Majority of president’s top appointments still unfilled

Of more than 500 senior policymaking positions requiring Senate confirmation, just 43 percent have been filled so far - a reflection of a White House that grew more cautious after several nominations blew up last spring, a Senate that is intensively investigating nominees, and a legislative agenda that has consumed both.

Although career employees fill many posts on an acting basis, Obama does not have his own people enacting programs central to his mission. He is trying to fix the financial markets but does not have an assistant treasury secretary for financial markets. He is spending more money on transportation than anyone since Dwight D. Eisenhower but does not have his own inspector general watching how the dollars are used. He is fighting two wars but does not have an Army secretary.

He sent Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to Africa to talk about international development but does not have anyone running the Agency for International Development. He has invited major powers to a summit meeting on nuclear nonproliferation but does not have an assistant secretary of state for nonproliferation.

“If you’re running GM without half your senior executives in place, are you worried? I’d say your stockholders would be going nuts,’’ said Terry Sullivan, a professor at the University of North Carolina and executive director of the White House Transition Project, a scholarly program that tracks appointments. “The notion of the American will - it’s not being thwarted, but it’s slow to come to fruition.’’

Clinton expressed the exasperation of many in the administration last month when she was asked by AID employees why they did not have a chief. “The clearance and vetting process is a nightmare,’’ Clinton told them. “And it takes far longer than any of us would want to see. It is frustrating beyond words.’’

The process of assembling a new administration has frustrated presidents for years, a point that was brought home when George W. Bush received the now-famous memorandum titled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike US’’ eight years ago this month but still did not have most of his national security team in place when planes smashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

All parties vowed to fix the process, and Obama’s national security team is more intact than his predecessor’s was at this point. But even in this area, vital offices remain open. No Obama appointee is running the Transportation Security Agency, the Customs and Border Protection agency, the Drug Enforcement Administration, or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Obama still does not have an intelligence chief at the Department of Homeland Security, nor a top civilian in charge of military readiness at the Pentagon.

Obama is far enough along in his presidency that some early appointees are already leaving even before the last of the first round have assumed their posts.

The consequences can be felt in small ways and large - from the extra work for appointees on the job to the slowdown of policy reviews and development. For example, Obama’s promised cybersecurity initiative to improve coordination among government agencies and the private sector has stalled while he looks for someone to lead it.

“There’s every reason to be concerned,’’ said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader. “The president deserves to have his full complement of staff.’’

But the White House expressed less concern because by its count it has matched or surpassed past presidents in putting together its government. “Given that we’re ahead of where previous administrations have been, we feel we’re moving at a fairly quick clip to get everything done,’’ said Bill Burton, a deputy White House press secretary.