The Office of the President-Elect

I like this story.

Time for a reality check.

Despite Bells and Whistles, 'Office of President-Elect' Holds No Authority

President-elect Barack Obama is looking very presidential these days. When he makes an announcement, he is ringed by American flags and stands behind a lectern that has a very presidential-looking placard announcing "The Office of the President-Elect."

But the props are merely that. Under the Constitution, there is no such thing as the Office of the President-elect. Technically, Obama will not even become the president-elect until the Electoral College convenes after the second Wednesday in December and elects him based on the results of the Nov. 4 general election, as stated in the Constitution.

So what is Obama's executive authority in the weeks leading to Jan. 20?

In the 11 weeks between Election Day and Inauguration Day, the next president must ensure a smooth transition by selecting political appointees to manage key agencies and offices within the Executive Branch, and by creating the policies that will define the new administration -- all while respecting the authority held by the current president.

The Presidential Transition Act -- created in 1963 and amended in 2000 -- establishes formal provisions for the transition period by outlining training and other assistance that the president-elect and his team of advisers can receive as they prepare to assume office.

The amended bill -- co-sponsored by lawmakers including former Sen. Fred Thompson, Sen. Joe Lieberman, and Sen. Dick Durbin -- calls for the "training and orientation of high-level presidential appointees," among other things, as well as more efficient background checks to ensure individuals are properly vetted and confirmed for office.

"New administrations face a series of hurdles they must overcome to accomplish this essential task before they can begin to govern," Lieberman told Congress in 1999 while arguing in favor of the amended legislation.

The original bill also allowed the president-elect and vice president-elect certain "services and facilities," like suitable office space to conduct transition operations, public funds to pay their staff's salaries and money to transport workers to and from Washington.

Obama has employed over 500 staffers to assist in his transition operations -- working from a nondescript office building in downtown Washington and from locations in his hometown of Chicago.

His transition team has received a budget of $12 million -- $5.2 million of which was allocated by Congress, and the rest from private donations of under $5,000.
When I see Obama surrounded by all those American flags, I do think he's speaking from an abandoned West Wing studio in Hollywood.

And that sign, "THE OFFICE of the PRESIDENT ELECT."


Rather than increasing Obama's stature, I think it diminishes it because it looks so lame.

I wonder how much money the Obama campaign paid to have the sign designed and that seal commissioned.

What a waste!

Obama is the president-elect. We don't need that goofy sign with the idiotic seal to tell us.

No president-elect in my memory has ever done something so stupid.

Before he begins speaking when he stands at the podium, I expect him to say, "I'm not a president-elect. I just play one on TV."

Obama should ditch the sign. He really should. It's an utterly unnecessary facade.

I keep wondering how long it will take for him to ditch the American flag lapel pin.

Obama made such a big deal out of not wearing the pin. Now he won't be seen without it. It's as fake as that silly "THE OFFICE of the PRESIDENT ELECT" sign.
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Note to late night talk show comedians Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, and SNL writers struggling to come up with jokes about Obama:

LOOK AT THE SIGN.