John Podesta: Obama's 'diverse' team

[jefferson_dem]

John Podesta: Obama's 'diverse' team
President-elect Obama will assemble a "diverse'' Cabinet, and quickly.
Posted November 9, 2008 9:15 AM
The Swamp

by Mark Silva

John Podesta, a coordinator of President-elect Barack Obama's transition planning, says Obama has "beaten a lot of records'' during his campaign and intends to set some new ones with the swiftness of key appointments of his leadership team.

"We're moving very aggressively to both select people at the top.... (and) people below,'' Podesta said in an interview on FOX News Sunday today. "He's going to put his own team in place,'' he said, and it is going to be a "diverse'' team that reaches across party lines.

"Across the board... I think he intends to move very quickly,'' Podesta said of Obama. "He's beaten a lot of records during the course of the campaign.'' With the exception of the previous President Bush, said Podesta, a former chief of staff in the Clinton White House, no new president has named a new Cabinet member before December. "You'll see new announcements when they're ready. ''

Asked about how much input Obama might have on Bush's agenda in his remaining two months - particularly an economic stimulus act in the lame-duck session of Congress, Podesta echoed what Obama said during his first post-election press conference on Friday.

"We have one president at a time... so it's up to President Bush to get that legislation moving,'' Podesta said. "If it doesn't, it will be the first item of business.''

Obama also will be re-examining Bush's executive orders "across the board.'' That includes allowing oil and gas drilling in sensitive areas of Utah, which it appears the Bush administration will attempt to push through before leaving office.

"There is a lot the president can do exercising his executive authority, without congressional action,'' and Obama will be looking at areas where he can act. ""He's a transformational figure, and he's going to transform the way government works.''

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