OBAMA'S INITIAL AGENDA WILL NOT BE OF HIS OWN CHOOSING

For all the grandiose hopes and dreams of the Obama nation, for all the positive energy he gave us with his platform based on reforming government, getting out of world conflict, easing our economic burdens, and solving our energy crisis, it is becoming increasing obvious that the first term of Barack Obama will be purely reactive, rather than the proactive administration we had hoped for.

India and Pakistan are saber rattling again. Israel and Hamas are hammer locked into the war time rhetoric, and are exchanging rocket fire again. Israel has staged its ground troops across the border, and an invasion of the Gaza strip seems inevitable. In Israel, Defense Minister Ehud Barak promised an "all-out war against Hamas and its kind." Speaking at a stormy session of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, he said, "This operation will be widened and deepened as we see fit," and earlier Obama statements tend to approve of these actions.

Whether these statements were truly reflective of his beliefs, or merely stump speeches intended to bring out the Jewish vote for his campaign, Obama is stuck being a willful supporter of any war actions Israel may take in the future. Earlier in his college career, he had come out as a less than enthusiastic supporter of Israel, and it was planted in the media that he might take pro-Palestinian stances as our President.

It will be interesting to see what he can do, and how the Muslim world will see him, considering his early education in the religion. For all of his talk of Christian beliefs, he cannot, and should not try to deny his Muslim roots and heritage on his fathers side. This could be played to our advantage in the future.

Iran continues in its nuclear program, and continues in its defiant stance against world opinion. Iran, for all of its faults, must be recognized as a leader in the region, and is more than willing to play an anti-American role in any Middle east region, either out in the open, or behind the scenes.

Clearly, the Obama administration will spend its time dictated by world events, and will not, and should not begin to carry out any costly new initiatives, save for any projects involving job creation, which will put our economy back into motor drive.

For its part, the Bush administration has for the most part, sunk its head back into the tortoise shell, and has gone completely AWOL, unless you can put any value in the phone calls emanating from Condi Rice's office to the Middle East.

Obama has taken on the mantra of respect for the outgoing Bush administration, citing the obvious fact that there is only one President, and it is President Bush. Respectful and classy, to be sure, but in taking this pedestrian stance, it only assures the world that there is in fact, no president guiding us for the moment, at a time when we desperately need the voice of a leader around the world.

For all of the Bush rhetoric demanding cooperation from his staff in aiding the incoming Obama administration, thus assuring a smooth transition, it seems to me that the one area the transition is going the least smoothly, is in the oval office itself. At this perilous time around the world, can we afford an incoming President to take over with limited knowledge of our foreign affairs, sans daily briefings and phone calls to Rice and Bush for a few minutes a day?

It seems to me that the President-elect needs to be positioned in the west wing immediately upon election. At least give them the option of sitting in on meetings, receiving some mentoring from the current administration, and full access to any planning and strategy meetings in the situation room.

But, it goes deeper than this, the proposed cabinet should be fully vetted and approved by the Senate from day one. I would like to see substantive talks between Condoleeza Rice and Hillary Clinton going on now for a smooth transition. The trouble lies in the fact that congress must approve her nomination before she can even so much as renounce her seat in the Senate.

Obviously, the Obama administration is already starting behind the eight ball weeks before it takes control of the government. It isn't that there are some issues in areas, there are deep issues in seemingly all areas of the government, nation and the world. World events are going to dictate that he is ready from "day one," to coin a Clinton expression, and there will be no honeymoon period on the incoming administration at all. Worst of all, he will begin with an ever crumbling economy, which will come into play with every proposed decision he will consider making.

One must wonder why he wanted the position at all, clearly he is an unenviable position; possibly the worst position of any President in generations. Add to this, he will be getting pressure from the party leadership to act in a manner conducive to re-election; for his administration, and the congressional and state democrats as well.

This thinking must immediately be aborted from "day one." Clearly, the leadership this country so desperately needs right now, is a President, and administration that concentrates on doing the job, and not merely keeping the job.

And that is the world...."The World According to Kimba."

Thanks, as always for reading.