But according to Light, it's not arrogant for either party to begin transition plans, just smart. Both should be doing transition planning now. The number of senior level appointments that require Senate confirmation has grown dramatically in the past 30 or so years. In 1961, only 196 positions required Senate confirmation, compared to 774 in 1998, according to Brookings data. In addition, more than half of the Reagan, Bush and Clinton appointees reported in a recent PAI survey of 435 Senate-confirmed appointees that it took more than five months to get into office.
Experts agree that the appointment process is arduous.
In addition to the five months or longer of FBI, IRS and ethics background checks and exhaustive financial disclosure, appointees must deal with Senate confirmation and the sometimes poisonous political climate in Washington. Still, once the team is in place, all indicators point to a successful administration, at least in terms of good government, Light said.