New Interest
In the past, tangled webs that are woven, as the Obama admin applies heavy scrutiny to job applicants. Not sure where they got this idea that one’s past might be a problem, should be revealed to interested parties. Maybe from the campaign coverage … of Sarah Palin. NYT, For A Washington Job, Be Prepared To Tell All:
WASHINGTON — Want a top job in the Obama administration? Only pack rats need apply, preferably those not packing controversy.
A seven-page questionnaire being sent by the office of President-elect Barack Obama to those seeking cabinet and other high-ranking posts may be the most extensive — some say invasive — application ever.
The questionnaire includes 63 requests for personal and professional records, some covering applicants’ spouses and grown children as well, that are forcing job-seekers to rummage from basements to attics, in shoe boxes, diaries and computer archives to document both their achievements and missteps.
I guess that includes auntis. Hey, how about pastors and pals?
Only the smallest details are excluded; traffic tickets carrying fines of less than $50 need not be reported, the application says. Applicants are asked whether they or anyone in their family owns a gun. They must include any e-mail that might embarrass the president-elect, along with any blog posts and links to their Facebook pages.
The application also asks applicants to “please list all aliases or ‘handles’ you have used to communicate on the Internet.”
The vetting process for executive branch jobs has been onerous for decades, with each incoming administration erecting new barriers in an effort to avoid the mistakes of the past, or the controversies of the present. It is typically updated to reflect technological change (there was no Facebook the last time a new president came to town).
But Mr. Obama has elevated the vetting even beyond what might have been expected, especially when it comes to applicants’ family members, in a reflection of his campaign rhetoric against lobbying and the back-scratching, self-serving ways of Washington.
No reflection, however, on his desire to avoid, denounce and get all MLK Jr. about scrutiny every time it was applied to him.
Topics: Obama
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:24 am on Thursday, November 13, 2008
3 Responses to “New Interest”
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November 13th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I would love to see Obama fill out his own questionnaire.
(Chewing pencil thoughtfully…)
Lessee… “Have you ever knowingly associated with terrorists, domestic or foreign?” Hmm… better come back to that one later…
“Have you been involved in any financial dealings, personal or otherwise, with a convicted felon or person currently under indictment?” Crap… I’ll skip that one too for now…
“Please list any individuals you have been associated with who could be considered controversial or potentially damaging to the administration.” I think I’ll do that one later, too… I’m gonna need a lot of blank copies to finish that list.
“Please include with your application all available documentation, including but not limited to transcripts, passport, driver’s license, and original birth certificate.”
Original birth certificate? Oh man, not this again! And why do they need my transcripts? That’s personal! This really isn’t going well…
November 13th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hm. You’d think President Oby is afraid the MSM might turn on him.
November 13th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
He just wants to make sure that there are no potential traitors to his cause. That’s what vetting means to the progs.
I say his cause because I don’t know that his cause is the same as the progs cause.