OBAMA SHOWS SIGN OF THINGS TO COME

For a candidate who promised change in Washington, Barack Obama as President Elect has been as far from change as night is from day. He promoted a new era in bipartisan politics and a fresh look on the Washington scene yet his every move has brought nearly every old face available from the last Democrat administration back to Washington and though for Obama relatively minor but still scandal plagued situations have been the norm during his transition.

It began with Obama appointing Clintonites to almost every post or staff position available. From Secretary of State to Attorney General, Chief of Staff and now CIA director just to name a few Obama has reconstructed the Clinton staff either in new positions or similar to those held during the Clinton years.

During a time in which the gathering of intelligence is vital to our National Security, Obama appoints a political cronie, Leon Panetta as Director of the CIA whose only experience with the intelligence community is a his former boss Bill Clinton put it in reference to Panetta's term as Clinton's Chief of Staff, "he's seen intelligence briefs, " and , "he is familiar with how the system works."

If that is the case then I can claim to be qualified to be CIA Director because as a history buff, I have read many declassified intelligence briefs on the web and also am familiar with how the system works. Yet I would also have no clue as to what it would take to be Director of the CIA. Granted Panetta as Clinton Chief of Staff had access to daily briefings but this in no way makes him experienced enough to handle day to day operations of intelligence gathering especially when that gathering is so vital to our Nation.

Obama's choices from the Clinton administration are not his only miscues while leading his transition team since November. The scandal involving Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and Obama's Senate seat, though a minimal crisis for Obama, his handling of the situation in first denying any contact, then back tracking and stating that there was no contact on the Senate seat issue.

Followed soon by yet another back track stating that there was contact but nothing illegal. Followed closely by the revelation of continued contact between Blago and Obama Chief of Staff Rham Emanuel after claims that no one on Obama's staff had contacted Blago. Although nothing illegal took place with any of the contacts, the continuous denial created a media frenzy and the look of impropriety as Obama tried to hide the contact that everyone knew was taking place.

Adding to Obama's turmoil is the pitiful vetting process that missed an investigation into the conduct of Obama's appointee for Secretary of Commerce Bill Richardson and the eventual withdrawal of his name from the appointment. Though Richardson has not been charged with anything, the fact the he was under investigation should have been a sign to avoid him like the plague!

Now the appointment of Roland Burris is hanging over Obama's head because his silence has placed him right in the middle of Blago's obvious racially motivated move to fill Obama's seat while he is still Governor. Had Obama come forward and called for a special election he would have been on record as trying to keep the shadow from the appointment and also washing his hands of any question of whether he would support a controversial appointee to the seat.

To listen to the liberal spin masters, the Obama transition has been the smoothest and most well handled in the history of the Presidency. Their messiah has performed with absolute perfection. But in reality he will be the only President in recent history to take office with scandal already hanging over his head. Scandal that could have been avoided by Obama had he handled the situation with any type of common sense. If this transition is any indication of how he will handle the Presidency then we are in far more trouble that we originally imagined!

Ken Taylor