Political apointees embeded by Bush into government

by: Jay Stevens

Tue Nov 18, 2008 at 07:39:33 AM MST

Now it appears that the administration is trying to embed its political operatives into the Obama administration:

Just weeks before leaving office, the Interior Department's top lawyer has shifted half a dozen key deputies -- including two former political appointees who have been involved in controversial environmental decisions -- into senior civil service posts.

The transfer of political appointees into permanent federal positions, called "burrowing" by career officials, creates security for those employees, and at least initially will deprive the incoming Obama administration of the chance to install its preferred appointees in some key jobs.

The Department of Labor and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are following similar tactics.

As if the incoming president didn't already face enough challenges, but one of the biggest may be that he will have to fight off political attacks coming from within his own government.

Michelle Cottle:

And, no, the fact that other outgoing presidents, including Bill Clinton, used this trick of switching appointees into career civil-service jobs does not make this practice any less obnoxious. Honestly, were any of us impressed by the manner in which Clinton left office?

But let's not kid ourselves that the Clinton appointments and practices were anywhere near as virulent as what happened under the Bush administration, okay? Just remember the "loyal Bushies"...