Senior, fellow Center for American ProgressA former Navy captain who became assistant secretary of defense for manpower, reserve affairs, installations and logistics during the Reagan administration, Korb is a thought leader and frequent critic of Pentagon spending. Even before the current fiscal crisis, he argued that the Defense Department could easily manage a massive reduction in spending, and he has built on that argument as he’s advocated for reforming military compensation.
So, who’s not on the list? Lots of people. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
didn’t score high enough to break into the top 100.
Neither did Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, or Defense
Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson, whose December resignation sealed his fate.
In the course of a few November days, three people plummeted from the top ranks of the powerful, falling down, and in one case off, the list.
Top editors had just finalized the top 10 for this project when retired Army Gen. David Petraeus abruptly resigned from his job as director of the CIA after admitting to an extramarital affair. The esteemed Petraeus, seen by many as destined for higher office and perhaps even the presidency, had been a fixture in the top 10 from the start.