Transitions

 

I have been keenly interested in the people that the president-elect has been selecting to be his key advisors. President-elect Biden is doing exactly as I had hoped in surrounding himself with brilliant people from whom he expects to get good advice. That does not mean he will follow their advice,  but it means he will have the solid, scientific, logical advice upon which to base his decisions.

One choice which is causing concern among some democrats in the choice for Secretary of Defense, General Lloyd Austin, US Army Retired. The problem is that he has been retired only five years and the law requires seven years of retirement before being selected to lead the Defense Department. That requirement has been waived twice before, most recently for Trump's choice of Mattis. 

But interestingly, it is from the democrats where the objections seem to be rising and this shows that despite irrational fears to the contrary, should the democrats win the Senate as a result of the Georgia run-off, there is little concern that a sweeping tidal wave of change will occur. The democrats, unlike the republicans, are not in lock-step. 

The bigger threat, in my mind, is that if republicans retain control of the Senate, they will block key appointments and strangle the ability of the new administration to get the country moving again. Having control of the Senate ensured that Trump was able to fill appointments pretty much at will--for all the good that did. 

The transition is underway and, as I wrote, I am encouraged. Hopefully, after the celebrations of January 20, 2021, the new administration will be up and running and change will begin sweeping across America--in a good way. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD