Potusphere, Administration Spotlight Recap

POTUS Watch Survey of the Advisors to the President Of The United States Special Issue – KEY ADVISORS RECAPITULATIVE

Paris, 12 February 2009 The inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009 began a new, historic chapter in American politics. Yet international challenges have not relented, nor will inevitable internal struggles that accompany high-level political decision-making. Modelling his administration after Lincoln’s “team of rivals,” President Obama has brought on the most experienced players, with big personalities and vehement convictions. As policy is crafted, some advisors will have close proximity to the president while others will not have the necessary relationship to move an agenda on critical policy matters. Twice monthly, POTUS Watch will systematically assemble key positions in the Obama administration on central foreign and economic policy issues in order to highlight tendencies among his Cabinet and closest advisors. POTUS Watch will define majority and minority opinions, examine who holds those views, and identify the relative power of these actors in the decision-making process. By outlining major political currents, POTUS Watch aims to spotlight the emergence of power blocs and trends in order to better understand the foreign policy-making mechanisms in the Obama administration. Amy Greene

Amy Greene • [email protected]

POTUS Watch Obama Administration Key Advisors – “DOMESTIC” ADVISORS Name David Axelrod

Position Senior Advisor to the President

Gregory Craig

White House Counsel

Rahm Emanuel

White House Chief of Staff

Patrick Gaspard

White House Political Director

Robert Gibbs

White House Communications Director

Valerie Jarrett

Senior Advisor to the President; Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations; and Public Liaison

Pete Rouse

Senior Advisor to the President

Comment Close confidante, protector, and honest broker of Obama, campaign’s Chief Strategist. Political journalism and consulting background, founded consulting firm serving high profile Dems. White House liaison with Justice Department. Human rights advocate, Latin America specialist. Worked for Clinton, Albright and Ted Kennedy. Former Congressman, consummate “insider.” Will push President’s agenda through Congress. Aggressive and tough. As Clinton advisor, helped pass hallmark legislation. Advises on political impact of Presidential policies. Will explore how to transform Obama base into political reinforcement. Union political direction experience. Confidante of Obama and an architect of his move to national stage. Will be administration’s “institutional memory.” Close confidante and candid critic of Obama. Offered input on every major decision during campaign. Will connect citizens, local governments, and local businesses with White House. Confidante of Obama. Strong knowledge of DC players and institutions. Career spent working for top politicians.

Amy Greene • [email protected]

POTUS Watch Obama Administration Key Advisors – ECONOMY Name Timothy Geithner

Austen Goolsbee

Peter Orszag

Christina Romer

Mary Schapiro

Lawrence Summers

Dan Tarullo

Paul Volcker

Position Secretary, Department Treasury

Comment of Vast experience managing international market crises (Mexico, Russia, Brazil) Balances risk-taking with classic monetary policy. Warned for years against deregulation. Known on Wall St. as an innovator. Close to Volcker, Rubin, and Summers. Head Staff, Economic Recovery Unapologetic advocate for free Advisory Board trade. Favors reducing foreign funding of U.S. debt and govt spending. Will serve as deputy to Volcker. Director, Office of Management Meticulous knowledge of and Budget budget. Warns against increasing cost of entitlement programs. Likely to avidly pursue health care reform. Director, Council of Economic Specialist in microeconomics Advisors and recession, and effects of monetary policy on growth and inflation. Chairman, Securities and Brought on to restore Exchange Commission (SEC) confidence in undermined SEC. Strong industry-regulation background, less on investor protection side. Director, National Economic Global economy expert who has Council recently come out in favor of increased regulation, trade restrictions, and policies to reduce income gap. Will oversee implementation of Obama’s economic agenda. Member, Federal Reserve Long-time advocate of Board increased bank regulation. Extensive writings on sovereign debt, international regulation, and trade. Was Clinton’s top international economic policy coordinator. Director, Economic Recovery Credited for slashing inflation Advisory Board in 1980s. Sought for his « tough love » and brutal honesty, even if unpopular, to revive U.S. economy.

Amy Greene • [email protected]

POTUS Watch Obama Administration Key Advisors – ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT Name Steven Chu

Carol Browner

Lisa Jackson

Nancy Sutley

Position Secretary, Department Energy

Comment of Nobel prize winner. Proponent of biodiesel and renewable energies. Expected to steward reorientation of energy policy. Special Advisor to the Former EPA administrator President, Energy and Climate under Clinton. Reputation for Change strict environmental regulation. Business-friendly, interested in efficient govt. decision-making to attract business cooperation. Administrator, Environmental Trained scientist. Former head Protection Agency of New Jersey EPA has worked at federal EPA. Understands political side of environmental legislative progress. Combination of managerial and scientific expertise. Successful implementation of greenhouse gas reduction laws. Director, Council on Deeply versed in nuances of Environmental Quality water policy. Federal and state management and budget experience. Close to Browner. Held senior positions in environmental and energy. Will advise President on nat’l and int’l environment policy.

Amy Greene • [email protected]

POTUS Watch Obama Administration Key Advisors – NATIONAL SECURITY/FOREIGN POLICY Name Admiral Dennis Blair

Position Director, National Intelligence

Hillary Clinton

Secretary, Department of State

Robert Gates

Secretary, Defense

Richard Holbrooke

Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan

Eric Holder

Attorney General

General James Jones

National Security Advisor

Department

of

Comment Highest intelligence post in country, overseeing CIA Director. Former head of U.S. Pacific Command. Will seek to increase efficiency of cumbersome intelligence agencies. Coordinated CIA and Pentagon operations. Expert on China and speaks Russian. The face of U.S. foreign policy in the world, this reputed « hawk » and former rival to President Obama shares many of his core positions despite tough talking. Excellent technical mastery of problems. Will be kept on in the immediate future to help Obama assert authority over a large and looming defense bureaucracy in order to help coordinate a withdrawal from Iraq and talks with adversaries without stirring institutional backlash and public criticism. Former UN Amb. 45 years as diplomat. Broker of ‘95 Dayton Accords. Will use assertive style and deep network to restore order and confidence to chaotic policy. Will report to Clinton. A sign of a clean break from Bush era questionable practices, Holder aims to restore respect for the Constitution and distance between executive and judiciary to ensure accountability. Jones has a first-hand knowledge of training security forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel and Palestine. He has been attacked for being too proPalestine. Deep knowledge of Europe. Will coordinate policies of State and Defense Depts.

Amy Greene • [email protected]

Jacob Lew

Deputy Secretary, Department of State (resource, finance)

William Lynn

Deputy Secretary, Department of Defense

George Mitchell

Special Envoy to the Middle East

Janet Napolitano

Secretary, Department Homeland Security

Leon Panetta

Director, Central Intelligence Agency

Susan Rice

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

James Steinberg

Deputy Secretary (policy issues)

of

of

State

Act as nuts-and-bolts overseer of State budget and spending. Close to Clintonites, including Podesta. Strongly opposed to debt-accumulation, outspoken advocate of fiscal streamlining. Former lobbyist for behemoth defense contractor Raytheon, which won $54B in federal govt. contracts during his tenure. Formerly aide to Ted Kennedy and Under Secretary of Defense. Major player in N. Ireland peace deal. In 2001 report, called for freeze on Israeli settlements and crackdown on Palestinian terrorism to curb regional violence. From a Lebanese family. As envoy, will report to Clinton. Expert in border security and illegal immigration, this former governor of Arizona harkens a redefinition of comprehensive immigration policy. Her challenge is to restore the agency’s credibility after years of mismanagement. A surprise pick with no official intelligence profile, Panetta will try to refine the management of the CIA and break from Bushera policies, like torture. Former Clinton chief of staff, Panetta participated in daily intelligence briefings and in setting the agency’s budget. Career began in Clinton State Dept. Specialist in African affairs, strong believer in multilateral institutions. Favors both uni- and multilateral military intervention in humanitarian crises. Close advisor to Hillary Clinton. Expressed favor for preemptive war if international institutions defined criteria and rules for use.

Amy Greene • [email protected]

POTUS Watch Table of Contents

AXELROD, David BLAIR, Dennis BROWNER, Carol CHU, Steven CLINTON, Hillary CRAIG, Gregory EMANUEL, Rahm GASPAR, Patrick GATES, Robert GEITHNER, Timothy GIBBS, Robert GOOLSBEE, Austen HOLBROOKE, Richard HOLDER, Eric JACKSON, Lisa JARRETT, Valerie JONES, James LEW, Jacob LYNN, William MITCHELL, George NAPOLITANO, Janet ORSZAG, Peter PANETTA, Leon RICE, Susan ROMER, Christina ROUSE, Peter SCHAPIRO, Mary STEINBERG, James SUMMERS, Lawrence SUTLEY, Nancy TARULLO, Daniel VOLCKER, Paul

Domestic National Security/Foreign Policy Energy/Environment Energy/Environment National Security/Foreign Policy Domestic Domestic Domestic National Security/Foreign Policy Economy Domestic Economy National Security/Foreign Policy National Security/Foreign Policy Energy/Environment Domestic National Security/Foreign Policy National Security/Foreign Policy National Security/Foreign Policy National Security/Foreign Policy National Security/Foreign Policy Economy National Security/Foreign Policy National Security/Foreign Policy Economy Domestic Economy National Security/Foreign Policy Economy Energy/Environment Economy Economy

Amy Greene • [email protected]