Obscure but powerful posts

Tom Curry National affairs writer • Profile • E-mail

WASHINGTON — We all know who the new secretary of state will be in president-elect Barack Obama’s administration.

But we don’t yet know most of the second-tier appointees — people who may appear to have obscure jobs but who could end up being immensely powerful.

In President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, an FDR aide said the most effective appointees were the little-known bureaucratic wizards who had “a passion for anonymity.”

These appointees won’t be anonymous, but they won’t be famous either, at least not outside of the Beltway.

So what kind of jobs fall into this obscure but powerful category?

What's in a title?
One could be the assistant administrator for air and radiation in the Environmental Protection Agency.

Some experts believe next year Congress could pass a law to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in an attempt to curb global warming. Steel mills, electric utilities, and other companies which emit greenhouse gases will likely be forced to purchase or trade government-issued emissions permits if they want to continue doing business.

Kyle Danish, an attorney at the Van Ness Feldman law firm in Washington, specializes in corporate climate strategy and emissions trading. He says this assistant administrator at the EPA would have a decisive role in managing a “cap and trade” system of regulating greenhouse gas emissions.

Other contenders in the obscure but powerful job category could be the assistant secretary of the Treasury for tax policy, or the chief counsel of the Internal Revenue Service.

Just as every American is affected by the price of energy, everyone has a big stake in tax policy. With current income tax rates set to expire at the end of 2010, an intense political battle lies ahead over who should pay higher taxes.

Ken Kies, a lobbyist at the Federal Policy Group and the former chief of staff for the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, said these second-tier positions will be influential, with the IRS chief counsel playing "a key role in all tax regulatory development." The man who now has that job, Don Korb, has announced he is leaving the post.

INTERACTIVE Obama's new Cabinet? What are the key roles and who will be filling them.

Designing legal policy for detainees
Obama will face perilous decisions on the detainees now held the Guantanamo Naval Base. With respect to detainees, the head of Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at the Justice Department will be the most important position.

Harvard law professor Jack Goldsmith, who had the OLC job for a bit less than a year in the Bush administration, explained in his book "The Terror Presidency" that "though little known outside the government, OLC holds an exalted status within it as the chief advisor to the President and the Attorney General about the legality of presidential actions. This small office of twenty-two lawyers determines whether the government’s most important and sensitive plans are lawful, and thus whether they can be implemented."

Also exerting influence on detainee decisions will be two officials at the Defense Department: the general counsel and the deputy assistant secretary for detainee affairs.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who will stay on under the new president, said Tuesday that "we would require legislation so that if somebody is released from Guantanamo they cannot seek asylum in the United States." It will be up to Obama's appointees to draft such legislation.

As for the people Obama will choose to serve under him in the Defense Department, Gates told reporters, “the transition will provide names and candidates to me for positions, particularly for the most senior positions. I will interview them, and then I'll make a recommendation to the president, and the president-elect or president will make the final decisions.”

MORE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE

The White House Section Front

Obama marks win, but challenges mount Rough road ahead for health care in Senate   Israeli prime minister calls for peace talks Obama praises bravery after base attack Cheney blasts probe of CIA interrogations Many young voters skip election Republican wins deal blow to Obama White House distances itself from losses Obama budget chief pledges deficit cuts Clinton: Israel must stop building settlements The White House Section Front   Add The White House headlines to your news reader: