Chutzpah or careful preparation?

Posted By Blake Hounshell Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 10:54 AM Share

Marc Ambinder reports, you decide:

With less than six months to go before he would be sworn in as the nation's 44th president, Sen. Barack Obama has directed his aides to begin planning for the transition.

EXPLORE:DECISION '08
 
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JGARZIK

2:35 PM ET

July 24, 2008

Shadow governments for the US

I have long held the belief that all key presidential candidates should form a UK-style shadow government.

This

  • Would permit vetting of key advisors and cabinet posts, long before the November election.
  • Would give the voters a better picture of the candidate.
  • Permits presidential candidate to lean on key advisors in public. Right now, media coverage of presidential candidates simply assumes that a President is a one-person expert on all subjects. Reality clearly shatters this illusion.
  • Other minor advantages that come from having a Secretary of State-in-waiting, a Secretary of Defenese-in-waiting, etc.

We should do everything we can to encourage John McCain to follow suit.

The transition has already begun, anyway: President Bush now briefs both Obama and McCain on key issues they must confront, once elected.

Jeff
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