Obama Team Reviewing Every Government Agency

Election day hoops

CNN: Podesta pointed out that there is a lot the president can do without waiting for Congress, and voters can expect to see Obama do so to try and restore "a sense that the country is working on behalf of the common good."

"I think that we're looking at -- again, in virtually every agency -- to see where we can move forward, whether that's on energy transformation, on improving health care, on stem cell research," he said.

Podesta, chief of staff under President Clinton, is president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank that he founded.

Podesta said Sunday that preparations for Obama's transition have been in the works since early August.
Asked what members of the team have learned from past administrations, Podesta said they knew they had to act quickly.

"I think one of the most critical things ... that we focused on was it was important to name a White House chief of staff early and build a White House staff right from the beginning to go along with the Cabinet's [selection] process," he said.

Obama named Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff two days after the election.

Tom Ridge, the former secretary of Homeland Security, said Friday that he thinks Obama deserves "expeditious handling of his appointments in the Senate of the United States."

"I would do everything I could to encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live." "It's a difficult time enough, as it is, with transition. You've got 4,000 to 5,000 appointments to fill."

Podesta said he thinks Obama "intends to move very quickly" in naming other members of his senior leadership.

Yahoo: WASHINGTON – President-elect Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas.
John Podesta, Obama's transition chief, said Sunday Obama is reviewing President Bush's executive orders on those issues and others as he works to undo policies enacted during eight years of Republican rule. He said the president can use such orders to move quickly on his own.
"There's a lot that the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action, and I think we'll see the president do that," Podesta said. "I think that he feels like he has a real mandate for change. We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set."
Podesta also said Obama is working to build a diverse Cabinet. That includes reaching out to Republicans and independents — part of the broad coalition that supported Obama during the race against Republican John McCain. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been mentioned as a possible holdover.