Bush Appointees Gates, Mullen, Bernanke Likely To Stay On Under Obama

Washington Post:

As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to fill top positions for his incoming government, he faces a stubborn reality: Some of the key individuals he will rely upon to tackle the country's most serious challenges are holdovers from the current administration -- a trio of Bush appointees who will likely stay in place for at least the first year or two of Obama's presidency.

In confronting the financial crisis and weakening economy, Obama must turn to Ben S. Bernanke, a Republican and former chairman of President Bush's Council of Economic Advisers, who will lead the Federal Reserve for at least the first year of the new administration.

In assuming control of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama must work with Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was appointed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for a two-year term that will end in late 2009 and, by tradition, can expect to be appointed for a second term as the president's top military adviser. Mullen shares Obama's belief in focusing more on Afghanistan but is wary of a timeline for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[mrcontinental]

Change? We don't need no stinkin' change... apparently.

[pthesmith]

You can't get rid of the people who have all the information until you get all the information from them. That would be suicide. He has to keep them long enough to find out the extent of the damage.

[TrueIndy08]

i don't like this at all.... obviousyl, these people aren't that great in their jobs... look at the nonsense that we are submerged in!!!

There are far more qualified people who actually fit into an O administration... these people are loyal Bushies.... they are TOXIC... get rid of them

[MichiganJFrog]

Cretins

[AmandaBC]

Wow, some change...

[3worldusa]

gates has gots to go.

[coldcanuckinwhite]

And this is CHANGE? right....

[murphy80]

throw out the trash..............do we want to continue the past with this bunch of chumps.

cant find OBL

cant balance budget

cant fight crime.

oh please, mr. president elect, anybody but these guys.

[TiaL27]

Well I still think Obama will be a great president, but I have heard experts say that a President has to be very careful when they make a transition during a war period. And changing senior staff during a war period can be disastrous. I suspect that would be the reason why he would keep Gates in for a little while, because of his familiarity with the war.

We will always have something to complain about even with good presidents because they can't always do what we want them to do, when we want them to do it if they are thinking long term, but please don't ignore the things he is doing with Gitmo, stem cells, the environment.

[TrueIndy08]

Gates has barely been in for what... a year???? Screw him... any loser following the war can step in and get caught up.... GET RID OF HIM... and anyone else who has that Bush stench on them

[TiaL27]

....all in all I hope its not true

[sv90066]

When it is all said and done, he's a Democrat...and don't you forget it.

An onion is an onion is an onion.

DISAPPOINTED!!!

[nirek]

It may be a mistake to keep any of bushes people on!

[hopeless277]

And every last one of their little neocon toadies. Ain't it grand how Obama is such an 'agent of change' that he's not changing anything in the departments that have caused the worst global catastrophies in hundreds of years? I'll bet he grows to like that 'Unitary Executive' title too. What a bunch of suckers we are. AGAIN!!!

[lechatnoir]

I don't know about you guys but I am getting abit tired of this Obama-as-change-yet-the-same-enablers-keep-their-jobs thing.

Of course, the faithful are gonna say it's 'strategy'...

[AC-DC]

i told you Obama is no different then bush

he's with the new world order dudez but hey you'll say no he's not he's different

ya he's different alright his skin is different but other then that he's the same as Bush!!

[larry278]

Word is that Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will continue to advise Army brass on the procedures for withdrawing US forces forces from Iraq & Afghanistan till at least 8/15/09. Obviously this is a hush-hush operation but it has been leaked that Mr Rumsfeld gets #90,000.00 a day as a consultant's fee. Rumsfeld works at least 3 days a week from an office at a Day's Inn in Northern Virginia. 2 former USAF colonels serve as gofers for Mr Rumsfeld & bring him carry out food from local fast food outlets 24/7. The actual work is done by a staff of 12 former USAF captains.