Obama Appointments

Biden Had A Choice Between State Department And Vice Presidency: Jill

AP | NEDRA PICKLER | Posted 02.19.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Joe Biden's wife said Monday that he had his pick of being Barack Obama's running mate or the secretary of state nomination that ev...

Senate Republicans: Did Panetta's Oversee Clinton-Era Extraordinary Rendition?

Washington Times | Posted 02.15.2009 | Politics


President-elect Barack Obama's choice for CIA director, Leon Panetta, served as White House chief of staff during the time the Clinton administration ...

Krugman on Obama and 'You 2.0'

Juliette Powell | Posted 02.15.2009 | Politics


Juliette Powell

There have been some proposed appointments in the national security area, or at least floated appointments, that have essentially been torpedoed because the online community said, "No."

Something to Chu On

Brian Keane | Posted 02.15.2009 | Green


Brian Keane

To be sure, the nomination of Steven Chu -- like almost all of the Obama appointments -- represents a striking and hopeful departure from the approach we've seen under President Bush.

Geithner Confirmation Hearing Postponed To Next Wednesday

AP | JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS | Posted 02.14.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama labeled the tax problems of his choice for Treasury chief an embarrassment Wednesday, but said Timothy...

Enviro Group Slams Obama's EPA Pick

Mother Jones | Posted 02.14.2009 | Politics


Only a few of Obama's cabinet nominations have received any criticism during this transition period; most have been fuss-free. But Lisa Jackson, commi...

Obama Transportation Secretary Pick LaHood Is An Unapologetic 'Earmarker': WaPo

Washington Post | Posted 02.14.2009 | Politics


The former Republican congressman chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to direct billions in federal highway spending has been an unapologetic advoc...

Obama Selects Anti-Tobacco Lobbyist William Corr For HHS Deputy Secretary

Posted 02.13.2009 | Politics


...

CIA: The Panetta Pick and the Feinstein Factor

William Bradley | Posted 02.12.2009 | Politics


William Bradley

Feinstein's call for the appointment of a CIA director who can be linked to the practices Obama has made clear must end demonstrates how out of touch she is on intelligence.

Obama Adviser Brennan Now A Lesser Intelligence God: That Contractor Thing Bit Him

Frank Naif | Posted 02.12.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

John Brennan has been a valuable asset to the Obama team and will continue to be a loyal servant in his new role. He will provide valuable insight into Bush's intelligence policy formulation, such as it was.

Sunstein's Past Record Of Lax Regulation

Think Progress | Posted 02.12.2009 | Politics


How would progressives respond if President Bush nominated as "regulatory czar" a person who: - Once called for changing the Clean Air Act to require...

Obama To Maintain Practice Of Naming Donors To Ambassador Posts

Bloomberg | Posted 02.12.2009 | Politics


President-elect Barack Obama will uphold at least one of Washington's old ways: the appointment of campaign donors to plum ambassadorships. "There pr...

Whining CIA Officials, Leon Panetta, and Einstein's Definition of Insanity

Frank Naif | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

The CIA's spokesman came down out of his tree to let us know the CIA is not happy that everyone thinks it's an agency that could use some fixing by the likes of Leon Panetta.

What Spies Think of Panetta

Keith Thomson | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Keith Thomson

I conducted a poll about what spies thought of the Panetta choice. The results: "Obama was wise" to choose someone out of the torture loop to run the CIA. But there's a problem.

Speaking Truth to Intelligence

Joe Cirincione | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Joe Cirincione

Cleaning out our stable of intelligence officials is a Herculean task. We are lucky to have men like Dennis Blair and Leon Panetta willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation.

Obama Appoints Openly-Gay Hochberg To Run Export-Import Bank

Politico | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


A source tells me Fred Hochberg, an openly gay former Clinton Administration official, will be named to head the Export-Import Bank. Hochberg, who wa...

Leon Panetta Right Choice for CIA

Dan Glickman | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics


Dan Glickman

Leon Panetta is a patriot, a veteran, and a consensus builder, and he will lead the CIA forthrightly and in full respect for the law and the Constitution. I frankly cannot think of a better choice.

Lessons of Obama's First Cabinet Controversy

Gordon Goldstein | Posted 02.07.2009 | Politics


Gordon Goldstein

Despite a nearly flawless transition period of astute, substantive and widely praised cabinet appointments, the Obama administration has unintentionally provoked its first controversy.

Obama To Keep Bair At FDIC

Wall Street Journal | Posted 02.07.2009 | Politics


The Obama administration intends to keep Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair in her post, Democrat officials said Wednesday. Ms. Bai...

If You Think Panetta's Wrong For CIA, You Might Be Part Of The Problem

Frank Naif | Posted 02.07.2009 | Politics


Frank Naif

If the Obama administration is serious about fixing US intelligence, there is a compelling logic to putting Panetta in charge at CIA.

CIA Man: Spies' Reaction to Panetta "Overwhelmingly Negative"

Congressional Quarterly | Posted 02.07.2009 | Politics


A retired senior CIA operations officer who quit last summer after 20 years tracking terrorists says the rank-and-file reaction to President-elect Oba...

Nancy Killefer: Obama's Chief Performance Officer

AP | MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN and LIZ SIDOTI | Posted 02.07.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON — Nancy Killefer withdrew her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government on Tuesday, saying she d...

The Bad Democrats Begin to Surface

Tom D'Antoni | Posted 02.06.2009 | Politics


Tom D'Antoni

The next time you find yourself getting pissed off at Obama, say these words out loud,"George Bush."

CIA: Parsing The Panetta Pick

William Bradley | Posted 02.06.2009 | Politics


William Bradley

To say Panetta is a Clinton retread is to ignore his actual background. He comes out of a tradition which is almost forgotten today, that of the liberal Republican.

Regarding Panetta: Let's Not Forget About Gates

Kristen Breitweiser | Posted 02.06.2009 | Politics


Kristen Breitweiser

Placing an inexperienced person like Leon Panetta at CIA for his clean hands and "managerial expertise" will cost lives on the day of the next domestic terrorist attack.