The tax cut strategy drew some pointed comments from Democratic lawmakers, who are less enthusiastic about tax cuts and suggested that their votes shouldn't be taken for granted. As they emerged from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee at midweek, several expressed skepticism about two tax cuts taking shape in the Obama plan.
Both missteps were corrected by week's end. After Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden called Feinstein to apologize, she reversed her position and supported the Panetta nomination.
And Lawrence H. Summers, Obama's national economic advisor, met with Democrats on the finance committee to convey that their message had been received. Obama on Friday said that he would work with lawmakers to "hone and refine" his economic recovery plan, signaling his intent to respond to Democratic concerns about the plan as it takes shape.
"If members of Congress have good ideas, if they can identify a project for me that will create jobs in an efficient way that does not hamper our ability over the long term to get control of our deficit, that is good for the economy, then I'm going to accept it," Obama said in a news conference.
Obama certainly isn't the first incoming president to stumble in his early dealings with Congress. President Carter's dismissal of Washington norms resulted in a rocky relationship that hindered his agenda throughout his administration. President Clinton struggled with lawmakers even when he had a Democratic Congress, just as President Bush grew detached from fellow Republicans.
Obama was mindful of the week's perils and, in several cases, managed to resolve the conflicts.
But others remain in play to varying degrees of tension.
For one thing, even some Senate committees had to scramble to learn Obama's Cabinet choices. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee, led by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), never got official notice of two Cabinet nominees within its jurisdiction: Energy Secretary-nominee Steven Chu and Interior Secretary-nominee Ken Salazar.
Rather, the staff of the committee pestered aides on the Obama transition team for clues as to whom the picks might be, ultimately ferreting out the names through their own efforts.
"Did Bingaman receive a phone call from Obama, Biden or [transition co-chairman John] Podesta? No, he did not," a committee aide said. "We were very curious and wanted to keep our chairman informed. At our initiative, we pressed these [Obama staff] guys pretty hard. And through breaking news and leaks and our own undisclosed sources and through our own people working on the inside, we did know in advance."
