Dubya’s Desk Drawer

You know when you start a new job and you move into your new desk?  There’s always something left over from the previous owner:  some stray paper clips, maybe a key that never seems to fit anything.  Then if you dig around way in the back of the drawer you might find a nasty surprise; perhaps an exploded catchup pack mixed in with mangled gobs of chewing gum and packs of soy sauce.  It looks like a science project gone horribly wrong.

I wonder what Barack Obama will find in the top desk drawer of the presidential office when he moves in Tuesday afternoon.  Do you think President Bush left a special little note?  And what’s buried way in the back of the desk that past owners have forgotten? (Yeah, I know the cleaning crew went over the desk with a fine-toothed comb, but work with me here as I beat a metaphor to death.)

Picture this:  President Bush is racing out of the Oval Office, headed to the inaugural…all the paper is gone…nothing to write on except a leftover paper bag from the drug store. With all the problems and challenges facing the new administration, I’m hoping that “G.W.B.” passes something onto “B.H.O.” that’s kinda’ cool.  Something other than a bazillon dollar deficit, or an economy that’s sinking faster than Dubya’s approval ratings. Or a couple of wars that have to be resolved.

Maybe something that says:

“Hey ‘Bam,
You really nailed that election thing. Good Luck, here’s the keys to Air Force One.
Peace Out,
Dubya’  “

or maybe

“Dear Barack,
Are you really bringing your mother-in-law to live with you?  Here’s a word of advice, DO NOT have her stay the Lincoln bedroom ’cause I think Bill still has people livin’ in there.
Good luck,
George
P.S. Don’t tell your new Secretary of State”

There are a lot of challenges leftover from the Bush administration.  But Mr. Obama has hit the ground running.  So much so that some pundits are measuring his first 100 days in office as Valentine’s Day.

But perhaps President Bush has left more than paper clips and rubber bands in his top desk drawer. Let’s hope there are no nasty surprises awaiting Mr. Obama as he digs deeper into the recesses of Dubya’s desk and the last 8 years of the Bush administration.