to move his legislative agenda as president, his biggest hurdle will be in the Senate, where a determined minority can be a roadblock. Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., will be one of the key players in determining when GOP legislators should work with the new president and when they should resist his initiatives.
Kyl recently spoke to National Journal about the challenges of keeping Republicans on the same page as they work on a game plan for responding to an Obama administration. Edited excerpts follow.
NJ: Given the level of partisanship and the fact that Senator Obama is perceived as a liberal, is it inevitable that we will have more conflict during his presidency?
Kyl: I think so. I hate to be quoted on that because then it sounds like I am trying to promote it. But answering you honestly, I just have a feeling that that, unfortunately, is the way it is going to be. But it will all depend on him. [There will be battles] if the Democratic leaders and Barack Obama make the same mistake that has been made in the past when, for example, Bill Clinton came in. They had been out in the wilderness all these years. They get in [and say], "By God, we are going to really advance our agenda now." They came out with Hillary Care and the rest of it. Two years later, they were in shambles because they overreached.And you saw our liberal colleagues in the Senate and House overreach several times in the last couple of years. They are very capable of doing that. If they go after things like card check [legislation for unions] and the fairness doctrine [for broadcasters] or some big tax increase or get out of Iraq immediately, that is likely to unify Republicans, create great anxiety in the body politic, and potentially pave the way for Republicans to make a quicker comeback than might otherwise be the case.
I am not in the mood of giving them advice -- and they wouldn't take it, in any event -- but I have always admired the way Ted Kennedy does things. He is always willing to take 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent, he'd take whatever you'd give him and he'd bank it, and boy, after a few years [he'd] have a lot of percents. He has really mastered the art of legislating. If [the Democrats] are going to be successful, they are going to have to do it in baby steps. Otherwise, they are going to scare the American people and they are going to unify the Republicans.
Adhering to its reputation as the first digital campaign, President-elect Barack Obama's team took to the Web for another innovation this weekend -- the first presidential YouTube address. Obama recorded a video version of the weekly Democratic radio address that was posted on the popular Internet video site Saturday, a trend his advisers say will continue once he enters the White House in January. "This is just one of many ways that President-elect Obama will communicate directly with the American people and make the White House and the political process more transparent," a press release said.
On the day that leaders of the Group of 20 nations convened in Washington for a summit on the global economic crisis, Obama used his video to discuss the economic situation here at home. "Make no mistake: This is the greatest economic challenge of our times," the president-elect told viewers and listeners. But he also expressed confidence that the country can recover. "I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis -- because here in America we always rise to the moment, no matter how hard. And I am more hopeful than ever that America will rise once again."
By JAMES KITFIELD
Few experts in Washington are more steeped in their disciplines than arms control advocate Joseph Cirincione, the president of the Ploughshares Fund, the author of Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons, and an expert adviser to the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, chaired by former Secretary of Defense William Perry and former Secretary of Energy and Defense James Schlesinger. Though he also served as an informal adviser to the Obama campaign, Cirincione stressed that the opinions shared in this interview are strictly his own.
NJ: Do you agree with those who argue that the Obama administration should move quickly to open negotiations with Russia on further reductions in nuclear arms, as he suggested during the campaign?
Cirincione: Absolutely. Transforming U.S. nuclear weapons policy would accomplish numerous goals for the new president. First, it would represent an early political victory, because there is now a broad, bipartisan consensus for fundamentally changing our nuclear posture. That includes drastically reducing the size of our nuclear arsenal, ratifying the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and reining in nuclear proliferation. Secondly, such an initiative would make our country more secure, not less. Finally, it would save tens of billions of dollars that could pay for some of the other military bills coming due.
NJ: You say there is a broad consensus, but aren't there still strong opponents in Congress for ratifying the CTBT and reducing our nuclear arsenal dramatically?
Cirincione: There is a core of between 20 to 25 percent of congressional Republicans on the very right who will go nuts over anything [Barack] Obama does to address our nuclear posture. The good news is there is somewhere between 75 to 80 percent of those in Congress who will support each of the steps I just outlined, including a significant number of more moderate Republicans. Remember, as a presidential candidate Senator John McCain also supported many of these same steps.
Continue reading President Obama Will Have Opening On Arms Initiatives.
The much-hyped G-20 summit accomplished little this weekend, as foreign leaders seemed content to defer action until a new administration is up and running (Politico).
President-elect Barack Obama may have resigned his Senate seat, but he's bringing a number of key aides from his Capitol Hill days to the White House (AP).
John Podesta, a leader of Obama's transition team, has experience fighting scandals and managing competing agendas, thanks to his time in Bill Clinton's White House (AP).
Team of Rivals
Emulating Abraham Lincoln's "team of rivals" approach, Obama is reaching out to primary opponents Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) about possibly playing a role in his administration (USA Today).
As Obama vets Clinton for the secretary of State position, the transition team is also looking into former President Clinton's business dealings to see what conflicts of interest they might pose (New York Times).
The odds of Defense Secretary Robert Gates staying on the job are higher if Hillary Clinton is tapped to be secretary of State, Democratic and Republican observers say (Bloomberg News).
Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., meet in Chicago today to discuss how they can collaborate going forward (AP).
Tending the Base
Eager to influence Obama's first 100 days, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a "motley crew of corporations and environmental campaigners," is pushing for more legislation to curb global warming (Wall Street Journal).
Obama has a lot of work to do boosting the morale of nearly 2 million federal employees who say they feel lost after eight years under President Bush (Washington Post).
The president-elect started a charm offensive with federal employees in October when he was still searching for votes (Washington Post).
California lawmakers are already forwarding the president-elect their wish lists for his presidency, ranging from universal health care down to new storm drains for Long Beach (Los Angeles Times).
Stressing National Security, Defense
One of Obama's first priorities during the transition period is selecting a national security team, he said in an interview with 60 Minutes Sunday (AP).
Obama has already said that he needs to earn the military's respect, starting with following through on his promise to raise salaries and end the war in Iraq (Army Times).
The new administration is treading carefully vis a vis the Department of Homeland Security, a $40 billion, 200,000-worker bureaucracy that is in many ways still being shaped (Washington Post).
The Center for New American Security is developing into a favorite well of talent for the Obama administration (Wall Street Journal).
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that, despite differences over a proposed missile shield, he expects relations between the two powers to thaw under a President Obama (Wall Street Journal).
Inauguration Scramble
The demand for inauguration tickets has been so great that many lawmakers are no longer accepting constituent requests (AP).
While congressmen are allotted a few hundred tickets for their constituents, there are few rules instructing lawmakers on how they must distribute those passes (AP).
Lighter Side
Michelle Obama hopes the White House will be "full of life and energy" with two young children -- and a puppy -- running around, she said in a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday night (The Hill).
Obama will surrender his beloved BlackBerry in January because of the Presidential Records Act and security concerns (New York Times).
Obama is enjoying his last few weeks of "normalcy," hitting the gym, spending time with his daughters and planning the family's annual Christmas-time trip to Hawaii (AP).
Barack Obama has drawn praise for establishing rigorous ethics rules to govern the formation of his transition team. But as National Journal's Eliza Newlin Carney notes in this week's "Rules Of The Game" column, these rules have not kept the team entirely free of big-money influences:
At least half a dozen of Obama's new transition team leaders were among the top fundraisers who "bundled" cash for him on the campaign trail. Three of them pulled in $500,000 or more as Obama bundlers -- Julius Genachowski, co-founder and managing director of Rock Creek Ventures; Donald Gips, vice president at the technology firm Level 3 Communications; and Thomas J. Perrelli, a lawyer with Jenner & Block.
"Any time you see these people who brought in half a million dollars to the campaign being appointed to government service, it's a red flag," said Craig Holman, legislative representative at Public Citizen, which is tracking Obama appointments on its new Web site. One of every four of President Bush's bundlers ended up in a government post, Holman noted, a performance he hopes Obama will not repeat.
Carney's full column is available here.
Former Rep. David Bonior, D-Mich., considered a top contender for Labor secretary in the Obama administration, said today he does not want the job. "I have other things to do," said Bonior, a member of President-elect Obama's economic transition team. "There are wonderful, qualified people who can fill [the job], but at this time in my life it's not me."
Bonior said he spoke with Obama transition chief John Podesta and recommended that American Rights at Work Executive Director Mary Beth Maxwell get the job. "She would be fabulous," he said. Bonior chairs the labor-advocacy group, which is pushing so-called card check legislation.
The group today announced a three-week ad campaign on cable TV networks aimed at building support for the bill, which would allow workers to unionize if a majority signed authorization cards. The ads are the opening salvo in what is shaping up to be an expensive fight between organized labor and business interests.
By MARY GILBERT
The second installment in our series looking at the Center for American Progress and the New Democracy Project's "blueprint" for the incoming administration focuses on the Department of Education. In one chapter from CAP's "Change For America: A Progressive Blueprint For The 44th President," former DOE General Counsel and Deputy Undersecretary Judith A. Winston advises Barack Obama on how to ensure "that a high-quality, affordable, and accessible education is available to all at every level from preschool through college."
Winston's recommendations include the following:
Continue reading CAP's 'Blueprint' For Obama: Improving Education.
By AMY HARDER
American Rights At Work, a coalition of labor advocates and progressive organizations like the Sierra Club and the AFL-CIO, is launching a nationwide TV ad on Sunday urging the incoming Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
This legislation, which has elicited a heated debate on both sides of the political spectrum throughout the election, would make it easier for workers to form unions. Critics argue that one provision of the bill, which would get rid of mandatory secret elections when employees are deciding whether or not to unionize, would leave employees vulnerable to intimidation and coercion.
With a Democratic majority in both chambers and President-elect Barack Obama having come out in support of the legislation, the group hopes the bill gains traction and passes early in the next session. "This needs to be a top priority in the new Congress and administration," said spokesman Josh Goldstein. "This ad couldn't have come earlier enough."
The ad will run nationwide for three weeks on CNN, MSNBC and Headline News, and on broadcast cable during political talk shows.
Check back next week for more on the push for the Employee Free Choice Act.
By KEVIN FRIEDL
Days after the Obama transition team named the review panels that will oversee its coordination with the departments of State, Defense and the Treasury, it has followed up for the rest of the departments.
The list of names, which tops 100 people, is something of a data dump, coming as it does at the end of the weekly news cycle. But a quick scan finds the list nearly as heavy with former Clintonistas (Dawn Johnsen, Ivo Daalder) as the State, Treasury and Defense hirings. Another group earning representation on the list: former Obama campaign bundlers, including Don Beyer, Don Gips and Tom Perrelli, each of whom has raised at least $500,000 for Obama.
Overseeing the overseers are the members of Obama's transition working group. Among them: Reed Hundt, FCC chairman during much of the '90s; Seth Harris, who worked on labor policy for the campaign; David J. Hayes, deputy secretary of the Interior under President Clinton; Ray Rivera, former political director for AFSCME; and Louisa Terrell, formerly of Yahoo.
Complete memo after the jump.
Continue reading More Names Emerge To Guide Department Transitions.
By ANDREW NOYES
Academics, industry executives, congressional aides and high-profile attorneys are among those whose names are swirling as potential candidates for the high-level White House job to oversee government-wide anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting efforts in the Obama administration.
The position was written into a broader intellectual property bill sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and ranking member Arlen Specter, R-Penn., along with Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio. President Bush signed the legislation last month.
Leahy will offer a list of names to Obama's transition team, but the post is viewed as "second-tier" -- one that will be addressed after Cabinet and other major nominations are made. Leahy's picks will be "pretty weighty," one source said, noting that he was one of several senators to endorse Barack Obama over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., early in the Democratic primaries.
By AMY HARDER
President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will meet Monday in Chicago, according to a statement issued by Obama transition spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter.
The two election opponents will discuss ways to "work together" in shaping a "more effective and efficient government," Cutter said. McCain ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel will also attend the meeting.
Accompanying this week's National Journal cover story on the Obama team's possible allies in Congress is a piece by Will Englund questioning whether there might be a downside to such cross-branch incestuousness.
Already, Barack Obama is shaping the most Congress-ready administration in memory, and maybe ever. It starts at the top -- the president, vice president, and chief of staff are all moving directly from Capitol Hill -- and it is a virtual certainty that a whole raft of key positions, from Cabinet secretaries on down, will end up with tenants from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.The transition team, especially, is heavy with congressional expertise. Although the administration will probably be more diverse than the transition staff, the reliance on House and Senate aides at this point could help the White House get out of the gate in January without stumbling.
Or at least stumbling in familiar ways.
The complete story, available for a limited time to non-subscribers, can be read here.
Changing Of The Guard
Foreign leaders have beat down President-elect Barack Obama's door offering advice since his election, from invitations to visit their countries to suggestions on how to change American policy (New York Times).
At transition headquarters on Sixth Street, "Clintonites are everywhere" (Politico).
"Life for the newly chosen president and his family has changed forever" and the security constraints being put on the Obamas are considerable (New York Times).
Obama has cobbled together a diverse team of economic advisers, including "fair traders, deficit hawks, Wall Street executives, corporate moguls and labor advocates" (Washington Post).
"Bundlers who raised millions of dollars for" Obama's "White House bid are starting to land significant posts on his transition team" (Washington Post).
"The most talked-about tech job in government" -- the new technology czar post -- "is one that never before existed" (Los Angeles Times). But Obama is remaining mum on what that position will look like (Washington Post).
"Two well-known names in education -- Washington education lawyer Judith Winston and Stanford University education professor Linda Darling-Hammond -- are heading President-elect Barack Obama's transition team at the Education Department" (Wall Street Journal).
Obama is considering naming an "auto czar" to help with the crises at the Big Three automakers (Boston Globe).
Handicapping The Field
Hillary Rodham Clinton's name is increasingly being used in the same sentence as "Secretary of State" (Politico).
Intense backlash from women's groups may have knocked Larry Summers, who was canned at Harvard in part because of controversial comments he made about women in the sciences, off the short-list for Treasury secretary (Politico).
New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D), a former head of Goldman Sachs, is being considered for the top job at the Treasury Department (Wall Street Journal).
By a 3-1 margin, economists say Obama should keep Ben Bernanke at the helm of the Federal Reserve after his term expires in 2010 (Wall Street Journal).
Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean is apparently out of the running for Health and Human Services secretary (Politico).
Meet You In The Lobby
The pharmaceutical lobby is planning a TV ad blitz to counter Obama's expected push to
