Bush Prepares Crisis Briefings To Aid Obama

President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office of the White House Monday, Nov. 10, 2008. White House photo by Eric Draper

From International Herald Tribune:

WASHINGTON: The White House has prepared more than a dozen contingency plans to help guide President-elect Barack Obama if an international crisis erupts in the opening days of his administration, part of an elaborate operation devised to smooth the first transition of power since Sept. 11, 2001.

The memorandums envision a variety of volatile possibilities, like a North Korean nuclear explosion, a cyberattack on American computer systems, a terrorist strike on United States facilities overseas or a fresh outbreak of instability in the Middle East, according to people briefed on them. Each then outlines options for Obama to consider.

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My Comment: This is a good development. It is also sadly a reflection of the world that we live in. Kudos to the political/military/intelligence establishments for going forward during this transition period.

PENTAGON Pentagon Briefings To Start 'Almost Immediately' For President Obama

Form MSNBC:

Since the upcoming political transition will be the first in wartime since Vietnam, Pentagon officials say they are prepared to begin briefing the President-elect's transition team, "almost immediately" after today's elections on a wide range of military operations and Pentagon programs.

"We are undertaking Herculean efforts to ensure the transition goes as smoothly and seamlessly as possible," according to one official.

The officials tell NBC News they intend to expedite the security-clearance process so that transition members would actually be able to sit alongside top Pentagon and military leaders during secure satellite briefings with combatant military commanders from Iraq and Afghanistan.

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My Comment: A changing of the guard .....