EARLYBIRD

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 8:30 AM

Top Transition News - 11/19

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).

The Washington Post profiles potential national security advisers, such as Gen. James L. Jones, Obama transition team member Susan E. Rice, and James B. Steinberg, dean of Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Veterans Affairs

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).