Summaries of feelings on The Transition

[prog]

• I am really excited about Obama's staff picks, because demonstrating astute and practical team-building skills helps validate his ability to lead.

• I am really excited about the pushback against the Rick Warren choice, largely (I think I'm safe to assume) from Obama supporters, because it proves that my fellow citizens won't let up the pressure just because their guy got in - even when the one to put pressure on is their guy.

• This news made me wince when I first heard it. I'm willing to give Team O the benefit of the doubt, and expect our man to give one hell of an inaugural address using this book as a springboard. But at this point, gee whiz does it smell a tad hubristic; I can't help but think what my reaction would be if, like, Bush had made the same announcement in December 2004.

Comments

[dougo.livejournal.com]

• I like the Team of Rivals approach, but I am still dismayed over Hillary as Sec of State. I do not trust her to represent his foreign policy when it contradicts her own, and I voted for him because of his foreign policy (e.g. "no preconditions"). I'm actually more in favor of her position on healthcare than his (e.g. mandates), so I would have been much happier with her as Sec of HHS or something.
• For a sec I thought you were saying Rick Warren had a cabinet appointment, yikes! Inauguration speaker, enh.
• Didn't President Bartlet use the Washington Bible?

[kahuna-burger.livejournal.com]

No he wanted it but wackyness ensued and he ended up using the bible in the senate's library which was stolen from a hotel. ;-)

[queue.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Inaugural_Bible

Four presidents since Washington have used the Washington inaugural Bible, including George H. W. Bush. W was scheduled to use it, too, but apparently didn't because of inclement weather.

[prog.livejournal.com]

I did not know that! Really, I did not even know about the concept of a "$PRESIDENT Bible" until yesterday.

I stand by my original statement on the assertion that Lincoln casts a significantly longer shadow on the modern American landscape than Washington does, and that nobody's busted out this particular baby before now. And that I continue to hope Obama will really knock this one out of the park.

[(Anonymous)]

Could be a display of humility as much as hubris, an act of honouring Lincoln by a man who would not be where he is today if Lincoln hadn't ultimately fought for emancipation.

[radtea.livejournal.com]

That was me--LJ seems ambivalent about my login status.

[prog.livejournal.com]

That's the angle I'm assuming he'll go after in his address.

Without any further context, though, it does look a bit like "Wahoo! I'm the next Abe Lincoln!"