Jonathan Alter says Valerie Jarrett would be a Person to Replace Rahm as COS...

[KoKo]

in his second breath he said someone named Tom Donnelly (SP) Who the hell is this that Jonathan Alter is PROMOTING on the "ED SHOW?" Anyone know?

[sandnsea]

1. Someone that will piss off the left

Wanna bet?

[dkf]

2. Ugh. I know Obama likes her but I can't listen to her for long.

She sounds like Charlie Brown's teacher to me.

[OHdem10]

3. Mr. President, respectfully speaking, you might want to widen

your circle of "friends".

[kentuck]

4. I think the President will pick someone he knows...

someone like Jarrett. I'm sure she will be given a fair hearing.

[hlthe2b]

5. I think he meant Tom Donilon... discussed on Huffpo

"Perhaps the most likely candidate is Tom Donilon, a deputy national security adviser, whose political experience goes back to the Carter-Mondale campaign. Donilon earned his chops in government as the first assistant secretary of State for public affairs under President Bill Clinton. Donilon's wife, Cathy Russell, is chief of staff to Dr. Jill Biden.

Another possible prospect is Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, who has served in string of sensitive positions, including chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore chief of staff during the 1996 reelection campaign."

[KoKo]

6. I Googled "Tom Donilon"...and here's what I found:

http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Thomas_Donilon

Why He Matters
At a Glance

Current Position: Deputy National Security Adviser (since Jan. 2009)

Career History: member of Barack Obama's transition team for the State Department6 Review (since Nov. 2008)Senior Aide, Sen. Joseph Biden's Presidential Campaign; Senate Majority's National Security Advisory Group (2005 to 2007)


Hometown: Providence, R.I.

Alma Mater: Catholic University, B.A., 1977; University of Virginia, J.D., 1985

Spouse: Catherine Russell

Religion: N/A

For a long time, Donilon lived his life from presidential campaign to campaign.

The Democratic operative worked on his first Democratic National Convention at 24, and he’s been helping elect candidates ever since. He has worked for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton8 and Joseph R. Biden9.

He has also served in policy roles, working as assistant secretary of state for public affairs and as former Clinton secretary of State Warren Christopher’s chief of staff. In that role, Donilon was intimately involved in many major foreign policy issues, including negotiating the Bosnian peace agreement and the expansion of NATO.

He was a registered lobbyist from 1999 through 2005, and his sole client was Fannie Mae.

Donilon worked as a member of President Barack Obama10’s transition team, where he vetted potential State Department officials11.Toner, Robin, "Race Is On For 1988's Brightest and Brashest Consultants,"12 New York Times, May 31, 1987(1)Toner, Robin, "Race Is On For 1988's Brightest and Brashest Consultants,"12 New York Times, May 31, 1987 Since then, he has become a key National Security Council13 aide, helping craft Obama's temporary surge of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York Times, "Obama Adds Troops, but Maps Exit Plan14," Dec. 1, 2009
(2)Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York Times, "Obama Adds Troops, but Maps Exit Plan14," Dec. 1, 2009

His brother is Michael C. Donilon15, a counselor to Vice President Joseph R. Biden16.

Path to Power

Donilon was born in Providence, R.I.Mulligan, John, “R.I. Native Tom Donilon is part of Obama’s Team,”17 Providence Journal, Nov. 13, 2008(3)Mulligan, John, “R.I. Native Tom Donilon is part of Obama’s Team,”17 Providence Journal, Nov. 13, 2008

He was inspired to go into politics after reading Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail by Hunter S. Thompson in high school. He moved to Washington, D.C., for college, receiving his undergraduate degree from Catholic University in 1977.

He accepted an internship as an aide to President Jimmy Carter and quickly climbed the political ranks. In 1980, at the age of 24, he worked on the Democratic National Convention and helped thwart Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s18 (D-Mass.) last-minute bid for the presidential nomination.

Four years later, Donilon helped Carter transition back to private life after he lost the presidency to Ronald Reagan.

Four years after that, Donilon was back on the national stage as campaign coordinator for 1984 Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale.

He earned a law degree from the University of Virginia in 1985 and was a member of the school’s Law Review.

In 1988, Donilon served as one of then-Sen. Joseph R. Biden’s19 (D-Del.) closest advisers during his presidential campaign. Biden was fresh off a stint as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, where he presided over the most controversial Supreme Court nomination ever by considering Reagan’s nomination.

As informal campaign adviser, Donilon played a key role in successfully convincing the Senate to defeat Bork’s nomination.Rosenthal, Andrew, “Washington Talk: Campaign ’88: The Courting of a Consultant,”20 New York Times, Aug. 24, 1987(4)Rosenthal, Andrew, “Washington Talk: Campaign ’88: The Courting of a Consultant,”20 New York Times, Aug. 24, 1987

When Biden lost his presidential bid after being accused of plagiarism, Donilon became a senior adviser to Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis’ presidential campaign.

In 1991, Donilon joined O’Melveny & Meyers law firm as a partner. He was on the firm’s governing committee and headed its strategic counseling practice. Additionally, he led the firm’s effort to increase its pro-bono work.Business Week Website(5)Business Week Website21

He was a senior counsel to President Bill Clinton22’s 1992 transition effort.
Clinton Administration

Donilon formally entered a presidential administration in 1993, when he was named chief of staff to secretary of State Warren Christopher. In 1996, he became assistant secretary of state for public affairs. He visited over 50 countries in those positions and worked on several major foreign policy initiatives, including the Balkans peace negotiation, the expansion of NATO and the relationship between the U.S. and China.

Fannie Mae

n 1999, Donilon accepted an executive vice president position at Fannie Mae. He has been accused of painting an unrealistically rosy picture of how the company was doing and of supervising an “aggressive backdoor lobbying campaign … to undermine the credibility of a probe into the firm's accounting irregularities,” according to ABC News.Schwartz, Emma, “Obama Transition Member Oversaw Fannie’s Lobbying,”23 ABC News, Nov. 17, 2008(6)Schwartz, Emma, “Obama Transition Member Oversaw Fannie’s Lobbying,”23 ABC News, Nov. 17, 2008

Donilon left Fannie Mae in 2005 and returned to O’Melveny. At the same time, he was chosen as a member of the House24 and Senate25 Majority's National Security Advisory Group, which was designed to assess U.S. performance on national security issues and to propose ways to improve it.

Donilon could have worked for the 2008 presidential campaign of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton26 (D-N.Y.), but instead signed on with Biden’s presidential effort, advising him on Iraq. When Biden dropped out of the 2008 race, Donilon endorsed Obama27.

He and Wendy Sherman led the Obama transition team’s State Department 28efforts. Donilon's wife, Catherine Russell29, was named Jill Biden30’s chief of staff.Abramowitz, Michael, et al, "Obama Close to Choosing Clinton, Jones for Key Posts,"31 Washington Post, Nov. 22, 2008(7)Abramowitz, Michael, et al, "Obama Close to Choosing Clinton, Jones for Key Posts,"31 Washington Post, Nov. 22, 2008

Donilon moved into the White House32 (his office "can charitably be described as a broom closet, according to Al Kamen of The Washington Post) on inauguration day.Kamen, Al, "A Who's Who Of Who's Where,"33 Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2009(8)Kamen, Al, "A Who's Who Of Who's Where,"33 Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2009 He has been a the "lynchpin of the interagency process," according to Foreign Policy's Laura Rozen. He runs the deputies meetings, where the real policies get drafted.Rozen, Laura, "The NSC's Invisible Hand," Foreign Policy, April 14, 2009(9)Rozen, Laura, "The NSC's Invisible Hand," Foreign Policy, April 14, 2009
The Issues

Donilon and Obama34 share the same stances on key foreign policy questions. Donilon would like to end the war in Iraq, refocus resources on Afghanistan and keep Iran from building a nuclear weapon through diplomacy and stronger sanctions.
Military Readiness
35As a member of the National Security Advisory Group, Donilon helped write a 2006 report that suggested the long Iraq deployment had depleted the Army and Marine Corps’ ability to defend the country. The commission found that not a single non-deployed Army brigade was prepared to fight."The U.S. Military: Under Strain and at Risk,"36 The National Security Advisory Group, Jan. 25, 2006(10)

MUCH MORE ABOUT HIM AT:
http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Thomas_Donilon