ANALYSIS-Obama's engine for change fueled by old-timers

By Tabassum Zakaria

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Barack Obama, who swept the U.S. presidential election on a mantra of change, apparently believes it is Washington old-timers who are best equipped to steer the country in a promised new direction.

Obama, drawing up lists of possible appointments for his administration, has come up with a host of familiar faces reaching back to former President Bill Clinton's team and beyond.

Analysts say choosing experienced hands is not necessarily a bad thing for a new president who faces a global economic crisis and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama has also promised to reform the U.S. health care and education systems.

But for the 47-year-old first-term senator to prove he is bringing a fresh eye to Washington when he enters the White House on Jan. 20, Obama must also give some top jobs to newcomers such as governors or business executives.

"He needs to bring some new blood into the political process. That was the basis of his campaign and he can't talk change and then appoint people who served in past administrations," said Darrell West, director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution.

But in Washington, knowing the ropes can often mean the difference between success on policy goals and getting mired in gridlock, so Obama needs veterans to avoid the pitfalls.

"I don't think it's bad politics to have experienced people around you if you've only been in public life for four years," West said. "You can't have an administration that's all retreads -- that would not satisfy his change mandate."

Old guard elements on the Obama team were on full display at his first news conference on Friday, with Clinton-era luminaries Robert Rubin, Laura Tyson and Robert Reich on the stage behind the president-elect.

Analysts say having experienced hands at the helm of such crucial issues as the economy and defense may provide some comfort to the public.

OLD GUARD

The first order of business will be the economic crisis that was the top concern of voters in the Nov. 4 election.

Contenders for treasury secretary include former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, both well known in Washington.

Guiding Obama's transition effort is John Podesta, who was Clinton's White House chief of staff from 1998-2001.

Obama's first post-election pick was his own White House chief of staff and he settled on Congressman Rahm Emanuel, who was also a senior adviser to Clinton.

Republicans immediately cried foul, calling Emanuel a highly partisan figure who did not fit the spirit of bridging the political divide that Obama championed.

"This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil and govern from the center," said House of Representatives Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican.

Obama is considering others with long Washington resumes.

He may keep Defense Secretary Robert Gates, also a former CIA director.

Two Republican members of Congress have been mentioned for Secretary of State -- Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana and retiring Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the party's 2004 presidential nominee, is also in the running.

For vice president, the choice was Joe Biden, who has established his foreign policy credentials in the Senate since 1972, underscoring Obama's emphasis on experience in seeking to deflect criticism that he lacks it.

Some potential newcomers to Washington mentioned for posts include Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano for attorney general and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius for agriculture secretary.

But Obama was expected to reach back for expertise on the economy.

"You want somebody that knows an awful lot of things about those issues," said Scott Lilly, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. "If you don't have that, you won't get any change because you'll be floundering about trying to educate yourself when you need to be taking action."

Some potential Cabinet candidates who have been out of power during the eight years of Republican President George W. Bush's presidency could return with a fresh perspective.

"People evolve," said Rick Barton, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"They shouldn't be seen as who they were in the mid-1990s or whenever they last served," he said.

"It should be people who can run complex organizations and make bureaucracies click and make organizations dance to these problems as opposed to being overwhelmed by the impossibility of getting things done in Washington." (Editing by David Alexander and John O'Callaghan)