“The 2008 Prune Book describes the toughest management and policymaking jobs in Washington and the skills needed to tackle them. It is the eighth such guide in the series published by the nonpartisan Council for Excellence in Government, which recently marked its 25th anniversary of bringing leaders of business and government together in a common space to pursue excellence in doing the people’s business. This new, online Prune Book has one overriding purpose: to help the 44th president of the United States accomplish one of his earliest and most difficult tasks, which is to staff the Executive Branch agencies with managers entrusted to carry out the new president’s agenda. This challenge likely will spell the success or failure of the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, as it has for many before him.”