"Reaching across the aisles," Mr. Obama began publicly assembling his new administrative team Wednesday, and one can immediately get a sense of the seriousness with which he takes the mandate he received from his supporters to bring "change" to Washington:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic officials say Barack Obama's fellow Chicagoan Rahm Emanuel has agreed to be White House chief of staff. One of Obama's first decisions as president-elect was to ask the Illinois congressman to run his White House staff. Emanuel accepted Thursday after struggling over family and political considerations.

Emanuel serves in the House Democratic leadership and will have to resign his seat and put aside hopes of becoming House speaker. Emanuel is a fiery Democrat who served as a political and policy aide in the Clinton White House...

And today the rumor-mills spin:

The President-elect is strongly considering Robert F. Kennedy to be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency and is weighing Kennedy's cousin, Caroline, for the position of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations — a move that would please Sens. Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy.

... Sen. John Kerry is considered the front-runner for the nation's top diplomat.

His transition team consists of former one-time Clinton chief of staff John Podesta and Obama has staffed an advisory board overseeing the transition with former Clinton administration officials Carol Browner, William Daley and Federico Pena.

More intriguing and less predictable choices? Possibles Gen. Colin Powell and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who would actually symbolize a more centered group of policy-making advisors.

Since Mr. Obama's "reach" at present doesn't seem to actually extend across any meaningful "aisles," we hope Gov. Schwarzenegger can help him develop a better, stronger reach.

I guess I didn't realize "change" meant only "change the letters behind everyone's name but keep the same old closeted hard-line in-bred approach to policy-making as This Administration."

Huh. I'd "hoped" it meant "change the approach to policy-making." Oh well. It is early yet.