Transition Game

Robert Ferrigno conjures up a whimsical look at the passing of Presidential Wisdom at NRO:

"Next week, while you're still trying to find your way around the place, call up the CEO of Exxon-Mobil and invite him over to watch a movie. Something with soldiers. A war movie where we're actually the good guys. You may have to use Netflix, because there's nothing like that at Blockbuster and I'm not loaning out my copy of Sands of Iwo Jima. Serve Mr. Big Oil a big bowl of buttered popcorn. Better yet, have one of your flunkies from Greenpeace or the trial-lawyers association there, too, and have them serve the popcorn. Teach that puppy to heel." W. swigged down the last of the orange Nehi. "And the president of Exxon, he's not a bad guy to know, if you get my drift."

Obama nodded. "It would be nice to be my own man. To show them, show them just once."

W. stared at the condensation on his Nehi. "You want to be your own man, the trick is to pick one thing and stick with it no matter what anybody says. With me, after 9/11, it was all about the war against the jihadis. You pick one thing and hold fast to it, you're going to be hated worse than you can imagine."

"This one thing," said Obama. "You have to be right about it, though. Otherwise..."

"Clinton, he didn't have any focus," continued W. "Billy walks down the cafeteria line and needs a half dozen trays to hold it all, not just because of his appetite, but because he can't stand to let a choice pass. He wants every entree, every vegetable. He wants the Jell-O mold and the pecan pie and the devil's food cake, too. Nice thing about being him, though, you don't get hated much, and those that do hate you, after a while they forget why. Me, they're people on their deathbed made sure they voted absentee against me."

"What if you're wrong about that one thing?" persisted Obama.

"The big things, the important decisions, you may not ever know if you were right," said W., "but you have to do what you think best, anyway."

Obama squirmed on the La-Z-Boy, getting a whiff of what was ahead of him.

On a serious note, we all should hope that Obama gets his "one thing" right.