Eventually, nomination will go bad, experts say
No matter how careful he is, sooner or later President-elect Barack Obama is likely to make a bum nomination or two.
“It’s unavoidable,” says Paul Light, a New York University professor and expert on presidential transitions.
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It may happen because a nominee has lied about his or her background to Obama’s team, or because something that was dismissed as minor turns out to be a big deal.
Whatever the reason, “These things are likely to pop up at any time —- even though they are trying their darndest to make sure that doesn’t happen,” says George Mason University professor James Pfiffner, another expert on transitions.
The key, then, is for Obama to be prepared for a nomination gone bad, and to know how to handle it deftly. He needs to know when to cut his losses, and when to stand and fight.
History tells Obama all he needs to know about the pitfall of letting a problem appointment fester.
Remember Linda Chavez? Probably not.
That’s because President-elect Bush did the smart thing in 2001 when word surfaced that his choice for labor secretary had housed an illegal immigrant. Bush quickly cut Chavez loose, making clear he would not defend her. She withdrew her nomination and the story quickly died.
Contrast that with President Clinton’s long, frustrating search for an attorney general in 1993.
First, he nominated Zoe Baird. Then word leaked that she had hired illegal aliens as household workers and failed to pay their Social Security taxes.
Next, he settled on federal judge Kimba Wood. Her nomination never went forward after the disclosure that she had hired an illegal immigrant as a baby sitter, even though she broke no laws and had paid the required Social Security taxes.
The drama dragged on for almost two months before he nominated Janet Reno. who was confirmed.
“It was horrible,” Light said, “and it cost him a great deal of political capital.”
He said experience shows that the lure of a Cabinet appointment sometimes proves irresistible to people who should know better.
“The ambition to be a presidential appointee is so great that somebody’s not going to tell the truth, no matter how hard you push the vetting process,” said Light.
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