Forget the new Commerce secretary-designate, health care overhaul and those concerns about how stimulus money is being spent.

The biggest news out of the White House on Wednesday concerned the choice of a new first pet. The Obamas have all but selected a Portuguese Water Dog, ending a months-long vetting process that pitted the mid-sized, hypoallergenic breed against the Labradoodle.

First Lady Michelle Obama broke the news to People magazine, saying the family plans to adopt a rescued dog after she and the president take daughters Sasha and Malia on vacation for spring break, in April.

Credit Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., for gaming the selection process.

First came the flap over Pastor Rick Warren delivering the invocation at the inaugural.

Now, President Obama is prompting an outcry from the political left over the establishment of a new White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Obama on Thursday signed an executive order creating the office, which will partner with religious and secular groups that help the needy. Obama said the economic crisis underscored the need for a "force for good greater than government" and pledged to help community groups cut through red tape while sidestepping constitutional questions about the separation of church and state.

The office will be headed by Joshua DuBois, a 26-year-old former campaign adviser and Pentecostal minister, who also conducted religious outreach for Obama's Senate office.