Subject: RE: Lead for USDA -- quick check-in
From: <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 2008 09:15:35 -0400

Thanks, John.  Lisa told me that she (or Melody) is checking with
Heather.   

David J. Hayes

LATHAM & WATKINS LLP
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Email: [email-masked]
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-----Original Message-----
From: John Podesta [mailto:[email-masked]] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 9:02 AM
To: Hayes, David (DC)
Cc: Melody Barnes
Subject: Re: Lead for USDA -- quick check-in

He's knowledgable. I'm ok with it. Was he for Obama? He's a little old
school. This one Melody might want to ck with Heather at the campaign
to make sure they don't have someone they prefer.

On Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 11:06 PM,  <[email-masked]> wrote:
>
> John:
>
> I know that you are interested in Ag issues, and I just wanted to
make 
> sure that you are comfortable with our proposed lead for the Ag team

> in the Transition's Energy and Natural Resources cluster.  We are 
> closing in on Mike Dunn, and I am poised to call him tomorrow. Don 
> Gips and Melody Barnes have signed off on him.
>
> Several folks whom I respect have strongly recommended Mike.  As you

> may know, Mike worked at Ag during the Clinton years in several 
> capacities -- including in both the food safety area and the farm 
> credit area -- two hot issue areas in the farm belt.  He's from
Iowa, 
> has spent his career in the ag field, is friends with Tom Harkin, 
> etc., etc.  Mike is currently a commissioner of the CFTC.  His bio
is 
> below.  The breadth of his experience in the ag world is what I like

> best.  Plus the strong positives that have come from folks like Rich

> Rominger, Jim Gilliland and others.  (Dan Glickman had been pushing 
> his former chief of staff, Greg Frazier, but a number of folks
raised 
> very strong objections about Greg.)
>
> As an FYI, Jake Caldwell is slated to be on the USDA team, along
with 
> Jim Lyons, Chris Wood and Elliott Laws.
> Let me know if you have any objection.
> Thanks.
> -- David
>
> Michael V. Dunn was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 21,
2004, 
> as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. He
was 
> sworn in on December 6, 2004, to a term expiring June 19, 2006. On 
> June 16, 2006 Commissioner Dunn was nominated by President Bush to a

> second term as Commissioner of the CFTC and confirmed by the Senate
on 
> August 3, 2006. In a ceremony on August 23, 2006 at the Federal
Court 
> House in Des Moines, Iowa, attended by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin
(D-IA), Commissioner Dunn was sworn in.
> U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt administered the oath of office.
>
> Commissioner Dunn serves as Chairman and Designated Federal Official

> of the Commission's Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC). The AAC
was 
> created to advise the Commission on agricultural issues surrounding 
> the trading of commodity futures and options and to serve as a 
> communications link with the agricultural community. Commissioner
Dunn 
> is also the Chairman of the Commission's Forex Task Force. The task 
> force objective is to raise the public's awareness of fraudulent 
> activity in the retail foreign currency
> (forex) futures and option markets and to highlight the Commission's

> enforcement activities in this area.
>
> Prior to joining the CFTC, Mr. Dunn served as Director of the Office

> of Policy and Analysis at the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) where

> he managed the two FCA divisions responsible for developing 
> regulations and public policy positions for applicable statutes as 
> well as promoted the safety and soundness of the Farm Credit System 
> (FCS). Prior to this position, Mr. Dunn served briefly as a member
of the FCA Board.
>
> Mr. Dunn has also served as Under Secretary of Agriculture for 
> Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Acting Under Secretary for Rural 
> Economic and Community Development, and as Administrator of the 
> Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
>
> Mr. Dunn has had a long involvement in agricultural credit dating
back 
> to the late 1970s, when he was the Midwest Area Director for the
FmHA. 
> He has been a loan officer and vice president of the Farm Credit
Banks 
> of Omaha and has served as a member of the Professional Staff of the

> Senate Agriculture Committee, specializing in agricultural credit.
At 
> the USDA, Mr. Dunn also served as a member of the Commodity Credit 
> Corporation and Rural Telephone Bank Board. He is a past member of
the 
> Iowa Development Commission and has served as the Chairman of the
State of Iowa's City Development Board.
>
> A native of Keokuk, Iowa and a current resident of Harpers Ferry,
West 
> Virginia, Mr. Dunn received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the 
> University of New Mexico
>
> David J. Hayes
>
> LATHAM & WATKINS LLP
> 555 Eleventh Street, NW Suite 1000
> Washington, DC  20004-1304
> Direct Tel:  (202) 637-2204
> Fax:  (202) 637-2201
> E-mail:  [email-masked]
> www.lw.com
>
>
>
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