It's evolved over time to one of the most colossal messes of all time. To fill out the forms can take a week. Some of the Cabinet secretaries took as long as two weeks. The background check can be completed in five weeks, they promise, maximum. I don't hear anybody saying it's good that it takes eight months, if that's how long it takes.
Nobody is for that.
It for sure is a very, very intense effort for that first year. The other critical area, which is actually extremely tedious and difficult, is the 600 or so sub-Cabinet positions, U.S. ambassadors and U.S. attorneys, all of whom require Senate confirmation. It is an incredible task. This is nothing short of a herculean effort. Most hiring managers who have struggled to fill vacancies probably have little sympathy for the Bush team, which receives thousands of resumes.