Transition: Obama's 'super cabinet'
Posted: Thursday, January 08, 2009 9:16 AM by Domenico Montanaro
The Washington Post delves into the fact that Obama is putting together a West Wing that is as powerful (if not more so) than the Cabinet. "Presidents have long strived to centralize influence in the White House, often to the frustration of their Cabinet secretaries. But not since Richard M. Nixon tried to abolish the majority of his Cabinet has a president gone so far in attempting to build a West Wing-based clutch of advisers with a mandate to cut through -- or leapfrog -- the traditional bureaucracy.”
“Obama's emerging ‘super-Cabinet’ is intended to ensure that his domestic priorities -- health reform, the environment and urban affairs -- don't get mired in agency red tape or brushed aside by the ongoing economic meltdown and international crises. Half a dozen new White House positions have been filled by well-known leaders with experience navigating Washington turf wars."
The AP curtain-raises today's Daschle hearing: "The committee will not vote on whether Daschle's nomination should be sent to the full Senate for a vote; that responsibility lies with the Senate Finance Committee. But in the coming months, the Health Committee is expected to help craft legislation designed to expand health insurance coverage. Lawmakers are eager to get Daschle's perspective. Daschle has made it clear in the past year that he believes Congress needs to move fast on health legislation, and Kennedy has that same viewpoint, as his staff has spent recent months meeting with various trade and interest groups that have much at stake in the coming debates."
The Hill notes how different Washington will be for Daschle’s second time around. "Daschle left the upper chamber after losing his heated 2004 reelection race to now-Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). As Daschle packed up his belongings, the Democratic Party was in a shambles. President Bush had just won reelection and was vowing to use his political capital to push Social Security reform through expanded majorities in the Republican-led Congress."
How could Republicans try to kill Holder's confirmation? Roll Call writes, "One senior GOP aide explained that Republicans will look to replicate the success Democrats had in 2005 when they used the committee process to block John Bolton from becoming the new U.N. ambassador. Although initially Bolton's nomination seemed secure, it suddenly unraveled when Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee attacked Bolton's lack of interpersonal skills and raised allegations of workplace discrimination to sway Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and former Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) to pull their support."
"Hillary Rodham Clinton has held private discussions with leaders of the Senate committee reviewing her nomination to be secretary of state and will face a public hearing Tuesday," the New York Post reports, adding, The committee plans to vote on the nomination Jan. 15, before the start of the confirmation hearing for Susan Rice, President-elect Barack Obama's pick for UN ambassador."
Here are some of the dates for the upcoming Senate confirmation hearings:
-- Thursday, Jan. 8, 10:00 am ET: HHS: Tom Daschle (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee)
-- Friday, Jan. 9, 9:30 am ET: Labor: Rep. Hilda Solis (HELP Committee)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 13, 10:00 am ET: Education: Arne Duncan (HELP Committee)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 13: Energy Secretary: Steven Chu (Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 13, 10 am ET: HUD: Shaun Donovan (Banking Committee)
-- Tuesday, Jan. 13, 9:30 am ET: State: Sen. Hillary Clinton (Foreign Relations Committee)
-- Wednesday, Jan. 14: Veteran Affairs: Gen. Eric Shinseki (Veterans' Affairs Committee)
-- Thursday, Jan. 15: Interior: Sen. Ken Salazar (Energy and Natural Resources Committee)
-- Thursday, Jan. 15: Attorney General: Eric Holder (Judiciary Committee)
-- Thursday, Jan. 15: Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano (Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee) (tentative)
-- Thursday, Jan. 15, 9:30 am: UN Ambassador: Susan Rice (Foreign)
