WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Barack Obama has no time to waste.Other names:
Two wars and a deepening financial crisis have raised expectations that he will quickly announce picks for senior government jobs after winning Tuesday's presidential election.
Obama, a Democrat who triumphed over Republican John McCain to become the first black U.S. president, has a transition operation well under way to enable him to unveil selections for positions such as Treasury secretary and secretary of state soon.
Illinois Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel has emerged as a strong contender for the crucial position of White House chief of staff and an announcement could come as early as Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter said.
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Some analysts believe certain jobs, such as Treasury secretary, could be announced within days and speculation is already rife about several names.
The next Treasury secretary will inherit one of the hottest seats in Washington, faced both with guiding the $700 billion economic bailout package and the regulatory reform needed to prevent a repeat of the current crisis.
In an Obama administration, the short list for Treasury likely includes former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Obama has also spoken favorably about investor Warren Buffett, while University of Chicago economist Austan Goolsbee and former Clinton White House aide Jason Furman are also important economic advisers to the incoming president.
Foreign policy possibilities:
For secretary of state, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry, former diplomat Richard Holbrooke, outgoing Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel and former Georgia Democratic Sen. Sam Nunn are among the names in the mix.
James Steinberg, a former Clinton adviser, is a top contender for national security adviser. Susan Rice, another former Clinton aide, could be considered for that job or another senior post.
Cabinet will include republicans:
With wars under way in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama might consider keeping Robert Gates on as secretary of Defense. He might also consider tapping former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig, a close adviser.
Obama's campaign is maintaining the utmost secrecy on planning for the transition, which will occur in the 11 weeks between November 4 and January 20, when he will be sworn in as successor to President George W. Bush.
Obama has said he had "some pretty good ideas" about people he might tap for senior jobs and that he would "absolutely" include Republicans in his Cabinet. read more
Update Nov. 6: more cabinet speculation
