Prez Obama to Work With Key Bush Holdovers

As he addresses the most serious problems that face the country, Barack Obama will have to work with several key Bush appointees whose tenure will last a year or two into his administration, the Washington Post reports. But experts say dealing with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, Joint Chiefs head Michael Mullen, and FBI boss Robert Mueller shouldn’t pose an “insurmountable” problem; Obama’s “not someone who feels comfortable [only if] he has constructed his own cocoon.”

Bernanke, of course, will play a key role in addressing the economic downturn. He's a Republican, but Democrats have praised his pragmatism. Mullen and Obama have similar views on Iraq and Afghanistan, but if Obama pushes for his stated withdrawal timetable, there may be a clash. Mueller broke from the Bush administration on issues like warrantless wiretapping, and he agrees with Obama on bolstering local and state police. But they may disagree on issues like terror surveillance methods.
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