A new executive branch has begun to take shape in Washington, as transition teams from President-elect Barack Obama's staff are arriving at all of the government agencies. Their task is to identify the top issues facing the agencies — and what Obama's top priorities ought to be when he takes office on Jan. 20.
Many people who've been through presidential transitions in the past say the combination of two wars abroad, an economic crisis at home and unparalleled security threats make this one of the most challenging and important transition periods in modern history.
Indiana University law professor Dawn Johnsen, who was on the Clinton transition team in 1992, believes the transition to Obama has much higher stakes because of the many national security issues involved.
"He and President Bush have very different views on a range of issues, especially related to counterterrorism," Johnsen says. Those issues, she says, include the Guantanamo Bay facility, detainee treatment and interrogation practices.
"We need to start now, during the transition, making sure the country is moving in the direction President-elect Obama wants to take the country," Johnsen says.
Obama's team has two-and-a-half months, and counting.
Morning Edition, November 6, 2008
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What do you think are some of the fundamental policy differences between Bush and Obama? How do you think Obama is going to change things? What kind of change will he bring? Is this a good or a bad thing? Let your voice be heard: click on “comments” below.
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