Lobbyist spouses present Obama dilemma

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes a hard line against lobbyists in his administration but seems more flexible about their spouses' work, observers say.

Two of Obama's Cabinet choices, Secretary of Health and Human Services-designate Thomas Daschle and rumored Energy Secretary top choice Carol Browner, have spouses who are active lobbyists, presenting a gray area in Obama's stance against hiring them for White House positions, The New York Times reported Monday.

Thomas Susman, ethics rules expert and lobbyist for the American Bar Association, told the newspaper in a city like Washington where lobbying is a huge industry the issue of spousal lobbying presents a thorny problem.

"On the one hand," he said, "you say a spouse shouldn't be disenfranchised from his or her professional activities because his or her spouse goes into government. But it does seem to me that a spouse ought not be allowed to lobby an agency or on issues under the control of the spouse in government."

Stephanie Cutter, a spokeswoman for Obama's transition office, told the Times: "To prevent conflicts of interest, administration officials will recuse themselves from any issue involving a spouse, and spouses will be banned from lobbying relevant agencies."