Obama promised change but nominating insiders

[peejay 327]

Obama promised change but nominating insiders

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

Nov. 20, 2008, 6:23AM

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama promised the voters change but has started his Cabinet selection process by naming several Washington insiders to top posts.

Obama is enlisting former Senate leader Tom Daschle as his health secretary. Hillary Rodham Clinton seemed more likely than ever to be his secretary of state. Clinton is deciding whether to take that post as America's top diplomat, her associates said Wednesday.

Obama is ready to announce that his attorney general will be Eric Holder, the Justice Department's No. 2 when Clinton's husband was president. Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, is another veteran of the Clinton White House.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is Obama's primary choice to be secretary of the Homeland Security Department, several news organizations reported today. The New York Times, citing Democrats with knowledge of the process, said Napolitano was about to be offered the job. The Washington Post also reported that she was Obama's choice.

Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, who was national finance chairman for Obama's presidential campaign, is his leading choice for commerce secretary, the Times reported. The newspaper said Pritzker was in the final stages of vetting by Obama's transition team.

Daschle's selection to head the Health and Human Services Department — confirmed Wednesday but not yet announced — isn't at the same level of Cabinet prestige as the top spots at the State and Justice departments. But the health post could be more important in an Obama administration than in some others, making Daschle a key player in helping steer the president-elect's promised health care reforms.

Daschle could push Obama for quick action on health care reform next year, if he follows his own advice.

Daschle said efforts during the Clinton administration, led by Hillary Clinton, took too long and went into too much detail, giving every interest group an opportunity to find something they didn't like about the plan.

"The next president should act immediately to capitalize on the goodwill that greets any incoming administration. If that means attaching a health-care plan to the federal budget, so be it," Daschle wrote in a book he released this year, "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis." "This issue is too important to be stalled by Senate protocol."

The former South Dakota senator's return to the government will be a vindication of sorts. He was the Senate Democratic leader when he was defeated in 2004 by Republican John Thune, who convinced voters back home that Daschle was more concerned with Washington than with them.

In fact, Daschle stayed in the capital city after his defeat, becoming a public policy adviser and member of the legislative and public policy group at the law and lobbying firm Alston & Bird. Daschle isn't registered as a lobbyist. He advises clients on issues including health care, financial services, taxes and trade, according to the firm's Web site.

Health care interests, including CVS Caremark, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, Abbott Laboratories and HealthSouth, are among the firm's lobbying clients.

Daschle's appointment was not formally announced, but Democratic officials said the job was his barring an unforeseen problem as Obama's team reviews his background. One area of review will include the lobbying connections of his wife, Linda Hall Daschle, who has worked mostly on behalf of airline-related companies over the years. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Republicans sniped at what they saw as an unwelcome trend. Alex Conant, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said, "Barack Obama is filling his administration with longtime Washington insiders."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...on/6122504.html

[britty 1]

All Obama has done is take the half wits that once drooled under Clinton, and shuffle them into his administration. Yet to see this "change" he has harped on and on about.

[IAMX 3,055]

I sat there initially with the same predisposition, as I read this article some hour or more ago.

But really there's no winning here. Either he gets criticized for bringing unknown people into his cabinet (likely best friends, likely "terrorists" to the nutjobs), or gets criticized for hiring known figures, who served in the past administration.

The only concern of mine is Hillary, as I don't really trust her when it comes to war or local security issues.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

All Obama has done is take the half wits that once drooled under Clinton, and shuffle them into his administration. Yet to see this "change" he has harped on and on about.

Eh, well--it IS a change from the quarter-wit cronies of Bush to the half-wit underlings of Clinton.

[Ban Hammer 14,188]

Obama promised change but nominating insiders

yeah i thought we got rid of daschle once and for all!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Obama promised change but nominating insiders

yeah i thought we got rid of daschle once and for all!

I'll reference an old Canuk pol-cartoon for this one.

Chrétien during his first election campaign in 1993 had used a promise of "changing" the existing US-Canada Free Trade Agreement.

In the cartoon (post-election), he claims "I delivered on the promise; I changed the signature from 'B. Mulroney' to 'J. Chrétien'".

Similarly, Obama can claim delivery by having changed from Bush-cronys to Clinton-cronys!

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

At least those suckers from the Clinton administration left the country with an economic surplus when they left,

you want him to appoint Mr. Rove, Cheney and co.?

Results my friends results, I don't mind if he appoints Bill Clinton as head of the Treasury as long as that sucker solves the financial crisis

[rclouse 0]

So which is it? You said Obama's not experienced enough for the Presidency, then when he hires people with experience you say where's the change?

[msu17 0]

At least those suckers from the Clinton administration left the country with an economic surplus when they left,

you want him to appoint Mr. Rove, Cheney and co.?

Results my friends results, I don't mind if he appoints Bill Clinton as head of the Treasury as long as that sucker solves the financial crisis

Agreed! I hope he does get some new faces and the conservatives he promised in soon though.

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

Yeah,

Sour grapes anybody?

Edited November 20, 2008 by TävôLuDô

[ScratchIt 12]

So which is it? You said Obama's not experienced enough for the Presidency, then when he hires people with experience you say where's the change?

I guarantee that your logic will be lost on many here. None so blind as those who refuse to see etc...

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

Change as in "CHANGE from a Chapter 11th nation TO an economically sound nation" not change as in "ohhh I'm hiring Joe the Plumber, a new guy I just met, as head of the Health Secretary because he knows how to unclog septic tanks"

[SpiritAlight 1]

Did anyone expect perfection?

Bahaha!

People will do their best with whatever tools are available to them.

Imagine yourself trying to do anything so big as to run this country within such brutal parameters laid out before you....from before you and from the present.

Yes, imagine that.

[웃 910]

Change as in "CHANGE from a Chapter 11th nation TO an economically sound nation" not change as in "ohhh I'm hiring Joe the Plumber, a new guy I just met, as head of the Health Secretary because he knows how to unclog septic tanks"

Do you have any idea what the DJIA was a year ago? On October 11, 2007 the DJIA hit a day high of 14,280 points (Thank you Bush)...The day Obama got elected the DJIA closed at 9,625....It is 8,000 right now!!

The Dow has dropped 17% since Obama got elected

Try to remember why we are in this economic free fall...Predatory Lending from the democrats in the 90s....They insisted on giving anyone and everyone a mortgage....Millions of people defaulted......Millions of foreclosures.....Home prices crash....Banks are stuck with billions and billions and billions in debt....

Edited November 20, 2008 by Confucian

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

typo: as Health Secretary