Washington DC- With a severe economic crisis and two on going wars, President-elect Barack Obama will, from the first day of his administration, face challenges as great as any incoming president has since the end of the second world war.  In light of this, Senator Obama has already begun to move towards establishing his administration. 

Yesterday he met with President Bush to lobby for immediate aid to the cash hemorrhaging American auto industry.  Mr. Bush is reluctant to do so, feeling that free market principles have already been deeply compromised by the Wall Street bailout.  It’s been reported that Mr. Bush will only sign an auto aid bill if it is bundled with a Columbian free trade agreement.  Democrats in general are against free trade with Columbia because Columbia has yet to meet labor standards that are considered a prerequisite to such an agreement, at least by the major labor unions. 

This is just an example of the sort of issues that Senator Obama wishes to move forward on sooner rather than later.  But he is hindered by not yet being president, and by not yet having a powerful majority in congress.  It’s becoming apparent that the lame duck session isn’t lame only for Mr. Bush.  Still the junior Senator from Illinois is undaunted.  If he can not move forward on policy then he will move forward in other ways, so that he can hit the ground running after his inauguration. In keeping with this, Senator Obama is moving forward with the selection of his support staff and cabinet. 

Congressman Rahm Emanuel (D, IL) has been named as the President-elect’s chief of staff.  A former Clinton staffer, Mr. Emanuel is currently the forth-ranked congressmen among house democrats, and is a long time acquaintance of Senator Obama.  This was a selection that many Washington insiders expected. 

More controversial is the nomination of Edna “Moonshadow” Rothschild to Secretary of Earth–Spirit synergy.  Until June of 2002 Miss Rothschild was employed as an elementary school art teacher.  She retired to pursue a career in competitive yoga, but in five years of competition she has yet to finish a season in the top ten.  Democrats and republicans alike have question weather Miss Rothschild has the necessary chakras to hold down the position.  Miss Rothschild confirmation remains an open question.

Much more popular are reports that Light Hoof the Chaste is being seriously considered for Secretary of All Better Now.  Light Hoof is a career Washington bureaucrat and very popular on the hill.  If nominated he would almost certainly be approved.  Light hoof would be the first Unicorn to serve in a cabinet level position, something that Happy Land lobbyists have long worked for.

Finally, there have been persistent rumors that Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton will be nominated to for Secretary of State.  It is generally the policy of Receiving Me? to avoid editorializing in our news reporting.  We realize that our readers come to us for the bare facts and that is what we do our professional best to give.  That being said we can tell the public with certainty that this will never happen.  For one thing, Senator Clinton is famous for having no ambitions past serving the great state of New York, and for another her taking the job would require the hiring of someone whose job would be to please tell the President that Secretary of State Clinton is not talking to him right now, he knows what he did.