by Mark Silva
John Podesta, a coordinator of President-elect Barack Obama's transition planning, says Obama has "beaten a lot of records'' during his campaign and intends to set some new ones with the swiftness of key appointments of his leadership team.
"We're moving very aggressively to both select people at the top.... (and) people below,'' Podesta said in an interview on FOX News Sunday today. "He's going to put his own team in place,'' he said, and it is going to be a "diverse'' team that reaches across party lines.
"Across the board... I think he intends to move very quickly,'' Podesta said of Obama. "He's beaten a lot of records during the course of the campaign.'' With the exception of the previous President Bush, said Podesta, a former chief of staff in the Clinton White House, no new president has named a new Cabinet member before December. "You'll see new announcements when they're ready. ''
Asked about how much input Obama might have on Bush's agenda in his remaining two months - particularly an economic stimulus act in the lame-duck session of Congress, Podesta echoed what Obama said during his first post-election press conference on Friday.
"We have one president at a time... so it's up to President Bush to get that legislation moving,'' Podesta said. "If it doesn't, it will be the first item of business.''
Obama also will be re-examining Bush's executive orders "across the board.'' That includes allowing oil and gas drilling in sensitive areas of Utah, which it appears the Bush administration will attempt to push through before leaving office.
"There is a lot the president can do exercising his executive authority, without congressional action,'' and Obama will be looking at areas where he can act. ""He's a transformational figure, and he's going to transform the way government works.''
"It was important to name a White House chief of staff early,'' Podesta said of the naming of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), who has started to put his own staff together.
"I think you'll see a Cabinet that looks like the way Sen. Obama ran his campaign... He reached out... It wasn't all Democrats,'' Podesta staid. " His charge to us is that he wants a broad, diverse Cabinet, one that's built on, first (criterion), excellence.''
So will Podesta "pull a Dick Cheney'' and appoint himself to a high post, FOX News Sunday host Chris Wallace asked the director of the private think tank, the Washington-based Center for American Progress. "No,'' Podesta said with a smile. "I've made it very clear... that I would be the most unpopular man in Washington come Jan. 20 having said no to so many people. I will ride into the sunset and go back to the center. ''
Comments
The Obama Fan Club is spreading around the world. ............
http://thefiresidepost.com/2008/11/09/the-barack-obama-fan-club/
Posted by: Ohg Rea Tone | November 9, 2008 10:18 AM
"Charity Begins at Home and Is Spread Abroad..."
President-elect Obama has began the building of a broad unity movement of Republicans and democrats to fight the economic oppression on the basis of mutual respect for the present President Bush and other republicans as well as Senator Pelosis and the democratic congress. President-Elect is hoping to unite support from each particular group, democrats and republicans and their individual economic programs.
President-Elect has achieved lessons during the recent campaign of models of unity among Americans over the 50 states in America. These models are tremendously important for the struggles of the many sections of the people in America. As far McCain/Palin team, many of the staffers are presently struggling, and so are the republicans, in some isolation, while Palin, individually, is often wasting her efforts in not so carefully, manipulating the media and being manipulated by the media.
The transformation of Obama moving into the White House is going smoothly. Obama is moving swiftly with his formation within the democratic and the republican parties with respect for individual congressman and congresswoman, This formation will, of course take some patient explanation because of traditional conditioning that has fallen in upon the American people during the past 8 years as recorded and addressed by each party during the recent leadership in America campaign. Within President-elect Obama's team, Americans will see improved communications, and the necessity of getting to know each other in order to avoid more confusion, will be on the side of President-Elect Obama and his united team of the best intelligent leadership in America 2009-2012.
The unity of President-Elect Obamasupports across party lines of a leadership body, united in theory, policy and commitment, open and democratic in achieving and improving policy, resolute and disciplined in carrying it out, and drawing into itself the very best leaders of every section of people in America.
Historically, there have been many attempts to put forward a kind of leadership like this. But it failed.
President-Elect Obama seems to be fairly clear that his analyses of the economic and other situations were conjectures, that each was the best guess he could make with a top advisory team. Yet, President-Elect Obama is not God. There is expected to be human error. Yet, Obama plans, as he said in his aceptance speech for President 2009-2012, the he will listen to your ideas, especially, when he disagrees with your idea.
actionspeaks
Gloria Keith
gloriahnt@yahoo.com
Posted by: Gloria Keith | November 9, 2008 11:26 AM
Its not like "Back to the Future" Its like "Back to the Clintons".
Posted by: paul | November 9, 2008 12:29 PM
Posted by: paul | November 9, 2008 12:29 PM
Paul - what part about the 1990s when Clinton was president that you don't like: the peace or the prosperity?
Posted by: BC | November 9, 2008 5:12 PM
BC,
The part where he doesn't take care of the terrorist problem.
Posted by: Terry | November 9, 2008 10:49 PM
Clinton left your country in great shape.
Posted by: Pauline Wogan | November 10, 2008 7:41 AM
John Podesta would be smart to highly consider Senator Edwards of NC for nomination to head the Justice Depart.
Posted by: gary hamilton | November 10, 2008 8:03 AM