The transition: The Bush-Obama meeting
Posted: Monday, November 10, 2008 9:25 AM by Domenico Montanaro
The New York Times raises the curtain on today’s Bush-Obama meeting. “In a time-honored tradition of American democracy, Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, will receive a tour of their new home from Mr. Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush. Then the men will split off to begin the formal transfer of power, all the more urgent this year because of the financial crisis. Mr. Obama has said he expects a ‘substantive conversation between myself and the president.’”
VIDEO: President Bush will meet his successor today at the White House. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
”But there will also be a subtext to the session: the personal chemistry between two leaders whose worldviews are miles apart. The ritual visit is occurring uncommonly early this year, less than a week after Mr. Obama handily defeated Senator John McCain of Arizona, who was the Republican nominee and Mr. Bush’s preferred candidate. Emotions may still be raw.”
The New York Daily News: "It will be all smiles at the White House Monday when Barack Obama pays a visit - but behind the handshakes is friction over his plan to reverse many of President Bush's edicts on controversial matters like abortion and stem cells. Obama's legal eagles have targeted more than 200 unilateral Bush moves made in the past eight years for overturning. A team of lawyers has pored over the administration's records for months, preparing for the changes."
John Harwood writes in the New York Times that Obama has Bush to thank for. “The encomiums greeting Barack Obama’s victory last week presented a reverse image of the darts for John Kerry after his 2004 defeat. But Kerry campaign veterans could not help noticing a surprise in the returns. In the battleground state of Ohio, where Mr. Kerry lost the presidency to George W. Bush, the 2.74 million votes he received almost precisely matched Mr. Obama’s 2008 total. Mr. Obama won because John McCain received 300,000 fewer votes than Mr. Bush did.”
”That points to a cautionary reminder for Mr. Obama and his team: the election turned partly on what they did right, but also on what Republicans did wrong. And there is no assurance that Democrats will confront a similarly star-crossed opposition in elections to come.”
AP's Pickler and Fouhy: "His 10-week transition period cuts both ways. Obama has the luxury of looking and sounding presidential without being held accountable for decisions. But the economy could keep sliding as he stands by helplessly, building tremendous pressure from frustrated Americans impatiently wanting the change he promised. He wants to reassure the country that his campaign pledges are sincere and that he can heal the economy, eventually, as president. But he won't be president for another 70 days, as he has noted, and he cannot jump in and start dictating policy now."
Politico says that with Rahm Emanuel as Obama’s tough-guy enforcer, expect Joe Biden to play good cop. “The Democrats’ apparent failure to win the 60 Senate seats necessary to halt a GOP filibuster has created the need for inter-party ambassadors like Biden who are practiced at the art of aisle crossing. In his 36-year Senate career, Biden was never considered a bomb-throwing ideologue, and he still has plenty of chits to cash in with Republicans on the Hill. ‘He’s probably got more friends among Senate Republicans than John McCain does, and that’s a huge plus for Barack Obama, who is committed to breaking the partisan roadblock of recent years,’ said Biden spokesman David Wade shortly before Election Day.”
Kerry's campaign for Secretary of State is not going over well with one columnist who thinks he was disingenuous during his ‘08 reelection campaign.
Michelle Obama has her own transition to work on.
"Top advisers to Barack Obama sent a strong message yesterday that Republicans will play a vital role in his administration, even as looming questions over healthcare and the economy are poised to stir partisan debate -- and debate within the Democratic party -- about the best way forward."
Below is a list of names that have been mentioned for possible cabinet slots (in no particular order):
Agriculture: Vilsack, Leach, Tom Buis (Natl Farmers Union), Stenholm, Jim Leach
Interior: Richardson, Inslee, Kitzhaber, Tony Knowles, Salazar
Commerce: Pritzker, Sebelius, Furman, John Thompson (Symantec)
Justice: Holder, Napolitano, Ogletree, Deval Patrick, Comey, Patrick Fitzgerald, Artur Davis
Defense: Gates, Danzig, Hagel, Nunn, Reed, Powell, John Hamre
Labor: Andy Stern, Gephardt, George Miller, Bonior
Education: Joel Klein, Darling-Hammond, Sebelius, Powell, Jim Hunt, Arne Duncan, Inez Tenenbaum
State: Kerry, Richardson, Lugar, Hagel, Holbrooke, Dodd
Energy: Sebelius, Philip Sharp, Rendell, Schwarzenegger, Gore, Bingaman
Transportation: Rendell, James Garvey, Mortimer Downey, Blumenauer, Oberstar, Steve Heminger
HHS: Daschle, Dean, Eric Whitaker
Treasury: Summers, Geithner, Volcker, Rubin, Corzine, Buffett, Bloomberg, Laura Tyson, Dimon
Homeland Security: Tim Roemer, Ray Kelly, James Lee Witt, Tom Kean Sr., Jane Harman
Veterans Affairs: Cleland, Duckworth
HUD: Clyburn, Valerie Jarrett, Shirley Franklin
OMB: Spratt, Sperling, Furman
EPA: Ian Bowles, RFK Jr, Sebelius, McGinty, Mary Nichols
FDA: Nissen; Sharfstein, Woodcock, Wood, Zuckerman
NSA: Jim Steinberg, Dennis Ross, Greg Craig, Susan Rice, Tony Lake
FEMA: James Lee Witt
USTR: Cal Dooley (American Chemistry Council president), Daniel K. Tarullo (Georgetown University law professor), Lael Brainard (Brookings Institution vice president)
Other mentions for various White House staff posts: David Wilhelm, John Rogers, Bill Daley, Cass Sunstein
Biden chief of staff: Ron Klain
The AP also has a list of potential cabinet members.
