First day on the job

I can't imagine that our new president got much sleep last night, but he has an ambitious schedule for his first day. His first official phone calls were to leaders in the Middle East, which he described as warm conversations.

Of course there were first day glitches. The incoming staff were having computer problems but business is still being conducted. The White House announced several policy mandates. Salaries of White House aides making over $100,000 a year will be frozen. Every federal agency and department has been instructed to make best faith efforts to comply with FOIA requests and the revolving door between K Street and Capitol Hill was slowed down considerably.

He said there would be a two-year, rather than a one-year, waiting period for government officials to be able to work on such issues and said they would "not be able to work on matters you lobbied on or White House agencies you lobbied during the last two years."

"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this administration," Obama said in a statement to reporters.

Call me a kool-aid swilling Obamabot who's been co-opted by hope but I have a good feeling about all of this. In any event, it's a welcome change to read the news without raising my blood pressure to unhealthy levels. I intend to enjoy it while it lasts.

Update: How refreshing. No more dress code.

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