EARLYBIRD

Friday, December 5, 2008 8:30 AM

Top Transition News - 12/5

President-elect Barack Obama is stocking his Cabinet at record pace, filling 13 of the 24 most important jobs in a new administration. By this time in their transitions, former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had made appointments to just two of those slots, and former President Bill Clinton had made just one (New York Times).

There are few choice top positions left in the new administration, leaving Obama team hopefuls to focus on "powerful, lower-profile sub-Cabinet positions" (Politico).

As chief trade negotiator, Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., would bring his credentials as a "defender of workers' rights and as a skeptic of trade agreements," but like Eric Holder, he has a pardon problem from the waning days of the Clinton administration that could come back to haunt him (New York Times).

Not everyone in the Obama camp is happy with the direction his grassroots campaign network is being taken in post-election (Los Angeles Times).

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said he does not want to be the next secretary of Education (AP). Meanwhile, Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan was spotted chatting with outgoing Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, though he characterized the exchange as purely social (AP).

Problems at the Food and Drug Administration are fueling a struggle over who should be next to lead the troubled agency (Wall Street Journal).

President Bush has purchased a home in a tony North Dallas neighborhood, where he and Laura will reside after Jan. 20 (AP).

On The Agenda

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, Obama's choice for secretary of Homeland Security, is expected to make immigration a top priority, given her experience as a southwestern governor (Federal Times).

Defense Secretary Robert Gates writes in a newly published article that the military is obsessed with conventional weapons and needs to invest more money in tools designed to fight guerrilla insurgencies (Boston Globe).

The leader of U.S. Strategic Command warned that Obama must focus on modernizing the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile to keep pace with China and Russia (Washington Post).

In addition to leading health care reform (Wall Street Journal), former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., will need to overhaul the FDA and make changes to Medicare and Medicaid if he is tapped for Heath and Human Services secretary, as is widely expected (Federal Times).

Obama's transition team met with 2,500 grassroots leaders in Washington on Thursday, which organizers said fulfilled a campaign pledge to reach out to community groups after Election Day (Washington Post).

Inauguration Conflagration

The entire mall will be opened on Inauguration Day to accommodate the record numbers of attendees expected and allowing even those without a coveted ticket a direct line of sight to the swearing-in (New York Times).

Souvenir retailers are gearing up for what promises to be the most profitable inauguration in recent memory, throwing Obama's face on everything from hot sauce bottles to "Hope on a Rope" soap (NationalJournal.com).

DC police are worried they may not have the manpower to handle a recent city council decision to let bars stay open until 5 a.m. in the days surrounding the inauguration (Washington Post).

A faith-based charitable organization, the Stafford Foundation, is footing the bill to bring hundreds of disadvantaged people to Washington for the inauguration (Washington Post).

Latino groups are hoping they get the go-ahead for a Latino inaugural ball, which they say would be a nice "thank you" for their help electing Obama (Politico).