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Ten Dems Obama should watch out for 
By:
Glenn Thrush
Even if Democrats don’t agree with Barack Obama on everything, who among them would challengea president with a 73 percent approval rating?He’ll soon find out.Sooner or later, the bonhomie of Obama’s Inauguration will dissipate — and the novelty of having asoul mate in the Oval Office will give way to intense internal debates over the extent and substance of Democratic change.Either that, or some people will just get on Obama’s nerves.The president’s friends might not become his enemies. But here are 10 Democrats — and somerunners-up — who could soon find themselves on the White House Frenemies List:
1. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.)
— Conyers, the outspoken chairman of the House JudiciaryCommittee, hasn’t been shy about pressuring Obama — vowing to proceed with investigations intothe Bush administration’s sacking of eight U.S. attorneys and other potential violations of federal law.Obama has said he prefers to “look forward” and not rehash the past — but House Speaker NancyPelosi has indicated she’s open to allowing Conyers to proceed. Remember: In the 110th Congress,Conyers had to be talked down from pushing for the impeachment of President George W. Bush.
2. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)
— The incoming chairwoman of the Intelligence Committeeforced Obama to apologize after he nominated Leon Panetta to head the CIA without consulting her first. Feinstein is not afraid to break with her party on thorny issues, as she did recently during theRoland Burris affair and last year when she essentially declared Hillary Clinton’s presidential run over before her candidate was ready to concede. Feinstein also may be positioning herself for a 2010gubernatorial run, a potentially bigger factor for her than making Obama look good.
 
3. Vice President Joe Biden
— Biden survived the campaign, the transition and even InaugurationDay without any Obama-embarrassing verbal gaffes. But on the first full day of the Obamapresidency, Biden made a joke — on live TV — about Chief Justice John Roberts’ fumbling of Obama’s swearing-in. Obama, who had tried to smooth over the oath of office glitch, looked visiblyunhappy with his VP, touching his arm in a sign that it was time to shut up and move on. If Biden can’tbutton it — and encourage his wife to do the same — expect to see Obama’s pinched-face look alittle more often.“Gird your loins”
4. Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.)
— Waxman, who knocked off John Dingell to become chairmanof the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, is no party maverick: He’s an enthusiastic Obamaand Pelosi supporter with a long history of defending Democratic presidents, namely Bill Clinton. Buthe’s also among the House’s most aggressive proponents of addressing global warming fast, and herecently promised to act “quickly and decisively” in his capacity as committee chairman. The problemis that both Pelosi and Obama have a lot on their plates and want to ring up a series of legislativevictories before addressing a controversial, technically complex issue that could create a stalemate.Plus, Waxman’s push for stronger emissions standards could alienate some Rust Belt memberswhose states depend on coal. Runner-up: Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
5. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii)
— The new head of the Appropriations Committee is old schoolwhen it comes to legislative earmarks. This is the same guy, after all, who from 1998 to 2004 steered$1.4 billion to military projects in his state. That puts him at philosophical loggerheads with Obama,who ran against the culture of pork and influence peddling in Washington. “Inouye isn’t going to bendto accommodate” Obama, said a senior Democratic aide. Moreover, this beloved war hero — whostood up for fellow earmarker and former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) when the latter was convictedon federal fraud counts— is probably reflecting the views of many other Democrats. Said one Senateaide: “That anti-earmark stuff sells nationally, but earmarks are still great politics locally.” Runner-up:Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.).
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