The Change To Competency

Change clearly is in the eyes of the beholder. Some viewed President-elect Obama's mandate for change to be a mandate for reconciliation and bipartisanship, or a change from politics as usual in Washington, DC.

I view the mandate for change in much simpler terms, it was a mandate for change from the catastrophic failures of the past eight years and the Bush Administration. Failures that every single day are increasingly indefensible.

Here's a post from JedL over at Daily Kos:

The Bush economy in action:

* The Dow, as Bush takes office: 10,587.59
* The Dow, eight years later: 7,997.28

That's GOP economics for ya'. You betcha'.

Change therefore is having a Secretary of the Treasury who understands basic economic fundamentals, Ben Stein's rough quote from CNN the other night, and not one who has spent $175 billion of a bailout package with the restraint and intelligence of a four-year-old in a Disney Store.

Change therefore may well be bringing back some of the Treasury team that got us the tremendous growth of the 1990s, remember budget surpluses?

Or, let's look at Eric Holder, Jr. as the likely Attorney General.

I consider it remarkable change that we have an Attorney General who recognizes international law, the Geneva Convention and doesn't condone torture. That's change.

Oh, and he would be the first African American to hold the post. Change.

Finally today we have the "news" that the Department of Homeland Security has wasted $60 billion in spending, is rudderless and I might add, clueless.

This Department was created, funded and led by the Bush Administration and its appointees. We don't need to do a long review of their failures, Katrina, the TSA, our port security, but this morning, there is good news, some might say, change on the horizon.

Janet Napolitano is being considered for the job.

Arizona's first female Attorney General, current Governor and overall, a well-regarded and very competent, smart, strong leader.

Change.