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From Time:

Tom Davis, a moderate Republican from Virginia, has emerged as a leading candidate for the Obama Administration’s newly created position of cybersecurity czar. Sources familiar with the White House’s deliberations on the subject say Obama officials feel a Washington power player would make a better candidate than a tech guru. "They want someone who understands technology issues, but more importantly, knows how to get things done in Washington," says a cybersecurity expert who has been consulted by the White House. "There are very few people who have that combination of skills, and Davis is at the top of that short list."

There are a couple of people that the Obama team might want to think about contacting for candidates. I believe Al Gore might know one or two others who fit the bill better than Tom Davis.

The appointment is not a done deal, however.  Other leading candidates include:

Melissa Hathaway, who led the administration’s 60-day cybersecurity review and former cybersecurity advisor to President Bush . . . ;
Fred Kramer, assistant defense secretary for international security affairs under President Clinton;
Howard Schmidt, a onetime Microsoft chief security advisor and former adviser to Bush on cyberspace security and protection of critical infrastructure . . . ;
Paul Kurtz, an Obama advisor who served in the National Security Council under Bush and Clinton . . . ;
Susan Landeau, a Sun Microsystems’s distinguished engineer with cybersecurity and public policy expertise;
Maureen Bainski, a former FBI intelligence leader; and
Scott Charney, head of Microsoft’s cybersecurity division.

Oh, great. You’re thinking of putting someone from MICROSOFT in charge of CYBERSECURITY?  Two words, people: WINDOWS VISTA. 

Anyway, as Marcy points out:

More troubling, to me, is the role Davis played in thwarting Democratic investigations of Bush’s chronic problems with emails. Remember, both the investigation of the use of RNC emails among Bush appointees and the investigation of the missing emails went through the Oversight Committee. . . .  Most interesting, perhaps, Davis used his position to demand emails that might reflect an investigation into his own role while RNCC head. 

All of this might be considered a natural role for Davis to have played while Ranking Member of a committee investigating his party’s funny business with email. Or, given the way that Davis repeatedly intervened during hearings to assist the Bush Administration with legal problems, it might have been complicit cooperation in a cover-up. 

But whatever it is–do we really want a guy with a history of politicizing email to be in charge of our nation’s internet security? 

I recommend saving "bipartisanship" for the seating arrangements at the White House dinners, guys.

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