Friday, January 18, 2013

CAP Alum to Become Obama's Chief of Staff

Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Adviser, reportedly will become President Obama's next Chief of Staff.  McDonough is an alum of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress (CAP).

Here is what Politico says:
McDonough joined Obama’s presidential campaign in 2007 after serving as the chief foreign policy adviser to Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) in the Senate and during a stint Daschle spent at the Center for American Progress after losing his seat in 2004.
Foreign Policy says McDonough was a Senior Fellow at CAP focusing on foreign policy.  The Washington Post also says that he helped Daschle with research on health care policy.

Following are some examples of what Denis McDonough was involved with while at CAP:
  • This January 2008 report, CAP's economic plan for the next administration, lists McDonough as a contributor as says that at the time he was a Senior Fellow focusing on energy.
  • Here is a piece on the climate change debate that McDonough wrote while at CAP.
  • Here is a piece on Congressional oversight of the US intelligence community that he wrote while at CAP.
  • Here is a piece he wrote on promoting US business opportunities in China.
  • He was a panelists at this CAP event focusing on US foreign policy.  He also participated in this CAP conference call on then President Bush's trip to the G8 Summit in 2007.
  • He moderated this 2006 CAP event on Catholic progressives and their role of faith in governance.
  • He was a member of a CAP task force on energy security in the 21st century.
McDonough is among dozens  of CAP folks who have gone into the Obama Administration throughout the past four years.