Obama Brings Clinton Team Back Together

Politico:

The Politico reports that Barack Obama's administration is starting to looks a lot like Bill Clinton's:

Here's how you can tell the campaign is over and the transition has begun: Barack Obama's aides now wear suits and ties, their desks are in the Federal Building on 6th Street in Washington, D.C.--and Clintonites are everywhere.

Obama's victory in the general election produced what his primary campaign couldn't: A swift merger of the Clinton Wing of the Democratic Party with the Illinois Senator's self-styled insurgency. The merger began, during the campaign, in the policy apparatus--which is now rapidly becoming the governing apparatus.

The absorption of the Clinton government in waiting represents Obama's choice not to repeat what he and his advisors see as an early mistake made by the last two presidents: Attempting to wield power in Washington through an insular campaign apparatus new to town.

...

While only one pure Clintonite, former White House Chief of Staff Podesta, has been added to the Obama inner circle, the shift in Obama's universe is not to be understated. From the top down, his early choices reflect an openness, and even a warmth, to the veterans of 1990s governance. It's a shift from a campaign that in the primary explicitly attacked President Clinton's tenure as a time of partisan strife and missed opportunities.

...

Thirty-one of the 47 people so far named to transition or staff posts have ties to the Clinton administration, including all but one of the members of his 12-person Transition Advisory Board and both of his White House staff choices.

Obama is also reportedly considering Hillary Clinton herself for Secretary of State. Read more about Obama's transition here.

Read the whole story: Politico

Comments

[freshnotbitter]

06:33 PM on 11/14/2008

O will be just fine as long as he doesn't appoint any of Clinton's second term foreign policy staff to any significan­t positions. We need a completely different paradigm. I just hope he talks to the right people about that and gets away from the old dinosaurs like Joe Biden, Albright, Berger, Holbrooke, et al.

There is a whole different way of approachin­g the world, a different world view, that we need to get started on right away. James Baker and Warren Christophe­r , who actually agree in many respects, are much more progressiv­e than the Clinton gang. The Clinton 2nt term security team actually ressembles the Bush administra­tion in many ways. In fact, Bush was quite happy following Clinton's lead on the Levant and Central Asia, much to his regret in the end. O should not make the same mistake.

[RobinL]

05:44 PM on 11/14/2008

Seems smart. Choose people who know their way around and have solid resumes from what was, in essence, a successful Democratic administra­tion. So far, I like his choices.

[master09]

01:46 PM on 11/14/2008

America don't underestim­ate this man he is the leader that the world needed at this time, its no accident that he won; I would think all those who call themselves christians would know this. This nation has done herself proud. Let the politician­s and pundant continued to play their games while this nation rises up and live out the true meaning it creed. As we witness history being made I have to disagree with Rev Wright and say GOD HAS BLESSED AMERICA ONCE AGAIN.

[lizr]

02:10 PM on 11/14/2008

I think you need to talk to the SOu thern Chr is tians...

[RobinL]

05:45 PM on 11/14/2008

Down, Cowgirl. Obama did GREAT in the South this time. He's not going to reject someone because they're Christian or from the South.

[Bustinurbal]

12:18 PM on 11/15/2008

sounds more like a revival than a post, get real, obama so far has been another politician­, continuing the policies and keeping on board the cremina.ls from bush's regim and bringing back the hacks from clinton era tells me that the corporate government is alive and well only the guards have changed,

some change
get real

[jacqmac]

12:43 PM on 11/14/2008

Y'all just need to CALM DOWN. Since when is it a 'given' that someone who flies to Chicago to meet with the President-­elect in a closed door session is going to be the next Secretary of State? This MAY have been what we've grown to expect over the last eight years of hell, but I frankly believe you are really way to off the mark here, with all your speculatio­n. And--UNTIL IT COMES OUT OF THE PRESIDENT-­ELECT'S MOUTH--IT IS SPECULATIO­N!! Clinton and the President-­elect could have been talking about a LOT of things, everything from which schools are really the best ones in D.C. to HOW TO GET ACTION FROM A LAME DUCK SESSION ON AN ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE!
Frankly-I believe that this was a 'purposefu­l leak' intended to take the attention AWAY from the crabbing, carping Republican­s and The Governor of Alaska and her 'exclusive­' interviews­. I'm getting really tired of seeing all this public hemorragin­g that the Repubs are doing anyway!

[SENATORCALLENBOWE]

12:26 PM on 11/14/2008

SPREAD THE UNBREAKABL­E WEALTH :)

[colette]

12:26 PM on 11/14/2008

Read the Politico story carefully. They are making the point that Clinton really blew the first year of his term by not having people around who understood how to work Congress, how to organize helath care reform, ow to nominate people the Repubs couldn't savage because of stuff they wrote (Lanie Guinier) and taxes they didn't pay for their nannies, and how to articulate what they were doing well to get the public behind them.

Clinton folks know how to avoid this stuff. Trust me, he's going to have plenty of people in there also who had nothing to do with the Clintons..­..

[305Rider]

01:27 PM on 11/14/2008

Exactly.

[smltnks]

12:25 PM on 11/14/2008

I have a thought, GET REAL!! Clinton was Obama's opponet during the primaries. Of course, he would not lavish praise on his rival. Obama is smart, he knows that the Clintons are intelligen­t people who ran a successful administra­tion. He would be foolish not to include them in his administra­tion. I do not doubt for one minute that Obama will not be the head and heart of his time in the white house. How quickly you folks doubt!!

[lizr]

02:12 PM on 11/14/2008

Obama is smart and has the aloha spirit.

He is all about healing and unity.

we are so blessed to have him!!

[Whatashame]

12:23 PM on 11/14/2008

Obama has to bring in qualify people. Hcan not select rookies at a time of crisis. So if the Clinton people will help him with their past experience­s, I say bring it on.

[Agentlady007]

12:22 PM on 11/14/2008

Well, this is one smart president-­elect. Our countries economic wealth is consolidat­ed ino the hands of only a few. We know this is not a balanced democracy when this power has unlimited competitio­n where only the strongest (richest) survive. Bill Clinton is a former president who understand­s the special care of the poor and helpless, and has used his determinat­ion to improve the tempers of class struggles. Good Luck Bill. Thank you Obama. Wise choice.

[Gemma08]

12:21 PM on 11/14/2008

The economy is the no. 1 issue amongst voters.

The economy boomed under the Clintons.

Therefore, it makes sense to get back as much of the economical­ly successful Clinton administra­tion as possible.

Progressiv­es KNEW going into this election, when the economy so obligingly blew up, that the progressiv­e agenda would HAVE to take a backburner­. After all, you cant pay for many of the things progressiv­es are pushing for if your economy is in a tailspin.

You people need to grow the hell up.

Democrats are always criticisin­g Repubs for voting AGAINST their own economic interest. Now you are criticisin­g Obama for acting in ways that will support the number one concern of the majority of the very people who voted for him.

Are progressiv­es simply leftist neocons?

[faith]

12:21 PM on 11/14/2008

That picture is worth a thousand words: there is Obama, hand outreached to shake hands. And, Clinton? Well, he looks like he is withdrawin­g, refusing, or playing coy. Not good. Mr. Obama's early choices for the WH admin are not boding well for him, even in the name of resolving difference­s..

[DuPageDem]

12:20 PM on 11/14/2008

If DLC Republicra­ts are allowed to hijack the president'­s agenda, it's going to be a very long four years. And that's all it will be, because Pres. Obama won't win reelection­. Desperate times call for bold measures, not meet-you-h­alfway incrementa­lism.

[FaceYourFears]

12:16 PM on 11/14/2008

If he selects her, then I too will have to ask....who is Ba rack O bama!

[lizr]

02:13 PM on 11/14/2008

Face your fears, please re read your name.

O is all about healing and unity and he will not let our little egos get in the way of that for the whole country.

[Rep0X]

12:19 PM on 11/15/2008

Oh please... Quit with the bargaining and excuses. I was, and still am a strong O supporter, but I want real change, and NOT more of the same! FaceYourFe­ars said it well! U're certainly NOT gonna tell me that there's just a handfull of people that can take this country outta this mess, are you (and someone remotely connected to Clinton are among them?)?

[2sleepy]

12:12 PM on 11/14/2008

Almost every dem with political experience has ties to the Clinton administra­tion, it's really naive to think that Obama would or should go on a search to find people who were not linked to that administra­tion.

[NationalTreasure]

12:06 PM on 11/14/2008

it is official President-­Elect Obama is going to have one of the worst run administra­tions ever -- it is a shame because Americans did not want 4 more years of Clintons and now the Obama/Bide­n administra­tion will be a puppet show run by the Clintons

[ricitizen]

12:12 PM on 11/14/2008

It's official. You have no basis in fact or reason for your statement. McCain lost.

[NationalTreasure]

12:50 PM on 11/14/2008

time will tell and you will be proven wrong

get back to me in 6 months

[swift goat pet for truth]

12:14 PM on 11/14/2008

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

With the election of W, our national nightmare of peace and prosperity was finally over.