The Obama camp announced new lobbying guidelines for the transition period Tuesday, which, while harsh, fall short of the draconian measures he promised to implement during the campaign (Boston Globe).
President-elect Barack Obama will favor less government contracting and more transparency and oversight (Federal Times).
Obama is hoping to "green" the federal government, including replacing the White House fleet with plug-in vehicles within one year (Federal Times).
Obama's transition director, John Podesta, called White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten to defuse tensions after the Democrat's camp apparently leaked the details of a private meeting between 43 and 44 (Roll Call -- subscription).
Obama's transition efforts will cost $12 million and consume the efforts of 450 staffers (Wall Street Journal).
"The issues pages of the official Obama-Biden transition Web site, change.gov, recently went missing and were replaced by a general statement of priorities" (New York Times).
The Short List
Minority groups are calling for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) to be made secretary of state and an African-American to take over Obama's Senate seat (The Hill).
However, now that "we have a black Branch Rickey" in Obama, there may be less pressure to assemble a minority-laden Cabinet (Politico).
Obama wants the Senate to confirm his appointees quicker than usual so that they can address the economy and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Reuters).
Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean has been coy about murmurs that he could be the next secretary of health and human services (Politico).
Obama is looking for a "high-profile point person to oversee reforms in the ailing auto industry," according to aides (Politico).
With President-elect Obama waiting in the wings, leaders at the G-20 summit are not likely to commit to much (Wall Street Journal).
Foreign leaders in town for the G-20 summit this week are clamoring to meet with Obama, and the president-elect's refusal to do so has been at times an awkward dance (New York Times).
Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and CIA Director Michael V. Hayden both expect to lose their jobs under Obama (Washington Post).
Former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, widely viewed as one of the front-runners to replace Defense Secretary Robert Gates if he does not stay on, is a "long-time student of government management" (NextGov.com).
Obama has tapped former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sam Nunn [D-Ga.] to lead the Pentagon transition (AP).
Change Is Coming
Capitol hotel rooms are nearly all booked for Obama's Jan. 20 inauguration (AP).
Lawmakers are scrambling for coveted office space lost by outgoing congressional Republicans (Politico).
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