News What Are Your Thoughts on Obama's Appointments and Holbrooke's AIG Role?

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The discussion centers on reactions to President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet appointments, particularly the decision to retain Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense, which many participants view positively due to his experience and effectiveness. There is speculation about potential candidates for other key positions, including Secretary of State, with names like Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, and Chuck Hagel being mentioned. Participants express mixed feelings about Clinton's possible appointment as Secretary of State, citing her past support for the Iraq War and concerns about her negotiating stance with Iran. Some believe her selection could alienate other experienced candidates like Richardson. The choice of Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff is also discussed, with many viewing him as a strong enforcer of Obama's agenda, while others express concerns about his aggressive style.Overall, the conversation reflects a cautious optimism about Obama's pragmatic approach to governance, emphasizing the importance of experienced individuals in his administration, while also highlighting the complexities of working with the Clintons and the potential challenges ahead.
  • #91
NAS, NAE, and IOM Members to Fill Obama Energy, Climate, and Science Posts
http://nationalacademies.org/headlines/20081223.html

December 23, 2008 - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has selected academy members Steven Chu, John P. Holdren, and Jane Lubchenco as his nominees for secretary of energy, chief science adviser, and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

. . . .
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #92
Bill Richardson, http://www.chicoer.com/business/ci_11370767" , withdraws his name from consideration of Sec. of Commerce.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aL0GGUluJeT8&refer=worldwide"

It's doubtful that he wouldn't have been confirmed, IMO.
 
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  • #93
Obama has apparently nominated Leon Panetta for Dir. of CIA??

In addition to Richardson, apparently Hillary Clinton has a potential conflict with someone donating to Bill Clinton's foundation.
 
  • #94
Astronuc said:
Obama has apparently nominated Leon Panetta for Dir. of CIA??

In addition to Richardson, apparently Hillary Clinton has a potential conflict with someone donating to Bill Clinton's foundation.

Panetta is an interesting choice. Certainly there is a message there that things will change at The Agency. He seems more a civilian than a backroom security insider. I'd guess that it won't be business as usual there, though looking at the way Bush and Cheney cast aside their intelligence reports on Iraq and cherry picked from the ether whatever they might use as cover for their personal agendas they can hardly be blamed for the last administration's foreign policy blunders.

As to Richardson I think you are right. I think he would be confirmed. ... at least from what seems to be known now. The world of politics and finances is so complex with contributions that it is a wonder that the appearance of impropriety doesn't taint every one that runs and is elected.

Of course people contribute to candidates that they figure will give them the best hearing and likelihood to act in the interests of the donors. Until contributions are universally prohibited there will undoubtedly always be correlations to uncover after the fact as to there being possible pay to play arrangements. My sense is that Richardson has merely been caught up in something that is more coincidence than fact. It would be highly disappointing if there is more to it however.
 
  • #95
Richardson is a skilled troubleshooter (foreign affairs), diplomat, and negotiator. He was my first choice (only, actually) for State. I was quite disappointed with the sop that Obama threw to Clinton, if only because her "foreign policy" experience was "ducking sniper fire in Bosnia". She could have traveled to remote Alaskan islands with Palin and gained a lot more relevant experience watching those sneaky Russkies. Political expediency will come back to bite Obama on the ***, in this case, IMO. Don't ask a celebrity to grow into a job like State - it's too critical.
 
  • #96
I grant you that Hilary's recitation of dodging bullets in Bosnia was not her finest hour, but that aside, I still think that she is qualified for the position. Maybe even more so than Richardson, if only for the stature provided by the support base of those votes that she earned in the primaries. She as well continues to speak for a section of the US electorate and one would think she brings that gravitas to the projection of Obama's policies abroad.

As someone who was at one time prepared to see her President, I have no problem with her selection as Secretary of State. And while I certainly respect Richardson and like his candor, I'd say that his ambition may be a bit ahead of his circumstances. While this may be a brief setback in the short term, he is after all only giving up Commerce, and who is to know what the future may hold for him by being available in the future.
 
  • #97
Clinton's value may only be recognized if she surrounds herself with skilled, experienced diplomats and heeds their advice. Diplomats like Richardson who have some experience... The Clintons are the ultimate political/celebrity animals, and I fear that Obama's State appointment will come back to haunt him. When you've got baggage like Bill and Hill, you have to keep that in mind in touchy situations. Bill Richardson would have been good, Bill Cohen would have been a good choice, too, and his moderate views and Republican affiliation would have been a real plus.
 
  • #98
Team Obama dabbles in drama
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090106/pl_politico/17089

Interesting commentary.

Apparently Bill Richardson wasn't fully vetted.
Jake Tapper of ABC News recently reported that “officials on the Obama transition team feel that, before he was formally offered the job of commerce secretary, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was not forthcoming with them about the federal investigation that is looking into whether the governor steered a state contract towards a major financial contributor.”

I hope the next administration doesn't become a many-headed Hydra of conflicting voices and policies. :rolleyes:

Blagojevich and Burris are a side show.
 
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  • #99
"Chief Performance Officer" - Nancy Killefer. Thoughts anyone?
 
  • #100
Clinton was just confirmed as S of S
 
  • #101
RE: Clinton

Clinton vows robust diplomacy as State Dept chief
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090122/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/clinton
WASHINGTON – Hillary Rodham Clinton took charge of the State Department on Thursday, proclaiming the start of a new era of robust U.S. diplomacy to tackle the world's crises and improve America's standing abroad.

Before a raucous, cheering crowd of about 1,000 people, the nation's 67th secretary of state pledged to boost the morale and resources of the diplomatic corps and promised them a difficult but exciting road ahead.

"I believe with all of my heart that this is a new era for America," she said to loud applause in the main lobby of the department's headquarters, which President Barack Obama visited later in the day to underscore his administration's commitment to diplomacy.

With Obama at her side in the ornate Ben Franklin Room, Clinton introduced former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, D-Maine, as a special envoy for the Middle East. Former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke was announced as a special adviser on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
. . . .
Yay - George Mitchell!

#$%@&*@#$%^&*~ - Richard Holbrooke. Big mistake to put that Clinton cronie as special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Waste of taxpayer money! :mad:
 
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  • #102
Astronuc said:
Yay - George Mitchell!
Maine has some pretty good statesmen, including Mitchell and Bill Cohen. This may pass some people, but George comes out of a family that helped make our region of the state strong. There is a very hard-working and well-respected group of immigrants that have contributed a lot to this area. Guess what? They are Christian Lebanese immigrants. Obama chose well.
 
  • #103
Astronuc said:
RE: Clinton

Clinton vows robust diplomacy as State Dept chief
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090122/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/clinton

Yay - George Mitchell!

#$%@&*@#$%^&*~ - Richard Holbrooke. Big mistake to put that Clinton cronie as special adviser on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Waste of taxpayer money! :mad:
How so? Obviously the guy is highly capable - 6 years Vietnam, successful on Wall St, Ambassador to Germany, successful Balkan envoy, UN. I see he might be tied up in some Countrywide sweetheart deals. Other than that, what did he do that's so contemptible?
 
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  • #104
mheslep said:
How so? Obviously the guy is highly capable - 6 years Vietnam, successful on Wall St, Ambassador to Germany, successful Balkan envoy, UN. I see he might be tied up in some Countrywide sweetheart deals. Other than that, what did he do that's so contemptible?
I don't see anything great achievement in Vietnam. There are a lot of successful people on Wall Street, but they benefit from the hard work of others. Ambassadorships are political appointments, which are not necessarily based on merit.

Re: Wall Stree - "In January 1981, Holbrooke left government and became both senior advisor to Lehman Brothers . . . . From 1985 until 1993, he served as managing director of Lehman Brothers." :rolleyes: Where is Lehman Brothers now? :biggrin:

By his own admission, he got drunk during the negotation of the Dayton Accords, and thought he had an agreement when he didn't. I believe it was Tuđman who was left out because they got drunk and forgot to include him. When dealing with peoples lives, one keeps a clear mind.

I didn't particularly care for Clinton's foreign policy, which was worse than his domestic policy, and which has contributed to some of the problems during the last 8 years.
 
  • #105
Astronuc said:
I don't see anything great achievement in Vietnam. There are a lot of successful people on Wall Street, but they benefit from the hard work of others. Ambassadorships are political appointments, which are not necessarily based on merit.

Re: Wall Stree - "In January 1981, Holbrooke left government and became both senior advisor to Lehman Brothers . . . . From 1985 until 1993, he served as managing director of Lehman Brothers." :rolleyes: Where is Lehman Brothers now? :biggrin:

By his own admission, he got drunk during the negotation of the Dayton Accords, and thought he had an agreement when he didn't. I believe it was Tuđman who was left out because they got drunk and forgot to include him. When dealing with peoples lives, one keeps a clear mind.
Had not seen that. Of course if one is good enough and drinks enough, they pull out Lincoln's quote about Grants bottle habit: "find out what he drinks and give it to my other generals"

I didn't particularly care for Clinton's foreign policy, which was worse than his domestic policy, and which has contributed to some of the problems during the last 8 years.
Neither did I, but I wouldn't out of hand disqualify anyone from that era working in the new admin, especially someone down at the envoy level.
 
  • #106
Obama's White House: Big posts, overlapping tasks - and Big Egos!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090128/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_team_of_czars
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is building a White House staff so loaded with big names and overlapping duties that it could collapse into chaos unless managed with a juggler's skill.

It's an administration that seems "addicted to czars," says one longtime observer of government organization.

Obama has installed a White House health czar who doubles as secretary of Health and Human Services. The State Department now has "special envoys" for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and for climate change — areas already overseen by other officials.

Just for the environment, along with the new climate envoy Obama has an energy secretary, an Environmental Protection Agency director and a chief of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Hovering over them all is Carol Browner, a high-profile former EPA administrator in a newly created role some call "climate czarina."

The economic team is perhaps the most multilayered and ego-driven of all. Former college professor Christina Romer heads Obama's Council of Economic Advisers. Timothy Geithner, a former top Federal Reserve official, is treasury secretary. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker is heading the newly formed Economic Recovery Advisory Board. And Peter Orszag, former head of the Congressional Budget Office, is the budget director.

Coordinating and perhaps overshadowing all of them is Lawrence Summers, the brainy and sometimes abrasive former Harvard University president and treasury secretary who directs Obama's National Economic Council.

The White House elevated the council's importance last week, announcing that Summers will brief Obama on the economy each morning, similar to the president's daily national security briefing.

Obama also has three powerful senior advisers in the West Wing with him. And still other top aides fill familiar roles such as chief of staff, domestic policy adviser and national security adviser.

Known for their intellect and experience, these appointees could become rivals or advocates of competing ideas that could hinder White House operations if not skillfully managed and coordinated.

Administration officials will have to "watch and see when it starts to become dysfunctional," said Stephen Hess, a Brookings Institution scholar who has held several top government jobs going back to 1959. "It's a very high risk because you're adding without subtracting."

. . . .
We'll just have to wait and see.
 
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  • #107
Big talent --> big egos. No doubt one of his greatest challenges will to be manage all of this.

Note who he picked as Chief of Staff.
 
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  • #108
Judd Gregg for Commerce Secc!

I like everything about this story. Dem President picking Republican Senator for Cabinet; then Dem Gov of Senator's state naming Republican successor.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/02/judd.gregg.commerce/index.html

I was very disappointed by the nomination of Lynn for Dep Sec Def. Obama lost a lot of brownie points for that move.

And in related news, Nancy Killefer drops out (Obama's pick for a new position called "Chief Performance Officer") citing unspecified tax issues.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/03/performance.nominee.withdraws/index.html
 
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  • #109
I'm puzzled by Daschle's matter of not paying taxes in excess of $100 K. With penalty and interest, he's paying $128 K in back taxes. :rolleyes:

Those who make the laws to which the rest of us are expected to abide ought to know the law and should be expected to abide by them.
 
  • #110
With Killefer with tax problems, it is somewhat disappointing. Is the tax code that complex?

I must admit I gave up long ago doing my forms from scratch and use TurboTax, because there was so much dependency form to form and understanding the limits and exceptions and the worksheets was far too hair-raising. Being the procrastinator that I am with last minute filing, some years ago I can remember just screaming at the forms because of course there was yet another form that I needed that wasn't among the ones I had and it was last minute ... arghh. I went electronic as soon as I could on my PC with the memory of that night seared in my mind.

So in a sense I have sympathy for these people getting caught up in what for them has become basically a 10 year audit of all their tax filings. I'm not sure how many Americans with any complexity to their situations like Sub-S businesses, or foreign tax credits off investments, or rental/royalty income or domestic help, or alternative minimum taxes would escape without modification.

While you'd think that these appointees should be more sophisticated and should know better, I can't help but think the complexity of the IRS regulations needs some streamlining, so all Americans are on a more simpler understanding basis with the code.

With the parade of Senators lining up to excoriate these people, I have to wonder how many of them, if teams of forensic accountants poured over their last 10 years of returns, would have clean bills themselves?
 
  • #111
Want to ruin someone's career? Appoint him to your cabinet!
 
  • #112
The first question the president or presidential advisor needs to ask anyone being considered for a prominent government post is "Are there any problems with your taxes?" :biggrin:
 
  • #114
I have as much sympathy for these folks as the IRS would have for me if I cheated on my taxes.

It would seem that anyone interested in a political career should use Turbo Tax. :biggrin:
 
  • #115
Ivan Seeking said:
It would seem that anyone interested in a political career should use Turbo Tax. :biggrin:
One of them (Geithner, I think) did, in fact, claim to have used Turbo Tax.
 
  • #116
LowlyPion said:
With Killefer with tax problems, it is somewhat disappointing. Is the tax code that complex?

I must admit I gave up long ago doing my forms from scratch and use TurboTax, because there was so much dependency form to form and understanding the limits and exceptions and the worksheets was far too hair-raising...

While you'd think that these appointees should be more sophisticated and should know better, I can't help but think the complexity of the IRS regulations needs some streamlining, so all Americans are on a more simpler understanding basis with the code.
No, the issues that these guys got hit for were relatively straightforward self-employment tax issues that TurboTax most ceratinly does pick up...if you report the income. And the rules on what is income and what isn't are not that difficult in these cases - anyone who is self employed should have no questions in their mind about such things.

I don't believe for a second that these guys didn't know exactly what they were doing.
 
  • #117
According to NBC, Nancy Killefer's unpaid-tax liability was around $900.
 
  • #118
Gokul43201 said:
Want to ruin someone's career? Appoint him to your cabinet!

Want to help the IRS on some backlogged collections? Nominate him to your cabinet!

Is this how Obama intends to 'raise' taxes?
 
  • #119
russ_watters said:
One of them (Geithner, I think) did, in fact, claim to have used Turbo Tax.

TurboTax allows GIGO...

Geithner's case is especially despicable since he signed quarterly documents and received payments specifically for his self-employment taxes. And then he ignored them.

Utter arrogance...
 

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