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<em>Scoop</em>: McCain and Obama Camps Coordinated on Building Staff Rosters for Next Government

In July 2008, the McCain and Obama camps began to work secretly behind the scenes to assemble large rosters of potential personnel for the administration that only one of the candidates would lead.
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Washington Editor at Large of The Atlantic and founder and senior fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation.

Washington Editor at Large of The Atlantic and founder and senior fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation.
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A senior Obama campaign official shared with The Washington Note and Huffington Post that in July 2008, the McCain and Obama camps began to work secretly behind the scenes to assemble large rosters of potential personnel for the administration that only one of the candidates would lead.

Lists comprised of Democrats and Republicans were assembled, sorted into areas of policy expertise, so that the roster could be called on after the election by either the Obama or McCain transition teams.

This kind of out-of-sight coordination is rare between battling presidential camps and provides some indication that both Obama and McCain intended to draw expertise into their governments from both sides of the aisle -- or at least they wanted to appear interested in doing so if the information leaked out about the list development process.

Fascinating tidbit on cooperation behind battle lines.

-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note

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