Away from the glare of the campaign, leaders of two distinct Democratic networks are sifting names and vetting resumes for a prospective Barack Obama presidency.
Both are Democratic insiders known for their political smarts, discretion and, in one case, a long friendship with the Illinois senator.
They are John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton who now heads a liberal think tank, Center for American Progress; and Cassandra Q. Butts, a close friend of Obama’s from their days at Harvard Law School, who has been one of his campaign’s top domestic policy advisers. Butts is also a senior vice president at Podesta’s Center for American Progress.
The Associated Press reported that Podesta led a large organizational meeting last week to give marching orders to several dozen people who have been assigned to committees charged with different facets of a transition. Butts oversaw the groups dedicated to selecting personnel.
At a time when the nation is under pressure from two wars and a paralyzing economic crisis, the need for a new administration to hit the ground running is considered critically important.
The election winner will have 77 days to put together a government. By one estimate, there are 7,840 presidential appointee jobs to be filled, including 1,177 requiring Senate confirmation. Among the most important to have filled at the outset are chief of staff and the secretaries of defense, state and treasury.
Arizona Sen. John McCain has also put together a transition team overseen by former Navy Secretary John F. Lehman, which will be explored in a later post.
“It is irresponsible for anybody who could be president not to prepare to govern effectively from day one,” White House transition expert Clay Johnson told the Associated Press.
Although little is known about the Democratic groups’ deliberations, one source told the Washington Post that they were vetting top Republicans, as well as Democrats, among them, Sens. Richard G. Lugar of Indiana and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska.
A leading candidate for White House chief of staff is said to be Thomas A. Daschle, the former Senate majority leader from South Dakota, but there could be dark horse candidates, including Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Democrat who is a close Obama adviser who worked for President Clinton.
Both Podesta and Butts bring different experiences to bear to the transition process.
Before going to work for Bill Clinton’s White House, Podesta held a variety of positions on Capitol Hill, including counselor to Daschle; chief counsel for the Senate Agriculture Committee; chief minority counsel for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittees on Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks; Security and Terrorism; and Regulatory Reform.
Butts brings to bear a long personal relationship to Obama, in addition to her knowledge of major players in Washington and elsewhere.
She has said that she and Obama struck up a friendship while they waited on line at the financial aid office at Harvard Law School. “We were going through the process of filling out a lot of paperwork that would make us significantly in debt to Harvard for years to come,” she told PBS. “We bonded over that experience.”
By the time Obama returned to Washington years later as a senator, she had already become a seasoned political player as a senior policy adviser to Rep. Richard Gephardt who served as the policy director of his 2004 presidential campaign.
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1 Comments
#1. Jerry Hentz 11.05.2008
Hi,
I am interested in a position in the Obama administration. Where do I send a resume for consideration for a position in the new administration?
Sincerely,
Jerry Hentz of Atlanta, GA
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