Welcome To Confirmation Hell

Lucky, indeed, are the handful of White House staffers already named by the president-elect - they might actually get cleared to go to work soon.

But, CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart reports, for everyone else about to join this late-blooming administration, welcome to confirmation hell.

With just four weeks to go, potential Bush nominees are being buried in clearance papers that normally take months to process - like the White House Questionnaire, the National Security Questionnaire, plus the Financial Disclosure Report.

And, says one transition expert, the forms want to know ... everything.

"You have to go back in time and identify any traffic fines over $150. You have to remember the places and purposes of all foreign travel in the last 15 years, including short trips to Mexico and Canada," said Paul Light of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Want a high-ranking government job? Try answering these:

• Name every school you attended, plus someone who knew you there.
• Name every place you worked ...
• ... And every place you lived, plus the name, address, and phone number of someone who knew you there.

One form gets real personal: This one wants to know the names of all your ex-spouses, whether you ever used illegal drugs, plus details about your drinking habits.

And here's one more favorite. One of the questions asked by the White House specifically is, "Is there anything in your background or your family's background that might embarrass the president?"

Of that one, Light of the Brookings Institution said: "It's a ridiculous question. How can you answer it? I mean, 'Have you stopped beating your dog yet?'"

And it would be funny, if it weren't so painful for those involved - many of whom, it's now estimated, will still be going through this clearance process by the time Spring 2002 rolls around.