Obama Team Sheds Light on New Administration (DOS, DOD, Treasury)

Wall Street Journal ^ | 11-12-08 | Laura Meckler, Jonathan Weisman

[STARWISE]

*snip*

The Obama transition team released the names of 13 people on Wednesday who will direct a top-to-bottom review of federal agencies and another six who will lead teams that will review Treasury, State and Defense department policy, budget and personnel issues.

*snip*

It includes four former lobbyists, three top campaign fund-raisers and two former employees of troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae, with some overlap among them. Four people in the group have ties to the consultant McKinsey & Co. and two have experience leading high-tech start-ups.

Mr. Obama's transition advisers include Tom Donilon, a top lobbyist for Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored mortgage giant that helped precipitate the current financial crisis. Mr. Donilon will co-lead a team reviewing the State Department.

Co-leading the State Department audit will be Wendy Sherman, a principal of Albright Group, a firm founded by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Ms Sherman headed Fannie Mae's charitable foundation between 1996 and 1997. She also serves on the new congressional commission on curtailing the threat of weapons of mass destruction. Both Mr. Donilon and Ms. Sherman worked for the State Department during the Clinton administration.

*snip*

The Treasury review will be led by Josh Gotbaum, a Clinton administration veteran and long-time investment banker at Lazard Freres, and by Michael Warren, the chief operating officer of Stonebridge International LLC, a Washington lobbying and consulting firm.

There is some connection between Stonebridge's work, which includes advising multinational companies looking to work in the U.S., and Treasury, which is the lead agency in reviewing the multinational acquisitions of U.S. companies for potential national-security issues.

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((I LOVE understatement .. hint:

[STARWISE]

Obama Transition Names First Agency Review Teams

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Trying hard not to explode or throw something heavy.

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Team

Samuel R. Berger - Co-Chairman

Samuel R. Berger is Co-Chairman and co-founder of Stonebridge International, LLC. He is involved across nearly all the firm's engagements and regions, with a particularly strong focus on Asia, Russia and Central Asia and the Middle East.

Mr. Berger has had a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors. As former National Security Advisor, Mr. Berger was pivotal in shaping America's role in the post-Cold War era.

Through his efforts to build relations with China, managing financial crises in Asia and Latin America, driving critical peace negotiations in the Balkans and the Middle East, and expanding foreign trade, he worked closely with leaders around the world.

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Transition Team’s Ties to K Street

Excerpt:

Michael Warren is the COO of Stonebridge International, a lobbying and consulting firm in Washington. Warren isn’t registered to lobby, but his firm represents corporate clients such as Airbus, Gulfsands Petroleum and, until recently, ConocoPhillips. The Obama transition office says Warren is on “partial leave” from Stonebridge International.

[STARWISE]

~~DejaVu Excedrin/Maalox/Alka Seltzer PING!

[Red Badger]

O said lobbyists would not find a job in his administration. But he didn’t say anything about a career......

[Enchante]

Lobbyists, Fannie Mae, Sandy Burglar’s COO (that’s a close connection to that criminal scumbag)..... oh, yeah, Obambi has put together a stellar team to create the “most ethical and transparent administration in history” ..... yeah, sure.

[Cindy]

Thanks for the ping STARWISE.

#

OPINION:

History repeats itself and our enemies...

[Slings and Arrows]

Change-you-can-believe-in bump!

[Arizona Carolyn]

Wait a minute. Sandy Berger has a position with Obama already? SANDY BERGER!

[KoRn]

"It includes four former lobbyists"

Can't help but to think of the hell Hussein gave McCain for having former lobbyists working for his campaign. I'm sure the Washington Post will have a front page story tomorrow highlighting the hypocrisy.

[wastedyears]

DOS? They’re going to fix Microsoft Windoze?

[Darkwolf377]

O said lobbyists would not find a job in his administration.

He also said he didn't begin his political career in Ayers' living room, and he would accept public financing for his campaign, and that he was too inexperienced to run for president--

Hey, does this post count as a hate crime?

[MEG33]

Nothing..and I mean nothing, except good news about Obama’s actions and appointments will surprise...

[09Patriot]

this presidency looks like it is destine to last a year

[penelopesire]

Reads like a Who’s Who of DC crooks and liars. Heaven help us!

[6SJ7]

four former lobbyists, three top campaign fund-raisers and two former employees of troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae

... and a partridge in a pear tree!

[uncbob]

Hillary and Bubba got to be in a state of depression seeing their people flocking to Obama

[Brown Deer]

Obama Team Sheds Light on New Administration (DOS, DOD, Treasury)

Yes, we know that he's had his DoS team working hard since the day of the election.

[upchuck]

Yeah, they were really busting ass and giving 110% last weekend.

SOBs!

[Mamzelle]

Samuel Berger is our Sandy Burglar? Seriously?

[Kackikat]

Is this the Sandy Berger? who filled his pockets with Clinton notes to protect the former President during 9/11 hearings?

[Kackikat]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA