Just to get the personal stuff out of the way....yes, it's been way too long since I've written in this blog. The election withdrawal was intense, I needed some respite from it all, and the transition news flew so quickly that it was, at times, difficult to keep everything straightened out.
That being said, 26 days of silence was long enough. Time to start the next chapter, for the election was, as so many others well put it, "the end of the beginning". The real change starts on Jan. 20, and Barack Obama is showing that he is quite ready to get to work with the best team he could possibly assemble.
This is merely a summary of the transition news. By far, the best place to go is www.change.gov, so you can find out about Obama's team and hear his great weekly messages about where we are going, and what we will need to do.
First of all, Mr. President-Elect (it will feel so good to get rid of the "elect" part in 50 days' time) has his priorities straight. Given the deep economic crisis, he made that aspect of the new administration his first assignment in the transition, and found a superb group ready to serve.
From Tim Geithner as the new Treasury Secretary, to Larry Summers running the National Economic Council, Christina Romer as chief economic advisor and Melody Barnes as director of the Domestic Policy Council, Obama has put together an experienced, energetic and thoughtful group of leaders that will tackle both long-term and short-term economic recovery.
Plus, the wisdom of former Fed chairman Paul Volcker, heading a new Economic Recovery Advisory Board, cannot be underestimated. It's not enough to set an agenda, then force everyone around you to follow marching orders. It's important to have wise counsel at all times as the agenda takes shape, good people giving valuable input that also bring accountability back to government, something that's been sorely lacking the last eight years.
Even more impressive is the National Security team Barack Obama has put together. Instead of blind loyalty to ideology, Obama has displayed here the importance of having the best people at each post with a wide range of backgrounds and divergent points of view, all working together toward the same common goal - an America that's safer at home, but also stronger and more respected abroad.
The drama kings and queens in the media harped upon the choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State from the get-go, as if the primaries were still going on. They wonder, every one of them, whether the new president and his one-time campaign rival can possibly co-exist, and whether Mrs. Clinton can truly be a good soldier in the Obama administration.
There is nothing to worry about here. Hillary carries her own prestige into the diplomatic realm and has the respect of the world community, which is half the battle. In the end, her views match those of the president-elect, and it's a great leap forward from the my-way-or-the-highway days of George W. Bush, which is refreshing enough. Obama made the best possible choice here.
He also got it exactly right with keeping Robert Gates at Defense. Above everything else, Gates is a loyal patriot, and he's done a terrific job with the mess in Iraq he inherited from Don Rumsfeld. There's simply no way a smooth transition could take place to a new Secretary of Defense with two wars going on. Gates will have a new directive as he helps Obama end the Iraq war in a responsible manner before a new man takes charge at the Pentagon.
Everyone else, from James Jones as National Security Advisor to Susan Rice as U.N. Ambassador to Arizona governor Janet Napolitano at Homeland Security, shows Obama's deep belief in the notion that strong leadership is what is needed, not just cheap rewards for campaign loyalty. And how nice to have an attorney general in Eric Holder that actually will put the "Justice" back in the Justice Department following the Ashcroft-Gonzalez abuse of the Constitution.
At this early stage, Barack Obama is setting the table for a great presidency, showing himself to be a leader unafraid of the vast challenges our nation and the world face in 2009 and beyond.
Now, to our local concerns. Ever since the election, I have really missed being part of the amazing group of volunteers that, in Syracuse and all over this land, helped make change possible. Also, I prayed that we could find a way to maintain this spirit of service beyond the election, so that all our communities can benefit from the fire we have started.
If you are in Central New York, and believe that our work needs to continue (and I'm sure you do), join us at DeWitt Community Library inside Shoppingtown Mall on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m., and bring your great ideas. All will be needed.
Electing Barack Obama was, perhaps, the most important thing any of us have done for our nation. What follows - our renewed commitment to take the spirit of YES WE CAN and translate it into good deeds for our fellow human beings - is just as important.
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