Long days await president-elect during transition
White House says Clinton not concerned about delay
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- More than 90,000 square feet of prime Washington office space remained vacant Tuesday -- unclaimed until a winner is declared in the presidential recount in Florida.
The presidential transition office in Washington, designed to house 540 employees of a government-in-waiting, will be filled with aides to either Texas Gov. George W. Bush or Vice President Al Gore once a winner is declared in the presidential race.
The White House said Tuesday that President Clinton is not "particularly concerned" about the time it is taking to resolve the presidential election, and refused to say there is a point at at which the presidential transition would be negatively affected.
"I think it's important to keep in mind that the president will continue to serve until January 20 and there are career professionals at many of these agencies that do a lot of the hard work that those agencies undertake on a day-to-day basis," White House press secretary Jake Siewert said.
"We understand there are unusual circumstances here, but we're ready to do everything we can to help make that transition a smooth one when it happens," he said. "But I don't think it's helpful or even advisable for us to try to provide a timetable."
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Republicans and transition experts say the delay in setting up a new administration will cause more practical problems for Bush, the GOP nominee, than Gore.
While Gore could retain many Democratic officials, "Gov. Bush, were he to become the president-elect, would be faced with the urgent task of replacing everybody with any significance in the executive branch," University of Maryland analyst William Galston said.
It is a staggering task under the best of circumstances: A new administration must fill about 3,000 jobs, 600 of which require Senate confirmation -- and nominees need lengthy background checks beforehand.
"You go to the FBI, where they investigate the answers to your forms," Brookings Institution scholar Paul Light said. "There are only so many FBI agents available to do that."
When asked about whether there was any concern the FBI would have to do a large number of background checks over a shortened period of time, Siewert said he didn't believe "a week or two here or there" makes a big difference.
"But, you know, obviously I expect that the FBI, like other agencies, is probably taking measures to speed that process up as best it can, given the fact that they'll be looking at a slightly shorter time frame," said Siewert.
Siewert said the president asked his staff to do everything possible to prepare for the eventual transition, and that White House chief of staff John Podesta is "spearheading" those efforts.
"We've done quite a bit of work and we're ready to spring into action when there's a clear victor," said Siewert. However, all transition plans are "on hold" until there's a clear winner, as required under the federal presidential transition act, he added.
In an exclusive interview with CNN's John King on Sunday, Clinton said he didn't believe there was any "crisis in the American system of government."
"It seems to me the American people are letting this play out in an
appropriate way, and that's what I think should be done," he said.
Party strategists say the heightened emotions over this battle of the ballot means both men will have to reassess their top Cabinet picks, picking nominees who can draw support across party lines. As important as their Cabinet picks, party strategists say either man must carefully choose his priorities in preparation for a congressional "honeymoon" that may be over before it's begun.
"If he wants his honeymoon to be more than a honeymoon for a second marriage, he has to find people who are going to govern pragmatically," former Reagan White House Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein said.
Most incoming presidents are well into the process of preparing an administration by this time in November. In President Reagan's case, most of his Cabinet posts were filled seven weeks into the transition period.
Bush was criticized by Democrats for starting to assemble an administration before the outcome of the Florida recount was clear, but some -- even longtime Gore adviser Jack Quinn -- say the time to start is now.
"I think both sides can make significant strides now toward getting some of the most important work done," Quinn said.
CNN White House Correspondent Kelly Wallace and Correspondent Eileen O'Connor contributed to this report.
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