Obama's choice a shift in tone?
2008-11-07 08:04
Chicago - Barack Obama is signalling a shift in tactics and temperament as he moves from candidate to president-elect, picking sharp-elbowed Washington insiders for top posts.
His choice on Thursday for White House chief of staff - Rahm Emanuel, a fiery partisan who doesn't mind breaking glass and hurting feelings - is a significant departure from the soft-spoken, low-key aides that "No-Drama Obama" has surrounded himself with during his campaign. And transition chief John Podesta, like Emanuel, is a former top aide to President Bill Clinton and a tough partisan infighter, though less bombastic than the new chief of staff.
The selections are telling for Obama, who campaigned as a non-traditional, almost "post-partisan" newcomer. People close to him say the selections show that Obama is aware of his weaknesses as well as his strengths and knows what he needs to be successful as he shifts from campaigning to governing.
"No one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel," Obama said in announcing the selection.
Work cut out
Obama, who survived a long primary contest with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, also has made it clear he will rely heavily on veterans of her husband's eight-year administration, the only Democratic presidency in the past 28 years.
Obama himself brims with self-confidence, to the point that some people view him as arrogant. But to a greater degree than many presidents, he appears willing to lean on Washington insiders associated with other politicians.
With the Emanuel selection, Democrats say Obama seemed to recognise that he may have his work cut out for him in taming his party's members of the House of Representatives: Liberals may try to push their own agenda, not necessarily Obama's. They say Emanuel is someone who not only can stand up to Congress but also manoeuvre through it to achieve a chief executive's goals.
Emanuel accepted Obama's offer with a gesture of bipartisanship, addressing part of his statement to Republicans. "We often disagree, but I respect their motives," Emanuel said. "Now is a time for unity, and, Mr President-elect, I will do everything in my power to help you stitch together the frayed fabric of our politics, and help summon Americans of both parties to unite in common purpose."
In contrast to Obama's collegial style and that of his top campaign advisers, Emanuel is known as a foul-mouthed practitioner of brass-knuckled politics who relishes both conflict and publicity. He once mailed a dead fish to a political foe.
10 weeks for transition team
House Republican leader John Boehner, however, called his appointment an "ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil and govern from the centre".
Obama frequently sought Emanuel's advice during the presidential race, according to one campaign official.
Emanuel will have to resign his congressional seat and put aside hopes of becoming speaker of the House.
On Thursday, Obama met privately at the FBI office in Chicago with US intelligence officials, preparing to become commander-in-chief. He received his first president's daily brief, a document written mostly by the Central Intelligence Agency and including the most critical overnight intelligence. It is accompanied by a briefing from top intelligence officials.
Later, Obama met with his transition team leaders who are tasked with building his entire administration in 10 weeks.
Advisers said he was emphasising care over speed, with no plans to announce Cabinet positions this week.
From Washington to Chicago, names of people said to be jockeying for spots in an Obama administration or under consideration by the transition team spread through the rumor mill. Some Democrats say retired Marine General James Jones was being discussed as secretary of state. Also, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, was said to be interested in becoming Education secretary.
Rest after gruelling campaign
Obama has indicated he'd like a bipartisan Cabinet, and Republicans who are potential candidates include Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel and Indiana Senator Richard Lugar.
Other White House officials were being lined up, including Robert Gibbs as the likely pick for press secretary, said several Obama aides.
The president-elect planned his first public appearances since his victory for Friday, a meeting with economic advisers followed by a news conference. Obama and his wife, Michelle, also planned to visit the White House on Monday at President George W Bush's invitation.
Obama planned to stay home through the weekend, with a blackout on news announcements so that he and his staff could get some rest after a gruelling campaign and the rush of their win Tuesday night.
- AP