Top Obama Aide: Cabinet Will Be Virtually Complete By Christmas
Obama transition chief John Podesta says in an interview this morning with Bloomberg Television that the Obama team is on track to have the top echelons of the Obama administration largely in place within the next month:
Podesta, a former chief of staff in the Clinton White House, also said Obama would complete "virtually the whole Cabinet" by Christmas, and the new president's team will reach beyond the Democratic Party.There will be "multiple Republicans" in the administration," Podesta said. "You'll see them spread throughout the administration."
That's pretty significant: It appears that Obama will have assembled his cabinet faster than any of his recent predecessors, another sign of how responsive the Obama team has been to the perhaps unprecedented pressure the crisis has placed on them to be seen as acting well before taking office.
Also: Whatever grumbling there has been about Obama staffing up with Clintonites, it's pretty clear that choosing former Clinton White House chief of staff Podesta has enabled him to sidestep the mistakes that hobbled the previous Dem administration's transition into power.
Greg, you make the assumption that he's assembled this cabinet quickly in response to pressure. I'd submit that it's simply an extension of his excellent managerial skills we saw on display throughout the last two years. He's been thinking this phase through since June.
The hallmark of Obama's style is that he always has a plan. We're just watching him execute it.
November 28, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
that isn't really what I meant -- not as a "response," more in keeping with the obama team's keen awareness of the display of leadership that's required right now...
November 28, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'd simply submit that crisis or not, this would be playing out in exactly the same way, since he's been ready for this since the summer.
I'm willing to bet that Jan. 20th, he'll hit the ground running...at a full sprint. He's already got Congress working on his bills. He'll have orders ready for Iraq, Gitmo, and other issues he can direct by fiat. And at that time, you shouldn't write a post attributing that to anything but this same ability to plan ahead.
November 28, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Like Greg said, the economic crisis is giving Obama an opportunity to assert leadership. But crucially, this strategy is allowing him to stay in the news, and begin the trust building process- whether that be through strategically leaked cabinet picks or holding multiple press conferences per week.
Economic crises can be powerful sources for support to incoming presidents- so Obama is using the economy as a unifying issue. If Obama were to relax until inauguration and wait until the 11th hour to name his cabinet, it would not only be seen as impotent leadership, but it would be a waste of two months of public relations building.
November 28, 2008 6:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
You make a very good point about building trust.
November 29, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I read somewhere that Obama had started planning his cabinet back in July as soon as the Primary season ended. He was being presumptuous...
November 28, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah it's almost like he had the audacity to hope he'd actually be elected...
November 28, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, and thank God for that.
November 28, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Word.
When Obama finally stumbles, somebody wake me up. So far, it's all been good.
November 28, 2008 11:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
He never stumbles 'cuz he's
Got no place to fall...
November 28, 2008 3:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Reminds me of what Bob Woodward said on the Chris Matthews Show: Obama not only loves homework. He goes for extra credit!
November 28, 2008 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
O god I love that = thanks for posting it. I hadn't heard that but it's perfect.
November 28, 2008 12:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
It'll be nice to have someone in the office who thinks contingency planning is a good idea. (Well, to be fair, the Bush Administration has done some contingency planning. But it's been pretty much limited to trying to provide themselves cover for their crimes and fuck-ups.)
November 28, 2008 12:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah. Dickwad Cheney's prescription for contingency planning is called plausible deniability.
November 28, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of all the ridiculous criticisms during the campaign, this was the one that I found the most absurd. Any major party candidate not feverishly preparing for the possibility of victory by July at the latest should in my opinion be disqualified as deeply unserious about actually doing the job. It'd be almost as bad as, say, selecting an unvetted and unqualified flavor-of-the-month empty suit to be vice president.
November 29, 2008 12:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, peeps.
Hope yours was super, Greg. I know we toasted President Awesome - big change from the last 8 or 10, when I raised a toast every time: Here's to impeaching Bush.
November 28, 2008 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Tena! So glad to see you are back!
November 28, 2008 1:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
:)
November 28, 2008 1:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey Teena,
I much agree...the toasts and blessings were much better that we were thankful for.
November 28, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Pardon my early Anglo-Saxon, but we should all know by now that Obama doesn't fuck around.
November 28, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm beginning to think that not fucking around is the foundation from which all contemporary Chicago politics flows.
November 28, 2008 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's been Chicago politics (and Cook County politics) for a looooong time.
The difference you may see in Richard the Second is that he's not quite as backroom as his dad. But you don't mess around in Chicago politics and stay in it very long.
November 28, 2008 9:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I must say I'm eager to witness PE's next big presser on mational security appointments.
OT:
As someone who spent time in India as an young adult I've been particularly disturbed by the attacks in the last two days. More disturbing is the media coverage- national and international- eager to hieghten the tensions between India and Pakistan.
India media are as powerful as the corporate media here in pushing the agenda they seem fitting and I've a feeling we will hear a lot more about India-Pakistan in the next couple of months. Both nations have fully developed nuclear weapons.
I will not be surprised if this part of the region escalates into one of the first FP challenges for the incoming administration.
November 28, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or perhaps a good opportunity to show that a Democratic president can be strong against terror and firm in his foreign policy when needed. Nothing build up loyalty for a president like a strong show of power. We humans are drawn to powerful, brave, and benevolent leaders.
November 28, 2008 6:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was saying that this morning to Mr. Tena - in a kind of "o shit!" way.
I envy you having spent time in India. It has been the number 1 place I want to travel to for a long long time. I'm increasingly thinking I may never make it. The British left one hell of a legacy across the east, from far to middle to near, I must say.
November 28, 2008 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
For me, it seems weird the U.S. opted to declare Pakistan as a stronger ally in "war on terror," when India seemed a better option- being a stable democracy, rivaling China, in the region.
Also India seems to share a lot more common economic, security interests with U.S.
Interestingly, if I am not mistaken, more than 30% of the broadcasr media are owned by none other than Rupert Murdoch.
Anyways,you should go.
Italy is like your first girlfriend and India is like your mother- You don't always like her, but ill always love her. I read something like that sometime back.
November 28, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
I love that. I've been to Italy and that is very well put with regard to that country.
November 28, 2008 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seems weird? Insufficient cynicism!
There's a Cold War history there. Pakistan was allied with the US and India with the USSR. Lots of neocons are sufferers of the Cold War withdrawal syndrome.
Plus, it's a lot easier to deal with a dictator (Musharraf) than a democracy.
Plus, the War on Terror is in large part a marketing gimmick designed to keep the American electorate in line.
And, of course, Pakistan borders Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan on the Taliban necessitates dealing with Pakistan.
And while you'd like to think (me, too) that America would naturally align herself with democracies, all you have to do is look at the USA's involvement in South and Central America over the last 60 years. Democracies are harder to roll than puppet dictatorships.
Can't ya tell I'm feeling that Holiday Spirit? :-)
November 28, 2008 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lots of neocons are sufferers of the Cold War withdrawal syndrome.
Plus, the War on Terror is in large part a marketing gimmick designed to keep the American electorate in line.
The $64,000 question is to what extent this will change under an Obama administration?
Since Pearl Harbor, with the notable exception of about 25 minutes after the Berlin Wall fell, the country has been on a war footing, declaring wars on everything from Koreans to cancer, from Vietnamese and Rooskies to poverty, drugs, and even autism (which invaded Luxembourg for its oil, if one believes the blogs...).
The fortunes of unspeakable personalities rely on war for their existence, and it goes well beyond the neo-con community. Only prosecution will do.
The lesson of Obama thus far is this: if the People want it, they will get it, but only if they raise a Great Clamour.
For instance, the view that Obama wants a "commission" to hear the "facts" of torture can be read as a call for us to hammer it the fuck home until the critical mass of facts emerge, and the scandal takes on a life of its own. Watergate did this just as soon as the facts of tape recordings emerged.
So, let us continue to bang the drums for justice. It's our music to make, being our country and all...
Pax,
M.
November 28, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. I actually this it has less do with cold war mentality and more to do with our inclination to take a easy road with dictators.
I remember interning at the UN during the annual General Assembly meeting in 2004 and watching how the Indian Prime Minister(Manmohan Singh) was literally ignored and how Musharaf was treated as a rock star both by the U.S. diplomats and the U.S. media.
He was also winning the mind games against the scared and myopic U.S. foreign policy.
It was just sad.
November 28, 2008 4:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
This entire transition process, thus far, has been very calming to watch. There's a sense of confidence and preparedness that this country needs right now.
-- Cris
My site: Obama Wallpaper Archive
November 28, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is the reason Obama has chosen people like Podesta to run this transition. Flawless(barring the leaks of course but that happens to everyone). The FP team roll out on monday is going to be chock full of top notch people. I wonder if it will be the full team of Gates,Clinton,Jones or something different.
November 28, 2008 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just read 27 comments and I do not disagree with any of them. So-called "artificial time lines" aside, I think the first 100 days of this New Administration, this New America are going to be something to behold. I have never heard of a president that wanted legislation on his desk by the end of his first week in office. And Congress is not bucking this. Instead of making the January 3rd date a pro forma type of congratulatory time for the winners, Pelosi and Reid are getting their crew to work up through the Inaugaration.
Bush took six of his first eight months as vacation time. Hopefully W will consider the next 53 days some added vacation time.
This transition is truly something to behold.
November 28, 2008 5:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
First week? I think you mean first day. Obama wants to walk(or drive) to the white house and immediately sign a stimulus bill.
November 29, 2008 8:54 AM | Reply | Permalink