Racing to Appoint the Subcabinet

Wondering who your new political boss will be during the Obama administration? You may not have to wait long to find out, even if you work deep in the bureaucracy. Paul Light notes today in the Washington Post that "all signs point to a record-setting pace" of subcabinet appointments in the coming weeks.

Obama's transition team "is moving apace to find and vet candidates for most of the key deputy secretary, undersecretary and assistant secretary spots in the administration," Light writes. "Expect his big tranche the week after his inauguration, largely due to the pre-clearance of 50 to 100 senior aides before the election."

Obama will be shooting at a modern-day record set by his predecessor, who sent 111 nominations to the Senate in his first 100 days in office. Of course, 48 of those came on the 100th day.