Republicans attack Obama's pick of Washington insiders

US President-elect Barack Obama promised the voters change but has started selecting his inner circle by appointing existing Washington insiders to top posts.

Mr Obama has chosen former Senate leader Tom Daschle as his health secretary and Hillary Clinton seems more likely than ever to be his secretary of state.

Mr Obama is ready to announce that his attorney general will be Eric Holder, the Justice Department’s No. 2 under Bill Clinton. Rahm Emanuel, Mr Obama’s chief of staff, is another veteran of the Clinton White House.

Arizona governor Janet Napolitano is Mr Obama’s primary choice to be secretary of the Homeland Security Department, according to reports today.

Republicans attacked what they saw as an unwelcome trend. A spokesman for the Republican National Committee said, “Barack Obama is filling his administration with long-time Washington insiders.”

Mr Daschle’s selection to head the Health and Human Services Department is not at the same level of cabinet prestige as the top spots at the State and Justice departments. But the health post could be more important in an Obama administration than in some others, making him a key player in helping steer the president-elect’s promised health care reforms.

The former South Dakota senator’s return to the government will be a vindication of sorts. He was the Senate Democratic leader when he was defeated in 2004 by Republican John Thune, who convinced voters back home that Mr Daschle was more concerned with Washington than with them.