When big-time Washington lawyer Gregory B. Craig picked up theportfolio of White House counsel for President-elect Barack Obama,he rightly expected he'd be on the cutting edge of big issuesinvolving the separation of powers or other lofty legal matters.
It may not have occurred to him that he'd also be charged withstopping the commercial exploitation of his client's image -- theObama can openers, Obama chocolate chip cookies, Obama chocolatebars and the like now on sale just about everywhere. And Craig isalso the keeper of the official presidential seal, making sure itdoesn't get used on T-shirts or beer bottles contrary to White Housepolicy or even federal law.
The counsel's office for many years has been obliged to complainto businesses about the use of the presidential or White House sealson mugs and such. There's even a federal criminal statute (18 USC713) against improper use of the 'likeness of the great seal of theUnited States,' or those of the Senate and House. Violators can befined or even hit with six months in the slammer. Similar federallaws protect Smokey Bear, Woodsy Owl, the 4-H Club emblem and eventhe Swiss Confederation coat of arms.
Maybe you've been making a killing recently selling 'Obama-endorsed' change purses. But as of noon on Jan. 20, expect a letterfrom one of Craig's team. (The staff thinks it's scut work, butremember: A guy named John Roberts started this way in the Reaganadministration, and he now runs the Supreme Court.)
Bush administration officials are working to the very last momentto complete even the most onerous assignments.
So last week, as cold weather and rain lingered in Washington,Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and indefatigableFood and Drug Administration Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbachhauled themselves off to Costa Rica to cut a ribbon on the mainlocation of the FDA's Latin American regional office. (One to holdthe ribbon, the other the scissors?)
Costa Rica, a memo Thursday from Deputy FDA Commissioner MurrayM. Lumpkin tells us, 'is the fifth new foreign FDA location.'Leavitt and von Eschenbach opened Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghaioffices in November, and Deputy HHS Secretary Tevi D. Troyapparently drew the short straw, opening the Brussels office inDecember.
Lumpkin has great news for HHS Secretary-designate Thomas A.Daschle and the next FDA chief.
'Further foreign locations scheduled for official openings in2009 include New Delhi, Mumbai, Mexico City, London, Parma [probablyItaly, not Ohio] Amman, Tel Aviv, and a yet to be finalized city inSouth America,' he wrote.
Very important to emphasize the importance of these offices, whatwith recent health and safety problems with imports. But it'sunclear whether Daschle and the next FDA chief plan to double up onforeign travel (maybe just on the London-Parma swing?).
You could hear the career diplomats around the world cheeringFriday when Obama indicated he was going to favor folks from theirranks when picking ambassadors. A reporter asked if he planned toappoint 'big donors' to ambassadorships.
'My general inclination is to have civil service [that would bethe Foreign Service], wherever possible, serve in these posts,' hesaid. 'And we have outstanding public servants, and I've spoken withSecretary of State designee Hillary Clinton about the importance ofrejuvenating the State Department. I want to recruit young peopleinto the State Department to feel that this is a career track thatthey can be on for the long term. And so, you know, my expectationis that high-quality civil servants are going to be rewarded.'
But fat cats should not despair. Obama added that it would be'disingenuous' to say he won't appoint non-career folks. So there'shope you'll still be able to buy a decent spot somewhere. But youmight want to think small and brush up on your language skills. Polsand pals and contributors usually get only about 25 to 30 percent ofthe roughly 170 country ambassadorships, but they are always theplummest spots.
Speaking of Clinton, she's filling out the ranks of the topassistant secretaries -- look for Richard R. Verma, former aide toSenate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and now a member ofthe Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass DestructionProliferation and Terrorism, to get the nod for assistant secretaryfor legislative affairs -- but it's unclear where the top aidesfrom her Senate office and her presidential campaign will end up.That includes foreign policy adviser Andrew Shapiro, spokesmanPhilippe Reines, traveling chief of staff Huma Abedin, senioradviser Lona Valmoro and campaign general counsel Cheryl Mills.While the exact jobs aren't certain, you'll probably see them prettyclose to Madam Secretary's seventh-floor office.
Speaking of ambassadorships, Obama's folks had told all thepoliticals to resign effective Jan. 20. Apparently with that inmind, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary, April H. Foley, who went outwith the current president when both were at Harvard BusinessSchool, had scheduled a farewell reception for Wednesday.
Then, according to a Jan. 9 cancellation notice obtained by theCable, a Foreign Policy magazine blog, the president-elect'stransition team is extending her tenure until April 7. It's possiblethis move came after a personal request from Bush when he met withObama on Jan. 7, the blog suggests.
Fred Hochberg, deputy administrator of the Small BusinessAdministration in the Clinton administration, looks to be in line tobecome head of the Export-Import Bank -- a job that April Foleyhad before she went to Budapest.
Hochberg, who is openly gay and the heir to the Lillian Vernoncatalogue business, is a mega-donor to the Dems.
It's looking as if Julius Genachowski, a longtime Obama pal fromHarvard Law School days, is the pick to be running the FederalCommunications Commission. Genachowski was talked about for the postof chief technology officer, but the FCC may be more to his liking.
Baltimore health commissioner Joshua Sharfstein, formerly an aideto Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), is said to be the leadingcontender to run the Food and Drug Administration. He has advocatedstronger FDA oversight on the safety and effectiveness of cough andcold remedies for kids.
Whit Peters, former secretary of the Air Force in the Clintonadministration and now a lawyer here, is talked about for generalcounsel at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
On the Hill, David Krone, a cable and technology entrepreneur,top Comcast official, and former executive director of the NationalCable and Telecommunications Association, has come on board to be asenior adviser and handle political outreach, messaging and policyfor Reid. Not a moment too soon, given how things have been goinglately for Reid.
Charles E. Allen, chief intelligence officer for the Departmentof Homeland Security since 2005 and a highly decorated CIA veteran,is leaving Jan. 20 after 50 years of government service, officialssaid.
Allen, 72, earned the CIA's highest commendations over 47 yearsat the agency and received DHS's top award in December 2007 forhelping put on firmer ground the department's nascent domesticintelligence operation.
Senior CIA officials typically return for a three-monthdebriefing process, but Allen has not announced his plans, reportsCongressional Quarterly blogger Jeff Stein.
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