The only reason Bush still wants to be President is because he loves riding on Air Force One. That's his whole agenda right now, planning trips on his air crib.

Now, while technically Air Force One is any plane the President happens to be riding on, what we're talking about is the primary ride, the aeronautical palace he seems so fond of boarding. In fact, I bet he would trade two months of the Presidency for an extra few months access to the plane.

So that's the deal. Bush/Cheyney resign now and Bush gets to use the big plane until April. Hell, give it to him until May. Anything, to get the power out of his clumsy hands.

Only then we can begin rebuilding this country.

I understand the upside of losing Bush and Cheney early but it would make me sick to see Nancy Pelosi as our 44th President even for only a couple of months.
After the 2006 elections, Pelosi and Reid - who won their Congressional majorities based on opposition to the Iraq War - proceeded to roll over for the Bush administration on the most important issues of our times.
The Dems always rush to say they had to go along - that they did not have enough to override a presidential veto - but they controlled the purse strings to Iraq and cynically bided their time with an eye on the elections in 2008.
Then after Nancy Pelosi sold out on one cause after another, she would come out to the microphones and say, "I'd be mad at the way Congress acted too." Not good enough.
But good enough to land on my shortlist as one of the most disappointing, wretched politicians of all time.
President Pelosi for 2 months? Not for 2 seconds.

Bill,

I knew you had it in you! There is actually some rationality in you at times.

Pelosi taking the reins would surely make either Bush or Cheney look good.

The delay between election day and inauguration day is a relic from the past when ponies were used to pass along the news. With results of elections available within hours (or days), it seems like the country should consider a shorter duration between the two days. Getting the transfer of power underway quickly would help in both good times as well as bad.

At the same time, the parties should seriously consider running a slate of people along with their presidential candidate. Imagine the progress that could be made during campaigns, if the candidate was running not only on his own merits, but the merits of his selected key cabinet positions ans key staff members. The campaigns could actually be on the issues and what they really will do if their presidential candidate is elected.

Would eliminate a lot of waste and the trashing of fellow members of their parties during the primary portion of the campaigns. Let the parties meet on their own nickel - select the best candidate at their own convention along with the key positions within their administration.

Collins isn't alone in her suggestion. Thomas Friedman says the same in this morning's column.

"If I had my druthers right now we would convene a special session of Congress, amend the Constitution and move up the inauguration from Jan. 20 to Thanksgiving Day. Forget the inaugural balls; we can’t afford them. Forget the grandstands; we don’t need them. Just get me a Supreme Court justice and a Bible, and let’s swear in Barack Obama right now — by choice — with the same haste we did — by necessity — with L.B.J. in the back of Air Force One."

It's a mistake to consider this option as making Pelosi president in any but the most formalistic sense. But then, we'll probably always let principle get in the way of pragmatic solutions, even when (as is likely here) the cost is heavy. Our economy, financial systems and markets can easily fail over the next two months, leaving massive hardship and privation. Against that prospect, a Pelosi presidency, while cosmetically unpleasant, would be a blessing for the opportunity it presents to have the new leadership take charge and actually try to start fixing stuff.

Pelosi taking the reins would surely make either Bush or Cheney look good.

Daffy Duck couldn't make Bush or Cheney look good.

If Pelosi and company had acted to stop the Bushies, some of this could have been averted. One possible reason she didn't proceed is that she was briefed on some of the more horrendous crimes before 2006 as a leader in Congress.
Just think, if Bush had been removed from office, we might never even have heard of Henry Paulson. Throw those trillions in with the cost of Iraq - and we're talking real savings. I can't even think about the families of soldiers who died while these cretins played it safe politically.

Pelosi could have come out and said, "The Iraq War is over unless President Bush wants to ask his Dad to pay for it. And we're going to impeach him for lying us into an unnecessary war. And if the Republicans can convince you that this means I'm soft on terrorism and I lose my job, then so be it. I'd rather do the right thing and be unemployed then look one dead soldier's Mom in the eyes and explain why I sat on my rear from 2006 until the next election."

Now we sit around hoping news of an appointment will bolster the stock market. What about the huge boost for Brand America if we had actually corrected the problem of a loser President and Vice President 2 years ago? Instead of begging them to resign, they would just be getting ready for their 2nd parole hearing.
If that happened, Pelosi would deserve a statue. Instead, she's an accomplice.

Thomas Friedman says the same in this morning's column.

The self-same self-important columnist incomprehensibly recommends that people stop patronizing restaurants in favor of canned tuna at home. I can't see how that could help but hurt.