Obama Transition Teams Create Anxiety

Washington Post: Small Review Teams Are Scrutinizing Federal Agencies' Budgets And Programs

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Shailagh Murray and Carol D. Leonnig.

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Wearing yellow badges and traveling in groups of 10 or more, agency review teams for President-elect Barack Obama have swarmed into dozens of government offices, from the Pentagon to the National Council on Disability.

With pointed questions and clear ground rules, they are dissecting agency initiatives, poring over budgets and unearthing documents that may prove crucial as a new Democratic president assumes control. Their job is to minimize the natural tension between incoming and outgoing administrations, but their work also is creating anxiety among some Bush administration officials as the teams rigorously examine programs and policies.

Lisa Brown, who served as counsel to Vice President Al Gore and is helping manage the reviews, said typical questions include: "Which is the division that has really run amok? Or that has run out of money? If someone is confirmed, what's going to be on their desk from Day One? What are the main things that need to happen, vis-a-vis Obama's priorities?"

Every presidential changeover includes some type of review of the federal landscape, but some have succeeded more than others, experts say. Obama's teams -- 135 people divided into 10 groups, along with a list of other advisers -- started earlier than most, gearing up months before Election Day with preliminary planning, and will work until mid-December preparing reports to guide the White House, Cabinet members and other senior officials.

The team members include Democratic Party loyalists jockeying for senior administration jobs and subject experts in areas ranging from military systems to Medicare policy.

The Obama teams say they have benefited from a commitment by the Bush White House to cooperate as fully as possible to ease the shift.

"President Bush initiated preparations for the transition earlier, and with more extensive planning, than has ever been done before," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto. "We've also benefited from new legal authorities that allowed for better preparation of the transition teams. As we're at war, defending the nation against terrorist threats, and addressing a global financial crisis, it's more critical than ever that we have a successful transition."

John D. Podesta, a former Clinton White House chief of staff and co-chairman of the Obama transition, said the Obama teams have been dispatched with "clear roles and missions." In assembling the study groups, Podesta drew heavily from the Clinton administration, academia and think tanks such as his own, the Center for American Progress. Many team members were informal advisers to Obama throughout the campaign -- such as Sarah Sewall, a Harvard University human rights specialist who is a leader of the national security team.

Many chosen for the teams come with high-level, firsthand knowledge of certain agencies.

"They were part of that culture; they understand the political issues as well as the bureaucratic issues," said Melody C. Barnes, Obama's incoming Domestic Policy Council director, who is helping with the agency reviews.

Some teams parachuted in at the top. At the State Department, Obama team leaders Tom Donilon and Wendy R. Sherman met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. At the Pentagon, transition team members John White and Michèle A. Flournoy dropped by the offices of four senior officials and arranged for further interviews over the coming days. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates named a transition leader, Robert Rangel, to work with the group, even though Gates is slated to continue in his job when Obama takes office.

A typical approach has been playing out at the Environmental Protection Agency, where the Obama team is led by Lisa Jackson, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and Robert Sussman, a former Clinton official and now a lawyer and fellow at the Center for American Progress. Both are considered front-runners for senior administration jobs (Jackson as EPA administrator, Sussman as a top EPA deputy).

On a recent Monday, the pair arrived at an 11 a.m. EPA senior staff meeting. Both had worked at the agency under President Bill Clinton, so they fit in easily, fully acquainted with the acronym-laden lingo.

Their team's questions have been specific, trained on a handful of issues, according to employees and other sources interviewed. A top concern is climate change, an issue they want to address with several EPA program initiatives. They also are asking how much money the enforcement divisions need to go after polluters.

The team also has focused on drinking-water standards, asking about how to reduce children's and mothers' exposure to perchlorate, a chemical in rocket fuel that is leaching into groundwater near military bases.

Jackson, Sussman and their team members hope to interview 100 staffers before filing their report, but they will do so with agreed-upon "rules of engagement," as the EPA's lawyers call them. The lawyers have urged senior managers to answer questions but to avoid idle chatter.

On Nov. 15, Podesta and his co-chairs agreed with the White House that the teams would not ask agencies for information in three nonpublic areas: individual personnel matters, legal deliberations and internal debate on pending regulatory matters.

Some managers have clearly communicated the ground rules. At the Transportation Department, Rose McMurray, assistant administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, initially urged staff members to quickly alert a senior policy manager about questions from transition team members so that management could ensure the answers were correct and "suitable for release."

Gus Coldebella, acting general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, told his staffers in a Nov. 19 memo that they should think carefully before talking about anything with their transition guests. He also stressed that issues involving the White House should not be discussed without consultation.

Among career employees, the arrival of the teams -- whose members wear yellow badges to distinguish them -- has brought both excitement and anxiety. Some remember the turbulence of what many considered an ill-planned transition to the Clinton administration, whose officials waited late to begin preparations.

"Most people are cautiously optimistic" about the Obama team's work, said Alex Bastani, the Labor Department union representative. "We are happy they are asking for a lot more detail, so perhaps, unlike the Clinton administration, they will lay the groundwork before they arrive and not just show up on Day One expecting everything will go smoothly."

Interviews with the teams offer some workers a chance to share their knowledge and pent-up grievances about programs that have run into funding difficulties or about bosses they did not like.

But those closely watching the review process warn that it is too early to judge its value. "I feel like those of us in the good government community need to settle in for a wait," Alyssa Rosenberg, a blogger for the publication Government Executive, told readers last week. ". . . It's not clear how much information about the agency and policy review teams' conclusions will be made public. There are signs that Obama has ideas about management, although not perhaps a comprehensive management agenda, and it's not clear if someone will be tasked with a Reinventing Government-style effort."

John P. Burke, a University of Vermont professor of political science who has studied presidential transitions, said Obama's review appears to have worked well because of its clearly defined goals. Historically, he said, problems sometimes arise when review teams "become too proactive," as evidenced during the shift to Ronald Reagan's administration in 1980. The Reagan Pentagon team, he said, produced a detailed policy blueprint that incoming Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger rejected.

But government experts warn that federal employees should manage their expectations as Obama arrives; he will face many challenges in implementing new initiatives, they said. During a news conference last week, Obama vowed to embark on a budget reform process that could prove painful.

"We can't sustain a system that bleeds billions of taxpayer dollars on programs that have outlived their usefulness or exist solely because of the power of politicians, lobbyists or interest groups," he said. "We simply can't afford it. This isn't about big government or small government. It's about building a smarter government that focuses on what works."

[macusweil]

Lookout..

Cons,cronies and insiders are running scared!! One can only imagine the waste and mismanagement in these places.

Bush and his incompetent administration spent 6 trillion dollars on top revenues during his two terms and what do we have to show for any of it?

Let''s hope we Obama and reel in some of the ENORMOUS government created by the Republicans these past 8 years.

[erasmus606]

"With pointed questions and clear ground rules, they are dissecting agency initiatives, poring over budgets and unearthing documents that may prove crucial as a new Democratic president assumes control. Their job is to minimize the natural tension between incoming and outgoing administrations, but their work also is creating anxiety among some Bush administration officials as the teams rigorously examine programs and policies."

Yeah, I bet they''re sweating bigtime.

[citizenusa-2009]

YES OBAMA!! He''s TAKING BACK AMERICA FOR US! He and his Administration are going to find that his country has been INFECTED by the corrupt Bush Administration to the extent that we were probably on the verge of collapse!

To the Neocons: "Be afraid, be very afraid". Party time is OVER.

I love it!

[citizenusa-2009]

Bush and his incompetent administration spent 6 trillion dollars on top revenues during his two terms and what do we have to show for any of it?

Let''''s hope we Obama and reel in some of the ENORMOUS government created by the Republicans these past 8 years.

Posted by macusweil at 12:02 PM : Dec 03, 2008

WE have nothing to show for it, but Bush''s rich cronies do! In that regard, Bush was right when he crowed "Mission Accomplished".

[centerfall94]

Way to go Obama!! Way to hold that neocon scum accountable!! Yep, the neocon/republiscum are like rats jumping of the GW Bush derelict ship. Right before it sinks to the bottom of history and stays there.

[spinproof]

The first place Obama''s team needs to focus its attention is on Bush appointments that were recently converted to full time Federal Employment positions whether the people qualified or not, reverse and cut those first! :)

[condumbistan]

Posted by spinproof
The first place Obamas team needs to focus its attention is on Bush appointments that were recently converted to full time Federal Employment positions whether the people qualified or not, reverse and cut those first! :)

Agreed 100%! Republicons in all levels of governemnt, including federal, state and city are the reason why government is so inefficient. Republicons hate goverenment, so when they work in the trenches or government, they just take up valuable space, do nothing more than the bare minimum, and still collect a weekly paycheck. They are worthless!

[evian_ycnan]

Enter the DoJ and FIRE any lawyer who received his/her degree from Regent U.

That''s one department fixed.

[txlakeside]

Awwww .... demslie .... still bitter and angry that the White house is finally getting an intelligent leader? Bitter people are just bitter!

[kenhamlett]

This tension is a good sign. Maybe a few of them will break and tell all about the abuses in the various agencies. It will also minimize the sabotage of records and equipment during the transition.
It appears Obama has the right idea and the nerve to take decisive action.

[demdump]

CHANGE CHANGE
Former President Bill Clinton says he is open to the possibility of a role in the Obama administration but said he otherwise plans to be deferential to both the president and Clinton''s wife, the soon-to-be secretary of state.

HERE WE GO CLINTON ERA ALIVE...WHERE IS MONICA.

[McHineguy]

The only ones getting run out of congress and their seats in office for sexual misbehavior are the repugnicans like Craig and Foley.


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Posted by demswin08 at 01:15 PM : Dec 03, 2008

Yeah, lesson here is do it in the oval office or risk dismissal. Wonder if it helps to wear a blue dress.

[renonv5]

but their work also is creating anxiety among some Bush administration officials as the teams rigorously examine programs and policies. "

Are we getting just a little nervous?? He TOLD you it wasn''t going to be business as usual, so hang onto your hats and enjoy the ride. I hope our new potus kicks a$$ and takes names.

[renonv5]

HERE WE GO CLINTON ERA ALIVE...WHERE IS MONICA.
Posted by Demdump

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It was a bj for pete''s sake, you need to learn how to move on........

[likeitis5050]

what he lacks in experience he makes up for in organization....and an organized person can get 10 times more accomplished than one who relies on ''experience only'' to get a job done. I didn''t vote for the man, and I''ve reserved judgement until he actually DOES something...but the more I see, the more I like and for sure feel much more hopeful that he''s making decisions based on what is real and will likely be what works right now and not just to please people....this is the mark of a leader. If he keeps this up he just may impress millions who didn''t think he was fit for the job.

[berniew4]

The USA economy is in terrible shape/ Over 90% of workers are enmployed .. Most businesses small and big are still operating. Those who overbought homes or credit cards are in trouble. It is a horrible loss for those who lose jobs .. A real depression. True. BuT to others working , Tell the Media to shut up and realize . THE BASIC USA ECONOMY is STRONGE and May KEEP THERE IF Capitalism can seek it''s own level. Helping all ALL ALL who FAIL IS DISGUSTING IN OUR WORLD..

[riptide213]

21st century HUAC.

Render no morsel of pork barrel unturned.

Transpire a new age of US political purity and reckoning.

Hope for real change optimistically draws closer to fruition.

[helloall34]

...

HERE WE GO CLINTON ERA ALIVE...WHERE IS MONICA.
Posted by Demdump at 01:15 PM : Dec 03, 2008
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We should all hope this is true. He led during the greatest economic expansion in history while at the same time shrinking the budget. Of course all the credit for any of the good must go to the republicans :). Honestly, I don''t care where the credit goes it would sure be nice to see the economy grow and the deficit shrink. Of course we are years away from that at this point. The republican cut taxes-and-spend polices have created huge deficits during booms, and now that we really do need to spend to help get out of the recession/depression we are starting in a whole.

[sioux4life1]

Maybe they can find the 2.3 trillon dollars unaccountable from the Pentigon mention by Rumsfeild just before 91101 and after never mentioned again. BTW where are the ak47,s that went missing or the billions that went missing in Iraq? Ohh the list in endless Be afraid NECOns be very afraid. :-D

[RichardOwlMirror]

Here''s a question for you to ponder
Once the ceremony of President Obama''s inauguration has taken place and George W Bush is no longer President, why is he allowed to be flown home on Air Force One, (at taxpayers expense) ?

He is no longer employed by the Federal Government yet, he is being allowed this mode of transportation. What happens if the new President must get on that plane?
What if the need arises for the President to be flown to safety ?

Air Force One: $68,000 an hour !

How long is the flight between dallas TX and Washington DC?
From Dulles to Dallas Ft. Worth it''s 3 hours and 40 minutes.
The return flight is 3 hours.

Taking George W Bush home will cost the American Taxpayer $350,000

How can this expense be justified, especially given the scroutiny of the CEO''s from the BIG THREE flying to Washington DC in their own private jets ?

[liberty4you]

We need converge on Washington DC as a country to provide Democracy for all free people of the world.

One million strong this time and don''t go home.

[macusweil]

"Foolish lemmings."

Yes, but is much better to be a liberal leaning lemming than a conlemming these days.

[antoniof123]

HERE WE GO CLINTON ERA ALIVE...WHERE IS MONICA.
Posted by Demdump at 01:15 PM : Dec 03, 2008
=================================
n
We should all hope this is true. He led during the greatest economic expansion in history while at the same time shrinking the budget. Of course all the credit for any of the good must go to the republicans :). Honestly, I don''''t care where the credit goes it would sure be nice to see the economy grow and the deficit shrink. Of course we are years away from that at this point. The republican cut taxes-and-spend polices have created huge deficits during booms, and now that we really do need to spend to help get out of the recession/depression we are starting in a whole.
Posted by helloall34 at 02:06 PM : Dec 03, 2008

This is the neo cons biggest fear. If Obama is just a little better than Bush it will ensure that the conservative never see power in our life time. Why do you think they expend so much energy in trying to discredit Obama even before he is in office.

Too bad neo cons there is no way any one could be as bad as Bush and his administration so you are doomed to wander in the wilderness for till the end of this generation. Have a nice time out there.

[macusweil]

"HERE WE GO CLINTON ERA ALIVE...WHERE IS MONICA. "

Fear not, conservatives and anarchists! There will be no tax payer funded witch hunts this time around.

The liberal agenda in the JFK tradition will to going full steam for at least the next decade. Jump on! Take a ride into the progressive future of America!!

Good bet we won''t see a Republican majority in either house for the next twenty years, yikes!

[bjcone8559]

This is a very interesting and uplifting story! This is the sort of activity truly patriotic Americans have been hoping for. The new administration storming the halls and offices of the outgoing bunch that have brought so much destruction to our country. All the lessor punks and criminals caught with their pants down while doing the bidding of the ''Great Satans'' Bush/Cheney. This is wonderful!! You Go Obama!! Let the prosecutions begin!!!

[daffy64]

"his totally recycled Clinton administration"?

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Does this mean we''ll have a surplus again?

[daffy64]

Taking George W Bush home will cost the American Taxpayer $350,000

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Let him take the bus. Right to jail, hopefully.

[bjcone8559]

Is bringing back the entire Clinton staff "change we can believe in"??
How can we keep putting the exact same people into office and expect change?
Don''''t re-elect anybody, from your local school board, to Washington.


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Posted by fahr451



If that''s the way you choose to look at it, you still lose! That would mean we are changing back to methods that work for our country.

[wardoglrs]

And all his socialist sheeple said Baaahhh bbaaahhhhh as they left for the slaughter house.

"The problems we face today cannot be solved by the minds that created them" Albert Einstein

*** Cheney was questioned on ABC about whether the fact that two thirds of Americans were opposed to the Iraq War had any influence on decision-making, he basically said that the American people get to make their input every four years and after that they can be ignored.

[bjcone8559]

You Obama followers will let the guy lie to your face and then try to rationalize in his defense.

Posted by fahr451


HA HA HA HA!!!! This from a Bush supporter!! FUNNY SHIET, MAN!!! (Coke squirting from my nose)

ROFLMMFAO!!!!!

[ford555551]

The mess created by Bush Cheney criminal enterprise, will take long time to fix. It is time to find out who are the criminals in the government agecies appointed by the enterprise and buy them one way bus ticket.

[libsh8theusa]

All Americans need to push for Obama Hidden birth certificate to be produced.. All Parties..

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/6687

This just goes to show how American media has favored Obama... If they do not favor Obama then why aren''t they saying anything about this?

[concerned222]

Obama''s transition teams are inspecting budgets and policies and such???? Sounds like a good idea to me. Isn''t that how we get change and all this mess cleaned up. At least it''s a start.

[nursehope]

All Americans need to push for Obama Hidden birth certificate to be produced.. All Parties.. Posted by libsh8theUSA at 03:20 PM
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
It''s because it is a non-issue. Find something really important to comment on!
He was born in Hawaii and is a citizen....this is getting totally ridiculous. Did you get your civics training at the same schools as Palin?

[nursehope]

This isn''t time for the Walmart greeter to be brought to Washington to run the country. We need experience and a new vision. Obama has the vision for the future and is a true leader.

[formrusmcsgt]

"This isn''t about big government or small government. It''s about building a smarter government that focuses on what works."
---

Government should be run like a public corporation.

I like what I''m seeing to date from the Obama camp.

[bjcone8559]

All Americans need to push for Obama Hidden birth certificate to be produced.. All Parties.. Posted by libsh8theUSA at 03:20 PM


McGoo and Lipstick lost. Get over it. Our guy won in a landslide. Go back to your hole.

[tmittelstaed]

"...So what you are saying is that all of Obama''''s
''''change'''' talk didn''''t REALLY mean change, it just meant going BACKWARDS. I see. All this time, I thought he meant actual change..."

That''s right. Because, what was done BEFORE the Bushies got in power WAS MOSTLY WORKING you dumb twit.

What is the point of changing to some yet unknown, untested, new way of running government? The intelligent thing is when you try something different and it fails - ie: what Bush tried - that you STOP DOING IT and go back to what WORKED BEFORE.

Your going to find Obama cherry-picking all of the stuff that worked out of the Clinton administration, as well as cherry picking the LITTLE that worked from the Bush administration - so far, Gates as Sec. of Defense, seems to be about it.

Obama isn''t going to go off and do something wildly new because there isn''t any need for it. Clinton proved that the Democrats know how to run the US Government properly, and Bush proved that the Republicans mostly DIDN''T know how to run the US Government properly. Since we have a working model, what is to be gained by discarding it?

[cherokee333]

he isn''t following a man! he is following the color of his skin! if he does what every black mayor in this country has done{been arrested for corruption} this country is in big trouble!!

[robaldrich]

In response to a Transition Team news story, many people say Obama should be required to produce his birth certificate -- like he''s hiding it.

If you want to see Obama''s birth certificate, google: "Obama birth certificate. Look at one of the 1,220,00 responses, say: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html . I just looked at it.

Rob - certainly NOT an Obama supporter.

[libsh8theusa]

If you want to see Obama''''s birth certificate, google: "Obama birth certificate. Look at one of the 1,220,00 responses, say: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/
born_in_the_usa.html . I just looked at it.

Posted by robaldrich4

robaldrich4~ I looked there long ago.. I can not tell if that is real or not.. I see no seal..

Then there are news stories on other sites saying that hospitals in Hawaii have no records of Obama being born there.. WHY IS THAT?

Seems that the only one that may know the truth is his grandmother.. and she is dead.. (hmm this is starting to sound like the Clinton''s.. people that know dirt on them die.. )

[parrot2ok]

Rob - certainly NOT an Obama supporter.
Posted by robaldrich4 at 04:15 PM : Dec 03, 2008

You DON''T support OUR President ???? A duly elected POTUS ? You really should be ashamed of yourself.

[parrot2ok]

Landslide... Bah ha ha.. Maybe electoral votes.. Which they should do away with.. It should be up the he People not the select few..

Then to address the birth Cert.. You and others are saying that Democraps are above the Constition... BULL.. All parties must comply to the Constitution. PERIOD..

Then lets address your insults.. I did not insult anyone in my post yet you insulted me.. Hmm typical lib.. Once cornered they resort to insults.. (see I can be just like you, *******)
Posted by libsh8theUSA at 04:27 PM : Dec 03, 2008



Soooo, who are you blaming for missing this huge information you seem to have just found on Obama ? - Must mean that you really believe that most Americans have been fooled on Obama for a very long time now and that our intelligence community is weak ?? But do keep it up (It''s still helping, more & more). Cheers!

[briannorwood]

Oh! So this is what competency in government looks like? It''s been so long, we''d all forgotten!

Before the election, I said that if Obama could run a government as well as he ran his campaign, he was going to be a very successful President.

All indications are that...YES HE CAN!

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by libsh8theUSA at 04:31 PM : Dec 03, 2008


libsh8theUSA,
You can say all you want about the man as long as it is truthful, but you will not be able to say that like the shrub he was asleep at the wheel on Inauguration day. He has hit the ground running at full speed. If the terrorist have something planned similar to 9/11/01, this President will not sit there reading a book to children while his country collapses around him.

[notblue]

If competency looks like keeping with the old guard, the good old boys club, then everyone president up to and including Obama have been competent. Is this keeping with the promise of change? No. Is Obama doing what he wants despite what he promised the sheep? Yes he is! Will he get away with it? Thanks to the messiajs followers and the leftwing media YES HE CAN!

[centerfall94]

Wow, the bitter, loser republicans are really full of hate today.

Why do you guys hate America so much?

No, don''t answer that. Through decisions by the voters in America, you''re almost completely out of power, so we don''t care anymore.

[notblue]

Tollmangler, but what will keep the libs from blaming America and denying the threat of Radical Islam? Nothing! My bet is they will still be in denial, continue to justify the barbarism and attacks by blaming America and it''s policies. you forget the suopport the enemy enjoys from the leftwing of this country, a better allie the
Muslim extremists could have never hoped for.

[toolmangler-2009]

robaldrich4~ I looked there long ago.. I can not tell if that is real or not.. I see no seal..
Posted by libsh8theUSA at 04:31 PM : Dec 03, 2008



Have you seen any other certificates sating he was bborn elsewhere? did they ''look'' more authentic than the one from Hawaii? How could ''you'' tell the real from the fake? quit being a ''sore loser'' and accept this man for what he is elected to be, Your President!!!! If he screws up, ''then'' you can be an "I told you so".

[notblue]

Tollmangler, did you exept George Bush as your president? Thought not! Enough said.