Save for a hiccup during his oath of office, President Barack Obamaís transition to the White House has been fairly seamless. Sure, there has been some controversy over certain appointments, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Republicans and Democrats alike have questioned why Obama has filled his administration with so many people from the Clinton administration years. Some wonder how this is change we can believe in.

For his staff choices, Obama is damned if he does and damned if he doesnít. If he appointed an entire crew of fresh faces, the president would have been blasted for assembling an inexperienced administration.

Instead, Obama chose to nominate several familiar Clintonites. With cabinet appointments such as Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Obamaís squad will resemble the group that served former President Bill Clinton.

This should not be held against our new president. There is no more recent Democratic administration from which Obama can snag seasoned political veterans. After all, Obama is only the second Democratic president since 1980.

However, for the sake of our country, we must hope that the similarities to Clinton end with his administration. I implore President Obama against following Clinton when it comes to governance.

This is not the time to be chasing public opinion and approval ratings, a staple of Clintonís two terms. This is a time for bold, decisive action. Clinton, who famously poll-tested where the American public would prefer his family take their vacation, is one example of what Obama must avoid.

Obama is inheriting a domestic and international climate that is more volatile than anything during the 1990s.

While Clinton enjoyed a booming economy and budget surplus, Obama is on watch during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. He also faces two wars in the Middle East and other threats around the globe. During less dangerous times, Clinton could let focus groups and public opinion drive his policies.

Obama has no such luxury.

There is a powerful fear in the media that he will be too process-oriented, overly poised and pragmatic, said Jeff Stonecash, professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Pragmatic. This word carries a lot of baggage. On the one hand, it is encouraging to hope Obama will not get caught up with ideology, but rather focus his attention on doing what he feels is best. The current political climate, best described as polarized and divisive, could perhaps benefit from practical, non-partisan solutions.

Personally, however, I tend to cringe at the notion of an overly pragmatic commander in chief. Obama will often need to take swift action with little information at hand. I worry that a dedicated pragmatist might stall and waffle on decisions when there is little time to analyze.

In order to rebound from todayís dismal economic conditions, we need a president with a clear direction, leading the nation to prosperity as soon as possible. We need a president who thinks quickly under pressure.

Everything else is secondary compared to the economy, especially if he plans to get re-elected, Stonecash said.

Will conservatives be thrilled with steady doses of a left-wing economic agenda? No. But at least Americans will be able to accurately judge the effectiveness of liberal economic policies.

If Obama succeeds and brings us out of the recession, we will be able to specifically recognize his policies and why they worked. But if his steps to redistribute wealth and inflate government fail, Americans will once again be reminded that any program resembling socialism should be avoided.

Obama would do best by leaving his pragmatic qualities at the door.

Jimmy Paul is a sophomore political science major. His columns appear every other Monday. Flood his email with loving comments at jdpaul01@syr.edu.

Published on January 25, 2009 at 12:00 pm