Tom Davis, a moderate Republican from Virginia, has emerged as a leading candidate for the Obama administration's newly created position of cybersecurity czar. Sources familiar with the White House's deliberations on the subject say Obama officials feel a Washington power player would make a better candidate than a tech guru.
"They want someone who understands technology issues, but more importantly, knows how to get things done in Washington," says a cybersecurity expert who has been consulted by the White House. "There are very few people who have that combination of skills, and Davis is at the top of that short list."
Davis, who served in the House of Representatives for seven terms before retiring last fall, has extensive experience in tech policy. He authored the Federal Information Security Management Act in 2002, chaired the Subcommittee on Technology and Procurement Policy and was a co-chair of Congress's Information Technology Working Group.
Davis also has good connections to the private IT sector. His district, the 11th, is peppered with technology companies. Since retiring from Congress, Davis worked for the consulting firm Deloitte.
Davis retired from the House last fall, because of his long track record with regards to technology policy. He is a respected figure in the federal IT community and would arguably bring more profile to the administration's cyber efforts than any of the other nominees.
His standing as a moderate Republican is also attractive, as it should give him the ability to reach out to key players in technology policy such as Sens. Collins, Lieberman and Coburn.
Davis made memorable quote at the end of his Congressional term:
We are hearing a lot today from Republicans and their concern about their "brand," and Davis takes it to another level in his memo; "a congressional GOP brand tied to George Bush is struggling"; "...deep seeded antipathy toward the president, the war, gas prices, the economy, foreclosures and, in some areas, the underlying cultural differences that continue to brand our party."
And the kicker, "the Republican brand is in the trash can...if we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf."
Source: http://techinsider.nextgov.com/2009/06/tom_davis_to_be_cyber_czar.php
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