President-Elect Barack Obama with Michelle and their kids have made their way to their former home state of Hawaii for an escape from “the Hawk” and to
enjoy the holidays. While the challenges facing the nation seem to grow exponentially by the day, the new President departed from Chi-Town knowing that he
has made major strides in putting together one of the most diverse and intellectually talented teams in record time that has already begun to tackle the vexing
problems ahead.  
      The news from Chicago last week was not all good. The influence-peddling quid-pro-quo scandal associated with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
continued to fester. The Illinois Governor was caught on tape with FBI wiretaps wheeling and dealing in an effort to sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest
bidder. The scandal came close to tainting Illinois State Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. who had made it clear in pronouncements that he was interested in
being appointed to that seat. So far, it appears that Obama has been able to steer clear. In press briefings and statements to the media, Obama has indicated
that his team has done a full accounting of all of the contacts made between his and the Governor’s staff over the vacated Senate seat. The delay in the release
of this report at the request of the head of the FBI’s investigation has caused some speculation by different sources in the media. FOX news and the regular cast
of critics like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have suggested some level of involvement by Barack and/or Rahm Emanuel, Barack’s White House Chief of
Staff. The Governor’s own comments suggests to the contrary in that Blagojevich would get little more than a pat on the back if he chose to appoint someone
that was favored by the Obama Administration.  
      In another story that emerged, President Obama took a lot of heat when his Inauguration Team announced the selection of Reverend Rick Warren who
agreed to do the Invocation at Obama’s Swearing-in Ceremony. Pastor Warren is the head of one of the largest Evangelical Churches, Saddle Back Church. He
attained notoriety recently in the presidential campaign when he hosted a debate between Senator Obama and Senator McCain.  What is controversial is the
fact that Warren has made pronouncements in his ministry and played a lead role in the Proposition 8 campaign against gay marriage in California. In
preachments he has equated gay marriage to incest and pedophilia. Obama, rightfully so, has received much heat from Gay and Lesbian constituents and those
who support freedom and equality who feel that they have been betrayed.  I agree with Democratic Strategist Donna Brasile who commented that Obama should
have given more consideration in making this selection. Obama has attempted to justify the selection of Rev. Warren by making the case that the only way that
you can be truly non-partisan is if you open up your doors to those who do not see the world as you do. This is unfortunate because there are other ways that he
could have better accomplished that without appointing such a polarizing individual.
      Notwithstanding these setbacks, overall, the nation continues to be inspired by the new direction set by President Obama. This is reflected in a recent
Washington Post / ABC News Poll where President Obama continued to receive very favorable ratings, particularly on his approaches to solving critical issues
such as making major changes to the health-care system, enacting new energy policies and issuing a moratorium on home foreclosures.
      Obama has also gotten good marks for assembling a Presidential Cabinet consisting of intellectual heavy weights from a variety of political, ethnic and
gender backgrounds. His short-term rest and respite from the hectic pace that he has set is well deserved.
The transition moves forward