Axelrod On Obama Transition Leaks: 'No One Is Frustrated' (VIDEO)

Barack Obama's chief campaign strategist and soon to be White House senior advisor David Axelrod said the transition team is not upset over the increasing number of leaks about potential cabinet appointments, a stark contrast to the tight-lipped campaign.

"No one is frustrated, no one is anguished," Axelrod told CBS 2 political editor Mike Flannery. He blamed the leaks on the expansion of the team beyond the tight campaign core and a scoop-hungry news media operating in "a vacuum":

"Any time you involve large numbers of people in something like this, there's gonna be leaks. And there's a fanaticism almost among the news media to break the big story."

Of Hillary Clinton's likely appointment as Secretary of State, Axelrod said only that "she's obviously a talented public servant and someone who would enhance any team."

The longtime Chicagoan said he is not moving to Washington permanently and sees his White House stint as a "Chicagoan on assignment."

Watch the interview:

Comments

[krischly]

04:34 PM on 11/23/2008

What about the rumors of Rep. Raul Grijalva for Secretary of Interior? What a change to have the House of Reps biggest national parks supporter running interior..­.

[walktothelight]

08:56 PM on 11/22/2008

They are probably just pissed about the Hillary pick...I personally think it 's a good idea and predicted this would happen. Hillary did have a lot of folks who she convinced to vote for Obama even if they stayed home McCain maybe wearing $4 million shoes.

[kshawNCvoter]

06:22 PM on 11/22/2008

such a great assembly of minds. i could not be happier.

[Tobiasism]

05:31 PM on 11/22/2008

Obama transition team are doing it correctly and appointing people that they can trust to do the job well for the USA.

[crossoverwriter]

08:40 PM on 11/22/2008

Is it only me who thinks this guy is sexy?
Smart is sexy.

[Fongenie]

10:08 PM on 11/22/2008

No, you're not. I also like that mustache.

[Shanvan]

02:51 PM on 11/22/2008

I also think majority of these people that are bashing Obama on huffpo claiming they are liberals are actually undercover rethugs. Obama has got this, do not worry. When you spot undercover rethugs on huffpo, just ignore them. They do not ever have constructi­ve ctiticism, all they want to do is just be bitter, whine whine... and complain it's more of the same... Clintonite­s etc, and not change we can believe in. They will keep coming to huffpo for the next 4 yrs and claim how they supported Obama, and donated money etc and are now disappoint­ed with him. Majority of these people are rethugs, trust me you can spot a true Obama supporter'­s constructi­ve criticism , and one that is an undercover Fox news kool aid drinker.

[backhandpath]

04:23 PM on 11/22/2008

By your own descriptio­n and logic I would say you are an undercover rethug.
And of course in your world you will see me as one too.
Soooo everyone should ignore each of us, since ya'jus never know how many aliens ain't out there in space.
I could be a repug plant pushing to get Clinton on the cabinet to enjoy can watching such an appointmen­t completely destroy any aura of Change Obama promised.
I could say it is just great that it appears that Obama will be appointing most of the upper Democratic Leadership cronies. Gobama. Yes. Give us the people who stood down and gave us George Bush in 2000, give us Hillary and another War. Give us Lawrence Summers since over half the population is women and you know how they can get, just ask Lawrence!
Yes, we need Bill Clinton.

Axelrod is wrong.
I am very upset, very frustrated with you and Obama and the leaks.
Here we are doing the same thing again.
Spinning leaks.
Too bad, too sad.

[bassopro]

02:35 PM on 11/22/2008

I spent a lifetime in October 1962, off Cuba maintainin­g the fragile communicat­ion that prevented the landing triggering WWIII, and the Nuclear Holocaust destroying us all.. I lived in Russia from 2003 - 2004" Russians then respected Americans. Now one easily buys104 F***K Bush T-shirt varieties. Soon Russian woman will wear "т??хнитес­ь Clinton" Pantsuits. WHY! Barack Obama named a Secretary of State so stupid that she told Vladimir Putin "He had no Soul". There's no conceivabl­e Russian insult more deeply offensive! Bubbette Clinton still believes she's Goldwater'­s cheerleade­r and Pole-Polis­her?for the YAF.?? Change: does NOT include Bubba and Buttette Clinton- to call them Change is not only an oxymoron. It is an insult to the credibilit­y of the American people. I voted for Barack Obama because he promised a Change from the Divisive and Mendacious politics of the Bush"s and Clinton administra­tions!. Barack, If you haven't the courage to say NO to the unending dramas, lies, and underhande­d dealings of the Clintons, how can we expect you to deal with an Achminajad­, a Putin, a Kim Jung Il?, let alone lead the American people? There are choices:: Bill Richardson is a true native.(no­t a red-necked carpetbagg­er) . His ethics are untainted, he's truly experience­d in foreign affairs and has had the courage to support Obama @ a critical time despite the Clinton-th­ug attacks. Richardson is a true proponent of Change, not Walmart blue-light treason! Make a sensible choice for Secretary of State.

[Cville2008]

02:08 PM on 11/22/2008

There's a difference between 20 close lipped people not saying anything- but when you add hundreds of people it's a completely different story. Of course many of these people are either Washington people or Clinton people they do talk to each other and the media.

[mergina]

12:59 PM on 11/22/2008

Before Obama's people got to washington­, keeping things secret was a whole lot easier. Washington has a way of sucking leaks out of even the most dedicated people. Are they leaks, REALLY, or SURVEILLAN­CE. Somebody is ALWAYS listening in on EVERYONE.

[denver]

12:54 PM on 11/22/2008

Ya the DC media is still the same old players that have been there for decades now.They are salavating at any inside info they can run with and put on the 24 hr cycle and run the same story over and over with 20 deifferent headlines and bring the same pundits on every other hr to say the same thing with different wording.
Like the SOS story I really love HRC but give me abreak it was a one day story until O has made his final decision and formally rolls her out then it is a story again.That is why I use the internet more for my news sources than the cable news programs,t­hey really are maddening most of the time.Like Obama is basing his whole cabinet on the Doris Goowin book team of rivals.Lik­e he had no other thoughts or considerat­ions that are going into the whole selecting a cabinet process.
And Rahm is great he is not the Clintonite people are making him out to be,I love HRC that is know secret here with my posts but they did not get along at all in the Clinton administra­tion,rumor has it she pushed and pushed to have him fired.Whic­h is one thing I find wierd,like i said I'm a huge fan of hers but that was a horrible call on her part I know she is not perfect,bu­t not to see Rahms potential was baffeling to me.

[orangepetal]

11:50 AM on 11/22/2008

Chicago is such a fabulous city, I look forward to some Chicago intellect and culture on the national scene.

[mcantwell]

11:48 AM on 11/22/2008

Really? Who would the 62 million plus people who voted for Obama have preferred, Rush and Hannity's favorite person Joe the Plumber?

[junieb]

11:37 AM on 11/22/2008

TVL

You cannot use what you don't have. He's the shoot 'emup cowboy.

[kburlz]

11:36 AM on 11/22/2008

OH NO OH NO! The press is finding out who's in line for the cabinet! This is terrible! The country is falling apart!

[GOP-Hater]

11:32 AM on 11/22/2008

People need to get a life, don't you think they probably intentiona­lly leak the names to test the waters!

[DeniseD]

11:45 AM on 11/22/2008

Yes.

[POTUS2008]

01:07 PM on 11/22/2008

no

[0emissions]

11:09 AM on 11/22/2008

Obama supporters are already disappoint­ed with Rahm Emmanuel.
Summers is a no no too.
People who respect America's great farming community and all those who are in support of organic crops as opposed to industrial chemical farming are very worried about who will represent them on Agricultur­e.
Anyone in favour of GE crops and seeds ,if they were appointed ,would face a worldwide protest, and it will be BIG!

[Bonny9]

11:28 AM on 11/22/2008

I have been supporting Obama since before he announced. Since 2004. So speak for yourself, I like Rahm. I think that people ought to give Barack some respect. He ran a fantastic campaign. People were always second guessing him and he was always right where he wanted to be. I think Hilary is a fine choice, this President wants to unite, and we should be thinking that way too.

[DeniseD]

11:48 AM on 11/22/2008

I really liked Rahm during the campaign. He was a great advocate for Obama and deserves the position in the White House. Plus, he is capable and experience­d. I don't know if he is a hard-nose, but you probably need to be if you are Chief of Staff.

[Laffy]

11:53 AM on 11/22/2008

I'm a huge Obama supporter and I think Rahm was an awesome choice.

[doctorwang]

12:16 PM on 11/22/2008

I like Rahm's noodles, too. Sometimes Safeway has them on sale for 8 for a dollar. The 'Oriental Chicken Flavor' ones are my favorites.

[POTUS2008]

01:08 PM on 11/22/2008

absolutely he is a great choice.