The Big Switcheroo

The White House today is holding the second meeting of a committee established to manage the upcoming presidential transition, according to a White House fact sheet.

"The peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to the next is a hallmark of American democracy," the fact sheet reads. "With our nation at war, our homeland targeted by terrorist adversaries, and our economy facing serious challenges, the administration is committed to establishing and executing a transition plan that minimizes disruption, maintains continuity, and addresses the major changes in government since the 2000 transition, including the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, as well as the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Homeland Security Council."

Among the specific steps being taken by individual agencies, the Defense Department's "Transition Task Force" is getting ready to host the president-elect's transition teams; the Department of Homeland Security "is holding conferences and exercises designed to boost incident management capabilities and cross-departmental awareness"; and the secretary of state earlier this month "held an offsite meeting with senior State Department and USAID leadership to discuss transition planning and foreign policy and management challenges facing the new administration. The State Department is also preparing a list of pending political/economic commitments arranged by country," according to the fact sheet.

Additional nuggets include:

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has provided intelligence briefings to the candidates. These briefings are continuing and are being supported by the entire intelligence community . . .

The administration has also worked to facilitate a speedy security clearance process for key transition personnel. Historically, one of the biggest challenges faced by incoming administrations has been the time required to obtain these security clearances. The 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act allows major-party candidates to request clearances for key transition personnel before the election so that those individuals will have the necessary clearances should their candidate win.