President Barack Obama has named Democratic political operative and loyal party donor Ron Klain as his 'Ebola czar' an administration source confirmed on Friday.

Klain, a lawyer and former Supreme Court clerk, was part of the team that helped the president prepare for his debates during the 2008 election cycle. He served as chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden until 2011 and served the same role for Vice President Al Gore during the 1990s.

In 2000 Klain helmed Gore's legal operation overseeing the contentious and lengthy ballot recounts in the all-important Florida presidential contest. He also ran then-Senator John Kerry's debate preparation team in the 2004 presidential election.

Federal Election Commission records collected by the Center for Responsive Politics show that Klain has donated $17,890 to Democratic candidates and campaign committees.

He gave $1,000 to Barack Obama in 2006 when the president was a U.S. senator who hadn't yet waded into the White House race.

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Kevin Spacey (right) played Democratic Party veteran Ron Klain (left) in the movie 'Outbreak' but his character died of Ebola in the film

Out of time: CDC chief Dr. Thomas Frieden (right) has been Obama's most visible Ebola-fighter but his agency's stumbles drove many in Congress to demand a new whole-government coordinator

Up, up and away: Klain (standing, right) was chief of staff to VP Joe Biden (left) until 2011, and will become intimately familiar with the new dangers of flying

The political fixer's other contributions include a $250 check to Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy this year and three donations totaling $5,700 to Massachusetts Democratic Senator Joe Markey in 2013.

Kevin Spacey portrayed him in the HBO movie 'Recount'; in the later film 'Outbreak,' his character dies of Ebola.

California Republican Rep. Ed Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee,issued a scathing statement on Friday.

'I have to ask why the president didn’t pick an individual with a noteworthy infectious disease or public health background?'

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican whose state has been ground zero for Ebola in the U.S., said Americans 'don't need another so-called "czar"; we need presidential leadership.'

Klain's published biographies indicate nothing in his professional history related to medicine or public health.

In 2009 the Obama White House tapped him to supervise the allocation of money tied to the president's ill-fated economic stimulus package.

This year when White House Press Secretary Jay Carney retired, Klain boasted on Twitter that he was 'the person who hired' him.

The president's choice of Ebola quarterback indicates the White House's need for a strong manager, not necessarily another epidemiologist to cross swords with Dr. Thomas Frieden, the embattled director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Following an Ebola meeting at the White House on Thursday, Obama conceded that 'it may make sense for us to have one person' to coordinate the administration's Ebola response efforts.

That way, he added, 'after this initial surge of activity, we can have a more regular process just to make sure that we're crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's going forward.'

White House Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco had been acting as Obama's Ebola coordinator, but the president said she and National Security Adviser Susan Rice were stretched too thin to devote time and attention to Ebola.

Loyal Democrat: Portions of Klain's Twitter feed are a tribute to political initiatives on the left

Mocking: Reactions online ranged from congratulatory (from Democratic operatives) to desultory (from scientists)

CNN first broke the news that Klain would be named to the point-person job dealing with the United States' new exposure to the Ebola virus.

The decision suggests that the White House is more interested in putting out political fires and protecting the president than in coordinating the government's public health infrastructure in a time of crisis.

Klain wrote a widely circulated memo in 2012 aimed at helping Democratic operatives prepare their candidates for pre-election debates.

'Punches are good, counterpunches are better,' he wrote then.

It may be too late for Obama to take advantage of another Klain nostrum: 'While you can lose a debate any time, you can only win it in the first 30 minutes.'

When Klain left the Obama administration, he landed the top job as president of Case Holdings, the investment holding company of Steve Case, the former chairman of AOL.

New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer praised the White House for its decision.

'I've known Ron Klain for over twenty years,; Schumer said Friday. 'He is smart, aggressive, and levelheaded; exactly the qualities we need in a czar to steer our response to Ebola. He is an excellent choice.

Iowa Republican Rep. Steve King disagreed.

'President Obama will name political operative Ron Klain as #EbolaCzar,' he tweeted. 'Too much Obama Administration competition to name him #EbolaSpinCzar.'