Toluu

The Trail

A Transition to Power -- The Obama Presidency

Obama Picks Sunstein to Oversee RegulationsYesterday

By Michael D. Shear President-elect Barack Obama will name Cass Sunstein, a close friend and one of the nation's top constitutional lawyers, to a senior-level post in charge of government regulation, a transition official said. A professor of law at Harvard University who became close with Obama during their years at the University of Chicago, Sunstein will become the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Obama talked on the campaign trail about the need to revamp the nation's regulatory structure, especially in the areas of housing and finance, which contributed to the current economic crisis. In his new position, Sunstein will oversee reform of regulations, seeking to find smarter approaches and better results in the areas of health, environment and other domestic areas, a transition source said. Sunstein is a prolific legal scholar who joined Harvard's faculty last year. His most recent book, called "Nudge: Improving Decisions

Obama Softens Stance on BurrisJanuary 7

By Anne E. Kornblut President-elect Barack Obama said on Wednesday he would accept Roland Burris as his replacement in the Senate, following the lead of Senate Democrats who have softened their opposition to the candidate chosen by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. "This is a Senate matter. But I know Roland Burris, obviously; he's from my home state. I think he's a fine public servant. If he gets seated then I'm going to work with Roland Burris, just like I work with all the other senators," Obama said at a press conference at his transition headquarters. Obama, on just his fourth day in Washington, refused again to discuss the ongoing violence in the Middle East, saying there are "institutional constraints" preventing him from weighing in while President Bush is still in office. But, drawing a distinction between foreign and domestic policy, Obama put down clear markers on his economic plan.

Obama Appoints Performance OfficerJanuary 7

By Michael D. Shear President-elect Barack Obama has selected a top management consultant to serve as the country's chief performance officer, a post he said would help oversee reform of the federal government and its budget. Sources said Obama has chosen Nancy Killefer, a director at McKinsey & Company and a former assistant secretary of the treasury in the Bill Clinton administration. Obama is expected to announce his choice this morning. Obama is spending several days emphasizing the dire consequences of the federal deficit even as he continues to push for a stimulus package that could add almost $1 trillion to the budget shortfall. The president-elect has said the country cannot afford to worry about the deficit while attempting to get the economy moving again. But he has warned that tough choices lie ahead once the current crisis is past.

Battle for Rahm's Seat Heats Up as Geoghegan Tosses Hat in the RingJanuary 7

Tom Geoghegan is running for Rahm Emanuel's old House seat. By Kari Lydersen Perhaps hoping to follow the recent example of a certain Chicago community activist now set to lead the nation, crusading labor lawyer, author and pundit Tom Geoghegan today entered the race for Rahm Emanuel's recently vacated Congressional seat. Geoghegan joins a crowded, colorful and well-connected field of up to 20 potential candidates with only eight weeks to go until the March 3 special election primary. The Fifth District is a heavily Democratic one, and will select the hands-down front-runner for the April 7 balloting. Those announcing or expressing interest in the seat include three state representatives, two powerful city councilmen, a former homeland security official, a county commissioner, a doctor, a nightclub owner and a former pilot. This is the same seat held by Gov. Rod Blagojevich from 1997 to 2003, and by former representative Dan Rostenkowski,

Blair House Mystery Solved: It's John HowardJanuary 6

By Philip Rucker and Al Kamen The veil is lifted. We now know who is booked at Blair House, kicking President-elect Barack Obama and his family to the waiting list and across Lafayette Park to the Hay-Adams Hotel. The only overnight visitor at the presidential guest manse is none other than John Howard, a former Australian prime minister and leading member of President Bush's coalition of the willing in Iraq. Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard. (Paul Miller/Associated Press) Howard and his entourage will be bunking at Blair House on Jan. 12, the night before he, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe are to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bush, two White House officials said today. The three current and former heads of state are longtime political allies of Bush, and Blair and Howard were key partners in the U.S.-led war in