Former Clinton White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta: transitioning to the presidency

Leon Panetta

(CNN) –The dispute between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore over the United States presidency continued in an unprecedented hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, December 1. Although no federal funds are available to either candidate until the winner is determined, both sides are preparing for the transition to the presidency.

Leon Panetta was the White House Chief of Staff under the Clinton administration. Before becoming Chief of Staff, Panetta served in Congress for 16 years as a representative from California, including four years as chairman of the Budget Committee. Panetta is the director of the Panetta Institute, a bipartisan study center looking at public policy that he founded with his wife.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Leon Panetta, and welcome.

Leon Panetta: It's a great pleasure to join the chat room and answer the questions of the people out there who are tuning in.

Chat Moderator: What are the usual steps to transition from president-elect to president? What are the first priorities?

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Leon Panetta: The first responsibility is to put a transition office together that can begin the process of gathering resumes of all those interested in the positions and also the resumes of those that are being recommended for possible appointments by the president-elect and his advisors.

In addition, the transition pinpoints all of the positions available for appointment. For example, in addition to the 14 Cabinet departments, there are some 70 federal and independent agencies. In addition, there are literally hundreds of sub-Cabinet appointments: assistant secretaries, deputy secretaries, general consuls and other positions. In all, I believe there are close to 1,000 appointments that ultimately have to be made by a new president.

Chat Moderator: Has the winning candidate, whoever it may be, lost valuable time for the transition process?

Leon Panetta: The transition, by the very nature of the nomination process, takes time. The president-elect has to go through the process of interviewing various candidates. Once he has made a selection, that candidate then has to complete an extensive background paper that, as I recall, requires that you list every address and activity from the time you were in college to the present. In addition, the candidate completes extensive financial reports on sources of income and possible conflicts with the future job.

What follows then is a background check by the FBI, to determine whether there are any potential problems that could be raised during the nomination process and to confirm the facts in the completed documents.

All of that material is then forwarded to the Senate committee that would approve that particular nomination. In turn, the committee staff requires the candidate to complete questionnaires, which are usually more focused on issues that the candidate will have to deal with in his or her future position. What follows then is a hearing with the committee and the nominee, followed hopefully by a vote of the committee and a vote of the Senate.

So, you can see that this is a long process under the best of circumstances. Because of the delays in selecting a president, it will be very difficult for a new president to have a full team in place following the inauguration.

Question from Todd1: Leon, why isn't Gore making his transition as vocal as Bush is?

MESSAGE BOARD Presidential race 2000 Election 2000 The Election process     INTERACTIVE Key players in the dispute Election timeline Previous close elections What they're saying     TRANSCRIPTS Chat Transcripts Main Page The Brookings Institution's Charles Jones on the transition period for a president-elect

Leon Panetta: That's a good question because I believe that since we are in a period where both sides are claiming they have won, it would be appropriate for both to commence their transition effort. I believe that Governor Bush has been more effective at conveying the impression that he is the winner and that he is engaged now in the process of selecting his Cabinet. Vice President Gore started much later and has only now begun the process of discussing the transition.

Question from SJBrute: Doesn't Gore have sort of an advantage in the transition process since he is a member of the current administration?

Leon Panetta: That is a good question. Because he has served as vice president for the last eight years, and because this is a Democratic administration, it is more likely that he will retain some of those who currently hold office. If he does not, he certainly would have the comfort of knowing that the positions are currently filled with Democrats who have knowledge about their responsibilities.

So, yes, he does have an advantage, but he will also want to put the stamp of the Gore administration on his selections. And that does require that he go through the transition process with major appointments, particularly in his Cabinet.

Question from Acncan: Why hasn't the General Services Administration (GSA) released transition funds, in light of the fact that there is a candidate with enough CERTIFIED results to establish a winner?

Leon Panetta: The lawyers for the GSA have concluded that because there continues to be a dispute over who the winner really is, they could not -- based on the certification of Florida -- make a final determination that George Bush is the winner. I believe that if this dispute continues, it might make sense for the federal government to provide financial support to both candidates in this transition until a final determination is made, either by the courts or the Congress.

Question from Duffer: Mr. Panetta, doesn't "early" transition planning make it impossible to include Cabinet members from the opposing party?

Leon Panetta: There is no question that the earlier this process can begin, the more time a president-elect has to consider a broader range of names, not only within his own party but the opposing party as well. It is pretty clear that any new president who wants to govern following a disputed election will have to reach out to the opposing party and make them part of his Cabinet. To do that, time is essential. For that reason, let us all hope that this matter is brought to closure soon.

Chat Moderator: Governor Bush met with General Colin Powell yesterday. Bush explained that there is no better person to talk to about security matters in the transition phase. Some are saying that this was a public relations move. What is your opinion?

Leon Panetta: It was probably both. I am sure that because of General Powell's background in defense and military matters, his views would be important to consider when it comes to national security positions and issues. At the same time, he is a popular individual with the American people. Therefore, having him in the picture with both Governor Bush and Cheney was a smart public relations effort as well.

Chat Moderator: Do you have any final thoughts to share with us?

Leon Panetta: Yes. My prayer is that for the sake of the country, a president is selected soon so that he can begin the important process of governing. This nation is clearly divided on who should be president. And the political parties are divided over that question, as well as other issues. The time has come to try and bind those wounds. The sooner we know who the president is, the sooner that process can begin.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today.

Leon Panetta: Thank you very much for participating in the chat room. I have enjoyed your questions and enjoyed the opportunity to have this conversation. Thank you.

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