Advisory board member Nides nominated to become Deputy Secretary of State

President Barack Obama has nominated CCLP Advisory Board member Thomas Nides, Morgan Stanley's chief operating officer, as deputy secretary of state for management and resources. Nides, 49, has been with Morgan Stanley since 2005. His resume includes a background in politics and public relations, including serving as chief of staff for U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman during his vice-presidential campaign in 2000. If confirmed by the Senate, Nides would replace Jacob Lew, who awaits confirmation as director of the White House Office of Management and Budget. Click here for the White House announcement…….

We need more diplomats … and time to train them

When President Obama said, "Our commitment in Iraq is changing – from a military effort led by our troops to a civilian effort led by our diplomats," he underscored a fact that has become very clear from the research I am doing for the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Stimson Center in Washington on preparing our diplomats for 21st century statecraft. A key message of our research to date is the absolute necessity for Congress to continue funding a surge in State Department hiring – an initiative launched in 2009 called Diplomacy 3.0 – so that we have not……

Hollihan presents “Barack Obama and the Debate on Health Care Reform”

"Just after noon, and its already standing room only," joked Annenberg School for Communication director Larry Gross. Students, faculty, and staff gathered at the first Annenberg Research Seminar on August 30, 2010. Faculty Fellow Tom Hollihan kicked off the series with his presentation, Barack Obama and the Debate on Health Care Reform: Dialogic Argument vs. the Politics of Resistance. Hollihan explained that Obama's campaign message was that of hope and change, but not just in a changing of the presidential office but "hope that new leadership could reinvigorate government. Change was the most repeated part of the Obama campaign. Not……

Today’s politics lacks key ingredient

These are serious times for our country — from challenges abroad, to our crippled economy, to the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. With events filtered through a partisan midterm election and a heat wave smothering the nation's capital, it seems the first thing to wilt is Washington's sense of humor. Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Jay Leno and the rest of the late-night crowd continue to hold their own. But the ability of elected officials to indulge in a good collective laugh — not to make light of serious situations but to ease tensions — has become a too-rare civility……

Reeves on Obama

"It seems impossible to me that the president can't get to people anytime he wants to," said Senior Fellow Richard Reeves in a recent New York Times article on Obama's difficulty in reaching Shirley Sherrod, the Department of Agriculture official who was forced to resign based on an edited video clip that made it look as if she had discriminated against a white farmer…….

Obama So Far: Good Job!

Senior Fellow Richard Reeves latest article on RealClearPolitics examines the practices of President Barack Obama during his presidency thus far. "Sometimes good, sometimes bad. The guy drives me nuts at times," is his usual response to how he feels about the President's job performance. The article was written as a reply to Froma Harrop in the Providence Journal…….

Obama's Afghanistan – Video used at WorldNews

In response to the change in leadership involving military forces in Afghanistan, WorldNews has created a library of videos on President Obama and his leadership during the war. The website features the CCLP's "Global Communication Forum on Obama's Afghanistan: The Media and the War" with Senior Fellow Cinny Kennard…….

Where the Buck Stops

Senior Fellow Richard Reeves has published his latest article available in syndication and on Yahoo! News. This week, he examines President Obama's measures to contain the Gulf Coast oil leak…….

Chernin shares details of Comcast plans to acquire NBC Universal

It would be better for NBC Universal to be owned by a media and entertainment company like Comcast than by a conglomerate like General Electric, says media executive Peter Chernin. He was the featured guest Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 at the annual Communication Leadership CEO Series, presented by CCLP in partnership with USC's Marshall School of Business and USC Spectrum. Chernin has been advising Comcast in its planned acquisition of NBC Universal. He did not receive compensation for his role in the talks other than a charitable donation made by Comcast to Malaria No More, a global health organization that……

An Audience Of One

Most of what you read, see and hear about Afghanistan is not meant for you. The words, optimistic and pessimistic, right and wrong, all the leaks, all the numbers of troop estimates, costs and polls are aimed at an audience of one: the president. It is very hard to get to chat with any president. But any president has to know what is in the big three of American newspapers (or their Web sites): The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal. And those papers right now are filled with shouting and whispering to President Obama. The……