Although people are saying that Obama is emphasizing experience over change, they overlook the fact that it in and of itself is a change.

Here are the changes I'm excited about:

1. Expertise Over Loyalty
Most recent presidents have surrounded themselves with yes-men and toadies. Obama is forsaking the insular model of the Bush Administration in favor of one that will certainly promote debate. This is VERY good for making realistic policy decisions.

2. Expertise over Ideology
Thompson says this "doesn't make political sense." However, did it occur to him that the Defense Department is not an appropriate place to play politics? A military that is motivated by ideological concerns rather than strategic ones is exactly how we have gotten ourselves into destructive, counter-productive, and losing wars in the past.

3. Experience at all
The Bush Administration went out of its way to disregard experts of all stripes. Finally, a President who values people who are good at what th

This is the Bush/Clinton dynasty entering its 21st year complete with the architects of the financial mess we are in today.

1: Looking to counter balance his views with opposing views rather than desiring agreement. (in short: no "yes men")

Wow davboz! You're a true warrior-poet / philosopher-king. I love the way you are imprevious to rational argumentation, and simply jump to your preconcieved retorts.

I've given a few reasons why I think this actually is change. I've shown you respect by explaining the logic behind my thinking so you can understand where I'm coiming from.

Would it be too much to ask for a little more analysis and a little less glib venom?

I'm convinced that the Bush Admin's disdain for government led to an "anybody can do this - it just takes common sense" attitude. The result was cronyism, and the abandonment of expertise as a qualification.
Ironically, then, ineptitude increases disdain for government, and is taken as proof that government itself is bad, rather than seeing bad government as bad.

This is not just their attitude on government though - Bush had run two other businesses into the ground. He has a "I'm the decider" but also a "what, who me" attitude that combines to promote failure.