transition talk

Obama expected to tap Richardson to head Commerce

Various news outlets are reporting that President-elect Obama has settled on New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to serve as Commerce secretary, adding another Clinton veteran to the incoming Cabinet. Richardson was Clinton’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1997 to 1998, and Energy secretary from 1998 to 2000. The secretary of Commerce, according to the […]

Obama appears likely to tap Rep. Raúl Grijalva for Sec. of Interior

Raúl Grijalva. Over the weekend, several news sources reported that Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is the top name on Obama’s list to head the Interior Department, a job that would put him in charge of federal lands, national parks and endangered species. Grijalva has represented Arizona’s 7th district since 2003, and has racked up […]

‘Show me a 50-foot wall, and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder’

CNN is reporting that Janet Napolitano is Obama’s choice for secretary of homeland security. That’s great news for the imperiled wildlife and landscape of America’s desert southwest. Napolitano’s record shows that she’s the ideal candidate to fulfill Obama’s pledge to tear down (most of) the Bush administration’s border wall now dividing Arizona from Mexico. She’s […]

Rahm Emanuel: First Obama priority is stimulus via green infrastructure

Incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, speaking to a gathering of CEOs and other business leaders: Mr. Emanuel promised that a major economic stimulus would be "the first order of business" for Mr. Obama when he takes office Jan. 20. The focus of spending will be on infrastructure, specifically "green infrastructure," which he said would […]

Obama OMB Cabinet pick is champion of cap-and-auction

National Journal reports that Obama is preparing to appoint Peter Orszag, current director of the Congressional Budget Office, as head of his Office of Management and Budget (the White House equivalent of the CBO). OMB chief is an important Cabinet-level position that will oversee some 500 employees that monitor and assess the performance and spending […]

Monsanto’s man in the Clinton admin joins the transition team, and more

Update [2008-11-20 5:47:7 by Tom Philpott]: Correction: Jill Richardson of La Vida Locavore pointed me to an error in the original post. About former Monsanto vice-president and FDA official Michael R. Taylor, I had written that “He was particularly useful in the effort to prevent abstaining dairies from advertising their milk as rBGH-free.” Not so, […]

Obama poised to tap Eric Holder at attorney general; info on his enviro record is slim

Eric Holder. The Obama team is poised to pick Eric Holder to serve as U.S. attorney general. In 1988, President Reagan nominated Holder to become an associate judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia; he served in that capacity for five years. In 1993, President Clinton nominated Holder to serve as the […]

Substance-less video leaves us wondering, ‘Why bother?’

The Obama transition today released a video showing the energy and environmental policy team “at work,” focusing on former EPA administrator Carol Browner, who’s advising the transition, and Heather Zichal, who also headed up these issues for the campaign. While the video seems to offer a “behind the scenes” feel (the experts are shown sitting […]

Obama names long-time Waxman aide as his assistant for legislative affairs

Over the weekend, the Obama transition team announced a few new key members of the White House staff, including Phil Schiliro, who will serve as assistant to the president for legislative affairs. This will be someone to watch, as Schiliro was a long-time aide to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has called for aggressive climate […]