Howard Dean Stepping Down as DNC Chief, Could Be Considered as Obama’s HHS Secretary

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean (D) will not seek a second term as chair of the Democratic National Committee when his term expires in January 2009, but has been "mentioned in Washington circles" as a potential HHS secretary under President-elect Barack Obama, the New York Times reports. As governor, Dean, who is a physician, "undertook a huge effort to expand [Vermont's] health care coverage," the Times reports (Nagourney, New York Times, 11/11). In addition, being governor provided him with "management experience running large organizations," according to the Chicago Tribune's "The Swamp" (James, "The Swamp," Chicago Tribune, 11/10).