TDB | The transition to competence

The word is that Obama will pick Arizona governor Janet Napolitano to head the department of homeland security. And in one simple but smart move, the Bush-created department that has for seven years existed without a raison d'etre is given new life and new purpose. It will - get this! - protect the homeland! The queen of a border land will now be queen of borders.

MAKES SENSE, NO?

It's a small move, but symbolic of how far from competence the Bush administration has been for these many years. Even though so much good can be done with a pragmatic (as opposed to ideological) spirit, some clear headed people, and a bit of dedicated thinking about basics, the present administration 'process' never considered these virtues.

Anyway, it's nice to see the return of plain American solutions driven competence...

...and (somewhat similarly) the rise of an American leader who can't imagine life without his blackberry.

MY GOD - HE'S ONE OF US!

TDB | In Case You Need Another Reason

Another reason, that is, to feel confident about the upcoming Obama administration.

Whatever you may think of Exxon, you can't fault it on management grounds. It is widely considered the best company in the world, speaking strictly in financial and management terms. More people in the know have confidence in the 'Exxon way' than in any other set of practices. And it just so happens that the 'Exxon way' is almost identical to the 'Obama way':

What might be called the Exxon Way can be summed up in three ideals: discipline, patience and long-term vision.

Team Obama adhered closely to these ideals during the campaign, to great effect. If an Obama administration can do the same (and there's ample evidence to suppose confidently that it can) the US could see competence coming from Washington for the first time in nearly a decade.