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Politics : President Barack Obama -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: zeta1961 who wrote (45060)	11/19/2008 4:20:24 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 149317

Holder as Attorney General Would Expand Clinton Aides for Obama By James Rowley and Julianna Goldman Nov. 19 (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Barack Obama repeatedly is turning to the Clinton administration for his Cabinet and staff, the latest example coming yesterday when Eric Holder emerged as the leading candidate for attorney general. Holder, who served as former President Bill Clinton's deputy attorney general, is undergoing a formal check of his background by Obama's transition team and hasn't yet been formally offered the job, according to three Democrats familiar with the transition. Obama already has named Rahm Emanuel to be his chief of staff and Ron Klain to be Vice President-elect Joe Biden's chief of staff. Both served in the Clinton administration. John Podesta, who served as Clinton's chief of staff, is helping to run the transition process. In addition, Hillary Clinton is the leading candidate for secretary of state, a Democrat familiar with the matter said. Bill Richardson, who served as Clinton's energy secretary, also has been interviewed by Obama for a possible cabinet post. ``The Clinton administration was generally successful, and they provide the obvious pool of experience for Obama,'' said Clyde Wilcox, a government professor at Georgetown University in Washington. ``Obama and Clinton also share a decision-making style that they like to hear strong arguments from people who disagree, and to sort them out in a deliberative setting. So some of Clinton's appointees will be good fits for him also.'' Holder didn't respond to e-mailed and telephone requests for comment. Questions Over Pardon To be sure, some of the problems that beset the Clinton administration could follow as well. The end of Holder's tenure as the Justice Department's No. 2 official was marred by controversy over Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich just before leaving office in 2001. Republicans questioned Holder at congressional hearings after he had left office about his role in the pardon. Holder testified that he was ``neutral'' on the matter because he didn't have enough information about it to have an opinion. He told lawmakers that he didn't give the pardon unusual attention because he thought it had gone through normal Justice Department channels and that he was unfamiliar with the fact that Rich was a fugitive. Rich had fled to Switzerland to avoid prosecution on charges of evading more than $48 million in taxes. `Outstanding Nominee' Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee which would review the nomination, said Holder ``would make an outstanding nominee.'' The Vermont Democrat said Holder likely would get support from Democratic and Republican senators for confirmation if Obama selects him for the job. Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Judiciary panel, said he hadn't formed a view on a possible nomination of Holder to be attorney general, telling reporters it's ``too soon to say.'' ``I would have to take a much closer look at his record, talk to him and think about it,'' Specter said. He added that Holder's role in the Rich pardon ``would be a factor to consider'' though not ``among the top five.'' Specter said he hasn't been contacted about Holder by the Obama transition office. The 57-year-old Holder, a Columbia Law School graduate, co- chaired with Caroline Kennedy the effort to screen vice presidential candidates for Obama. A partner in the Washington law firm of Covington & Burling, Holder was a federal prosecutor, a judge in Washington, D.C., and a U.S. attorney before Clinton named him deputy attorney general. The FBI has begun a background check on Holder by checking references and asking questions about his personal character, one person familiar with the process said. Holder functioned as the chief operating officer of the Justice Department when he was deputy attorney general under Attorney General Janet Reno. As U.S. attorney, his office prosecuted former Chicago Democratic congressman Dan Rostenkowski on corruption charges. To contact the reporter on this story: James Rowley in Washington at jarowley@bloomberg.net; Julianna Goldman in Chicago at jgoldman6@bloomberg.net Last Updated: November 19, 2008 00:01 EST