Obama Cabinet

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Forget Agriculture&mdash;We Need a Secretary of Food
Forget Agriculture—We Need a Secretary of Food
OPINION
Dec 11, 2008 10:33 AM CST

Forget Agriculture—We Need a Secretary of Food

Take on the corrupt factory farming system, Obama

(Newser) - Once upon a time, more than one-third of Americans worked on farms, and a Department of Agriculture seemed logical. These days just 2% of Americans work the land, and the factory-farm lobby dictates agriculture policy, writes New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. To help remedy the situation, Kristof contends, Barack...

Obama Energy Pick a Nobel Physicist
Obama Energy
Pick a Nobel
Physicist
Dec 10, 2008 5:15 PM CST

Obama Energy Pick a Nobel Physicist

Chu was an early advocate for climate change solutions

(Newser) - Nobel laureate Steven Chu is Barack Obama's nominee for energy secretary, the Wall Street Journal reports. The acclaimed physicist, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, was an early advocate for finding scientific solutions to climate change, and his lab is doing groundbreaking work in developing carbon-neutral sources of energy,...

Gore-Obama Meeting Fuels Job Rumors

But former veep says he wants to keep working from 'outside'

(Newser) - Barack Obama and Joe Biden will meet today with Al Gore just as the transition team is set to choose the key environmental appointments of energy secretary and EPA chief, CNN reports. The meeting in Chicago has triggered speculation that Obama may be considering Gore for a slot in his...

Lefties Yelp Over Obama's Rightward Moves
Lefties Yelp Over Obama's Rightward Moves
ANALYSIS
Dec 8, 2008 11:17 AM CST

Lefties Yelp Over Obama's Rightward Moves

Cabinet positions, backtracking on taxes, Iraq not what some liberals envisioned

(Newser) - The Internet left, a cash cow for Barack Obama’s campaign, is now home to some of his sharper critics, Politico reports. The president-elect seems to be turning down the heat on some red-meat ideas, like a windfall-profits tax on oil companies. And, notes one prominent progressive blogger, “There...

Obama to Tap Shinseki for Veterans Affairs

Ex-general was fired for saying US had to increase troop levels

(Newser) - Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary, the AP reports. Shinseki is the former Army chief of staff who upset his civilian bosses in 2003 when he testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand...

Five Best Jobs Left in Obama Administration
Five Best Jobs Left in Obama Administration
ANALYSIS
Dec 5, 2008 1:12 PM CST

Five Best Jobs Left in Obama Administration

Highest-profile unfilled slots are energy, intelligence positions

(Newser) - State and Defense are taken, but Barack Obama has yet to fill several high-level administration positions. Politico looks at the top five open jobs:
  • Energy Secretary: Sustainable energy will remain a priority, despite the attention the economy will draw away. Key candidates: Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm; Dan Reicher and
...

Richardson Offers Olive Branch to Clintons
Richardson Offers
Olive Branch to Clintons
ANALYSIS
Dec 3, 2008 4:01 PM CST

Richardson Offers Olive Branch to Clintons

Commerce gig seats him next to rival Clinton

(Newser) - Bill Richardson appeared to make a peace offering to the Clintons today in his speech accepting Barack Obama's nomination to be Commerce secretary, writes Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post. Richardson, whose relations with the power couple turned icy after he endorsed Obama in the primaries, objected to the term...

Openly Gay Union Activist on Shortlist for Labor Secretary

Granholm, Sebelius also rumored picks

(Newser) - A gay union leader is on the shortlist for Barack Obama's secretary of labor, the Wall Street Journal reports. Democratic officials have confirmed that Mary Beth Maxwell—who would become the first openly gay Cabinet member in American history if chosen—is being vetted for the position, along with Govs....

Richardson-to-Commerce Pick to be Official Tomorrow

Richardson would lead economic revival policy

(Newser) - President-elect Obama is expected to announce Bill Richardson's appointment as secretary of commerce tomorrow, Reuters reports, the latest in a string of cabinet announcements. In his new role, the New Mexico governor will lead the charge to revive the nation's economy. Richardson will be the first Latino in Obama’s...

They've Begged Off Obama List (But So Did Hillary)

Use a pencil in crossing Powell, McCaskill, Pritzker, others off administration watch list

(Newser) - There is a sizable list of qualified candidates who have expressed no interest in Obama cabinet positions—for now. Noting in the Washington Post that Hillary Clinton once demurred, too, Al Kamen takes a look at a few pols who’ve said no, or haven’t been “approached.”...

After Cheney, a VP Without Portfolio

Once-outspoken Biden content with the back seat

(Newser) - The nation's last two vice presidents loomed large in Washington—Al Gore leading on the environment and technology and Dick Cheney practically a shadow president. But when Joe Biden succeeds arguably the most powerful No. 2 in American history, the job is expected to shrink back to its original size....

Politically, Geithner's a Mystery
Politically, Geithner's a Mystery
Nov 24, 2008 12:10 PM CST

Politically, Geithner's a Mystery

Non-Wall St. players know little of would-be Treasury secretary

(Newser) - As the head of the New York Fed, Timothy Geithner is a known quantity in certain circles. But as he starts the process of taking the helm at the Treasury Department, the officials who will vote on his confirmation know surprisingly little about him, reports Politico. “I always worry...

Richardson Picked for Commerce

Former Obama rival had eyed gig at State

(Newser) - Bill Richardson's consolation prize will be commerce secretary, Politico reports, after Hillary Clinton nabbed his desired post at State. The addition of the New Mexico governor brings yet another Clinton veteran to Barack Obama's administration. But Richardson's resume is among the strongest in the party, including stints as energy secretary...

Obama Signals From Sidelines
 Obama Signals From Sidelines 
Nov 23, 2008 11:42 AM CST

Obama Signals From Sidelines

Walks fine line while Bush remains in office

(Newser) - Barack Obama is swiftly filling his Cabinet and outlining the direction of his economic plans, the Los Angeles Times reports, a decisive push unusual for a president-elect. “There's no question that Bush is still president, but people are looking for signs to see what's going to happen going forward,...

NY Fed Prez Lands Top Job at Treasury

Speculation about Commerce gig surrounds Richardson

(Newser) - The Obama transition team has settled on a treasury secretary nominee, NBC reports: Timothy Geithner, the president of the New York Fed. The announcement is expected to come Monday, when the president-elect will announce his entire economic team in an attempt to quell the unrest surrounding the financial markets....

Would She Rather Stay in the Senate?

Obama team says State is a done deal; Times has her waffling

(Newser) - The Clinton agonizing continues, the New York Times reports, as friends said yesterday she was "back in the indecisive column," and Senate Democrats said  they'd offer her a substantial leadership role if she doesn't end up as Barack Obama's secretary of state. Obama's team put the word out...

Billionaire Passes on Commerce Post
Billionaire Passes on Commerce Post
UPDATED
Nov 20, 2008 12:49 PM CST

Billionaire Passes on Commerce Post

Top Obama fundraiser Pritzker takes herself out of the running

(Newser) - The hotel heiress Barack Obama was seriously considering as commerce secretary has taken herself out of the running, the Chicago Tribune reports. Penny Pritzker—whose family empire includes Hyatt hotels, casinos, and banks—led Obama's record-breaking fundraising effort, but the vetting process bogged down for “business reasons,” an...

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