transition team

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Obamas Can't Check in Early to White House Guest Pad

President-elect told he can't move into official guest house early

(Newser) - Washington's hotels are booked solid for January and the Obamas have joined those struggling to find a place to stay, the New York Times reports. The president-elect and his wife had hoped to move into Blair House, the official White House guest house, in time for the girls to start...

Collapsing Nations Threaten to Be Obama's First Crisis

Imploding world economies would demand tough foreign policy choices

(Newser) - Barack Obama's first major foreign policy crisis threatens to be no less that the complete collapse of a large and unstable nation, Marc Ambinder writes in the Atlantic. The transition team has so far been silent—in public, anyway—on the prospect, but there are indications they are convinced the...

Obama Job Applications Headed for National Archives

Privacy rules will keep much secret, but applying to government does have perils

(Newser) - You know how they say your Facebook page will come back to haunt you? Now imagine if it weren’t just on the Internet, but in the National Archives. That’s the likely destination of personal information submitted by applicants to Barack Obama’s administration, reports Politico. Not to fear,...

Harvard Pals Mastermind Transition
Harvard Pals Mastermind Transition
Dec 5, 2008 2:27 PM CST

Harvard Pals Mastermind Transition

Law school network continues to propel Obama's rise

(Newser) - Barack Obama has tapped his Harvard Law School connections to staff his transition team, with 20 of his classmates among the dozens of grads shaping the next administration, Politico reports. “The numbers seem very large to me,” said one presidential historian (from Princeton) about what looks like the...

Dems: Obama Must Take Charge of Economy Now

There's no time to waste, pols warn

(Newser) - Top Democrats are becoming increasingly frustrated with Barack Obama's reluctance to take charge of the economic crises,  AP reports. The president-elect has consistently said it would be premature for him to dictate solutions to the auto industry's woes, and steer $700 billion in bailout funds, but critics in his...

Ex-Obama Aide Now Helping 'Monster' Hillary

Samantha Power joined State team after slamming Clinton

(Newser) - Samantha Power will have plenty of time to tell Hillary Clinton how she really feels. The former Obama foreign policy adviser, who was forced to resign during the campaign after calling Clinton “a monster,” is now working on the State Department’s transition team, Politico reports. With Clinton...

Transition Time No Sweat for Podesta

30K resumes? Clintons? Veteran juggles it all for Obama

(Newser) - The man in charge of Barack Obama’s transition doesn’t just know where the levers of power are—he practically lives in the engine room. John Podesta is managing his immense task—juggling 30,000 resumes for 8,000 jobs, not to mention some big egos—with surprising calm,...

Gibbs Will Meet the Press
Gibbs Will Meet the Press
Nov 22, 2008 4:56 PM CST

Gibbs Will Meet the Press

Obama taps aide as press secretary, names 2 others for communications

(Newser) - Barack Obama today named Robert Gibbs as White House press secretary, the Washington Times reports. Gibbs, 37, worked for 2 years as an Obama spokesman on the campaign trail and was widely expected to take the job. Well-liked by reporters, Gibbs flared up at times on the campaign and is...

Obama Cabinet Picks: Seasoned and Centrist
 Obama Cabinet Picks: 
  Seasoned and Centrist
analysis
Nov 22, 2008 7:13 AM CST

Obama Cabinet Picks: Seasoned and Centrist

Obama goes for pragmatism over ideology: NY Times

(Newser) - Barack Obama swept into office on a wave of left-wing support, but his appointments thus far point to a centrist governing style, writes David E. Sanger in the New York Times. In choosing Hillary Clinton for secretary of state and Timothy Geithner for Treasury, Obama seems ready to “govern...

Obama Will Wait on 'Don't Ask' Repeal

Wants to prioritize consensus-building; heeds Clinton's mistake

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama plans to wait a bit before pursuing a campaign promise to overturn the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on homosexuals, reports the Washington Times. The new administration may not bring up the ban on gays in the military until 2010, in order...

Obama Team Weighs Streamlined Auto Bankruptcy

A 'prepackaged' plan likely would include government financing, take less time

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s transition team is looking at a streamlined, “prepackaged” bankruptcy for the Big Three automakers, Bloomberg reports. In a “prepack,” the companies already would have financing lined up when they go to court, and would have to reach agreements with banks, workers, and suppliers. The...

Obama Hires Clinton Talent —to Avoid Clinton Mistakes

Hopes experience will smooth transition; Hillary's political team left out

(Newser) - Barack Obama may be considering adding Hillary Clinton to his Cabinet, but his transition already has the feel of that other Clinton politician, Politico reports. Thirty-one of the 47 people named to new jobs so far are staffers who cut their Washington teeth in Bill Clinton's administration. The Obama camp...

Dem Lobbyists Step Up, Prepare to Cash In

High premium on connection to the party in power

(Newser) - As Democrats adjust to controlling all three branches of government, Democratic lobbyists are flying high, reports the Washington Post. Barack Obama's stated resistance to influence-peddling notwithstanding, the trend that took off after control of Congress flipped 2 years ago is gaining speed. “In this climate, Democratic backgrounds are attractive...

Sec. of State Clinton? Talk Heats Up

Top Obama advisors push hard for 'Team of Rivals'

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton is at the top of the very short list for secretary of state in the Obama administration, Politico reports, as buzz on a possible “Team of Rivals” was accelerated by a mysterious "personal" trip Clinton made to Chicago yesterday. While the president-elect’s opinion remains unclear,...

Obama Applicants Go Under Microscope

Seven-page, 63-question form required of job applicants

(Newser) - If you want a job in the Obama administration, be ready to tell all. High-level job applicants must complete a seven-page form that asks for everything from online aliases to traffic tickets that carried a fine of $50 or more, reports the New York Times. The questionnaire appears to reflect...

Obama Team Lays Out 'Strictest' Ethics Rules

Lobbyists, corporations banned from contributing to transition

(Newser) - Barack Obama's transition team has set out what one official called "the strictest, most far-reaching ethics rules of any transition in history,” the Hill reports. Lobbyists, corporations and PACs will be barred from donating funds to the transition operation, and lobbyists on the team won’t be allowed...

Team Obama Woos Ex-Hillary Aide

Ex-campaign chief Solis Doyle weighs post as Cabinet secretary

(Newser) - Barack Obama's transition aides have approached Hillary Clinton's former campaign manager about taking a senior White House post, Democratic officials say. Patti Solis Doyle is considering taking the job, although she worries about the effect it would have on her two young children. She was contacted about possibly becoming Cabinet...

Rubin Won't Take Treasury Post
 Rubin Won't Take Treasury Post 
Nov 6, 2008 2:50 PM CST

Rubin Won't Take Treasury Post

Decision paves the way for another former Secretary, Lawrence Summers

(Newser) - Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, a top economic adviser to Barack Obama during the campaign, will not reprise that Cabinet role in the new administration, Bloomberg reports. “I've spoken with him and told him I'm not interested in going back into government,” Rubin said today. His denial boosts...

Bush, Obama Will Sit Down Monday

Transition moving quickly between president, successor

(Newser) - President George W. Bush will meet with Barack Obama early next week to discuss plans for transition, the Washington Post reports. Obama received his first intelligence briefing this morning, and key staffers have been given expedited security clearances. “We face economic challenges that will not pause to let a...

Close Allies Will Run Obama Transition

Ex-Clinton staffer Podesta, aide Jarrett oversee team

(Newser) - Barack Obama took his first steps toward the White House this morning, announcing the three-person team of confidants that will run his transition activities: John Podesta, a former Clinton chief of staff; Valerie Jarrett, a top campaign adviser; and Pete Rouse, Obama's senatorial chief of staff. The president-elect also named...

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