Obama's administration picks: Little Known Facts

I'm amazed at how the media has portrayed Obama's picks as 'centrist'.
Thanks to Time magazine, and a few other sources, I hope to dispel that myth.

U.N. Ambassador: Susan E. Rice

You might know that Susan has Jamaican parents.
You probably know that she worked as Assistant Secretary for African Affairs under Clinton, starting in 1997. -Or that she worked for the Brookings Institution on issues of "global poverty and inequality."
But did you know who her hubby is?

Age 44, Rice is married to Canadian journalist Ian Cameron, executive producer of ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. They met in college when she was a freshman and he was a senior and are the parents of two children.

Hmmm.
Think that Clinton's former spokesperson, Stephanopoulos, is going to be harsh on her?

People who worked for Clinton - who now work for Obama - Counter:
1

Energy Czar Carol Browner.

If you've read a lot, you know that the Energy Czar Browner used to work as a Legislative Director for then-Senator Al Gore, a lifelong environmentalist.

You might know that she was the director of the EPA under Clinton, and was the longest serving administrator in that position. Or that she protected us against that horrible water borne killer Cryptosporidium. (If you've ever taken a food safety class, as I have, you know how bizarre it is that the EPA felt a need to take action over something like this.)

What you probably don't know is that up until recently, she worked for the Albright Group; a management consulting firm with some pretty hefty political ties, including former Clintonite Madeline.

But did you know that she used to work for Citizen Action, an environmental action group?

I understand completely that many people want someone in the department of energy who will be responsible. But putting an environmentalist in charge of energy, is like putting a vegetarian in charge of issuing hunting licenses. Their core beliefs run counter to their job description.

Anyway, back to our Clinton/Obama WH Counter:
2

I forgot to add...

Secretary of State, Hillary

Clinton/Obama WH Counter:
3

Attorney General, Eric Holder

Eric is the third member of the Obama administration to have ties to the Caribbean, with parents from Barbados. (I'm always amused when an Irish guy feels a need to hire a bunch of Irish guys to work for him. Similarly, Obama's picks amuse me.)

What you might know?
That he worked at Covington & Burling LLP, or that he was originally hired by Reagan in 1988 to be an associate judge.
He was then hired by Clinton in 1993 to be a US Attorney.

What you don't know about Holder?
That he was the guy who approved of Marc Rich's pardon. Marc Rich was a 'fugitive billionaire' who had fled the country. His wife had lobbied hard for his pardon. The day before George Bush took office, Holder reviewed the pardon and wrote that he was "neutral to favorable" about the pardon. Clinton signed it, and the rest is history.

Clinton / Obama WH Counter:
4

Homeland Security Secretary: Janet Napolitano

Time magazine's profile of Napolitano is remarkable in one way; they say that she has a "nuanced approach" that has pleased both sides on the issue of immigration. But a link to their previous article on Napolitano reveals this quote:

Last November angry voters passed Proposition 200, which in part provides that undocumented aliens receive no state welfare benefits that they are not entitled to. Napolitano opposed it, as well as several bills that targeted illegal immigrants.

Read the complete article, because I can't quote it here without violating copyright. It also points out 'immigration reforms' that Janet created on her own, but it seems clear from the article that she's not taking a centrist position.

Back to what you probably do know:
She was appointed as a US attorney general by Bill Clinton.

What you don't know:

In 1991, represented Anita Hill in Hill's sexual harrassment lawsuit against then-Supreme Court nominee (and now Justice) Clarence Thomas

You can say many things about Janet, but you can't say that she's a centrist.

Obama / Clinton WH Counter:
5

Whew! My fingers are getting tired from writing all of those numbers.

Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel

Yeah, that's Blagojevich to the right of him. So let's start there.
Did you know that Rahm and Obama were both chief strategists for Blago's run for governor in 2002?
From the New Yorker:

Rahm Emanuel, a congressman from Chicago and a friend of Obama’s, told me that he, Obama, David Wilhelm, who was Blagojevich’s campaign co-chair, and another Blagojevich aide were the top strategists of Blagojevich’s victory. He and Obama “participated in a small group that met weekly when Rod was running for governor,” Emanuel said. “We basically laid out the general election, Barack and I and these two.” A spokesman for Blagojevich confirmed Emanuel’s account, although David Wilhelm, who now works for Obama, said that Emanuel had overstated Obama’s role. “There was an advisory council that was inclusive of Rahm and Barack but not limited to them,” Wilhelm said, and he disputed the notion that Obama was “an architect or one of the principal strategists.”

Rahm was also a chief advisor to Bill Clinton. Before that, he worked as a fundraiser for Mayor Daley of Chicago. Which means he worked for 3 crooks that we know of.
But hey... I'm positive that Obama is completely different from Rahm's previous clients.

Oh, and Emanuel Was Director Of Freddie Mac During Scandal, according to the ABC news story of the same name.

Emanuel was named to the Freddie Mac board by President Bill Clinton in 2000 and resigned his position when he ran for Congress in May, 2001.
During the years 2000, 2001 and 2002, according to the SEC, Freddie Mac substantially misrepresented its income to "present investors with the image of a company that would continue to generate predictable and growing earnings."

Neat.
But he's clean as snow. Chicago snow.

Clinton / Obama WH Count:
6

This is where I have to take a break. But I'll be back for round two of 'what you probably don't know' about Obama's cabinet.