WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama moved closer to deciding who will be his chief of staff and top economic adviser, two key positions in his administration.
William Daley, commerce secretary in the Clinton administration, met with Obama and other advisers to discuss the chief of staff post, telling associates he would accept it if offered, The New York Times reported.
Gene Sperling, a counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, is expected to be named Friday as director of the National Economic Council. Sperling held the post in the Clinton administration.
The moves would indicate the White House wants experienced personnel with records of bipartisanship as it faces a Republican-controlled House, a smaller Democratic majority in the Senate and a grass-roots conservative movement, the Times said.
The White House also announced press secretary Robert Gibbs was leaving to become an outside political adviser to the president and his re-election campaign.
Obama, in a telephone interview with the Times Wednesday, said he was eager to get the reorganization in place.
"The American people are expecting us to hit the ground running and start working with this new Congress to promote job growth and keep the recovery going," Obama said. "We're not going to be dilly-dallying along when it comes to making sure that we're executing on behalf of the American people". UPI
