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Richard V. Allen
Temporary teams of trusted people are generally sent to all Departments and to major agencies of government to assist in planning and to acquaint the incoming administration with the civil servants and bureaucracy that will remain in place in the new Administration.
Richard V. Allen
Strictly speaking, there was no 'transition' from the first Clinton Administration to the second. But in the case of the first transition, in 1992, the Clinton team was inattentive to the details of the Transition, and failed to make personnel appointments in a timely manner.
Richard V. Allen
Qualifications vary with each incoming Administration, but all should strive for persons with the requisite credentials and competence to serve.
Richard V. Allen
Our system provides for a winner to take office on January 20th, and he is expected to take command of the ship of state. Failure to do so, characterized by hesitation and indecision, will harm the national interest.
Richard V. Allen
Naming a transition team varies with the intentions of the candidate; some candidates have been careful to name a transition team as much as a year in advance.
Richard V. Allen
Jimmy Carter began his planning in the early summer of 1976, Ronald Reagan a year prior. The Clinton Administration, elected in 1992, lingered in naming its team, and as a result, took almost a year to staff its ranks.
Richard V. Allen
In this context, I believe it is an imperative for the new President to select and install his team as quickly as possible, and this does not imply that he must or should appoint members of the 'other' party to his Cabinet, which could contribute to inaction and inefficiency.
Richard V. Allen
In general, any incoming administration must carefully examine ('vet') its nominees for high public office.
Richard V. Allen
If it is widely assumed that the new President cannot move forward simply because of a narrow victory, there can easily develop a sense of unease and uncertainty, adversely affecting every sector of American society, our economy and the perception of other nations.
Richard V. Allen
I would argue that the next President, either Bush or Gore, should strike a 'national' posture, exhibiting generosity toward the defeated opponent, but proceeding with determination to implement an agenda.