Obama White House staff

White House staff
Chief of Staff: Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois was selected by President-elect Obama on November 6, two days after the election.[66]
Deputy Chiefs of Staff: Jim Messina, current director of personnel for the Obama Transition team and former Chief of Staff to Senator Max Baucus; and Mona Sutphen, a former career foreign service officer who worked for President Clinton's National Security Council.[67]
Senior Advisors to the President: Campaign strategist David Axelrod[68] and Pete Rouse, who has been serving as Obama's Senate chief of staff.[67]
Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison: Valerie Jarrett, a lawyer who served as Chicago's planning commissioner and later was chairperson of the Chicago Transit Authority. In 1995, Jarrett left public service to join the Habitat Corporation, a Chicago real estate management company.[69]
Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs: Phil Schiliro.[70]
White House Counsel: Greg Craig.[71]
Cabinet Secretary: Chris Lu, former legislative director of Obama's Senate office.
Staff Secretary: Lisa Brown, executive director of the American Constitution Society.[72]
Press Secretary: Robert Gibbs, announced on November 22.[73]
Communications Director: Ellen Moran.[73]
Deputy Director of Communications: Dan Pfeiffer.[73]
Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality: Nancy Sutley, a well-known member of the LGBT community, and Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles.
Deputy Director of White House Office of Health Reform: Jeanne Lambrew
White House photographer: Pete Souza[74]

[edit] Cabinet and top advisors
There was one withdrawal, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, whom Obama had named Secretary of Commerce. Richardson's administration is currently the subject of a federal corruption probe; while maintaining that his administration was responsible for no wrongdoing, he withdrew so as to prevent a lengthy confirmation process from hindering the work of the U.S. Department of Commerce.[75] The position was filled by Gary Locke.

Obama named Tim Kaine as new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, replacing Howard Dean who has clashed with Obama and his advisors in the past. Kaine will serve concurrently as Governor of Virginia until his term ends in January, 2010. [76]

Obama named Aneesh Chopra for the new position of Chief Technology Officer of the United States, Vivek Kundra as Chief Information Officer and Jeffrey Zients Chief Performance Officer[77][78] and deputy director for management of the Office of Management and Budget[79]

Initial reaction to Obama's choice of Leon E. Panetta as CIA director was mixed, with some intelligence professionals expressing concern that Panetta lacked specific intelligence experience,[80] and others such as former Congressman and co-chair of the Iraq Study Group Lee Hamilton praising the choice.[81]


[edit] Domestic
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Health and Human Services
(announced February 28, 2009)[82]
Shaun Donovan
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
(announced December 13, 2008)[83]
Eric Shinseki
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
(announced December 7, 2008)[84]
Arne Duncan
Secretary of Education
(announced December 16, 2008)[85]

Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Agriculture
(announced December 17, 2008)[86]
Ray LaHood
Secretary of Transportation
(announced December 19, 2008)[87]
Hilda Solis
Secretary of Labor
(announced December 19, 2008, will require a Saxbe fix)[88][89]
Melody Barnes
Director, Domestic Policy Council
(announced November 24, 2008)[90]

Gil Kerlikowske
Director, National Drug Control Policy
(announced February 10, 2009)[91]



[edit] Economic
Timothy Geithner
Secretary of the Treasury
(announced November 24, 2008)[90]
Gary Locke
Secretary of Commerce
(announced February 25, 2009)[92]
Christina Romer
Chairwoman, Council of Economic Advisers
(announced November 24, 2008)[90]
Lawrence Summers
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
Director, National Economic Council
(announced November 24, 2008)[90]

Paul Volcker
Chairman, Economic Recovery Advisory Board
(announced November 26, 2008)[93]
Peter R. Orszag
Director, Office of Management and Budget
(announced November 25, 2008)[94]
Ron Kirk
United States Trade Representative
(announced December 19, 2008)



[edit] Environment and Energy
Steven Chu
Secretary of Energy
(announced December 15, 2008)[95]
Ken Salazar
Secretary of the Interior
(announced December 17) (the nomination was given a Saxbe fix)[89][96]
Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator of the EPA
(announced December 15, 2008)[97]
Nancy Sutley
Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality
(announced December 15, 2008)[98]

Carol Browner
Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
(announced December 15, 2008)[99]



[edit] Foreign Affairs and National Security
Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
(announced December 1)[100] (the nomination was given a Saxbe fix)[101][102][103][104][105]
Robert Gates
Will continue as
Secretary of Defense
(announced December 1)[100]
Eric Holder
Attorney General
(announced December 1, 2008)[100]
Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Homeland Security
(announced December 1)[100]

James L. Jones
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
(announced December 1)[100]
Dennis Blair
Director of National Intelligence
(announced January 2009)
Leon Panetta
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
(announced January 2009)
Susan Rice official United Nations portrait.jpgSusan Rice
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
(announced December 1)[100]



[edit] Table
Proposed Obama administration personnel at the time of Inauguration January 20, 2009
Cabinet and cabinet-level

Position Designate
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel†
Director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter Orszag†
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lisa Jackson†
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Position Designate
Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Attorney General Eric Holder
Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice†
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Trade Representative Ronald Kirk†


†Cabinet-level position

Executive Office of the President

Position Designee
Senior Adviser to the President
Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs
Public Liaison Valerie Jarrett
Senior Adviser to the President Pete Rouse
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Jim Messina
Staff Secretary Lisa Brown
Personal Secretary Katie Johnson
Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu
Chief of Staff to the First Lady Jackie Norris
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs
White House Social Secretary
Special Assistant to the President Desirée Rogers
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
(Director of the White House National Economic Council) Lawrence
Summers
Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
(Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council) Melody Barnes
Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner
Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget Rob Nabors
Chair of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker
Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
(National Security Adviser) Jim Jones
Director of Public Liaison Christina Tchen
Director of White House Office of Health Reform TBD
Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal
Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisers on
Science and Technology Eric Lander
Deputy White House Counsel with a Focus on Domestic Policy and Ethics Cassandra Butts
Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the Senate Shawn Maher
Special Assistant to the President
Director of Communications for the First Lady Camille
Johnston
Deputy Press Secretary for the First Lady Semonti
Mustaphi
White House Director of Presidential Personnel Don Gips
Associate Counsel to the President Susan Sher
Position Designee
Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs Phil Schiliro
Deputy White House Chief of Staff Mona Sutphen
Senior Adviser to the President David Axelrod
White House Counsel Greg Craig
Director of the White House Office of Political Affairs Patrick Gaspard
Assistant to the President for Communications
(White House Director of Communications) Ellen Moran
Deputy Assistant to the President for Communications
(Deputy White House Director of Communications) Dan Pfeiffer
Deputy Chief of Staff to the First Lady Melissa Winter
Director of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Christina Romer
Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy
(Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council) Heather
Higginbottom
White House Director of Scheduling and Advance Alyssa
Mastromonaco
Staff Director and Chief Economist of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Austan
Goolsbee
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Cecilia Muñoz
Director of the White House Military Office Louis Caldera
Chief of Staff to the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations
Public Liaison Michael
Strautmanis
Deputy Director of White House Office of Health Reform Jeanne Lambrew
Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley
Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
(Director of the White House Office of Science
and Technology Policy)
Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisers on
Science and Technology John Holdren
Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisers on
Science and Technology Harold Varmus
Deputy Cabinet Secretary Liz Sears Smith
Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs for the House of Representatives Dan Turton
Press Secretary for the First Lady Katie
McCormick
Lelyveld
Director of the Office of Management and Administration Bradley Kiley
Chief Performance Officer
Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget Jeffrey Zients
Director of White House Office of Urban Policy Adolfo Carrion*


Other

Position Designee
Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Schapiro
Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Daniel Tarullo
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
(Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Jane
Lubchenco
Solicitor General Elena Kagan
Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel Dawn Johnsen
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta
Position Designee
Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Gary Gensler
Administrator of the Small Business Administration Karen Mills
Deputy Attorney General David Ogden
Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli
Surgeon General TBD
Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg
Jacob Lew
Special Assistant to the President Eugene Kang


* Although identified by sources to the press, selection awaited official announcement by the office of the President Elect.

Office of the Vice President

Position Designate
Chief of Staff to the Vice President Ron Klain
Counsel to the Vice President Cynthia Hogan
Counselor to the Vice President Mike Donilon
Assistant to the Vice President for Intergovernmental Affairs
Public Liaison Evan Ryan
Assistant to the Vice President
Director of Communications Jay Carney
Deputy Chief of Staff to the Vice President Alan Hoffman
Deputy National Security Adviser to the Vice President Brian McKeon
Director of Communications for the Second Lady Courtney O’Donnell
Position Designate
Chief of Staff to the Second Lady Catherine Russell
Director of Administration for the Office of the Vice President Moe Vela
Domestic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Terrell McSweeny
Chief Economist and Economic Policy Adviser to the Vice President Jared Bernstein
Press Secretary to the Vice President Elizabeth Alexander
Deputy Press Secretary to the Vice President Annie Tomasini
Director of Legislative Affairs Sudafi Henry
Residence Manager and Social Secretary for the Vice President and the Second Lady Carlos Elizondo

Anti-Gun Blacklist Bill Introduced in U.S. House

Anti-Gun Blacklist Bill Introduced in U.S. House

Friday, May 15, 2009

Rumor was enough to get you burned as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. It was enough to get you shot in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. It's enough to get your head chopped off in parts of Iraq infested with madmen claiming to carry out Allah's will.

And if U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) has his way, it may be enough to prohibit you from acquiring a firearm or federal firearm license, especially if the Attorney General is as opposed to gun ownership as Janet Reno was during the Clinton Administration, and as Eric Holder is today.

Fresh on the heels of a disturbing paper from the Department of Homeland Security, characterizing gun owners as rightwing extremists, on April 29 King introduced H.R. 2159, which he calls the "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009."

King, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, describes himself as "a strong supporter of the war against international terrorism, both at home and abroad," so without reading the bill one might assume that H.R. 2159 is a legitimate effort to clamp down on genuine terrorists. However, King and his bill's co-sponsors—Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.), Mike Castle (R-Del.), Jim Moran (D-Va.), Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Mark Kirk (D-Ill.), and Chris Smith (R-N.J.)1—are extreme gun control supporters, and his bill is intended only to give the Executive Branch arbitrary, unaccountable power to stop loyal Americans from acquiring firearms. Here's how:

H.R. 2159 would give "the Attorney General the authority to deny the sale, delivery, or transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearms or explosives license or permit to dangerous terrorists. . . . if the Attorney General determines that the transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support thereof, and the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that the prospective transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism."



H.R. 2159 does not, however, impose any requirements or limits on the information the Attorney General could use to make a determination, and it proposes that "any information which the Attorney General relied on for this determination may be withheld from the applicant if the Attorney General determines that disclosure of the information would likely compromise national security."

In stark contrast to the scheme proposed in H.R. 2159, federal law establishes guidelines for the nine categories of persons currently prohibited from possessing firearms, and it protects the right of a person to be told why he is prohibited. The latter is important because a person who is not prohibited can be mistaken for someone who is, due to incomplete or incorrect records in the FBI's database of prohibited persons, or due to being mistaken for a prohibited person on the basis of a similar name or other personal information.

The trash bin of history is full of politically-motivated, authoritarian abuses of peoples' rights. As King and his bill's co-sponsors have shown, however, the concept behind the evil yet remains.