There's something happening here

Where Steve takes a hard turn in politics. This morning (okay, well for the past few weeks) there's been plenty of talk about the incoming Obama administration and what they should and shouldn't be doing. That President Bush is seeking input from them is, IMHO, a Good Thing(tm) and he deserves some credit for it (although the completely cynical side of my brain says it's a way of transferring blame). However this call for Obama to start calling the shots is completely over the line.

As Obama stated at the beginning of this, he supports the "One President at a Time" doctrine. President Bush, for all I've criticized him and think he's the worse thing since before they decided to sell sliced bread, is still the President. As such, he can ask for all the advice he can stomach, but until noonish January 20, 2009, he is still the President. The decision, choice, and ultimately the blame, are his until that point.

All these pundits calling for Obama to step into the transfer power-void are wrong-headed. Obama has no Constitutional powers as President Elect. For better or worse, this whole ball of wax is George W. Bush's until Obama is sworn in. Obama shouldn't be making decisions that go beyond his transfer team and announcements of what his administration will do (and who they'll nominate) once they're in. Advice? Oh, I'm all for that. I think that GW is willing to look at all solutions and include Obama in the loop earlier than any other presidential transfer is to his credit and helps with a smooth transference. But to have Obama give orders or even hold press conferences saying, "This is how I would have handled this (insert detailed plan)" is just bad form (and I expect better from him).

So, get up to speed Obama Team, plan out the strategy and forecast your cabinet, give advice all you want, but do not force your position. And President Bush, you need to step up to the plate more. The country needs a leader, which you claim to be. Time to show it.

Edit the incomparable Janiece says similar things. Great minds think alike. Or we're all hot chicks here. Something like that.

Edit and in other "Gee the economy is going swimmingly well" news, note over at S. Andrew Swann's blog, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has instructed editors to stop buying books. Um. Yeah. That's a good business plan for a publisher. And has it gotten cold in here or was there just a deep freeze front that passed over every writer's desk.