Obama advisers signal Republican roles in administration

BIPARTISAN EFFORT President-elect Obama will not rule out having Republicans on board his team, said Valerie Jarrett, cochairwoman of the senator's transition team.

WASHINGTON - Top advisers to Barack Obama sent a strong message yesterday that Republicans will play a vital role in his administration, even as looming questions over healthcare and the economy are poised to stir partisan debate - and debate within the Democratic party - about the best way forward.

Valerie Jarrett, a longtime friend to Obama who is cochairwoman of his transition team, suggested that Obama intends to appoint Republicans to his cabinet or other important posts and does not rule out keeping on Defense Secretary Robert Gates when he takes power in January.

"He thinks he'll make better decisions if he's pushed hard by people with perspectives that are wide and broad," Jarrett said on CBS's "Face the Nation" yesterday, in a response to a question about speculation that Obama will appoint Republicans to cabinet-level positions. "It is important to him to have that kind of breadth at the table."

In response to a question about whether Gates could be asked to stay on in Obama's administration, Jarrett said: "I wouldn't rule out anything. As I said, I think President-elect Obama has an open mind."

Meanwhile, Rahm Emanuel, a representative from Illinois who will serve as Obama's White House chief of staff, told ABC's "This Week" that John McCain, Obama's Republican rival, "will be a partner" in the next administration.

Emanuel said Obama and McCain had a constructive phone call Tuesday night in which Obama asked McCain to play a role.

"They are going to be talking about a series of things, not only domestically, but internationally," Emanuel said. "There will be a lot of places to work together."

John D. Podesta, the other cochairman of Obama's transition team, praised the cooperation he has received from the Bush White House on CNN's "Late Edition," noting that he and White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten have signed a memorandum of understanding that will allow Obama aides to enter federal agencies as early as this week.

In a separate interview on "Fox News Sunday," Podesta said Republicans will have more than a token representation in the new administration.

But despite the conciliatory tone, significant initiatives on healthcare and the economy are poised to stir intense disagreements after Obama takes office.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, in an op-ed article in yesterday's Washington Post, urged swift action on healthcare legislation despite the economic downturn.

"I'm sure opponents will dust off the same old slogans they have used to try to block every major advance in healthcare," the Massachusetts Democrat and chairman of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee, wrote. "They will call it 'socialized medicine' and a 'government takeover,' just as they did when they opposed Medicare and the children's health program - and they are just as wrong today as they were then."

He said that although it will be costly, the nation cannot afford to wait to make coverage more affordable for low-income families and improve access to those who are currently uninsured, much like reforms adopted in Massachusetts achieved in 2006.

Obama's aides said yesterday that he supports an emergency package that will increase unemployment insurance and help states expand healthcare for the insured.

Obama himself indicated in a radio address Saturday that he will not wait long to tackle some of the most difficult and potentially divisive issues.

"We can't afford to wait on moving forward on the key priorities that I identified during the campaign including clean energy, healthcare, education, and tax relief for middle class families," he said.