Challenging Transition Awaits The Winner

Washington Post: Intense Political And Economic Forces Will Present Crushing Pressure On The Next President

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by By Michael D. Shear, Michael Abramowitz, Anne E. Kornblut and Shailagh Murray.

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If Sen. Barack Obama wakes up as the president-elect on Nov. 5, he will immediately assume responsibility for fixing a shredded economy while the Bush administration is still in office. If Sen. John McCain wins the election, he will face an imminent confrontation over spending with a Democratic Congress called back into special session with the goal of passing a new economic stimulus package.

Either way, the 77-day period between Election Day and Inauguration Day, traditionally known simply as the transition, is sure to present difficult challenges to a new president buffeted by intense forces, political and economic, without any chance to recover from the long and bruising campaign.

The challenge of putting the country back on a sound financial track has altered what under the best of circumstances would have been a frenzied period spent forming a new government. Instead, Obama or McCain will be forced to assemble a new administration even as he helps shape policies to ward off further declines in the economy.

And whoever is the new president will be under intense pressure from his own allies to live up to his campaign promises. Antiwar groups would press Obama to start the process of ending the war in Iraq, and conservatives would demand tax cuts from McCain. Either side would want to know that its candidate has an agenda to enact on his first day in the White House. With the outcome of the election still in doubt, neither campaign is eager to discuss plans for that day or the transition that precedes it, other than to acknowledge the urgent circumstances the 44th president will confront.

"I don't think he's thinking about [Inauguration Day on] January 20," said one top Republican involved in the McCain campaign. "He's thinking about November 5."

David Axelrod, Obama's chief political strategist, promised last week that if "we are successful, we will be ready to act quickly to put our plan in place."

McCain has tapped John F. Lehman, a close friend who was a Navy secretary in the Reagan administration, to lead the transition. Former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta is running Obama's effort.

Neither would be interviewed for this article, but advisers to both campaigns say they are aware of the problems that can arise if careful thought is not given to how to handle those first days and weeks. They believe that much of President Bill Clinton's ineffectiveness in his first year can be traced to bad decisions during the transition and his first days in office. And this year's economic crisis is certain to heighten those concerns, both sides said.

Those involved in planning a possible McCain transition say he is genuinely interested in bipartisan governing and would immediately reach out to the opposition. But his interest in working with the other party may run afoul of the likely rage many Democrats will feel if the White House slips from their grasp in the final weeks of the 2008 campaign.

"If they lose this one, you are going to have a lot of really angry Democrats," said Rep. Paul D. Ryan (Wis.), a McCain ally and the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee

Top advisers said McCain would move quickly to implement the economic agenda he has promised, including tax cuts, business incentives, lower trade subsidies and controls on government spending that he says are bankrupting the country. But Democratic leaders have already signaled their intention to pass a stimulus package during November's lame-duck session.

"If they try to put together a $300 billion stimulus package that's throwing money at problems -- feel-good money -- and we haven't gotten the accountability and reform in place, then we'll have a fight," predicted Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a McCain confidant.

Obama would have to try to influence economic policy while it is still the province of President Bush, whose policies could have lasting effects on an Obama presidency that was supposed to emphasize "change" and "hope."

"He's going to be deferential to an outgoing president, but also not shy about expressing himself," said a senior Democrat involved in transition talks. "I wouldn't be surprised if you see as much visibility post-election as now."

Obama would also have to take steps aimed at fulfilling his promise to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. To ensure continuity at the Pentagon, he may try to persuade Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to stay in order to begin designing a plan that establishes the time frame for withdrawal.

How Obama would manage the phase between his election and inauguration could set the tone for his presidency. And in the days after being sworn in, Obama would face opportunities and pitfalls on an immense scale.

He could establish the image of a young, history-making president with a mandate from the country and the backing of a friendly Congress. Or he could appear to be an inexperienced new executive, caught between the demands of Republicans he pledged to consult and newly energized liberals who expect him to make good.

As the stimulus package works its way through Congress, and as the government takes further steps to rescue the faltering financial system, Obama allies believe the president-elect could quickly set the tone for his administration by stepping into a public role on the economy that Bush has given to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke. Still, Obama advisers were loath to discuss in detail their plans for after the election. McCain has already chastised Obama for "measuring the drapes" in the Oval Office.

"You have to be careful," said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D). "If anything, McCain has shown to have a lot of different lives. I would caution against a lot of focus on transition."

But mindful of the enormous stakes, Obama's transition team is working intensively on a plan that would both capitalize on his current momentum and make good on his pledges to enact change and set a new tone.

"Any responsible candidate would be planning for the prospect of victory," Axelrod said.

Obama advisers are debating which executive orders he could issue quickly to begin reversing Bush policies such as the ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

In conjunction with his close allies in the Democratic majority, Obama is considering which piece of legislation -- such as an extension of children's health insurance, which failed by just a few votes this past year -- he could push through Congress immediately after Jan. 20 as smaller "down payments" on his larger goals.

Obama has made many promises over the course of nearly two years on the campaign trail: immigration reform; tuition assistance for college students; a rural-issues summit; a new ethics code; and a sweeping review of all of Bush's executive orders. How, or whether, he would be able to tackle such initiatives remains very much an open question both because of the shattered economy and because Obama's aggressiveness in governing is as yet unknown.

For McCain, the period from Election Day through the inauguration would also have an important part of shaping perceptions of his presidency. As part of his campaign's effort to build a case against Obama, the senator from Arizona has argued, as he did at the final debate in New York, that "the next president won't have time to get used to the office. He won't have the luxury of studying up on the issues before he acts. He will have to act immediately."

The advisers declined to comment about how McCain would staff his Cabinet or his White House. But Republicans close to McCain said he has already begun thinking about how to restock Washington with new faces, shedding much of the Bush administration while trying to maintain the necessary stability to deal with ongoing foreign and domestic problems.

But "he's going to reach out beyond the circle he has now," said one confidant. "I don't think he will feel limited at all. He's serious about shaking things up, getting people who have not been in government, new blood."

The first week after Election Day is guaranteed to be a whirlwind. One friend said McCain would "get a good night's sleep." Another joked he would "celebrate the 2,000-point rally" in the Dow Jones industrial average.

But his advisers promised some immediate actions in those first few days aimed at projecting confidence and offering proof that he was following through on his promises: coordination with the Homeland Security Department; a request for a status report on efforts to secure the border; and the announcement that he would send a team of "unofficial observers" to the United Nations Climate Change conference in Poland.

Like any president-elect, McCain would have to tread lightly while Bush finished out his final days. Graham predicted that the pair would treat each other in a "smooth and professional" manner, despite having once been bitter rivals.

McCain advisers say they recognize that there are certain actions they could not take -- for example, ordering Paulson to implement some aspects of McCain's economic recovery plan -- during the transition.

But that has not stopped them from thinking about what he would need to do once Bush left office. While some of the broad policies have been trumpeted by McCain on the campaign trail, his aides last week offered some details about the specific steps he is contemplating taking if he reaches the White House. The advisers said McCain would issue an executive order shutting down the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, appoint a full-time Middle East peace envoy and begin pushing Congress to take an up-or-down vote on a bipartisan plan to control the growth of Medicare spending.

He would act quickly on the economic crisis, sending Congress a new budget with a bevy of proposed tax cuts -- on unemployment benefits, businesses, capital gains and other areas-- while imposing a one-year spending freze on most federal agencies. He would create a 9/11-style commission to determine the roots of the "regulatory failures" that contributed to the current financial crisis.

On foreign policy, McCain would embark on a listening tour, visiting key allies and partners around the world, a move that would be aimed at rebuilding alliances that they say have frayed during the Bush administration. At the April NATO summit in Strasburg, Germany, he would push to deepen NATO relations with Ukraine and Georgia, a move that would likely bring more conflict with Russia. At the same time, aides are promising that he would quickly commence new negotiations with Russia on reducing nuclear weapons arsenals.

And, they said, he would direct his secretary of defense to begin an immediate personnel expansion of the Army and Marine Corps to a combined 900,000, one-fifth larger than the Bush administration has called for.

[john43218]

Top Ten Reasons to Reject Obama




1) As a matter of public record, Obama voted to kill innocent "inconvenient" living babies.


2) Obama''s "Share the Wealth" policies will punish the owners of small businesses, the backbone of our economy.


3) Based on Obama''s campaign remarks, one has to wonder if Obama hates the United States.


4) Other than buzzwords, memorized talking points, and unsupported statistics, without a prewritten speech on a teleprompter Obama is lacking in clear and coherent thoughts. But he is a great speaker. So was Hitler.


5) Obama failed in his only leadership role.


6) When politically convenient, Obama abandoned his church and minister of 20 years, referred to his grandmother as a racist, and has not helped his desperately poor half-brother in need.

7) Obama lied -- repeatedly -- 50 times and counting.

8) Obama and the Obama campaign have impugned, mocked, and ridiculed proven leaders and citizens, disrespecting all of us.


9) Obama consorted with terrorists, criminals, anti-Americans, bigots, and racists.


10) Obama''s vice presidential pick, a known plagiarist, a liar, and someone who has nothing in common with the citizens he seeks to govern, displays Obama''s lack of Personal Judgment.

[noloyalisti]

Why would ANYONE still want to vote for McSame and the scary Christian wacko Palin? I guess they want someone as pResident who is as stupid as they are. Like Bush. Wow!!!!!!!

[john43218]

Powell endorses Obama---Louis Farrakhan also endorses Obama, as does Hamas, Hezbollah, Wright, and Ayers

dear truthonor: With that kind of name you need not have to ask such an obvious question.

[john43218]

No one is better prepared than John McCain to serve as commander in chief and lead the country as it seeks successful outcomes in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and to work with Pakistan to help kill or capture the perpetrators of 9/11. McCain''s actions as a POW in Vietnam were heroic. In Congress, he has become intimately familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the Pentagon.

The Arizona senator has stood up to generals and presidents from Reagan to Bush on defense issues. He often offers sound alternatives, such as the counterinsurgency strategy that has brought greater security and stability to Iraq.

[john43218]

Colin Powell supported the war in Iraq. He said McCain is the only one with negative ads. He stood there with viles 7 years aso convincing Bush that it is the right move to go to war. There is an obvious disconnect between who he is, what he has done in the past, and what he just did in supporting Obama. I can only see one reason: His color.

[aceshigh333-2009]

The first person who puts out a bumper sticker that says "Don''''t blame me -- I didn''''t vote for B.O." is going to make a fortune.

Posted by KyRock1

I bet someone has a good stock ready, might see some after electin day on the web, ebay...

[upto1947]

One thing for sure. The cook is going to have to learn how to cook that food they eat.

[john43218]

During the primaries, despite outspending Hillary Clinton by 2 to 1 or 4 to 1 in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, Clinton still won those battles. Maybe at some point, voters will tune out the flood of ad messages and the selling of Obama by the national media, and decide for themselves. One thing is clear: Obama has shown how much he likes to spend by how he has run this campaign ,. This is a foretaste of his npresidency should he be elected . Repeat the phrase "tax and spend", and you will get a good sense of what an Obama Presidency would be like. If a candidate can spend on a Presidential campaign more than double what any other campaign in history has ever spent before, think of what the size of the federal government will look like after one or two terms of an Obama presidency.
How a candidate runs his campaign is an important indicator of the character of the man or woman we may elect. In the case of Obama, the evidence is that he is a very skillful, ambitious, and driven candidate, and also a very, very cynical and dishonest one. What Obama says means very little. He is after all a clever lawyer. We have had a recent experience with a very smart lawyer as President and how he parsed words. In Obama''s case, the lies have been pretty blatant, despite the best spinning efforts by the campaign.

It is not his words, but what Obama does that matters. And right now, Barack Obama is trying to buy the Presidency, and it looks like he is succeeding.

[missingamerica]

Seeing as how you cannot shoot a missile at a financial crisis or call a prosecutor or regulator up and ask them to look the other way until the crisis disappears, the problems the Republicans have gifted America with are yet another reason to select a President whose academic, life, and campaign records indicate that he is quick to grasp arcane things such as legal precedents and financial law.

And no, goobers - that ain''t McCain''s forte.

[lastdance128]

KyRock1
The CBS - RACIST SPAM - Chat Room is Open

[lastdance128]

RE :
KyRock1

When are You and the rest of the : CHRISTIAN RACIST
Republican NAZI Fascist Party
Going to get it Through Your Head

THE SOUTH __ IS NOT __ GOING TO RISE UP AGAIN ! ! !

THE STARS AND BARS - DO NOT - EXIST ANYMORE

[davidhk01]

It''s nice to see the Washington Post published this story, making up a scenario in which either Obama or McCain may do if elected after the Nov 4 election. Just this weekend, the Washington Post formally endorsed Obama as the US President (without printing the author or editor''s name). So, this story, I naturally assume, should only mention what Obama may do as President-elect after the Nov 4 election!

One more note: the Financial Crisis summit hosted by President Bush in November (participated by the major European and Asian countries) should add that they need to invite Obama to join. As the President-elect after Nov 4, he is the one having the authority to make any commitments to the summit since Jan 2009.

Good Luck to all Americans!

[iyamacog]

Oh PLEASE let the next 16 days fly by!

[puldr]

Whoever wins will have to fix up the socialistic and fascist policies of the current administration. We''ll have to extricate ourselves from the unnecessary and costly Iraq war. And we''ll have to deal with the socialistic giveaway to wall street firms and banks that this administration has done, and will have to deal with the completely screwed up economy accomplished by the Bush administration.

[hjedtyj]

Obama may win in November because of the following...

the media is supporting him and not reporting negative stories about him with examples including....

his criminal associate Tony Rezko''s jail sentencing scheduled for October 28 or 29 the same time Obama bought half hour tv time with CBS and NBC...

a few networks/media outlets have deliberately oversampled african americans to give Obama the mistaken edge in polls for months...

Obama''s flip flopping on campaign finance law where he decides to change his mind to accept private donations and allowing Bush/Cheney to wiretap americans while giving phone companies immunity with FISA laws for political expediency...

no surprise Powell endorses Obama since he revealed he was already excited about his candidancy in the spring as a african american....dunno why it is a big deal when it has been revealed that Powell lied about Iraq''s WMD in 2003 to promote the war at the UN and lost credibility....

[lastdance128]

RE : mrcrosby12 - ObservantX - OneAmerican7

NO-One Believes your Fabricated, Perverted and Deranged Statements

When are You and the rest of the Loyal : Republican NAZI Fascist Party
Going to get it Through Your Head

THE SOUTH __ IS NOT __ GOING TO RISE UP AGAIN ! ! !

THE STARS AND BARS - DO NOT - EXIST ANYMORE

[hjedtyj]

Obama may win in November because of the following...

the media is supporting him and not reporting negative stories about him with examples including....

his criminal associate Tony Rezko''s jail sentencing scheduled for October 28 or 29 the same time Obama bought half hour tv time with CBS and NBC...

a few networks/media outlets have deliberately oversampled african americans to give Obama the mistaken edge in polls for months...

Obama''s flip flopping on campaign finance law where he decides to change his mind to accept private donations and allowing Bush/Cheney to wiretap americans while giving phone companies immunity with FISA laws for political expediency...

no surprise Powell endorses Obama since he revealed he was already excited about his candidancy in the spring as a african american....dunno why it is a big deal when it has been revealed that Powell lied about Iraq''s WMD in 2003 to promote the war at the UN and lost credibility....

[cg37102006]

President Obama will regret he ever ran for president once he starts trying to tackle the problems we face. He could have been a half million dollar a year attorney at a Chicago firm, but no, he had to go want to make America a better place to live. Sucker :-)

[lillietoo]

Why is it that the YPM Republican Voter Fraud has not received the same amount of media coverage as ACORN?

[lastdance128]

The REAL John McCain : Response to The Middle Class :

Washington, D.C. /10/2008

George W. Bush announced a decision over the weekend to
exempt the citizens of seven more countries from the need to
apply for U.S. visas;

President Bush, announced yesterday that the United States is
rescinding visa requirements for citizens of six European countries

Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia,
and South Korea - Israel was not among the seven
_____
The Republican NAZI Fascist Party
In The Never Ending Battle to : Destroy The SOVEREIGNTY of
The United States

Definition of TREASON :
1 : The betrayal of a trust : treachery
2 : The offense of attempting by Overt acts to overthrow the
government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance

ECONOMIC STRIFE _ That is Being used as a Weapon to
ELIMINATE a DEMOCRACY and REPLACE IT With
The TOTALITARIAN DICTATORSHIP of : A NAZI FASCIST RULE
Against the American People

Any Corporation or POLITICAL INFLUENCE
That has Supported and Assisted in
The Achievement of : PURPOSELY and INTENTIONALLY
DESTROYING : The DEMOCRATIC INFRASTRUCTURE and
The ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE of The United States
Is an : Act of TREASON

NO COMPLAINT From : The Political Criminal FBI