Via WaPo: Obama’s Once-Disciplined Team Springs Leaks During Transition
Top aides to the president-elect had hoped to take a methodical approach to selecting and unveiling their new team, starting with the announcements of top national security and economic players shortly after Thanksgiving. But leaks and rumors have disrupted that plan, suggesting that the “no-drama Obama” mantra famously repeated by his staff may not be as operational in Washington as it was at campaign headquarters in Chicago.Obama has not officially announced any Cabinet appointments, but transition officials have reluctantly confirmed that former senator Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) will be nominated as secretary of health and human services, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is the top choice for the Department of Homeland Security, and Eric H. Holder Jr. is likely to be the attorney general pick.
None of that should be a surprise to anybody. New administrations often talk about controlling leaks or act as if they are finally the ones who can totally control when information hits the press. It never works that way. At a minimum there are too many very excited people running in the wake of a big election victory to even hope that they will all keep their mouths shut.
And then there’s the Clinton story:
Meanwhile, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) is on track to be nominated for the job of secretary of state after Thanksgiving, transition aides said.
This has got to be one of the most drawn-out nomination rumors of recent memory. Granted: the age of the internet influences one’s perception of the velocity of news, but gee whiz, it is the story that just keeps giving without actually giving any actual news.
November 21st, 2024 at 11:22 am
What about leaking that the Derivatives and the Credit Default Certificates are the cause of the total gobbling up of the two trillion dollars that Paulson and Bernanke have
doled out because of the economic collapse.
We need to go back to the conditions laid out in the
Constitution and bankrupt all the entities that have
obligations in this arean, just likke the President of
Equador is doing and get the President and the Congress
agreeing to uttering currency legitimately.
Leak that , leak that leak that.
That will save our bacon.
Not the appointment of Janet Napoletano.
Alice Wolf.
November 21st, 2024 at 2:14 pm
I still think that it is a strange choice. Of all the people that he could pick – there are people with much more foreign policy expertise, and far less “baggage”.
Further, before the election, I could understand Obama wanting to tote Hillary around in some form or another, because he needed her voters to vote for him; but that already happened, and I don’t see why it would be in either his or America’s interest to post a very powerful political rival to what is probably the most influential and important cabinet position.
Of course I understand that the SOS executes the will of the president – but I guess I am reluctant to see Hillary Clinton as a house dog who will sit, heel, roll over, and back down on command from Barack Obama. Hillary comes with Bill; and regardless of whether he steps down from some of his current engagements or not, their ability to influence foreign policy, I fear, would rival Obama’s; I can’t understand why he would want that internal stress on his cabinet, especially when there are more qualified candidates available.
November 21st, 2024 at 6:04 pm
I am reluctant to see Hillary Clinton as a house dog who will sit, heel, roll over, and back down on command from Barack Obama.
Yeah, he should have nominated Colin Powell if he wanted this type of SOS!
November 21st, 2024 at 7:23 pm
[...] Drudge Retort, as always, has a lively discussion going on; Doctor Steven Taylor of PoliBlog says “… it is the story that just keeps giving without actually giving any actual news.”… Sphere: Related Content You Might Enjoy These Related Posts Also:United States Supreme Court [...]