Ron Klain starts work tomorrow as President Barack Obama's Ebola "czar," or point person to coordinate various agencies involved in containing the outbreak.
That means the longtime Democratic hand no longer has time to help out Michelle Nunn's U.S. Senate bid. Klain, a former chief of staff to vice presidents Al Gore and Joe Biden and frequent debate prepper, was to lead Nunn's preparation for her debates against Republican David Perdue, according to the infamous internal campaign memo.
We're told that Klain did advise the campaign for a while but has more pressing matters to deal with now.
The announcement last week of Klain's appointment was greeted with jeers from Republicans because of his career in government and partisan politics, not public health. Democrats contend he's exactly the right person to navigate the federal bureaucracy and properly direct its resources, while relying on health experts.
The convergence of Obama, Nunn and Ebola was press release gold for Republican David Perdue. From spokeswoman Megan Whittemore:
"It is absurd that President Obama thinks that a partisan lobbyist with zero medical or health care experience should be the point man on the national response to the Ebola crisis. The fact that Michelle Nunn believes that Washington insider and lobbyist Ron Klain is an appropriate choice speaks to her lack of judgment and her deference, once again, to President Obama's poor decisions."
