President Obama has withdrawn his nomination of a prominent liberal activist for a board position at the Corporation for National and Community Service, reports the Chronicle of Philanthropy:
Mr. Podesta, founder of the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to the White House, was among seven people that the president nominated in June 2010 to fill vacancies on the national-service board. The nominations were approved by a Senate committee in July but have still not been confirmed by the full Senate.
The White House declined to say why the nomination was withdrawn, and Mr. Podesta could not be reached for comment. Mr. Obama had re-nominated Mr. Podesta just last month.
But he was an unpopular selection with some Republicans. A group of conservative leaders included him on a list of "controversial" and "egregious" presidential nominees in a letter they sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in 2010.
Podesta was White House chief of staff during the Clinton administration, and a co-chairman of the Obama-Biden transition team. He founded a prominent liberal lobbying firm, the Podesta Group, sits on the board of the Center for American Progress, and advises Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.