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C ON T E N T S CONTRIBUTORS ....................................................... MASTHEAD.................................................................. EDITOR’S LETTER ..................................................... THE OBAMASPHERE The ultimate insiders’ guide to Obamaland, featuring a who’s who of the new administration and supporters including photos, biographies, an index, and special contributions....................
THE BAND PLAYS ON Political society observer Roland Flamini explores the true extent of the ‘change’ that comes to Washington at the advent of a new administration .....................................................................
PLUMS DELIVERED NUTS SAFELY Presidential historian Barry Landau reflects on celebrity attendance at inauguration festivities, and glamorous inaugurations of yore...........................................................
ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE Shepard Fairey’s iconic images helped mobilize a nation during the historic campaign for the White House. Fairey gives a rare interview to Karin Tanabe ...................................................
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ON THE COVER An image of the President-elect flanked by the White House and the Capitol, created exclusively for Washington Life by Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Shepard Fairey, who is responsible for some of the most iconic images of the historic 2008 campaign. LEFT President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden wave after Obama’s acceptance speech at his election night party at Grant Park in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) ABOVE Illustration by J.C. Suarès
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C ON T E N T S CONTRIBUTORS ....................................................... MASTHEAD.................................................................. EDITOR’S LETTER ..................................................... THE OBAMASPHERE The ultimate insiders’ guide to Obamaland, featuring a who’s who of the new administration and supporters including photos, biographies, an index, and special contributions....................
THE BAND PLAYS ON Political society observer Roland Flamini explores the true extent of the ‘change’ that comes to Washington at the advent of a new administration .....................................................................
PLUMS DELIVERED NUTS SAFELY Presidential historian Barry Landau reflects on celebrity attendance at inauguration festivities, and glamorous inaugurations of yore...........................................................
OBAMA THE MOVIE Which Hollywood A-listers will you be rubbing elbows with during the new administration? Our look at the celebrities who backed Obama illuminates their role in the campaign and the chances of spotting them in the capital city ..........................
ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE Shepard Fairey’s iconic images helped mobilize a nation during the historic campaign for the White House. Fairey gives a rare interview to Karin Tanabe ...................................................
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ON THE COVER An image of the President-elect flanked by the White House and the Capitol, created exclusively for Washington Life by Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Shepard Fairey, who is responsible for some of the most iconic images of the historic 2008 campaign. LEFT President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden wave after Obama’s acceptance speech at his election night party at Grant Park in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) ABOVE Illustration by J.C. Suarès
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | CONTRIBUTORS
WA S H I N GTO N ’S P R E M I E R E LUXU RY L I F E ST Y L E M AGA Z I N E S I N C E 1 9 9 1
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Nancy Reynolds Bagley EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Michael M. Clements MANAGING EDITOR
1
Christina Wilkie
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SENIOR EDITOR
DEPUTY EDITOR
Kevin Chaffee
Karin Tanabe EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Kelly Fisher COPY EDITOR
Claudia Krieger CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Bret Baier, Roland Flamini, Ed Henry, Barry H. Landau CREATIVE DIRECTOR
J.C. Suarès ART DIRECTOR
Bridget Manifold
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CONTRIBUTING GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
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Anfon Ha, Lauren Pack, and Anas Ruhman CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Nishan Naltchayan, Paul Maynard,Tony Powell, Kyle Samperton, and Scott Wagner
1 BRET BAIER is the anchor of “Special Report With Bret Baier.” He formerly served as chief White House correspondent for FOX News Channel. He contributes to our inauguration special. 2 ROLAND FLAMINI was the Washington-based chief international correspondent at United Press International until 2006. He also worked as a foreign correspondent and World section editor for Time magazine. He writes this month on Obama’s new administration. 3 ED HENRY is CNN’s White House correspondent, and previously covered Capitol Hill for the network. Henry joined CNN in April 2004 after having been a columnist and senior editor at Roll Call for eight years. He contributes to our inauguration feature. 4 BARRY H LANDAU is a presidential historian and one of the country’s foremost collectors of presidential memorabilia and artifacts. He has helped plan events for eight presidents. Landau shares memories from past inaugurations in our special feature.
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Soroush Richard Shehabi Washington Life magazine publishes ten times a year. Issues are distributed in February, March, April, May, June, July/August, September, October, November and December and are hand-delivered on a rotating basis to over 150,000 homes throughout D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland. Additional copies are available at various upscale retailers, hotels, select newstands, and Whole Foods stores in the area. For a complete listing, please consult our website at www.washingtonlife.com. You can also subscribe online at www.washingtonlife.com or send a check for $49.99 (one year) to: Washington Life Magazine, 2301 Tracy Place NW, Washington D.C., 20008. BPA audited. Email us at info@washingtonlife.com with press releases, tips, and editorial comments. Copyright ©2008 by Washington Life. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial content or photos in any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. Printed in the United States. We will not be responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | EDITOR’S LETTER
An Historic Moment G
reat change comes to Washington once in a generation. It happened in 1961 when John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline took the city by storm, launching a “Camelot” era of hope, imagination, style and “vigah” (as the Kennedys pronounced it) that is fondly remembered by many of our readers. Two decades later, the Reagans came to town, bringing renewed energy and a generous addition of old-time Hollywood glamour that lasted throughout their two terms in office. Now, it’s Barack and Michelle Obamas’ time to put their own stamp on the scene, and we have no doubt that the new president and first lady will soon prove to be just as fascinating in the White House as they were on the campaign trail. Many who are slated to join the Obama Administration have held reins of power under previous presidents; others will be newcomers to our city. While there is great interest in learning as much as possible about the accomplished men and women poised
to transition into top government posts, the economic and foreign policy crises we now face give that effort a special imperative. With that in mind, we present Washington Life Magazine’s definitive guide to Obamaland, and to this historic inauguration and changing of the guard in Washington. We hope the first thing you’ll notice is the Shepard Fairey cover, a collector’s item made exclusively for Washington Life. Inside, our intimate Spotters’ Guide provides the most comprehensive insider’s look at President-elect Barack Obama’s administration, and his myriad spheres of influence, that we’ve seen anywhere. Compiled through exhaustive research, interviews, and talks with the transition team, the guide has been fully updated since its initial publication in our Holiday and Inauguration Issue, and expanded to include new positions, appointments, and all the faces you’ll need to know in the coming years. Other features include presidential historian Barry Landau’s reflections on inaugurations past, contributor Roland Flamini’s piece reminding us of the many players hoping to have their fifteen-minutes with the new commander-in-chief, CNN chief White House correspondent Ed Henry’s reflections on what Obama’s ascendancy means for Washington. Throughout this guide to Obamaland, you’ll also see lots the fabulous photos you’ve come to love in Washington Life; only this time with an emphasis on the city’s new power players, whether on election night in Chicago, at the myriad social events that took place in Denver last summer during the Democratic National Convention; or at the countless fun, elegant parties that WL shares with you every month. This guide is a “keeper,” and one you will want to have close at hand as Washington turns a corner into a brand new era – one that both ours and succeeding generations will remember for many years to come.
Nancy R. Bagley Editor in Chief Dan Rather and I at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. (Photo by Washington Life)
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Readers wishing to contact Nancy can email columns@washingtonlife.com
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THE
The insiders guide to spheres of inuence in Obamaland
COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
THE NEW
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE OF WASHINGTON A Spotter’s Guide
W
ashington Life’s insiders guide to Obamaland is the most comprehensive listing of administration personnel that exists outside the office of the new president’s transition team. Many of the players have held the reins of power under previous presidents; others are newcomers to the capital. There is always great interest in learning more about the men and women poised to govern, especially now, when current economic and foreign policy crises give their efforts a special imperative. Compiled through exhaustive research, interviews, and discussions with people involved in the transition process, the guide has been fully updated since its initial publication in our Holiday and Inauguration Issue, as well as expanded to include recent appointments and newly added positions. This significant expansion required some reorganization, into general categories, of the more than 200 key individuals of influence in the new administration, which should make them easier to identify. What emerges from each of these issue areas is a snapshot of the diverse group that will be formulating administration policy, plus some biographical background, a few fun facts, and the history of their relationships with the president. We’ve also added a directory of everyone who is included in the guide, making this a useful resource for looking up administration officials and insiders before and after business meetings or social events. We hope this issue will serve as your essential guide to who’s who and who’s where in the new administration and that it will help you identify all the personalities you need to know in the months and years ahead.
KEY HARVARD LAW CLASSMATE
BELTWAY INSIDER
PUBLISHED AUTHOR
CLINTONITE
ILLINOIS CONNECTIONS
POLITICAL FAMILY PEDIGREE
TRANSITION TEAM MEMBER
HELD OFFICE
REPUBLICAN
DEMOCRAT
UNDER
OBAMA’S INNER CIRCLE
SPECIAL THANKS TO CHRISTINA WILKIE KARIN TANABE KELLY FISHER KEVIN CHAFFEE AND BRIDGET MANIFOLD WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY ON THIS PIECE
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Barack Obama eats shaved ice with his daughters Sasha, left, and Malia in Hawaii last August. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The president hugs wife Michelle after his acceptance speech at his election night party at Grant Park in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
THE FIRST FAMILY T
he eyes of the world will be on Washington for the historic presidency of Barack Obama, who rewrote the rules during his historic campaign. Images of the Obamas on the campaign trail provide an intimate look at the close-knit first family.
Barack Obama helps Malia roller skate at Great Skates Fun Center in Lafayette, Ind. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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The Obama family waves at the election night rally crowd in
| washingtonlife.com Chicago. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The president sits with Sasha during an Independence Day picnic, Des Moines, 9 Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
JANET NAPOLITANO Arizona’s governor is consistently named one of the nation’s most effective state leaders. Barred from seeking a third term in 2010, this cancer survivor and former counsel to Anita Hill is poised to lead the Department of Homeland Security. An avid hiker and white water rafter, Napolitano has even climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.
TOM DASCHLE
JOE BIDEN
This elder statesman will assume the top post at HHS after serving as a Democratic Party talent scout since 2005. The former Senate majority leader was instrumental in creating Obama’s campaign machine, providing him early on with a readymade fundraising apparatus that included key staffers and crucial database lists.
One of the least wealthy members of the Senate, the future veep and foreign policy guru will be getting a raise to go with his new digs. Amtrakers will miss him, but Washington is happy to welcome the Biden express; none more so than the press corps, who are counting on him for straight talk, and the occasional gaffe.
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON Did Obama offer Hillary the secretary of state job in order to create a Lincolnian ‘team of rivals’, or, perhaps to “keep friends close and enemies closer”? Either way, Clinton has ample clout, gravitas, and plenty of goodwill leftover from the 1990’s.
THE CABINET PART I
“I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone.” John F. Kennedy
ROBERT GATES
TIM GEITHNER
Keeping the secretary of defense in his current post goes one step further in Obama’s campaign promise of post-partisan politics. Gates is respected on both sides of the aisle for his pragmatism and humility, and while Obama’s decision was initially viewed with skepticism by some progressives, there is strong public and private support for the status quo.
Obama’s choice for secretary of the tresaury looks younger than his 47 years, and is an avid skateboarder and snow boarder. In temperment, he is similar to Obama: suspicious of rigid ideology, Geithner prefers an exchange of ideas, and possesses a keen awareness of how uncertain the world is. Not surprising, given that he has lived in East Africa, India, and Japan.
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TOM VILSACK
ERIC HOLDER JR
The former Iowa governor and Obama’s secretary of agriculture pick was an early candidate for the 2008 presidential nomination, as were a number of Obama’s other Cabinet picks. He reportedly approached his future wife with the line, “Are you a Humphrey or a Nixon supporter?” We assume it was the former, as the couple are still married.
The Bill Clinton/Marc Rich pardon scandal notwithstanding, America’s first African-American attorney general will be held in high esteem for his competence and reputation for bipartisanship. The Columbia grad and one-time college basketball player was named one of the “Greatest Washington lawyers of the past 30 years,” by Legal Times.
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ERIC SHINSEKI This two-time recipient of the Purple Heart, and Obama’s choice to lead Veterans Affairs, fell out of favor with the Bush administration by questioning Iraq strategy, suggesting that far more troops were needed at the outset. The Hawaiian-born English lit. major has since been lauded by Obama and Iraq vets for his correct assessment of the conflict.
RAY LAHOOD
LISA JACKSON
A Republican congressman from Central Illinois since ’95, Obama’s choice for secretary of transportation is close to Rahm Emanuel, and is considered to be a centrist who backs federal spending as a way to spur economic growth. During 2008, LaHood’s son, Sam, worked for John McCain’s presidential campaign.
Obama’s choice for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has spent 16 years at the EPA and three years as commissioner of New Jersey’s Dept. of Environmental Protection.A native of New Orleans, the Princeton graduate helped make N.J. a leader in emissions reductions, while overseeing some of the nation’s largest toxic waste cleanups.
ARNE DUNCAN While at the helm of the Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s thrid largest system, Duncan was introduced to Obama by his brotherin-law, Craig Robinson. The future secretary of education is a former professional basketball player (in Australia), who often shoots hoops with Obama, helped construct the president’s education plan.
THE CABINET PART II
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” John F. Kennedy
KEN SALAZAR
STEVEN CHU
Obama’s pick for interior secretary is a fifth generation Coloradan, a rancher, farmer,conservationist,and an opponent of using public land for the development of oil shale. Still, he is viewed as a moderate who has backed subsidies for ranchers on public land as well as offshore drilling. He acknowledges the need for domestic energy and strong agricultural production.
An experimental physicist and Nobel laureate, Obama’s choice for energy secretary is director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is owned by the Energy Department. Chu, who taught himself to play tennis after reading a book about the sport, is an vocal advocate of scientific solutions to global warming. He will also be first Nobel laureate in a president’s Cabinet.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
HILDA SOLIS
SHAUN DONOVAN
With a strong commitment to organized labor, Obama’s choice for labor secretary has tremendously strong union backing—she spearheaded the fight to raise the minimum wage in California—and is close to Speaker Pelosi.The daughter of two immigrants who met at a citizenship class, Solis believes in the potential of the green revolution to produce union jobs.
Commissioner of New York City’s Dept. of Housing Preservation and Development, Obama’s secretary of housing and urban development has focused on building more low- and moderate-income housing in NYC while appeasing lenders, developers and landlords. The Harvard-trained architect took a leave of absence to campaign for Obama.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
DESIRÉE ROGERS The first African-American White House social secretary has been simultaneously appointed assistant to the president, a first for the holder of this job.This high-profile Midwesterner has headed two major corporations, and served as president of social networking for Allstate Financial.
ROBERT GIBBS
PETE ROUSE
Part of the Obama team since 2004, Gibbs was dubbed “the enforcer” by the media, a reference to his rapid response strategy and willingness to confront reporters over potentially misleading information.This son of the South and White House press secretary cheers for the Auburn Tigers when he’s not “feeding the beast” for the president.
Ready to leave politics after Sen.Tom Daschle’s defeat, this Hill veteran, known as “The 101st senator” will serve as senior advisor to the president. According to Bret Bair of Fox News, “he won’t be someone we see, but his fingerprints may be on many of the moves the Obama White House makes, especially when it comes to working with Capitol Hill.”
DAVID AXELROD Considered the mastermind behind Obama’s nearly flawless campaign, Axelrod started in politics at 13, selling buttons for Robert F. Kennedy. Known as the “keeper of the message,” this almost preternaturally calm political pro has promised to continue that role as senior advisor to the president.
WHITE HOUSE PART I
“I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has.” Abraham Lincoln
DAN PFEIFFER
RAHM EMANUEL
Known as a media relations pit bull, Pfeiffer honed his skills on South Dakota senate campaigns, notably for Tim Johnson and Tom Daschle. On the 2008 campaign trail, the deputy director of communications made waves when he said of McCain, “It’s extraordinary that someone who wants to be our president … doesn’t know how to send an e-mail.”
This sharp-tongued Chicago native and former congressman has agreed to put his own political ambitions on hold to serve as Obama’s chief of staff, and deftly navigated the recent scandal involving Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Trained as a classical dancer, Emanuel regularly participates in triathlons.
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GREG CRAIG
VALERIE JARRETT
Obama’s White House counsel will play a crucial role in navigating legal and constitutional issues already facing the president, such as Guantanamo. A former advisor to Senator Ted Kennedy, Craig has defended John Hinckley Jr., and President Bill Clinton, and played the role of John McCain in Obama’s presidential debate prep.
A longtime friend and confidant of the Obamas, this Iranian-born lawyer and real estate developer has deep Chicago ties, which she utilized to raise funds for Obama’s successful 2004 Senate campaign. She will serve as senior advisor to the president. Interestingly enough, she is also the cousin of Ann Jordan.
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EMMETT BELIVEAU Beliveau is a former attorney at Patton Boggs and son of prominent Maine attorney and Democrat Severin Beliveau. The thirty-one-year-old worked as Obama’s director of advance during his campaign and was chosen as executive director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
MARVIN NICHOLSON
ELLEN MORAN
Once the personal aide to Sen. Kerry during his 2004 presidential campaign, Nicholson planned Obama’s campaign travels from coast to coast and venue to venue as his trip director. Standing at 6feet-8-inches, he accidentally left his suitcase – and the staff ’s birthday present for Obama – in the back of a Chicago taxi in August 2008.
Moran will serve as White House communications director, where she will play an integral role in crafting the administration’s carefully controlled message. Her résumé includes her most recent role as executive director of Emily’s List, and is stacked with political gigs at the DNC, DCCC, and several campaigns.
JAY CARNEY Biden’s director of communications recently left one of the District’s most prestigious journalism gigs, as chief of the Washington bureau of Time magazine, to join the administration. Carney, a Yale grad, had previously served as bureau chief in Moscow and Miami, but this will be his first time on the other side of the podium.
WHITE HOUSE PART II
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
ALYSSA MASTROMONACO The president’s director of scheduling and advance will make every official trip a reality, with the help of her team. Mastromonaco joined Obama’s PAC in 2005, is a former Kerry campaign director of scheduling and served as press secretary for Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia.
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BILL BURTON
JEN PSAKI
JON FAVREAU
Psaki served as Obama’s spokeswoman on the campaign trail and transition team, and will assume a role on the White House communications team. Previously deputy communications director for Kerry’s presidential campaign in Iowa, she has also served as press secretary for the Kerry, Heinz and Edwards children.
The pen behind Obama’s famed victory speech in Iowa, this wünderkind was appointed his chief speechwriter at the ripe age of 27. To compete (and triumph) over the big boys, “Favs” ate Bobby Kennedy’s speeches for breakfast, and leads a team of talented young writers into the West Wing.
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Burton cut his political teeth working with Dick Gephardt and John Kerry, and joined Obama after directing communications for the DCCC. This multi-tasker managed to tie the knot with fellow politico Laura Capps, Senator Ted Kennedy’s former communications director, during an election year.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
LISA BROWN This former executive director of the American Constitution Society, and counsel to Al Gore during the Clinton administration is Obama’s pick for White House staff secretary, a powerful position once held by John Podesta and Harriet Miers. Brown is a lawyer by profession, and has spent years working on civil and disability rights issues.
JOSH DUBOIS
CECILIA MUÑOZ
The 26-year-old, who became a pastor while still a teenager, found his religious and political voice while a student at Boston University. He served as religious affairs director for Obama’s campaign and was the force behind the candidate’s meeting with conservative evangelical leaders during the election.
The civil rights activist and daughter of Bolivian immigrants was chosen as Obama’s director of intergovernmental affairs, overseeing the White House office responsible for relations between the Obama administration and state and local governments. She is currently a senior VP at the Hispanic civil rights group The Council of La Raza.
MICHAEL STRAUTMANIS A Chicago native who started his career as a paralegal in Michelle Obama’s law firm, Strautmanis is poised to serve as chief of staff to powerhouse senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, as well as handling day-to-day intergovernmental and public liasion duties. The father of an autistic child, he is a well-placed and ardent advocate for families affected by disabilities.
WHITE HOUSE PART III
“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” George Washington
DON GIPS
MONA SUTPHEN
Gips, a for mer Federal Communication Commission official, is the administration’s choice for director of presidential personnel, after working on the president’s transition team. Gips helped launch the Americorps program at the Corporation for National Service and served as Al Gore’s chief domestic policy advisor.
This foreign policy expert and former aide to UN Ambassador Bill Richardson is Obama’s pick for deputy chief of staff, along with Jim Messina. For a better sense of how Sutphen sees the world, pick up her recently coauthored book, The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Rise While Others Thrive.
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BRAD KILEY
JIM MESSINA
Most recently the director of operations for the transition team, Kiley is poised to direct the Office of Management and Administration. Having worked in the city for the past 20 years, his resume boasts positions in the Clinton administration, DNC, NARAL and the International AIDS Trust.
This Boise, Idaho, native served as chief of staff and campaign manager for Senator Max Baucus but stepped out of Baucus’ sixthterm re-election campaign to join the Obama team. He will serve as deputy to White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
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PETE SOUZA As an official White House photographer under the Reagan presidency, Souza should know his way around the Executive Mansion. Souza has several published books and is the recipient of photojournalism awards in both the NPPA and the White House News Association contests.
TOM PERRELLI
PATRICK GASPARD
A former deputy assistant attorney general, Perrelli is considered one of the country’s leading media and entertainment attorneys, and was named one of the nation’s 40 most promising lawyers under 40 by The National Law Journal. He was also a classmate of Obama’s at Harvard Law School, where they served together on the Law Review.
This Haitian-American worked as the Obama campaign’s political director from June 2008 until the election and will continue in the same his role as White House political director. The New Yorker reported that after Obama’s first debate with McCain, Gaspard emailed him,“You are more clutch than Michael Jordan.” “Just give me the ball,” Obama replied.
CARLOS ELIZONDO Elizondo takes on the role of residence manager and social secretary for the Vice President and Jill Biden. This Texas native has the experience needed, having previously worked as senior director of special events at Georgetown and in the office of U.S. chief of protocol during the Clinton administration.
WHITE HOUSE PART IV
“Stand with anybody that stands RIGHT. Stand with him while he is right and PART with him when he goes wrong.” Abraham Lincoln
REGGIE LOVE
PHIL SCHILIRO
Obama’s personal aide became a familiar face on the campaign, shadowing “the boss” everywhere he went, and tending to his personal needs, which included protein bars and Honest Tea. A frequent pick-up basketball opponent, this former Duke star athlete towers over the president, and is one of the most popular members of Obama’s entourage.
This Capitol Hill vet and Henry Waxman’s longtime chief of staff will serve as Obama’s director of Congressional relations. Schiliro worked as a congressional staffer for 25 years and, like so many of his colleagues on the Obama team, worked for Senator Tom Daschle. He also ran for Congress from Long Island in the early 1990’s.
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CHRIS LU
DAWN JOHNSEN
A Harvard Law classmate of Obama’s and his choice for secretary to the Cabinet, Lu’s been on the winning team since 2005. Having served as an advisor both on the campaign trail and in Obama’s Senate office in D.C., Lu described the job of Senate legislative director as “taking a couple years off your life.”
The former legal director at NARAL Pro-Choice America, Johnsen served in the Clinton Justice Department, providing legal advice to then-attorney general Janet Reno. Now a law professor at Iowa University, Johnsen is Obama’s pick for assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
JACKIE NORRIS Michelle Obama’s chief of staff is a former high school Government teacher and served as the president’s Iowa state director, playing a key role in his Hawkeye State caucus win. Her husband John served as John Kerry’s state director during his presidential run and as Tom Vilsack’s chief of staff.
MELISSA WINTER
RON KLAIN
The first lady’s deputy chief of staff was Michelle Obama’s first hire on the presidential campaign, and served as her traveling chief of staff during the election. An 18-year Capitol Hill vet, Winter was Senator Joe Lieberman’s traveling aide during his VP run and director of scheduling during his 2004 presidential race.
Played by Kevin Spacey in Recount, Biden’s chief of staff pick is more familiar with his role than most, having served as chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore. Before becoming a right-hand man to veeps, Klain clerked for Supreme Court Justice Byron White, and oversaw President Clinton’s judicial nominations.
TERRELL MCSWEENY This Harvard and Georgetown Law graduate is an “expert on domestic policy” according to VP Joe Biden and has been chosen as a domestic policy advisor. McSweeny worked with the Vice President during his days in the Senate and during his 2008 presidential campaign.
WHITE HOUSE PART V
“Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.” Sandra Day O’Connor
SUSAN SHER
MIKE DONILON
Michelle Obama’s former boss and the current general counsel at the University of Chicago Medical Center, will join the administration as associate counsel to the president. A longtime friend of Michelle Obama’s and Valerie Jarrett’s, Sher will provide legal advice to the first lady, in addition to tackling legal elements of health care policy.
A Biden advisor and counselor since 1981, Donilon was an obvious choice to be counselor to the vice president. As a lawyer and political campaign consultant, he has worked on several successful campaigns, including Douglas Wilder’s gubernotorial victory in Virginia in 1989 and Bill Clinton’s first White House run in 1992.
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COURTNEY O’DONNELL
EVAN RYAN
This St. Louis native is the incoming communications director for Jill Biden in the new administration, after previously working as deputy communications director at the William J. Clinton Foundation, spokesperson for Howard Dean’s presidential campaign, and brand strategy consultant for Interbrand in New York City.
Ryan, who was selected as the assistant to the VP for intergovernmental affairs and public liaison, brings White House experience gained on Hillary Clinton’s staff during her time as first lady, as well as her senate campaign. Ryan is also involved in several NGOs, including PeacePlayers International.
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POWER PLAYERS HEAT WILL RISE AND HEADS WILL TURN WHEN THESE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION INSIDERS ARRIVE AT MAJOR WASHINGTON EVENTS 1. Conrad Cafritz with Tom Daschle, and Jason Grumet; 2. Kai Milla, Vernon Jordan, Valerie Jarrett, Ann Jordan, Richard Parsons, and Janice Cook Roberts; 3. Alma Powell, Lucky Roosevelt, and Colin Powell; 4. Eric Holder and Tammy Haddad; 5. Al Gore and Carol Browner; 6. Sheila Johnson with Roger and Vicki Sant; 7. Kurt Campbell and James Steinberg; 8. Mercer Cook with Desirée Rogers
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
ADOLFO CARRION JR Helping to garner Hispanic support for Obama, the new director of the White House Office of Urban Policy has over a decade of experience in policy while serving on the New York City Council and as Bronx borough president. This former associate pastor worked as a community organizer and a middle school teacher.
TAMMY DUCKWORTH
MELODY BARNES
The disabled veteran, still a major in the Illinois National Guard, has 17 years of military experience and raised $70 million for new initiatives in two years as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. With two artificial legs, Duckworth, completed the Chicago marathon this fall on a hand-cranked bicycle in under two-and-a-half hours.
Barnes leaves the Center for American Progress to serve as Obama’s director of domestic policy.The smart and stylish lawyer was named one of Washingtonian’s “Ten Well-Dressed Women” in 2007, wherein she described her style as “understated but interesting.” Will the same hold true for her leadership qualities?
PETER ORSZAG Another Rubin protégé, Orszag has been tapped to be Obama’s choice for the Cabinet-level post of director of the Office of Management and Budget. The experienced centrist has been particularly focused on health policy and will be involved in expanding health care coverage to more Americans.
DOMESTIC POLICY PART I
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” Rosa Parks
CASSANDRA BUTTS A member of the Obamas’ innercircle, Butts will serve as deputy White House counsel. She previously formulated a universal health care plan for Dick Gephardt as his policy director in ’04. A classmate of Obama’s at Harvard Law, it was reported that they met in the financial aid office on the first day of class.
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HEATHER HIGGINBOTTOM
RON KIRK
DAVID BONIOR
This partner at Houston-based law firm Vinson & Elkins is Obama’s choice for U.S. trade representative. Kirk served two terms as mayor of Dallas, endorsed Obama early, and is the only Southerner in the new Cabinet. A vocal proponent of free trade, Kirk has been involved in politics since he volunteered for George McGovern as a teenager.
Outspoken in his opposition of NAFTA, the former congressman and one-time Edwards campaign manager is a longtime labor union advocate. Bonior served as the House Democratic whip for 11 years, played football for the Hawkeyes, and filed more than 75 ethics charges against former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich while in office.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
This former Kerry aide began her career in education policy, but has since broadened her expertise. Obama’s choice for deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council was most recently with the American Security Project, whose board includes her White House colleagues, Greg Craig and Susan Rice.
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KATHLEEN MCGINTY McGinty is no stranger to environmental issues, having worked closely with Gore in the Clinton administration on the environment. She was the first woman to chair the White House Council on Environmental Quality and was founding director of the White House Office on Environmental Policy.
JOHN LESHY
CAROL BROWNER
The longtime professor served as solicitor (general counsel) of the Dept. of Interior under Clinton, and is now vice-chair of the board of the Wyss Foundation, which supports land conservation activities in western states. He previously served as special counsel to the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Known as a Gore protégé, Browner served as administrator of the EPA for the entirety of the Clinton presidency and joins Obama’s team as the nation’s climate czar in her recently created post. She helped found the Albright Group, and tied the knot with former Rep. Tom Downey in 2007.
NANCY SUTLEY Obama’s pick to lead the White House Council on Environmental Quality served as special assistant to Carol Browner at the E.P.A., and served as deputy mayor for energy and environment in Los Angeles. Sutley was also a member of Hillary’s LGBT steering committee, and is one of a number of openly gay administration officials.
DOMESTIC POLICY PART II
“If we do not lay out ourselves in the service of mankind whom should we serve?” John Adams
JOHN HOLDREN
ROBERT F KENNEDY JR
A trained physicist best known for his work on energy and environmental policy, Holdren will serve as assistant to the president for science and technology. The former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, he is an outspoken environmentalist and a proponent of science-based solutions to the climate crisis.
The Camelot clan’s green thumb is an ardent environmentalist and an attorney and chairman of the Waterkeeper Alliance. An informal ecology advisor to the Obama team, this father of six is a licensed master falconer and former president of the New York State Falconer’s Association.
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DAN REICHER
JANE LUBCHENCO
The director of climate and energy initiatives for Google.org and a former assistant secretary of energy, Reicher has unique expertise in commercializing green technology and venture capital. He stated, “I think that people in this business should start with their own homes and learn about the technologies.” Reicher clearly walks the walk.
Lubchenco will be the first woman to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospher ic Administration (NOAA). The former Harvard professor, currently teaching at Oregon State, served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the late ’90s.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
ROBERT SUSSMAN A former partner at Latham & Watkins, Sussman, who served as deputy administrator of the EPA under Clinton, is now a partner at the Center for American Progress. Currently focusing on the future of coal and global warming, he concentrated on global warming and the environmental aspects of NAFTA at the EPA.
MOZELLE THOMPSON
MARK CHILDRESS
A former commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, where he focused on international consumer protection, technological innovation, online privacy and intellectual property, Thompson is now CEO of a self-named consulting firm that works with Facebook, SeatSmart and others.
As chief of staff to HHS Secretary Tom Daschle, Childress will be responsible for shepherding Obama’s healthcare reform legislation through the bureaucratic channels, where the five years he spent on the Hill should come in handy. The former UNC Morehead scholar will also don the title of deputy director of the new Office of Health Reform.
JEANNE LAMBREW A career healthcare policy expert, Lambrew was at the helm of the healthcare desk at the Office of Management and Budget under Clinton. Now deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform, Lambrew was previously with the Center for American Progress and has extensive experience with Medicaid and Medicare.
DOMESTIC POLICY PART III
“Every generation needs a new revolution.” Thomas Jefferson
DON BEYER
LINDA DOUGLASS
The Italian-bor n for mer lieutenant governor of Virginia owns eight Volvo, Land Rover, Kia and Subaru car dealerships with his wife, Megan. On Obama’s commerce transition team, Beyer is putting money behind his allies and creating new ties. A future political run is not out of the question.
Douglass, a veteran journalist who has worked in television for more than three decades, joined the Obama campaign as a senior communications strategist in June, becoming one of the most experienced journalists ever to join a political campaign. Douglass described the transition from journalist to spokesman as similar to that of a movie critic asked to make a movie.
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JOHN KITZHABER
MARY BETH MAXWELL
This physician and former Oregon governor serves as president of the Estes Park Institute, a Coloradobased education organization for community healthcare leaders. In 2006 Kitzhaber launched the Archimedes Movement, an organization seeking to maximize the health of the population.
The founding director of American Rights at Work, a pro-union group, Maxwell has a record as a vocal advocate for low-wage workers and unions. A former field director for Jobs With Justice, the United States Student Association and NARAL, she found her voice in social justice activism as an undergrad at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
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JASON GRUMET The executive director of the National Commission on Energy Policy, Grumet served as Obama’s top adviser on energy and the environment during the campaign. Known for reaching across the aisle, he co-founded the Bipartisan Policy Center, which includes Bob Dole, Tom Daschle, and George Mitchell on its advisory board.
MORT DOWNEY
ELENA KAGAN
Deputy transportation secretary dur ing both of Clinton’s terms, and assistant secretary of transportation under Jimmy Carter, Downey currently runs his own transportation consulting firm, Mort Downey Consulting, and worked on the Obama transition staff as a department of transportation review team lead.
The former law professor, Clinton associate White House Counsel, and first female dean of Harvard Law will take on the role as first female solicitor general with rumors swirling about a possible Supreme Court nomination down the road. Like Obama, Kagan served as editor of the Harvard Law Review.
DAVID OGDEN Appointed deputy attorney general in the new administration, Ogden served on the justice department transition team. A Washington native, he served as a high-ranking official in both the justice and defense departments under Clinton. Like many other Obama staffers, he graduated from Harvard Law School.
DOMESTIC POLICY PART IV
“I believe the destiny of your generation - and your nation - is a rendezvous with excellence.” Lyndon B. Johnson
PETER GLICK
TOM PEREZ
This former CEO of Cohesive Technologies, now with Ampersand Ventures, is a recognized expert in the fields of water resource retention and global water supply. Glick is the former president of Primedica Corporation, a contract research organization that provides safety and efficacy testing for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
Having spent most of his career in public service at Justice as a federal prosecutor for the civil rights division, Perez now serves as secretary for the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The longtime UMD law professor and civil rights activist spent two years in the Clinton administration.
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GEORGE FRAMPTON
THOMAS SOTO
A partner in the New York office of Boies Schiller, Frampton served as chairman of the council on environmental quality during the Clinton administration and assistant secretary of the interior for fish, wildlife, and parks. A former lawyer for Gore, Frampton served as president of the non-profit Wilderness Society.
Co-founder of Craton Equity Partners, a large “clean technology” investment fund headquartered in SoCal, Soto is part of a team reviewing the Executive Office of the President. The environmentalist played a large role in American Airlines’ conversion of their ground service equipment to electric power and helped amend the National Clean Air Act.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
WENDY SHERMAN A principal at the Albright Group and senior level diplomat, her national security expertise is focused on North Korea, the Middle East, and Russia. She serves on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism and is a former special advisor to President Clinton.
JIM STEINBERG
SUSAN RICE
Tapped for deputy secretary of state, Steinberg quickly became one of Obama’s closest foreign policy advisors after accompanying him to the Middle East last summer. An avid fly fisherman and marathon runner, Steinberg is known for his high-octane work style and encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects.
Known for speaking her mind, Obama’s pick for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is a protégé of former secretary of state Madeleine Albright and an expert in transnational threats, global poverty, and failed states, having earned her chops as one of the youngest ever assistant secretaries of state during the Clinton administration.
ADM DENNIS BLAIR The cerebral four-star admiral with close ties to the Clinton family was a Rhodes scholar with Bill, and will serve as director of national intelligence with Obama. An Asia expert fluent in Russian, Blair served in the Navy for 34 years, and reportedly tried to water ski behind a Navy destroyer while commanding the ship in Japan.
FOREIGN POLICY PART I
“Domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us.” John F. Kennedy
TONY BLINKEN
DENIS MCDONOUGH
If Joe Biden takes a lead role in crafting the Obama administration’s foreign policy, as the president has suggested, Tony Blinken’s pragmatic brand of realism will likely come to center stage in his new position as the new vice president’s national security advisor.
Another former member of Tom Daschle’s team and a scholar at the Center for American Progress, McDonough was instrumental in helping the president formulate his foreign policy positions during the campaign, and is credited with planning much of Obama’s successful overseas trip.
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BRUCE RIEDEL
SAMANTHA POWER
A former CIA officer and now senior fellow, foreign policy, at Brookings, the terrorism and conflict resolution expert served as senior advisor to three U.S. presidents on Middle East and South Asia issues. The author of Al Qaeda Strikes Back, served as a policy adviser to the Obama campaign.
A leading humanitarian voice, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is known for her efforts to increase awareness of world genocide and human rights abuses, particularly in Darfur. She is also known for her slip of the tongue during the election when she called Hillary Clinton “a monster” in an interview with The Scotsman.
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Joe and Jill Biden at a rally in Ohio on Nov. 3 (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Jill and Joe Biden leave on the day of the VP announcement (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
Joe Biden and his grandson Hunter Biden (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Jill Biden and her granddaughter Natalie (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Joe Biden stands with his grandchildren after his speech at the DNC (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
THE BIDEN BUNCH
V
ice President Joe Biden drew strength during the long campaign from his wife, Jill, three children, and five grandchildren. Images from the past year capture the energy and vitality of the future second family.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
ANTHONY LAKE Largely credited with the successful policies that ended the Bosnian War, Lake ruffled feathers in the Clinton camp when he came out early for Obama then co-chaired Obama’s foreign policy team. Another layer in the mix is Lake’s conversion to Judaism in 2005, a fact which has not gone unnoticed by the American Jewish establishment.
KURT CAMPBELL
BRIAN KATULIS
This former deputy secretary of defense of Asia and Pacific affairs in the Clinton administration will now serve under another Clinton – Hillary – as assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs. His main focus will be fostering the relationships with countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Myanmar.
A senior fellow at the Center for American Progress focusing on national security policy, particularly regarding the Middle East, Katulis is fluent in Arabic and often writes articles for the Washington Post, he spent years as a consultant and worked on the policy planning staff at the State Department from 1999 to 2000.
MADELINE ALBRIGHT The first female secretary of state has a long history in Washington and now serves as top advisor on Obama’s national security team. Since her tenure as Secretary of State, Albright serves on several boards and committees focusing on international issues and teaches at Georgetown University.
FOREIGN POLICY PART II
“A nation, like a person, has a mind--a mind that must be kept informed and alert, that must know itself, that understands the hopes and needs of its neighbors – all the other nations that live within the narrowing circle of the world.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt
CHUCK HAGEL
RICHARD HOLBROOKE
After announcing he would not seek re-election to his Nebraska Senate seat, the seasoned legislator and decorated veteran was increasingly critical of the Bush administration’s Iraq War strategy, going so far as to label the Iraq War one of history’s five biggest blunders. Obama and Hagel share a strong mutual admiration.
With over 40 years of foreign policy experience, the former Peace Corps director has served as assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs under Carter, and assistant secretary of state for European affairs and ambassador to the UN under Clinton. Holbrooke’s experience in India and Pakistan will prove invaluable.
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JACOB LEW
DENNIS ROSS
A close friend of John Podesta, Lew served as director of the Office of Management and Budget from 1998 to 2001 under President Clinton and will serve as Obama’s deputy secretary of state. A Hill vet, having worked as senior policy adviser to Speaker Thomas O’Neill, Lew always leaves his office on Friday evenings to observe the Jewish Sabbath.
As director for policy planning at State under Bush 41, and special Middle East coordinator under Clinton, Ross has helped shape America’s involvement in the Middle East for over a decade. Currently a counselor of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Ross will serve as ambassador-at-large to the Middle East.
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GEN COLIN POWELL George W. Bush’s former secretary of state spoke forthrightly about the need for reform within the Republican party, and his headlinemaking endorsement helped to settle the argument over Obama’s foreign policy credentials in the campaign’s final days. Powell will work with Obama to further American’s commitment to public service.
ROBERT HALE
GEN JAMES JONES
The retired Navy officer, Air Force comptroller, and former director of the American Society of Military Comptrollers has the experience needed as the new undersecretary of defense. A math and statistics major while at Stanford University, Hale went on to get his masters from George Washington University.
Popular on both sides of the aisle, this former NATO supreme allied commander and current chairman of the Atlantic Council has been critical of the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. After serving as a Bush administration envoy to the Middle East, Jones will join the Obama administration as national security advisor.
ANTHONY ZINNI This retired four-star general in the Marine Corps commanded CENTCOM and served as envoy to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. A favorite military figure in Democratic circles, Zinni coauthored Battle Ready, a scathing criticism of the 2003 Iraq invasion with Tom Clancy.
FOREIGN POLICY PART III
“I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
LAWRENCE KORB
MICHÈLE FLOURNOY
After he penned a 2005 position paper along with several of his Center for American Progress colleagues that criticized President Bush for invading Iraq, Korb became an anti-war darling. The former assistant secretary of defense under Reagan, has been outspoken against the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
A longtime Department of Defense insider and intelligence expert, Flournoy held three positions under the secretary of state, and recently served as one of the leaders of the DoD transition review team. Flournoy will serve as undersecretary of defense for policy in the Obama administration.
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LOUIS CALDERA
WILLIAM LYNN
Caldera, who served as Bill Clinton’s secretary of the army, will now serve as director of the White House Military Office, acting as liaison between the two organizations. After serving in the military early in his career, Caldera studied law at Harvard, worked as a California state assemblyman, and as president of the University of New Mexico.
As deputy secretary of defense (a.k.a the Pentagon’s No. 2 guy), Lynn is a former lobbyist who served as Sen.Ted Kennedy’s liason to the Armed Services Committee early in his career, and held budget and strategic planning positions at the Pentagon during the Clinton Administration.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
IVO DAALDER Daalder, a foreign policy and national security scholar, worked as an advisor to Democratic presidential nominees including Howard Dean and Barack Obama. He previously worked under Bill Clinton as a National Security Council staffer and is now a senior fellow at Brookings.
TOM DONILON
RICHARD DANZIG
Nominated as deputy national security advisor, Donilon served in the state department during the Clinton administration. Donilon’s ties to Biden include working as his campaign advisor. His wife, Cathy Russell, was named Jill Biden’s chief of staff, and brother, Mike Donilon, as the veep’s lawyer.
Support for Danzig’s eventual takeover of the Pentagon is growing, regardless of how long Robert Gates stays in the post. In fact, this former navy secretary has repeatedly endorsed Gates, saying he is “a very good secretary of defense and would be an even better one in an Obama administration.”
LEON PANETTA This former lawyer and White House chief of staff during the Clinton administration is Obama’s pick for CIA director. Aside from his 16 years of service representing California in Congress and serving on the House Budget Committee, Panetta has a strong interest in marine biology and ocean ecology.
FOREIGN POLICY PART IV
“Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.” George Washington
ELLEN LAIPSON
MARA RUDMAN
Laipson joins the working group for national security policy with experience garnered as vice chair of the National Intelligence Council and president of the Henry L. Stimson Center, among several national security positions. She speaks frequently on U.S. foreign policy and Middle East issues.
This senior fellow at the Center for American Progress is an expert on national security, and served as deputy national security advisor to President Clinton and chief of staff of the National Security Council. The Hyannis, Massachusets, native was editor of the Harvard Human Rights Journal while at Harvard Law School.
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STEPHEN KAPPES
JOHN O BRENNAN
The current deputy director of the CIA is poised to play a critical role in day-to-day operations alongside director Leon Panetta. Kappes, a legendary intelligence operative and former Moscow station chief, has earned the unflinching loyalty of his staff at the top secret agency.
Brennan will serve as Obama’s top adviser on counterterrorism, a position not subject to approval by the Senate. The head of Analysis Corp., a firm that assists private firms and federal agencies on counterterrorism, Brennan will have broad influence on administration’s Middle East policy.
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BILL BURNS Burns plans to stay on as undersecretary of state for political affairs, the highest career position in the State Department. He previously served as ambassador to Russia, as well as in several other diplomatic posts and landed on TIME’s list of the “50 Most Promising American Leaders Under Age 40” in 1994.
MARK LIPPERT
RAND BEERS
Obama’s longest-serving foreignpolicy adviser spent a year deployed in Iraq working as an intelligence officer with the Navy SEALS. Known as a pragmatist, Lippert will serve as chief of staff at the National Security Council. He and is an advocate for rebuilding the military and increasing the size of the Army and Marines.
After two years on the Bush National Security Council, Beers quit in 2003 five days before the start of the Iraq war, which he feared would strengthen Al Qaeda. The counterterrorism expert later advised Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign and started the National Security Network, a largely Democratic policy group.
BRIAN MCKEON A member of Biden’s staff for more than 20 years, McKeon has worked as deputy staff director and chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which Biden chaired, since 1997. The former Notre Dame lacrosse player will serve as deputy national security adviser to the vice president in the new administration.
FOREIGN POLICY PART V
“Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy, because human rights is the very soul of our sense of nationhood.” Jimmy Carter
RAY TAKEYH
SARAH FARNWORTH
This Iranian-born foreign policy scholar has long advocated diplomatic engagement with Iran, in opposition to Bush administration practices. Along with his wife, Iran scholar Suzanne Maloney, the pair represent some of the most innovative policy thinking on this part of the world.
As chief of staff to Gen. James Jones, the president of the Institute for 21st Century Energy, Farnsworth is essential to the overall direction and activities of the center. She’s no stranger to the ways of Washington, having previously served as vice president of the USO World Center and on Hillary Clinton’s staff in the White House.
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JEH CHARLES JOHNSON
JOHN HAMRE
Johnson, the grandson of noted sociologist Dr. Charles S. Johnson, was appointed the defense department’s general counsel. In June 2008, this civil and criminal trial lawyer who also served in the Clinton administration was named by the National Law Journal’s “50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America.”
Once considered a frontrunner for defense secretary if Bob Gates did not stay on, Hamre is currently president and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A ten-year vet of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he served as undersecretary of defense under Clinton and as deputy secretary of defense for two years.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
JASON FURMAN Being known as a centrist with close ties to Robert Rubin caused many union officials and liberals to question the wisdom of Furman’s inclusion in Obama’s economic inner circle. Furman is parodied on the Glenn Beck Program as Obama advisor “Honkey Whitesville,” a recurring call-in guest.
DANIEL TARULLO
PAUL VOLCKER
The Georgetown Law professor and senior fellow at CAP joined Obama’s team in 2006, having previously worked for Bill Clinton as his go-to guy on international economic policy. Tarullo is a vocal advocate on the need for tighter financial regulation, and has been tapped for membership in the Fed’s board of governors.
Longtime chairman of the Federal Reserve under Presidents Carter and Reagan, Volcker is now serving as chairman of the newly formed Economic Advisory Board. This 6-foot-7 avid fly-fisherman and farmers’ rights advocate once had protesting farmers park their tractors on C Street during a demonstration in the early ’80s.
MICHAEL FROMAN Another Harvard Law School classmate of Obama’s, this CitiInsurance president and CEO has spent the majority of his career at the Treasury Department. In addition to his monumental fundraising prowess, Froman is a policy wonk, and a passionate environmentalist.
ECONOMIC POLICY PART I
“If we get a government that reflects more of what this country is really about, we can turn the century – and the economy – around.” Bella Abzug
GENE SPERLING
LARRY SUMMERS
Sperling has held high-level economic policy positions through numerous administrations and was chief economic advisor to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. He served as national economic adviser to President Clinton and director of the National Economic Council. Sperling was a consultant for the television show, “The West Wing.”
The former Harvard president and Clinton treasury secretary was one of Obama’s key advisers as the economic crisis unfolded, and will join his administration as head of the National Economic Council. His fans are hoping he will be able to avoid the various “hot button controversies” that have embroiled him in the past.
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ROBERT RUBIN
CHRISTINA ROMER
A lauded treasury secretary under Clinton and now former director of Citigroup, Rubin’s protégés fill many of the ranks in the new administration’s economic teams. Rubin attended Harvard Law for three days before packing his bags for a trip around the world. He ended up earning a J.D. from Yale instead.
This Berkeley Economics professor is an expert on tax cuts and recession-era policy, which will come in handy as chairman of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors. Married to fellow Berkeley Econ professor David Romer, the couple shares a seat on the six-person panel that determines when recessions begin and end.
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NEW STARS OF THE NIGHT PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ASSOCIATES AND FRIENDS 1. Jimmy Smits, Eva Longoria, with President Barack Obama; 2. Trish and George Vradenburg with Hillary Rodham Clinton; 3. Jim Moran, LuAnn Bennett with Mark Warner; 4. Maria Bartiromo, Nancy Pelosi and Janet Napolitano; 5. Don Beyer with Dianne and Alan Kay; 6. Tom Graham and Christine Varney; 7. John Podesta and brother Tony Podesta; 8. Reid Weingarten and Howard Gutman; 9. Rachel Dawson and Julius Jenachowski; 10. Cassandra Butts and Gregory Barnes; 11. Andrew Friendly and Anthony Blinken; 12. Char and Richard Lugar; 13. Missy Biden Owens and uncle Vice President Joe Biden
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
JAMIE DIMON Current CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase, Dimon contributed nearly $500,000 to Democrats over the past decade. Known as a Wall Street dynamo—he rescued Bank One Corp. and brought J.P. Morgan back to life after its painful merger with Chase Manhattan—Dimon will have clout in Washington despite not being chosen as treasury secretary.
LAEL BRAINARD
ERIC SCHMIDT
Tapped as undersecretary for economic affairs, Brainard is currently vice president and director of global economy and development at Brookings, a professor at MIT, and former White House deputy national economic adviser under Clinton. Her focus is competitiveness, trade, international economics, U.S. foreign assistance and global poverty.
This Google co-founder, tech pioneer and member of Obama’s economic advisory council can at times seem to contradict himself. On one hand he believes in the power of small, innovative, high-tech companies to create the middleclass of the future; on the other, his fortunes are tied to one of the behemoths of the tech world.
AUSTAN GOOLSBEE The political centrist, lauded for making economic and business accessible, has been an economic advisor to Obama and will serve as Volcker’s staff director and chief economist of the President’s Ecoomic Recovery Advisory Board. A tough debater while at Yale, explaining human behavior through economics is Goolsbee’s forte.
ECONOMIC POLICY PART II
“Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.” Ronald Reagan
MELLODY HOBSON
LAURA TYSON
An Obama bundler, Chicago-native and George Lucas’s main squeeze, Hobson is currently president of Ariel Investments, LLC, a Chicago investment firm managing $7 billion in assets. A regular Good Morning America contributor on finance, she often tops lists of women to watch.
The first female dean of the London Business School, chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Clinton, and former director of the National Economic Council, has been outspoken in her support for the handling of the financial crisis by Democratic leadership. During her tenure at LBS, she founded the Centre for Women in Business.
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NANCY KILLEFER
WARREN BUFFETT
Former CFO and COO at the Dept. of Treasury, Killefer will serve as the chief performance officer for the Obama administration. The Vassar and MIT grad served as a senior director in the D.C. office of McKinsey and served as chairperson of the IRS Oversight Board, a public-private entity akin to a corporate board.
Obama said the name Warren Buffett so often during the last months of his campaign that it rivaled Sarah Palin’s overuse of “maverick” as a drinking game. The world’s richest man ($62 billion), who served as finance advisor to the Governator, spends twelve hours a week playing bridge, often with Bill Gates.
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SYLVIA MATTHEWS BURWELL
MARY SCHAPIRO A former commissioner of the SEC, Schapiro is poised to assume the chairmanship of the embattled securities watchdog group as its first permanent female chairwoman. A former chair of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission under Clinton, Schapiro was first appointed by President Reagan, and holds a law degree from George Washington U.
Picked by the Wall Street Journal as one of The 50 Women to Watch 2005 world wide, Burwell is currently president of the global development program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.The West Virginia native previously worked at the Office of Management and Budget.
JOSH GOTBAUM An investment banker and an official in the treasury department under Clinton, Gotbaum served as court-appointed trustee of Hawaiian Airlines when the airline was in bankruptcy. He led Obama’s treasury department transition team.
JOSH STEINER Founder and managing principal of NYC private investment firm, Quadrangle Group, which invests in media and communications companies in the U.S. and Europe, Steiner was chief of staff of the treasury department in the Clinton Administration and came into national news as a result of the Whitewater investigations.
ECONOMIC POLICY PART III
“Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform.” Susan B. Anthony
JIM ROOSEVELT
MARNE LEVINE
FDR’s grandson and the head of Tufts Health Plan, a Massachusetsbased HMO, Roosevelt was formerly associate commissioner for retirement policy of the social security administration under Clinton. He is currently chief legal counsel for the Mass. Democratic Party and co-chair of the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee.
Marne Levine served as Lawrence Summers’ chief of staff during his tenure as president of Harvard University. She will continue in that role now that her former boss takes the reins at the White House National Economic Council. The Ohio native took on a role of her own as a member of the transition’s economic and trade team.
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AUDREY CHOI
MICHAEL WARREN
The only Korean-American on Obama’s transition team, Choi served, at the age of 30, as chief of staff for the White House Council of Economic Advisers and domestic policy advisor to Vice President Gore during the Clinton Administration. The White House fellow is a former Wall Street Journal correspondent.
The Rhodes Scholar, and managing director of Stonebridge International, Warren, a former Clinton White House official, served on Obama’s treasury department transition team. He previously served as executive director of the White House National Economic Council.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
BILL CLINTON Although no official position has been handed to the 42nd president, he hopes to be a “helpful sounding board” for Hillary as she takes on the job of secretary of state. Since leaving the White House, Clinton continues to comment on contemporary politics throughout the world, and assisted the political campaigns of both his wife and the president.
AL GORE
HARRY REID
The former VP and environmental champion kept a low profile during the campaign—though he enthusiastically endorsed Obama in June—focusing his attention on his Alliance for Climate Protection.The Nobel Peace Prize recipient is also co-founder and chair of Generation Investment Management and Current TV.
The Senate majority leader developed a reputation for sparring with President Bush and Senate Republicans after he assumed the party’s leadership in 2005. As a member of the Obama’s own party, this former Nevada gaming commissioner and convert to Mormonism is poised to play a pivotal role in advancing the president’s legislative agenda.
PATRICK KENNEDY The youngest member of the Kennedy clan to currently hold elected office joined his father, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and his cousin, Caroline Kennedy, in endorsing Obama during a rally at American University in early 2008.The Rhode Island congressman has championed health care legislation, particularly mental health.
POLITICAL ALLIES PART I
“Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.” Abraham Lincoln
BILL RICHARDSON
ADRIAN FENTY
Despite withdrawing his candidacy for the top job at the commerce department after questions arose about an unrelated matter, the New Mexico governor remains a Democratic Party heavyweight, and his breadth of experience will still be useful to the Obama administration, albeit in an unofficial capacity.
Washington’s popular young mayor supported Obama in the primary and was at his side campaigning in the District, even lunching with him at the venerable diner, Ben’s Chili Bowl. Like the president, Fenty is a “BlackBerry” aficionado, known for carrying three of the devices at all times, one of which connects him directly to D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier.
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NANCY PELOSI
GEORGE MILLER
Many believe the Speaker’s tacit support for Obama over Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary was a crucial vote of confidence for the young senator. Since assuming leadership of the 110th Congress, Pelosi has shown grit and political talent, but her legislative agenda appears be more progressive than the President’s.
After more than 30 years in the House, Miller has earned a reputation as an expert in education issues and a champion of U.S. humanitarian efforts. In early 2007, he became one of the first members of Congress, as well as one of the first super-delegates, to endorse Obama over Hillary Clinton, despite his constituents’ majority support for Clinton.
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THE AGE OF
BAMELOT
CNN’s Ed Henry reflects on the sweeping change underway in Washington
I
n the immediate hours after Barack Obama’s astounding election victory, campaign aides like Katie McCormickLelyveld started getting deluged with letters and calls from people seeking jobs. But one really stood out. “I got an e-mail with the subject line, ‘I know, I know, but I’m different,’” McCormick-Lelyveld, a press aide to incoming First Lady Michelle Obama, recalled with a laugh. The creative e-mailer was sending just one of more than 300,000 resumes that have poured in to the Obama transition team, even though there are only about 8,000 posts to fill. The ferocious lobbying for jobs is just one of many signs of the dramatic JFK-style passing of the torch. In other words, welcome to Bamelot, the Obama version of Camelot: A city buzzing once again with the promise and possibilities of a young president with a stylish first lady, some extremely cute first kids, a best and the brightest cabinet, and high hopes of enacting once-in-a-generation change. The excitement and sense of history has only been super-charged by the fact that the new commander-in-chief happens to be the first African-American president ever. In other words, this is not your father’s Camelot. It’s Camelot 2.0 or, as Washington Post fashion columnist Robin Givhan put it, “Camelot with a tan.” But what’s really amazing is how many people want a job, even after finding out about the invasive seven-page questionnaire they have to fill out. Among the 63 questions:
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
Have you ever sent an e-mail or text that might be a “source of embarrassment” to you? Yikes, that giant sucking sound you hear — postings and photos being scrubbed from Facebook ASAP. Nevertheless, these are serious times with two wars and an escalating financial crisis, so many esteemed public figures have braved the vetting process to sign up for another
THIS IS NOT your father’s Camelot. tour of duty. It speaks high of Obama that in order to join his cause, a political powerhouse like Rahm Emanuel gave up a clear path to speaker of the house to become White House chief of staff; a seasoned pro like Tom Daschle gave up a cushy job at Alston Bird to champion his pet issue as secretary of health and human services; and an international heavyweight like Sen. Hillary Clinton essentially surrendered her platform on domestic issues to become secretary of state. Of course, many of these players are insiders from Washington – a city that was a four-letter word when I was out on the trail covering the campaign for CNN. That’s why at a press conference in Chicago shortly after the election, Obama bristled a bit when I asked him how this squares with his message of change. “Understand where the vision for change comes from, first and foremost,” he said. “It comes from me. That’s my job, to provide a vision in terms of where we are going,
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and to make sure, then, that my team is implementing.” The fuel for that team is all of the idealistic young people – like Katie McCormick-Lelyveld and her boyfriend Tommy Vietor – who literally put their lives on hold to help get Obama elected. Back when the pundits said Clinton was a lock for the Democratic nomination, McCormickLelyveld and Vietor sublet their Adams Morgan apartment to a friend so they could campaign for Obama. The couple says it was surreal to return to D.C. in November and find the apartment almost exactly as they left it. “She didn’t even move the sugar,” McCormick-Lelyveld, 29, said of her friend. “There are the same t-shirts there I didn’t like enough to bring to Iowa,” said Vietor, 28, who was Obama’s spokesman in the critical caucus state where everything turned. “I hit pause on my life for two years and now I’m back where I started.” Except now they’re part of a select few people about to take over the government. “To go through this together and get in a position now to help people is just incredible,” said McCormick-Lelyveld, who was the second staffer hired by Mrs. Obama and is now headed for a job in the White House. In early December, Vietor was still too busy with the transition to nail down exactly where his new office will be. But one issue was settled: he was not giving up his cell phone with Iowa’s 515 area code. “Sentimental value,” he explained.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
PATRICK MURPHY This moderate Pennsylvania Democrat is currently the only Iraq war vet in Congress, where his criticism of Bush’s policies helped break the taboo against questioning an administration at war.The Bronze Star recipient was also an early Obama supporter, and his endorsement challenged a perception that vets would gravitate towards fellow veteran John McCain.
TIM KAINE
DICK DURBIN
Virginia’s governor was instrumental in shifting his state from red to purple on the political map, and was one of Obama’s key southern allies from day one. Initially considered for vice president, some say the president initially preferred Kaine, until advisors warned him against running with a relative newcomer.
This senior senator from Illinois has been called Obama’s political ‘godfather’, a reference to his unwavering support and encouragement. Currently majority whip, Durbin is credited with launching an online petition in ’06 to encourage Obama to run for president, the same year Time named him as one of “10 Best Senators.”
HAROLD FORD The former Tennessee congressman and Blue Dog Democrat led the relatively conservative Democratic Leadership Council, and appeared as a frequent political commentator. Ford remained neutral through much of the primary campaign, before ultimately backing Obama. Expect another Senate run.
POLITICAL ALLIES PART II
“The government is us; we are the government, you and I.” Theodore Roosevelt
JOHN KERRY
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
The newly re-elected senator and early Obama supporter is in line to head the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where global warming will reportedly be a top priority under his leadership. After false speculation that Kerry would join the Cabinet, the Mass. legislator will preside over Sen. Clinton’s confirmation hearings this spring.
One of the country’s most popular governors, this Kansan reduced debt without raising taxes, endorsed Obama early, and proved that conservative states can be successfuly led by Democratic governors. A rising star in the party, speculation abounds as to her political aspirations.
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CAROLINE KENNEDY
WILLIAM DALEY
JFK’s daughter endorsed a non-family member for the first time ever in her New York Times Op-Ed, “A President Like My Father,” and helped secure the endorsement of her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, for Obama. Caroline Kennedy appears ready to make her own political waves in the new administration, while adjusting well to higher levels of media scrutiny.
Along with his brother, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, this former secretary of commerce and Democratic Party elder leads an influential Illinois-based political dynasty, which backed Obama from day one. Rumored to have gubernatorial ambitions for 2010, Daley can count on the support of his six elder siblings.
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PENNY PRITZKER A member of one of America’s wealthiest families, the founder and current chair of Classic Residence by Hyatt served as national finance chair of Obama’s presidential campaign. Pritzker has donated nearly half a million dollars to political campaigns and PACs since 2000, and wields broad power in Democratic political circles.
JACK REED
DEVAL PATRICK
The former paratrooper and senior senator from Rhode Island’s name was floated as a possible running mate for Obama. In 2002, he was one of 22 Senate Democrats who voted against the use of force in Iraq and he traveled to the Middle East with Obama in 2008.
The first Afr ican-Amer ican governor of Massachusetts shares deep ideological bonds with the president, so much so that they’ve acknowledged sharing speech lines. Adding to the synergy is the fact that they’ve also run successful campaigns under the guidance of campaign manager David Axelrod.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL Floated as a potential running mate during the campaign, the freshman senator from Missouri endorsed Obama while most of her female colleagues were backing Hillary Clinton. As an informal advisor, she helped him pull in the women’s vote, and advised him to campaign in rural, conservative areas.
POLITICAL ALLIES PART III
“Great necessities call forth great leaders.” Abigail Adams
JON CORZINE
JENNIFER GRANHOLM
This former Goldman Sachs chairman and current New Jersey governor worked to pass legislation against corporate malfeasance during his years in the Senate by agressively pursuing executives of Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom after their companies failed.
Michigan’s governor helped to ultimately deliver the state for Obama by supporting him early on, when the majority of her constituents backed Hillary Clinton. Proving that “being Sarah Palin” wasn’t just the work of Tina Fey, Governor Granholm played the role of the Alaskan VP candidate during Joe Biden’s practice debates.
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MARK WARNER
RICHARD LUGAR
The former Virginia governor endorsed Obama early while running for office himself in Virginia, and was, for a time, considered a veep contender. Going forward, Senator Warner will be an important southern ally from the newly minted purple state.
One of Obama’s biggest and earliest foreign policy supporters (when the then-candidate didn’t have very many), Lugar is the seniormost Republican senator in the 111th Congress, following the retirement of Pete Domenici and the defeat of Ted Stevens.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
ANN JORDAN Co-chair man of the 1996 Clinton inauguration and the first African-American to ever chair an inauguration, Ann and her husband Vernon are a formidable duo in Washington politics. Formerly a professor and social worker, Jordan is a civic leader, who champions women and minorities across the nation.
WILLIAM EACHO
MAXINE ISAACS
Eacho made a fortune in the food distribution business in the 1990’s, and along with his wife, Donna, has been an active fundraiser in Democratic circles, bundling more than half a million dollars for Obama. Eacho is currently the CEO of Carlton Capital Group, a private wealtht management fund in the Washington area.
The press secretary for the Mondale campaign (where she met husband Jim Johnson, who served as campaign chairman) Isaacs is still very much involved in politics and political giving. The Harvard Kennedy School lecturer wrote her dissertation on the relationship between elite and mass opinion on American foreign policy.
JIM JOHNSON The prominent Washingtonian and former chairman of Fannie Mae, was an Obama bundler, and was involved in the VP selection process. He stepped down after questions were raised about favoritism he may have received from Countrywide Financial Corporation, though the Obama campaign staunchly defended him.
WASHINGTON SUPPORTERS PART I
“Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.” Frederick Douglass
ROBERT & SARAH NIXON
KEVIN DOWNEY
Bob Nixon and his wife Sarah moved to Washington from Los Angeles in 1992 to found Earth Conservation Corps, a non-profit devoted to engaging the city’s youth in efforts to cleanup the Anacostia River. Nixon has won five Emmy Awards, and was a strong supporter of Barack Obama’s throughout the campaign.
The Williams & Connolly partner with a focus on criminal and civil litigations was, like Obama, an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Previously a professor at George Washington and Georgetown law schools, Downey clerked for Judge Edward Becker, and the United States Court of Appeals before going into private practice.
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GEORGE STEVENS
SCOTT HARRIS
Co-Chairman of the Obama arts policy committee, the awardwinning writer, director, producer and founder of the American Film Institute, has received 11 Emmys, two Peabody Awards and eight Writers Guild of America Awards for his television productions, including the Kennedy Center Honors.
Managing partner of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis, Harris withdrew as a lobbyist for Microsoft and Cisco in June, but his partners still lobby.The former chief counsel for export administration at the Department of Commerce, he represents clients before the FCC, the courts, the Executive Branch, and foreign regulatory agencies.
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WL SPECIAL COVERAGE
ELECTION NIGHT AT GRANT PARK Chicago, Ill. PHOTOS BY ROBERT PILON
As America elected Barak Obama the nation’s 44th president, supporters in Chicago’s Grant Park rejoiced while the Obamas and Bidens celebrated their historic victory.
WL SPECIAL COVERAGE
D.C. ELECTION NIGHT ROUNDUP Qorvis Party, DC for Obama at Station 9, American Progress party at Left Bank, DCCC party at Capitol Hyatt, and the DNC party at the Mayflower PHOTOS BY TONY POWELL
Brian Banks celebrating Obama’s victory
Betsy Tower and Beth Ambrose Maria Navarro and Kelly Muscolino
Dan Ginsburg and Cheta Harris
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
Eloise and Doug Poretz
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Lee Barona and Julian Epstein
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
SHEILA JOHNSON Black Entertainment Television cofounder and billionaire Sheila Johnson was one of Obama’s earliest backers, and continued hosting fundraisers for him throughout the campaign. Already a global ambassador for the non-profit CARE, there is speculation that she may be offered one of a handful of prestigious diplomatic posts in the Obama administration.
JULIUS GENACHOWSKI
SUSAN EISENHOWER
A friend of Obama’s since their days at Harvard Law, this tech guru who will serve as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission has Washington pundits speculating about the larger role technology will play in the new administration. Genachowski has also served on the boards of Expedia, Hotels.com, and Ticketmaster.
Ike’s grand-daughter is an international security expert and frequent political commentator, but the lifelong Republican recently switched her party affiliation to Independent, and passionately endorsed Obama in a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
SPENCER OVERTON This law school prof is one of the nation’s leading experts on election law, and a frequent commentator on issues of voting rights, voter suppression, and campaign law. Overton was two classes behind Obama at Harvard Law, and has worked for the DNC, NAACP, and a few prestigious “white shoe” law firms during his career.
WASHINGTON SUPPORTERS PART II
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” Thomas Jefferson
TIM BROAS
HOWARD GUTMAN
This Winston & Strawn securities litigation attorney co-hosted one of the first D.C. fundraisers for Obama with fellow inner-circle allies Greg Craig and Kevin Downey. A veteran of both the Kerry and Bradley campaigns, Broas, an avid marathon runner, said recently that his claim to fame is, “that I’ve been to 74 Bruce Springsteen concerts.”
An original member of Obama’s national finance committee, this Williams & Connolly partner has advised Democratic candidates for president, Congress, and governor. He also went K Street on the HBO series of the same name, playing (what else?) a well-connected Washington attorney.
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STEWART BAINUM JR
WILLIAM KENNARD
A former Maryland state senator and chairman of Choice Hotels International, Inc. (Comfort Inn and EconoLodge), Bainum’s father was a former plumber who opened a nursing home business and took it public in 1969. Partly, as a result, Bainum Jr. has twice made the Forbes “400” list.
This managing director at the Carlyle Group and former FCC chairman was a tech advisor to Obama’s campaign, working alongside such fellow techies as Julius Genachowski and Google’s Eric Schmidt. Obama has promised to appoint the first ever chief technology officer, part of a broader initiative to create a more efficient, transparent government.
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CHRISTINE VARNEY The Hogan & Hartson lawyer, now serving as personnel counsel for the Obama-Biden Transition Project, was a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter who served in Bill Clinton’s administration as a federal trade commissioner and secretary of the cabinet. A voice for responsibility in technology, she brings expertise to an already tech
JOHN PODESTA
STEVE HILDEBRAND
Known for his straight-talk and wit, Podesta has spent the last eight years presiding over a sort of “liberal government in exile” at the think tank he founded, the Center for American Progress. Unlike his fellow transition team co-chairs, Podesta declined a position in the new administration, pledging to return to C.A.P.
The South Dakota native served as Obama’s deputy national director during the campaign. A veteran of South Dakota House and Senate campaigns, he managed Tom Daschle’s losing re-election bid in 2004, Senator Tim Johnson’s re-election in 2002 and Al Gore’s Iowa caucus victory in 2000.
DAVID PLOUFFE This masterful campaigner was credited by Obama as the “unsung hero” of his historic victory. The typically low-profile Plouffe stepped in to the spotlight when his folksy YouTube updates were beamed to millions of supporters. Plouffe’s wife, Olivia Morgan, gave birth to the couple’s second daughter two days after Obama’s election.
CHAMPIONS OF THE CAMPAIGN “We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.” Bill Clinton
MARK GITENSTEIN
TED KAUFMAN
One of Joe Biden’s most trusted advisors, Gitenstein represented the VP on early transition matters (which his boss was too superstitious to discuss), despite having raisied eyebrows among the staunch “anti-lobbyist” wing of the Democratic party over his years of lobbying experience.
President of the Wilmington-based consulting firm Public Strategies and Biden’s chief of staff for the last 19 years, Kaufman will take over the vice president’s old job in the Senate, ending rumors that Beau Biden would be appointed to the seat his father occupied for the last 36 years.
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TEMO FIGUEROA
JULIANNA SMOOT
As national field director for Obama’s campaign, Figueroa organized an unprecedented four-day program called Camp Obama, which trained the most active volunteers in community organizing techniques, and encouraged them to train others, thereby creating independent cells from campaign HQ.
Smoot, a national finance director for Obama’s presidential campaign, helped raise an unprecedented $32.5 million during the second quarter of 2007. During the 2006 election cycle, she served as finance director for the DSCC and raised record sums..
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | OBAMALAND
INDEX Madeleine Albright ...................... 24 David Axelrod............................... 12 Stewart Bainum Jr. ....................... 38 Melody Barnes ............................. 18 Rand Beers...................................27 Emmett Beliveau .......................... 13 Don Beyer ................................... 20 Joe Biden ......................................10 Dennis Blair..................................22 Tony Blinken ................................22 David Bonior................................ 18 Lael Brainard ............................... 30 John Brennan................................26 Tim Broas.................................... 38 Lisa Brown ................................... 14 Carol Browner .............................. 19 Bill Burns .....................................27 Bill Burton ................................... 13 Cassandra Butts ............................. 18 Warren Buffett ............................. 30 Sylvia Matthews Burwell............... 31 Louis Caldera................................25 Kurt Campbell............................. 24 Jay Carney .................................... 13 Adolfo Carrion Jr.......................... 18 Mark Childress ............................ 20 Audrey Choi................................. 31 Steven Chu .................................... 11 Hillary Clinton .............................10 Bill Clinton ..................................32 Greg Craig.................................... 12 Jon Corzine ..................................35 Ivo Daalder ...................................26 William Daley ............................. 34 Richard Danzig ............................26 Tom Daschle.................................10 Jamie Dimon ............................... 30 Tom Donilon................................26 Mike Donilon............................... 16 Shaun Donovan ............................. 11 Linda Douglass ............................ 20 Mort Downey .............................. 21 Kevin Downey ............................ 36 Josh Dubois .................................. 14 Tammy Duckworth ...................... 18 Arne Duncan................................. 11 Dick Durbin ................................ 34 Bill Eacho .................................... 36 Susan Eisenhower ........................ 38 Carlos Elizondo ............................ 15
40
Rahm Emanuel ............................ 12 Sarah Farnworth ...........................27 Jon Favreau ................................... 13 Adrian Fenty ................................32 Temo Figueroa ............................ 39 Michèle Flournoy .........................25 Harold Ford ................................. 34 George Frampton ......................... 21 Michael Froman .......................... 28 Jason Furman ............................... 28 Patrick Gaspard............................. 15 Robert Gates ................................10 Tim Geithner ...............................10 Julius Genachowski ...................... 38 Robert Gibbs ............................... 12 Don Gips...................................... 14 Peter Glick ................................... 21 Mark Gitenstein........................... 39 Austan Goolsbee .......................... 30 Josh Gotbaum ............................... 31 Al Gore ........................................32 Jennifer Granholm ........................35 Jason Grumet................................ 21 Howard Gutman.......................... 38 Chuck Hagel ............................... 24 Robert Hale .................................25 John Hamre ..................................27 Scott Harris ................................. 36 Heather Higginbottom ................. 18 Steve Hildebrand ......................... 39 Mellody Hobson.......................... 30 Richard Holbrooke...................... 24 Eric Holder Jr. ..............................10 John Holdren................................ 19 Maxine Isaacs............................... 36 Lisa Jackson ................................... 11 Valerie Jarrett ................................ 12 Dawn Johnsen .............................. 15 Jeh Charles Johnson ......................27 Jim Johnson ................................. 36 Sheila Johnson ............................. 38 James Jones ...................................25 Ann Jordan .................................. 36 Elena Kagan.................................. 21 Tim Kaine ................................... 34 Steven Kappes...............................26 Brian Katulis................................ 24 Ted Kauffman .............................. 39 William Kennard ......................... 38 Patrick Kennedy ...........................32
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Caroline Kennedy ........................ 34 Robert F Kennedy Jr .................... 19 John Kerry................................... 34 Brad Kiley .................................... 14 Nancy Killefer ............................. 30 Ron Kirk ..................................... 18 John Kitzhaber............................. 20 Ron Klain .................................... 16 Lawrence Korb .............................25 Ray LaHood.................................. 11 Ellen Laipson ................................26 Anthony Lake .............................. 24 Jean Lambrew .............................. 20 John Leshy .................................... 19 Jacob Lew .................................... 24 Marne Levine ............................... 31 Mark Lippert ................................27 Reggie Love ................................. 15 Chris Lu ....................................... 15 Jane Lubchenco ............................ 19 William Lynn ...............................25 Richard Lugar ..............................35 Alyssa Mastromonaco.................... 13 Mary Beth Maxwell ..................... 20 Claire McCaskill ...........................35 Denis McDonough .......................22 Kathleen McGinty ........................ 19 Brian McKeon..............................27 Terrell McSweeny ......................... 16 Jim Messina .................................. 14 George Miller ...............................32 Ellen Moran ................................. 13 Cecilia Muñoz .............................. 14 Patrick Murphy ........................... 34 Janet Napolitano ...........................10 Marvin Nicholson ........................ 13 Bob and Sarah Nixon .................. 36 Jackie Norris ................................ 16 Courtney O’Donnell .................... 16 David Ogden ................................ 21 Peter Orszag ................................. 18 Spencer Overton ......................... 38 Leon Panetta.................................26 Deval Patrick ................................35 Nancy Pelosi.................................32 Tom Perez .................................... 21 Tom Perrelli.................................. 15 Dan Pfeiffer .................................. 12 David Plouffe............................... 39 John Podesta ................................ 39
Colin Powell .................................25 Samantha Power ...........................22 Penny Pritzker ..............................35 Jen Psaki ....................................... 13 Jack Reed .....................................35 Dan Reicher................................. 19 Harry Reid...................................32 Susan Rice ...................................22 Bill Richardson.............................32 Bruce Riedel ................................22 Desirée Rogers ............................. 12 Christina Romer ......................... 28 Jim Roosevelt ............................... 31 Dennis Ross ................................ 24 Pete Rouse ................................... 12 Robert Rubin ............................. 28 Mara Rudman ..............................26 Evan Ryan.................................... 16 Ken Salazar .................................... 11 Mary Schapiro .............................. 31 Phil Schiliro .................................. 15 Kathleen Sebeluis......................... 34 Eric Schmidt ............................... 30 Susan Sher .................................... 16 Wendy Sherman ...........................22 Eric Shinseki ................................. 11 Julianna Smoot ............................ 39 Hilda Solis ..................................... 11 Thomas Soto ................................ 21 Pete Souza .................................... 15 Gene Sperling .............................. 28 Jim Steinberg ................................22 George Stevens ............................ 36 Michael Strautmanis...................... 14 Josh Steiner................................... 31 Larry Summers ............................ 28 Robert Sussman .......................... 20 Nancy Sutley ................................ 19 Mona Sutphen .............................. 14 Ray Takeyh ...................................27 Daniel Tarullo .............................. 28 Laura Tyson.................................. 30 Mozelle Thompson ...................... 20 Christine Varney .......................... 39 Tom Vilsack ..................................10 Paul Volcker ................................. 28 Mark Warner ................................35 Michael Warren ............................ 31 Melissa Winter .............................. 16 Anthony Zinni .............................25
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Grace Guggenheim and Brent Blackwelder
Dan Abrams, G overnor Bill Ric ha
Rep. Rahm Emmanuel Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
rdson and Richa
rd Wolffe
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
DEMOCRATS AT CAUCUS Denver, Colorado PHOTOS BY SCOTT WAGNER PAUL MAYNARD AND NISHAN NALTCHAYAN
By the time of the Democratic National Convention, Barack Obama had cinched the nomination, leaving the rest of his party to jockey for strategic positioning in the event of a November win.
Seth Myers and Bradley Cooper Rachel Goslins, Reggie Love, and Julius Genachowski
Polly Vail, Mark Walsh, and Donna Eacho
ifer Garner
nn Hill Harper and Je
George and Liz Stevens
Kimball Stroud and Be n Affleck
Forest Whitaker
Amb. Wendy Sherman and Hilary Rosen
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Cass Sunstein and Samantha Power
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | ROLAND FLAMINI
BAND PLAYS ON
THE
Barack Obama’s melody is new, but Washington’s orchestra of insiders remains the same – Roland Flamini reports on who is trying to play sweet music to the President-Elect
n January 20, President George W. Bush rides into the setting sun, a new sheriff takes over at the White House, and the four-year process that defines democracy in this country starts anew.The “commentariat” – as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown calls them – has told the world endlessly on television, throughout blogdom, and in the mainstream press why this time it’s different. And so it is: but it might be worth noting that in Washington, some things have remained the same. The traditional power minuet to staff the presidency and the new administration involves, as usual, the Hill, think tanks, universities, and the big law firms. Besides military appointments, the president has legal appointing authority for thousands of jobs, and every chief executive invariably vows to choose the best and the brightest. In reality, filling the jobs gives the new president an opportunity to reward support, and ensure loyalty.
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Shortly after the election, the New York Times (and other newspapers for that matter) started running profiles of possible administration appointees being considered by the Obama Transition Team, or hoping to be. Few, if any, lacked previous government, or gover nment-related exper ience. “Recruiting a new administration causes a significant manpower shift in Washington,” says one Washington observer. “If the party in power remains the same it becomes a matter of musical chairs. The posts vacated by people going to the White House and other branches of the government have to be filled. But when the party in power changes there is no revolving door for those leaving the administration, and the departure can be quite painful.” In another familiar ritual President-elect Obama has been bombarded with proposals, reports, and studies on policy issues from a whole artillery of specialists, interest groups,
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and academics.The aim is to try and capture his attention on everything from health to foreign policy before a decision making mechanism locks into place at the White House, and outside input becomes more difficult. The flood of “How-to” documents includes, for example, a set of Congressmandated proposals for reforming the National Security Council. The work of an ad hoc committee of ex-ambassadors and security advisers, among them Brent Scowcroft (advisor to George Bush Sr.) and former Undersecretary of State Tom Pickering, this is an important report that sets forth a structure for a key component of the presidency that doesn’t actually have one: today, the NSC takes whatever shape successive presidents want to give it. The Council on Foreign Relations and Brookings combined forces to prepare an expert report on the situation in the Middle East, and how to fix it. The Center
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IL LU ST RATI ON BY J.C. SUAR È S
BY ROLAND FLAMINI
for Governmental Studies and Indiana University have collected and delivered to Obama’s transition team policy studies from 20 think-tanks (readers can review them at www.policyarchive.org). It’s anybody’s guess how many of these ideas will end up in the new administration’s agenda, but the range of the CGS/Indiana ideas package, for example, is breath-taking, and includes such titles as “Women and U.S. Foreign Assistance,” “Time for a U.S.-Iranian ‘Grand Bargain,’” and “(Economic) Do’s and Don’ts for the Next U.S. President.” Much has been said about the hundreds of thousands of small donors who filled the Obama campaign’s war chest. But it’s not the $25 to $50 contributors who will move into the ambassadorial posts. A transition source says the team has been receiving the usual calls from, or on behalf of, major contributors discreetly dropping hints that they would be available for nomination as ambassadors. All heads of mission send in their resignation at the end of an administration, and few are confirmed in their post by the new one. After every election, career foreign service officers watch resentfully as the prestigious embassies – London, Paris, Rome – are handed out as prizes to major campaign contributors while the top diplomatic professionals have to scramble for the embassy in Djibouti like urchins fighting over leftovers in a Dickensian orphanage. It’s not as though business executives, politicians, and retired generals have distinguished themselves representing the U.S. abroad over the years. Some have, of course, but it’s the embarrassing misfits who are remembered. So far, there’s no indication that the Obama administration is inclined to alter the process. But Hillary Clinton is known to favor wider use of senior career diplomats in key posts, so a surprise may be in store. Every president brings with him the flavor of home, and the already noticeable
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influx of cars with Illinois license plates in the streets of Washington is testimony that Obama is no different. (For the past eight years it was cowboy boots worn with tuxedos.) But then, judging from the familiar names and faces in the incoming administration, Obama’s “Change Inc.” is not a matter of new faces, but of new ideas and spirit, and a new approach to what in Washington had become usual and mundane. As the President-elect put it at one of his recent press conferences, yes, these are not unknown names, but that’s not the nature of the change, “The change is me.” The reality is that while Obama was elected for a four-year term, he doesn’t have four years to show how the campaign rhetoric of change will work in practice. He has created huge expectations both in the United States as well as outside it. He has stated, rightly, that dealing with the economic crisis is his first priority as soon as he sets foot in the White House. But,crises don’t wait in an orderly line to receive attention, they jostle each other dangerously. As Peter Baker observed in the New York Times, “No president since Barack Obama was born has ascended to the Oval Office confronted by the accumulation of seismic challenges awaiting him.” On March 3, Obama must turn his attention to NATO when he attends its 60th anniversary summit in Strasbourg. The alliance’s controversial and so far unsuccessful role in Afghanistan will be at the top of the agenda. Before that, however, he must find $30 billion to fund the Iraq war. The Bush administration funded the conflict until January, and thoughtfully left him the burden of finding money for the new fiscal year. By December 2009, he has to decide whether the U.S. should follow Europe in setting a target for reduced CO2 emissions and sign the treaty that will follow the Kyoto Protocol – something the Bush administration has always resisted.
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President George W. Bush with Sen. Barack Obama during the latter’s post-election visit to the Oval Office. (Photo by White House photographer Eric Draper)
Further down the line are a long list of promises he’s made to just about everyone to spend more on health care, education, universal insurance for children, on roads, bridges, and power plants. The trick for Barack Obama is to sustain the excitement and sense of regeneration created by his election, as he tackles the enormous burden he inherits from his chaotic predecessor. E.J. Dionne, the thoughtful Washington Post columnist, said that by voting for Obama the country “put a definitive end to a conservative era” rooted in the myth that Americans were divided by “a moral conflict pitting ‘the real America’ against some pale imitation.” But the new sense of coming together, strengthened by Obama’s post-election meeting with his Republican rival, John McCain, and Obama’s appointment of party rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, bemuses foreign observers. This is a new twist to realpolitik. Following the economic summit in Washington on November 15, the French newspaper Le Monde, complained that Americans seemed less interested in the 20 world leaders gathered to solve the global financial crisis than in reports about Obama’s negotiations with Hillary Clinton, and other key appointees.What they may not fully appreciate is that, for once, in Washington at least, the old French adage, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (the more things change, the more they remain the same), doesn’t necessarily apply.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | BARRY H LANDAU
President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan at the 1985 Presidential Inaugural Gala with Barry H. Landau (far right) and Hollywood royalty, including: Dean Martin, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Eva Gabor, Merv Griffin, Elizabeth Taylor, and Jimmy Stewart. (Photo courtesy of the Barry H. Landau Collection)
“PLUMS DELIVERED NUTS SAFELY” Presidential historian BARRY H. LANDAU reflects upon thirteen consecutive inaugurations spent elbow-to-elbow with legends of stage, screen, and politics
arah Vaughn, the legendary jazz vocalist, and I were sitting at a table in the darkened Rainbow Room, 65 floors above Manhattan, listening as Ella Fitzgerald received an award; the only eavesdroppers were the galaxy of stars as we looked out onto the Empire State building. It was 1985. Ronald Reagan had just been reelected and Frank Sinatra had been asked once again to produce the Inaugural Gala.We were gossiping about whom he would invite to perform and were both pleased that our friend Ray Charles had been chosen as one of the headliners. In a whisper, “Sassy” (Vaughn’s nickname) told me of performing for Lyndon B. Johnson, and becoming so overwhelmed that she began crying uncontrollably after her performance. She recalled that just a couple of years earlier she couldn’t even get a hotel room in Washington, and then, she not only performed for the President, but he asked her
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to dance. One can only imagine her joy if she were to be here to see Barack Obama swornin as the 44th President on January 20th. Francis Albert Sinatra was one of the few performers favored and sought after by both Democrats and Republicans. Presidentelect Obama cited his “You’d Be So Easy to Love” as one of his favorite songs. While I originally met Sinatra through the Kennedys while still a young boy, we re-connected years later through our mutual passion for politics. Sinatra was originally such an ardent Democrat that his son, “Frank Jr.,” was actually christened “Franklin” in honor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (who incidentally asked him to perform at his final inauguration in 1945). In 1961, Sinatra produced the iconic gala for President Kennedy’s inauguration, which was the first I attended (at age 13). I was wide-eyed as I watched the legendary
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names coming and going in snow-covered Washington. At one point, as I made my way around the U.S. Capitol, I found myself face-toface with screen legend Bette Davis lowering her car window, and bellowing in her distinctive New England accent. One of many forced to abandon her vehicle, she requisitioned me to assist her through the three-foot snow banks. As I helped her maneuver to the inaugural platform, we passed Washington’s grandes dames of that era: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Edith Wilson, and First Lady of the World Eleanor Roosevelt. Standing right in front of us were Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belafonte, and Sidney Poitier, all early supporters of the civil rights movement, with whom I would attend many inaugurations over the next four decades. This was the first of my 13 successive inaugurations. By 1985, Sinatra had become a Republican and it’s from Reagan’s second inauguration that I have one of my fondest
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memories. I was attending a gala rehearsal at By 1993, we were all celebrating Bill second floor suite when he wired his wife the now defunct MCI Center when Sinatra Clinton’s inauguration. This time I was the pre-arranged message confirming his safe remarked that he was tired of all the fancy actually sitting in the Presidential Box in arrival: “Plums delivered nuts safely.” food. What he really craved were a dozen front of the White House, accompanied How prophetic that the festivities White Castle hamburgers. I told him I knew by Belafonte, Poitier and their wives Julie surrounding the inauguration of Barack a place we could go called The Little Tavern and Joanna, who were telling friends about Obama will be in celebration of the 200th in Georgetown (now an Italian restraurant meeting me as a young boy at the Kennedy anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. It called Paolo’s) with similar style burgers. Inauguration. James Earl Jones’ wife Ceci was a war-fatigued Lincoln (like Obama, an His face lit up like a little boy’s Illinois native), who stood at the at Christmas. I quickly solicited East Front of the Capitol to deliver the assistance of two motorcycle the final words of his inaugural policemen, who had us jump into address: “With malice toward none their sidecars for a ride through … with charity for all … achieve closed-off Pennsylvania Avenue, and cherish a just and lasting peace.” winding through the securityThe poet Walt Whitman, who was laden streets and at times actually in attendance, later referred to up and down barricaded sidewalks Lincoln’s sentiments as eloquent, until we reached Wisconsin fresh, unconventional, unique forms Avenue and N Street N.W. of expression. The same words I remember with great might be used to describe the next nostalgia that during this same president. With the completion inauguration (at a luncheon I of his inaugural ceremony, the gave for Patricia Neal), Sinatra, Obamas’ young daughters, Malia impressionist Rich Little, Elizabeth and Sasha, will climb into the Taylor, Tom Selleck, Robert backseat of the official limousine Wagner, and I decided to make a and join their parents as they “crank call” to Bette Davis, with return to the White House, not Little pretending to be the great very different from when 12-yearJimmy Stewart.We were all friends old Tad Lincoln jumped into his with Davis and thought it would father’s carriage 144 years ago. In be hysterical. Bette, however, was our turbulent world, it is reassuring Lincoln’s 1865 Inaugural Ball invitation. It was held at the not amused. (She had actually to know that Obama will recite old Patent Office, which today houses the National Portrait Gallery. (Photos courtesy: Barry H. Landau Collection) threatened to leave the country the same oath of office spoken if Reagan were elected.) Later, at by George Washington, Thomas the White House reception, Sinatra and the asked her husband to tell their son, Flynn, Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. As we Hollywood gang couldn’t wait to tell the real with all of us gathered around, how grateful officially celebrate the inauguration of the Jimmy Stewart and President Reagan about he was to President Truman for integrating 44th President, we should be grateful that our prank. Reagan insisted on telephoning the armed forces. I was now considered our republic has prevailed. God Bless America Davis to set the record straight. I gave him a presidential historian, and was regaling and our nation’s new president. her number, as we gathered around the them with the intriguing story of how Usher’s office to listen in. “Hello Bette, this Abraham Lincoln had to slip through the Presidential historian and author, Barry H. Landau, excerpts above from his forthcoming book, “The President’s is Ron Reagan, I wish you were here ...” ladies’ entrance of the fabled Willard Hotel Inauguration” copyright © 2008. Landau will stay true to to which she replied “f-you” and hung up, to foil an assassination plot.The six-foot-four form for the 2009 inauguration when he hosts President thinking it was Little telephoning back in yet president-elect, disguised in a woman’s cape Truman’s grandson Clifton Truman Daniel, and once again another of his voices. and soft felt hat, was safely ensconced in his James Earl Jones, Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | CLOSING STATEMENT WL: You helped create the art campaign “Be the Revolution,” a series of anti-war posters.Was politicallycharged art always a part of the plan? SF: In 1989, I was working at a skate shop making four dollars an hour when I made the Andre the Giant sticker. Now, people see the Obama pieces and think it was an overnight success. The Obama poster was the logical progression of how I’ve been doing things over the past 20 years. I’ve never jumped to capitalize on opportunities. I just do my thing the way I believe it should be done. WL:Your current work has shown the importance of art as a vehicle for political advocacy.Was that your objective? SF: In the lead up to the election there was a lot of grassroots support that wasn’t motivated by people trying to get some kind of favor in return. During Denver, we did a show to demonstrate how it’s not just the power players that make a difference, every person’s efforts help. Art has the ability to capture the imagination, to get people out of the monotony of their routine and think not only of how things are, but of how they could be. WL: President Obama wrote that, “Whether seen in an art gallery or on a stop sign, your art has the ability to encourage Americans to think they can change the statusquo.”Was this the type of reaction you were expecting? SF: I had modest ambitions when approaching this piece and it certainly went further than I expected. But when anything tips to the mainstream, there is always backlash. People said,“You were a rebel, but now you want to get in with the big wigs.” Luckily, there are a lot of people who see Obama’s run for presidency as an opportunity to put an idealist in the White House.
ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE WL CATCHES UP WITH THE GROUNDBREAKER BEHIND THE ICONIC IMAGE OF BARACK OBAMA
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WL: You were recently picked as one of GQ’s men of the year along with Barack Obama. How does it feel to share the podium with our new president? SF: This has been an amazing year. I’m going to do what I can to produce art that is meaningful to me. I have nothing to prove, I’ve been arrested 20 times. I feel sincere and positive about my work. What am I going to do next? Educate my audience about my history. There should be activism in art; the idea of getting off your ass and doing something that can make a difference.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | CLOSING STATEMENT WL: You helped create the art campaign “Be the Revolution,” a series of anti-war posters.Was politicallycharged art always a part of the plan? SF: In 1989, I was working at a skate shop making four dollars an hour when I made the Andre the Giant sticker. Now, people see the Obama pieces and think it was an overnight success. The Obama poster was the logical progression of how I’ve been doing things over the past 20 years. I’ve never jumped to capitalize on opportunities. I just do my thing the way I believe it should be done. WL:Your current work has shown the importance of art as a vehicle for political advocacy.Was that your objective? SF: In the lead up to the election there was a lot of grassroots support that wasn’t motivated by people trying to get some kind of favor in return. During Denver, we did a show to demonstrate how it’s not just the power players that make a difference, every person’s efforts help. Art has the ability to capture the imagination, to get people out of the monotony of their routine and think not only of how things are, but of how they could be. WL: President Obama wrote that, “Whether seen in an art gallery or on a stop sign, your art has the ability to encourage Americans to think they can change the statusquo.”Was this the type of reaction you were expecting? SF: I had modest ambitions when approaching this piece and it certainly went further than I expected. But when anything tips to the mainstream, there is always backlash. People said,“You were a rebel, but now you want to get in with the big wigs.” Luckily, there are a lot of people who see Obama’s run for presidency as an opportunity to put an idealist in the White House.
ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE WL CATCHES UP WITH SHEPARD FAIREY THE GROUNDBREAKER BEHIND THE ICONIC IMAGE OF BARACK OBAMA
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WL: You were recently picked as one of GQ’s men of the year along with Barack Obama. How does it feel to share the podium with our new president? SF: This has been an amazing year. I’m going to do what I can to produce art that is meaningful to me. I have nothing to prove, I’ve been arrested 20 times. I feel sincere and positive about my work. What am I going to do next? Educate my audience about my history. There should be activism in art; the idea of getting off your ass and doing something that can make a difference.
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | THE RED CARPET
COMING SOON‌
OBAMA: THE MOVIE NAME
CASTING NOTES
CHANCES OF COMING TO DC
ROLE
BEN AFFLECK AND JENNIFER GARNER Actors
In March, Ben and Jen threw a glam fundraiser for Obama in Boston and another in Miami with Matt Damon and his wife.
Ben filmed “State of Play� here in ’08 and attended the White House Correspondents Dinner. He could certainly return for another flick.
Co-Stars/Stunt Doubles
HALLE BERRY Oscar-winning actress
Donned “Barack the Vote� and “Obamarama� tee-shirts on her heavenly body.
Not a Washington regular, but may come to champion green causes.
Female Co-Star
MARY J BLIGE R&B superstar and eight-time Grammy winner
Signed an open letter with Jay-Z, Diddy, and former Def Jam president Kevin Liles to rouse potential Obama voters. Stumped for the Democrat in Pa., Ohio and Fla.
Used her gritty but soulful vocals to drum up support for Obama and won’t stop now.
Queen of Soundtrack and Samples
George came to the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in ’07, and loves to be political.
Best Actor/A-List Lobbyist
GEORGE CLOONEY A-List actor, director, and activist
Gave $30,000 and hosted a fundraiser for 300 of his close friends.
SEAN COMBS a.k.a Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and Puffy
The man of many names and many hats was moved to tears when history was made. Of course the king of marketing is also using Obama to name-drop his new men’s fragrance all over the airwaves.
The Howard University alumnus will make an inaugural appearance and should add the District to his jet-setting route.
Director of Marketing/ Community Outreach
BRADLEY COOPER Film and television actor; one of Cameron Diaz’s
The Georgetown grad campaigned for Obama in Missouri.
Devoted to promoting the youth vote, Cooper will likely be here to see the fruits of his labors.
Background Artist/ Guerrilla Marketing Manager
ROBERT DENIRO Legendary actor
The original tough-guy had never given a political speech but found his inner orator with the Kennedys in New Jersey.
The politically active actor could have his eyes set on a White House visit.
Supporting Role/Agent
HARRISON FORD Actor
Indiana Jones gave $30,000 and topped a list of fictional movie presidents people would most like as the official president, according to a Moviefone.com poll.
The odds of Ford filming another D.C.-based political thriller in the next four years are high, as is a Capitol Hill visit to champion forest conservation.
Presidential Stand-in
ANNE HATHAWAY Disney ingĂŠnue turned actress with Oscar buzz
Not initially sold on Obama, Hathaway finally decided he was change she could believe in – and was one of the most photographed faces at the Demo convention in Denver.
Still recovering from her convict canoodle, the actress hopes to prove that Hollywood is in touch. Nothing like a jaunt to Washington to silence the critics.
Featured Starlet
Born in the nation’s capital, the actor and civil rights activist dropped everything to campaign. He will certainly return for the inauguration.
Special Guest Appearance/ Voiceover Talent
SAMUEL L JACKSON Actor
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The avid golfer passed on the Academy Awards to campaign for Obama in Texas.
Ann Hand The Palisades: 202.333.2979
•
Georgetown: 202.333.1529
www.annhand.com
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | THE RED CARPET
NAME
CASTING NOTES
JAY-Z AND BEYONCÉ Hip-hop artist and music mogul; R&B and Pop diva
The couple campaigned for Obama in Pa., Ohio, and Fla.; BeyoncÊ had Obama’s name manicured on her nails.
SCARLETT JOHANSSON Voluptuous starlet and current Woody Allen muse
She didn’t actually exchange private emails with Obama but she did lend her fame and vocal chords to will.i.am’s “Yes We Can� video.
SPIKE LEE Film Director
Admonished the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright and supported Obama at the Democratic Convention.
LUDACRIS Rapper
His song “Politics,� about the president-elect, was denounced by the Obama camp due to highly offensive lyrics, but Ludacris’ support has not waned.
CHANCES OF COMING TO DC BeyoncĂŠ told the press she was ready to sing for Obama. Philanthropically involved with global water shortages, Jay-Z will likely be on the Hill in ‘09. If she really wants to trade notes with the presidentelect, she should spend some quality time on Capitol Hill.
ROLE Music Direction/ Choreography
Tabloid darling
Vocal about the impact the President-elect will have on AfricanAmerican artists, it’s likely Lee will be in Washington to support a new generation.
Cinematographer
Not a favorite of Obama’s handlers; a berating from those he loves won’t quell his passion for the new Prez. He attended White House Correspondents Association Dinner in ‘07.
R-rated Soundtrack Coordinator
SETH MYERS Head Writer, Saturday Night Live
Brought politics to the people on SNL and donated to the Obama campaign.
Will be looking for fodder to continue the politicallyinspired renaissance of SNL.
Screenplay Writer/ Comic Relief
BRAD PITT AND ANGELINA JOLIE A-list actors, tabloid royalty and Ăźber-activists
Pitt, Obama’s 9th cousin, rode the “L� to Grant Park on Election Night. Jolie spent much of ’08 waffling between the candidates, but came out for Obama in the end.
Bradgelina are in Washington several times a year to champion causes like Vital Voices and could be shivering with us on Inauguration Day. But with so many films and kids, you never know.
First Couple
STEVEN SPIELBERG Film Director
Threw an early and major Beverly Hills fundraising bash with co-DreamWorks founders Jeffrey Katzenberg and David
This former Kennedy Center Honors awardee will most likely attend the inauguration and help pull some strings for friends as he did at the DNC.
Executive Director
FORREST WHITAKER Academy Awardwinning actor
Traveled with the campaign, touring Michigan and Iowa.
One of Obama’s most vocal Hollywood supporters, Whitaker will be a strong presence during inauguration.
Male Co-Star
WILL I AM Frontman of the Black Eyed Peas
Wrote the songs “Yes We Can� and “We are the Ones� based on Obama’s speeches.
The musician most associated with the Obama campaign couldn’t have a better audience for his politically charged music than Washingtonians.
Original Score
ANNA WINTOUR American Vogue’s iconic, notoriously stone-faced editor-in-chief
Co-hosted a $10,000-a-pop Obama fundraiser with Calvin Klein and another during New York Fashion Week with Sarah Jessica Parker.
Wintour is on the New York-MilanParis-London circuit, but as Washington’s style changes, the maven of mode could make an appearance.
Mistress of Wardrobe
OPRAH WINFREY The Queen of Daytime
Openly supported a candidate for the first time in her career and cried her “eyelashes off� in Chicago.
She will have to come here to help design the White House “Oprah Bedroom,� and “Oprah China.�
Executive Director/ Literary Agent (and anything else she wants)
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COLLECTOR’S EDITION | CLOSING STATEMENT WL: You helped create the art campaign “Be the Revolution,” a series of anti-war posters.Was politicallycharged art always a part of the plan? SF: In 1989, I was working at a skate shop making four dollars an hour when I made the Andre the Giant sticker. Now, people see the Obama pieces and think it was an overnight success. The Obama poster was the logical progression of how I’ve been doing things over the past 20 years. I’ve never jumped to capitalize on opportunities. I just do my thing the way I believe it should be done. WL:Your current work has shown the importance of art as a vehicle for political advocacy.Was that your objective? SF: In the lead up to the election there was a lot of grassroots support that wasn’t motivated by people trying to get some kind of favor in return. During Denver, we did a show to demonstrate how it’s not just the power players that make a difference, every person’s efforts help. Art has the ability to capture the imagination, to get people out of the monotony of their routine and think not only of how things are, but of how they could be. WL: President Obama wrote that, “Whether seen in an art gallery or on a stop sign, your art has the ability to encourage Americans to think they can change the statusquo.”Was this the type of reaction you were expecting? SF: I had modest ambitions when approaching this piece and it certainly went further than I expected. But when anything tips to the mainstream, there is always backlash. People said,“You were a rebel, but now you want to get in with the big wigs.” Luckily, there are a lot of people who see Obama’s run for presidency as an opportunity to put an idealist in the White House.
ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE WL CATCHES UP WITH SHEPARD FAIREY THE GROUNDBREAKER BEHIND THE ICONIC IMAGE OF BARACK OBAMA
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WL: You were recently picked as one of GQ’s men of the year along with Barack Obama. How does it feel to share the podium with our new president? SF: This has been an amazing year. I’m going to do what I can to produce art that is meaningful to me. I have nothing to prove, I’ve been arrested 20 times. I feel sincere and positive about my work. What am I going to do next? Educate my audience about my history. There should be activism in art; the idea of getting off your ass and doing something that can make a difference.
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Ann Hand The Palisades: 202.333.2979
•
Georgetown: 202.333.1529
www.annhand.com