Obama's White House, Clinton's Team
An interactive chart of administration loyalties, now with the full roster of major appointees.
As President-elect Obama forms his administration, he's including a lot of familiar faces. Many of Obama's picks—for his transition team, his staff, and his Cabinet—are people who worked in the Clinton administration. Where else is a Democratic president going to find people with executive branch experience?
The following chart displays Obama's choices for his team according to their Clinton or Obama bona fides (the horizontal axis) and their tenure in Washington (the vertical axis). An appointee's position along the horizontal axis is determined by the individual's service to the Clintons before or during their time in the White House, endorsements in the Democratic primaries, ties to Chicago and Obama's early political career, and anything else that hints at their loyalties. Some, like John Podesta or Valerie Jarrett, are clearly tied to one camp. Others, like Gregory Craig, are trickier; Craig is a longtime friend of the Clintons but endorsed Obama in the primaries. Mouse over any image to get details. The vertical axis defines "Washington experience" broadly, including time in the private or nonprofit sector in addition to government service.
This chart will be updated each time Obama announces a high-profile pick for his White House. Got a suggestion? E-mail me.
Update, Nov. 20, 1:15 p.m.: Added senior adviser David Axelrod and secretary of Homeland Security pick Janet Napolitano.
Update, Nov. 21, 4:55 p.m.: Added Treasury secretary pick Timothy Geithner and secretary of state selection Hillary Clinton.
Update, Nov. 24, 1:15 p.m.: Added Commerce secretary pick Bill Richardson.
Update, Dec. 1, 11:23 a.m.: Added National Economic Council head Larry Summers and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice. The chart does not include Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates or National Security Adviser James Jones, neither of whom have appreciable ties to the Democratic Party.
Update, Dec. 23, 9:55 p.m.: Added the remainder of Obama's Cabinet nominees. In crowded areas, mouse over the image or label to bring the person to the front of the graphic.