This Interregnum Won't Be Lame

In 1933, the Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution cut the amount of time between election day and the inauguration. Originally, the terms of the executive office and Congress began on March 4, four months after Americans cast their ballots. In 1937 (the first election cycle in which the amendment was existent), Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president to celebrate the now-customary January 20 inauguration date.

Even in the interregnum's abbreviated form, the transition from President-elect to President seems painfully impractical. There are the logistical challenges of overhauling federal officials and executive appointments, but it seems unlikely that such a process would stretch some two-and-a-half months. With a financial crisis changing by the hour, war-time developments moving at comparable speed, and the looming spectacle of economic collapse, this is no time for impotent political actors. 

Last Friday, in his first official appearance since Grant Park, President-elect Barack Obama said that he would move with "all deliberate haste" to assemble his cabinet. In the same speech, however, Mr Obama was careful to note that "The United States has only one government and one president at a time." At a time when he is under intense pressure to craft an economic rescue plan, Mr Obama reminded Americans (and everyone else watching) that President George Bush is still at the helm for another 10 weeks.

According to pundits, these are the days of a "lame duck" president. To be sure, Mr Bush's power has steadily eroded both in the United States and abroad, a reality that is in no small part thanks to his abysmal approval ratings. And it is true that the promise of a new face in the White House has discouraged Congress and foreign leaders from dealing with Mr Bush. Nevertheless, the idea that Mr Bush will not shape policy over the next several weeks is terribly misleading.

Just last week, the Washington Post reported that the White House is attempting to push through a series of deregulation measures to lift constraints on private industry. Among the administration's new rules are plans to ease restrictions on commercial fishing, relax standards on pollutant emissions, and rollback restrictions on mountaintop coal mining. On account of arcane procedural stipulations, these rules would be extremely difficult to undo for any future administrations. 

On a larger scale, Mr Bush will be a central figure at the G-20 meeting to be held in Washington on November 15. Notably, Mr Obama will not be present. European leaders are likely to propose some sort of international regulatory system, and while the Bush administration opposed such a scheme, any agreements will have consequences for Mr Obama's economic plans. The President-elect will meet with Mr Bush this week, and they will almost surely discuss a framework for the summit. Still, at this point, Mr Bush has the final say.

This may well suit Mr Obama just fine. It's quite a mess to inherit, and there are some nasty issues the President-elect would rather not touch. Consider Guantanamo: this detention facility has become a modern-day gulag that breeds anti-American sentiment throughout the world. According to the Pentagon, Guantanamo has held 759 detainees since 2002, while only a handful have ever been charged with a crime. Mr Obama has pledged to close the facility (a move Mr Bush now supports as well), but he would rather have someone else work out the details.

Even in Iraq, Mr Obama may benefit from an agreement that keeps American troops in the country beyond his initial campaign timeline of 16 months. A slew of recent car bombings threaten to destabilize Baghdad once again, and Mr Obama will have to balance domestic pressures with on-the-ground realities. Perhaps having his hands tied with a Bush-backed Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) would temper Mr Obama's critics.

From this perspective, it seems the term "lame duck" president is somewhat of a misnomer. Mr Bush is still very much involved in America's looming challenges. If his advisory panels are any indication, Mr Obama will spend the next few weeks assembling a crack team of economic and political heavyweights. But he will most certainly keep one eye on the moves Mr Bush makes on his way out of office.

By many accounts, the Senator from Illinois won the election on his president's failings. For now, however, Mr Obama will need Mr Bush to reverse his fortunes and craft successful policies to stabilize the economy and national security developments. Before Mr Obama moves to Washington, he will want the White House in order.