Is it not the case that there are several quite recent developments which make the transitioning presidency more burdensome that it has to be - including certain provisions awarded to Iraq which are quite difficult to reverse? It's not that the GI Bill isn't an extremely important provision to award to our soldiers, it's the fact that the Bush administration won't be counter-budgeting heavyweight bills such as this - the next administration will be.

~Kyle, GovCentral.com

I wonder why an initiative as intelligent as the Brookings Presidential Appointee Initiative was allowed to wither in the Senate?

Mr. Kamensky:

I just recently came upon your website/blog and appreciate your gracious comment last June about my short article in Government Executive magazine on preparing for transition to a new administration. I have published several pieces on this topic. Every new administration faces the conflict between new ideas and inherited conditions, which makes it especially important for career executives as well as newly appointed policy officials to carefully plan for the first few months of the transition. Transitions can be times of great opportunity, but also great vulnerability.

Thanks again for your compliment, and good luck with your blog.

Pete Daly

After about six generations since the Hoover Commission look at what has been spawned to be a later day version. Still with top down thinking while we are in an era where collaboration is in the forefront; the top down approach doesn't work. I would suggest an informal survey of current collaborative efforts that involve specific field elements of the Federal Government. Working from the survey have selected efforts do a 360 degree assessment of how they operate. The results will give direction on how to encourage positive collaboration between all elements of society.