The Appointment Game
With 1100 jobs requiring Senate approval, the president is headhunter-in-chief.
Tom Daschle crashes. Bill Richardson flames out. Judd Gregg withdraws. Based on the headlines, you might imagine Obama's record for making appointments is a dismal failure. In fact, when it comes to filling key jobs, Obama is on track with his recent predecessors.
With 66 nominees confirmed by the Senate, Obama is well ahead of Clinton's famously distracted first 100 days. But he's behind the energetic Reagan, who holds the record for most nominations approved by April 29th. --Chris Van Buren
Sources: White House Transition Project; Washington Post; The Politics of Presidential Appointments; Library of Congress;Memo on Comparative Statistics of Presidential Appointments, White House Executive Clerk
