Lead The Way
Vice President-elect Joe Biden has chosen veteran Congressional and White House staffer Ron Klain to be his chief of staff, a position Klain also held under former Vice President Al Gore (Roll Call -- subscription).
Barack Obama has tapped former Clinton officials to lead the Treasury, State and Defense Department transitions (New York Times).
Both of the Obama's transition team leaders at the State Department are Clintonites with ties to the "troubled" mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Politico).
The non-profit OMB Watch is encouraging Obama to follow through on his campaign pledge to "develop advanced online capabilities that will make government more transparent and not rely so heavily on the contracting community" (NextGov).
Some observers argue that the rules of presidential succession in the event of a catastrophe require a "long-term strategy that guarantees that a single terrorist strike wouldn't throw the country into a constitutional crisis" (Wall Street Journal).
Despite bipartisan calls for its abolishment, Obama has been silent on his plans for the White House political office, the "nerve center of the sprawling political operations headed up by President Bush adviser Karl Rove" (Politico).
Congress, not content to wait for Sen. Obama to become President-elect Obama, is plowing ahead with legislation on health care and the economy (Los Angeles Times).
Biden and Vice President Dick Cheney will meet today to tour the vice-presidential residence and discuss foreign affairs (AP).
Help Wanted
Out of power for eight years, progressives searching for cherry jobs hailed the release yesterday of the 2008 Plum Book, a "guide to more than 8,000 leadership positions in the executive and legislative branches" (NextGov).
"Several federal agencies overseeing pay, benefits and labor issues have vacancies in upper management, according to the latest edition of the Plum Book, released on Wednesday" (Government Executive).
The questionnaire being distributed to candidates for White House appointments includes a query about whether applicants have ever sent text messages, e-mails or instant messages that could prove embarrassing, just one of several questions that is raising eyebrows about privacy (New York Times).
More than 200,000 job seekers may apply for just 8,000 jobs in the Obama administration (Government Executive).
Handicapping The Field
Mary Nichols, "the savvy negotiator who is leading California's complex effort to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions," is reportedly in the running to be the next EPA head (Los Angeles Times).
Tammy Duckworth, the former Illinois Army National Guard pilot who lost both her legs when her chopper was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, is being mentioned as Obama's possible successor in the Senate or the secretary of Veterans Affairs (Army Times).
Obama is leaning towards tapping Richard Danzig, a former Navy secretary, for Defense secretary, sources tell Army Times.
Potpourri
More sidewalk space will be opened up for spectators during Obama's Inauguration Day parade (Washington Post).
Consumer advocates are warning would-be inauguration attendees to beware of online scams for tickets, which haven't even been printed yet (Los Angeles Times).
Many in India are miffed by a perceived slight from President-elect Obama, who over the weekend spoke with 15 world leaders -- including the leader of Pakistan -- but not with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (Washington Post).
As Obama looks to throw out the Bush administration's environmental playbook, some officials are working to ensure that a "robust collection of energy conservation initiatives that have significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions" aren't tossed out with the bathwater (Government Executive).
Public school is "still a possibility" for the Obama children, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7 (Politico).
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