Monday, July 07, 2008

Obama Wants Top Bill Clinton Staffer Podesta

Obama is hoping to make another Clinton hire, according to the Washington Post:

The Clinton and Obama worlds continue to collide.

Patti Solis Doyle, fired as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign manager, started her job last week as chief of staff to Obama's yet-to-be-named vice presidential pick. And Neera Tanden, Clinton's policy czar, is joining the Obama campaign as the head of domestic policy.

Now the presumptive nominee hopes to snag John Podesta, Bill Clinton's former White House chief of staff and founding head of the Center for American Progress. According to several Obama sources, the campaign wants Podesta to run the transition operation if Obama wins in November.

Podesta kept a low profile during the primary season, although he was a staunch Clinton supporter. He is one of the most seasoned Democratic operatives in Washington, a quintessential insider with a rare grasp of both politics and policy. Before his White House years, when he weathered the impeachment scandal and many other crises, Podesta served as a staff counsel in the Senate, and one of his bosses was then-Sen. Tom Daschle, now a key member of Obama's inner circle.

—Huff Post

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