And so the countdown begins

If you don't already feel a sense of urgency, think of this: The countdown on Barack Obama's time as President has already begun: Thanks to the 22nd (or XXIInd, if you prefer) Amendment, he is limited to no more than two terms. There's no time to lose!

Fortunately, there are a couple of signs of starting fast, even if they are steps that only start undoing the evils of the Bush administration. (Undoing the evils of the Bush years is a major task, on top of all the crises that face the new President.) Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel took time off from inaugural festivities to order that all pending regulations be stopped pending review, and the President found time to order that military prosecutors to seek 120-day continuances in all war-crimes cases at Guantanamo Bay.

And so the new age begins.