The Transition

TW: With the election of Obama, focus will shift to the transition (and the Republican internal strife). Thankfully Obama appears well situated to jump from campaigning to governing as seamlessly as feasible (what a drag u work your ass off for two years running for office, then they expect u to turn around, no vk and actually govern).

From the Economist:
"...Mr Obama looks to be one of the most organised presidents-elect in recent memory. His team is looking to avoid the example set by Bill Clinton, who also began his transition planning early, but whose disorganisation and unrealistic expectations ensured that America became familiar with the names Zoë Baird and Kimba wood. It is ironic, then, that Mr Obama's transition team is led by John Podesta, Mr Clinton's former chief of staff.

'[T]he transition that Podesta is designing is explicitly modeled not on Clinton’s but on Ronald Reagan’s. Indeed, Clinton’s transition is said by some involved to be a kind of anti-model for the Obama endeavor.'

Given the unusually crisis-plagued environment into which Obama will be stepping, he will want to move quickly, especially when it comes to selecting his Cabinet. Almost certain to come first, perhaps within days, will be his economic and national-security teams. And with those choices, they say, he will want to send a message of centrism and bi-partisanship. It’s conceivable that Obama will ask Bob Gates to stay on as Defense secretary; Chuck Hagel, too, might find a place high in the administration. But although there has been chatter that Obama might also retain Hank Paulson at the Treasury, the inside betting is on a Larry Summers encore...

Once the Cabinet is in place, Obama will turn to congressional relations, and here too the contrast with Clinton is likely to be pronounced...

With the imminent "collapse of institutional conservatism", as Mr Heilemann puts it, Mr Obama's aides see an opportunity to craft an early economic agenda that would lead to something akin to the Reagan revolution. That may prove to be overly ambitious (and the ambiguous nature of their economic plans is somewhat troubling). But if Mr Obama's presidential campaign is any indication, Americans can expect a drama-free transition from the Democrat."
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2008/10/obamas_transition.cfm