http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/09/obama.transition/index.html

Obama looking to make impact quickly, aides say

(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama is looking forward to Monday's White House transition talks with President Bush and is already examining ways to make a quick impact upon taking office, top Obama aides said Sunday.

President-elect Barack Obama will meet President Bush on Monday afternoon in the White House.

"I think it was very gracious of President Bush to invite him so early -- usually it happens a little later in the process," Valerie Jarrett, one of the transition team's co-chairs, told reporters.

"I think because of the daunting challenges that are facing our country, President Bush thought it was important to move forward quickly."

A prominent Democratic source close to Obama said Jarrett is also Obama's choice to be named to take over his seat in the Senate, though Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich would have the final say over a replacement.

And John Podesta, the other co-chair, said the talks are likely to cover "a broad range of issues" -- but the slumping U.S. economy is expected to dominate the discussion.

Podesta told CNN's "Late Edition" that Obama will push Congress to enact "at least part" of an economic package before he takes office in January, but said the problems Americans face need short-term and long-term approaches.

"It's clear that we need to stabilize the economy, to deal with the financial meltdown that's now spreading across the rest of the economy. The auto industry is really, really back on its heels," Podesta said.

And Obama's designated White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, said the government needs to consider "fast-forwarding" $25 billion in low-interest loans already approved by Congress to help the Big Three U.S. automakers retool for more efficient vehicles.

"They are an essential part of our economy and our industrial base," Emanuel told CBS' "Face the Nation." He added: "There are existing authorities within the government today that the administration should tap to help the auto industry."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats, urged Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson over the weekend to extend the $700 billion bailout of the financial industry to shore up the ailing Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, which have been battered by the credit crisis and poor sales of gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles. But Treasury spokesperson Brookly McLaughlin said Sunday that the department remains focused on the financial sector and restarting stalled lending.

Podesta said Congress could extend unemployment benefits for laid-off workers and provide assistance to states grappling with increased Medicaid costs quickly. But he said efforts to improve schools, expand health-care coverage and wean the nation's energy industry away from imported fuels "need to be tackled together."

And he told "Fox News Sunday" that the incoming administration is conducting an extensive review of Bush's executive orders, looking for quick changes that Obama can make from his first day in office. 

"As a candidate, Senator Obama said that he wanted all the Bush executive orders reviewed and decide which ones should be kept and which ones should be repealed and which ones should be amended, and that process is going on. It's been undertaken," Podesta said.

Podesta said Obama's team will be "looking at -- again, in virtually every agency -- to see where we can move forward, whether that's on energy transformation, on improving health care, on stem cell research."

Podesta said there is a lot the president can do without waiting for Congress, and voters can expect to see Obama do so to try to restore "a sense that the country is working on behalf of the common good."

Bush and Obama are set to meet Monday afternoon at the White House's Oval Office. 

"I'm sure they'll be open and frank, as I'm sure they've always been able to talk to one another," Jarrett said. "So I think it's a good sign for this country that they're having this meeting when they're having it, and we look forward to the days and weeks ahead."

At the same time, first lady Laura Bush will take Obama's wife, Michelle, on a tour of the executive mansion.

Podesta said cooperation with Bush administration officials has been "excellent" since Tuesday's election.

So much work to be done. He's very methodical and has a large, organized, hard-working staff under him. I think he will handle it much better than Clinton or Bush-43 did. It helps that Bush told his staff all the "O's" better be on the keyboards on Jan 20th.

Why does the transfer of power take so long in the US? In the UK it happens on the night of the election.

You essentially have a president with zero public mandate for the rest of the year.

Because the US is many times the size of the UK (in terms of physical size, population, and scope of it's government) and the US is made up of 50 governments with different rules and procedures. That's why it's called the United STATES of America.

The executive in the US is complete separate from the legislature; he is not elected by the congress, he is elected separately by methods determined by each state (they all happen to be popular vote today). And each state is a completely separate government with all the components of a Sovereign Government except currency and department with binding international powers. The time is given so every state can organize its Electoral Delegates and Congressional Representatives to go to Washington and any disputes over elections or a candidates eligibility can be worked out.

The parliamentary system of the UK is not on a rigid term schedule, they prepare for changes during the election process, have the elections, and divvy up the seats (or whatever you people do). As long as its within five years, you guys can do it anytime. The American process is on a rigid schedule elections every other first Tuesday in November and the following change of government comes on the following 20th of January; presidential election every fourth year.

Yes, but what I'm saying is that the transition of power itself takes far too much time. Seriously, Obama and McCain both should have been ready to sign and do whatever necessary to come into power the day (perhaps a couple of days) after election.

The epic wait between someone winning an election, and being signed into power is far too long.

The US is a very conservative country (in the non-political sense of the word). We aren't in a rush to change things, our political parties and the citizens take this stuff really seriously. Because we've never had a violent transition of power and because the administrations have been at worst accepting and usually they assist each other to make a smooth transition that is good for the country.

Bush and Obama will have hundred of phone calls and several meetings over the next 2 and a half months to make the transition smooth. Bush and Tres. Sec. Paulson have allowed President Elect Obama to select the "bail out tzar" so there won't be any issues. There is no rush, despite our partisan bitching, moaning, mud slinging, and frustration there is a deep vein of patriotism and social responsibility that demands that we come together when needed.

Europeans make fun of American patriotism because they only see the jingoistic, shield banging, unilateral "preemptive strike" side of it; they aren't cognizant of it's restorative and functional powers.

The transfer of power actually happens quicker now than it used to, ironically. At least it gives the President Elect time to assemble some staff.

^ Yes, the inauguration day previously occurred in early March. That changed to January upon the passage of the 20th Amendment.

Well he has to. He has a good 6 month window to push through whatever he wants probably. Then things may get harder.

 But surely he should have done this before? Like days, weeks, or even months before? It just makes absolutely no sense.

You essentially have a president now who has been stripped of power. What if there was a crisis of some kind? An example of this was in the early 1930s... America was crumbling, and the President (Hoover, I think it was) lost the election, he had no power, he didn't have any mandate, the country needed immediate action, but the president couldn't do anything.  And, back then, he had to wait 'till March. It boggles the mind, it really does.