Obama Saves a Job: Tribune Reporter Joins Administration

We've figured out how Obama will "save" jobs. He'll just add reporters from dying newspapers to his administration. Hey, when your job the past couple of years has been building this guy up to near mythical status, you may as well be officially on the payroll.

Jill Zuckman, a Chicago Tribune Washington correspondent and frequent guest on political talk shows such as MSNBC's "Hardball" and Fox Broadcasting's "Fox News Sunday," is leaving to join President Barack Obama's administration in the Department of Transportation.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Peoria Republican and former seven-term member of the U.S. House, has picked Zuckman to serve as assistant to the secretary and director of public affairs.

"I'm so excited about this. I think this is going to be really fun," Zuckman said by phone Sunday. "I'm excited about going to a department in the administration that's going to play a huge role in hopefully putting people back to work. There is so much money for transportation projects around the country, and I hope that that helps to stimulate the economy to get the country moving again."

Zuckman is the second Tribune Co. reporter in the nation's capital to accept a position with the new administration this month. Cissy Baker, vice president in charge of Tribune Co.'s recently unified Washington News Bureau, on Feb. 7 informed staff that Peter Gosselin, who previously had reported for the Los Angeles Times, accepted a job as chief speech writer for Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

In case you couldn't tell, she's very excited.

Linked by Michelle Malkin. Thanks!