HE SHOULD HARDLY HAVE BEEN EXPECTED TO MEET THE BUSH STANDARD:

Signs of Trouble Emerge in Transition’s Last Days (PETER BAKER and HELENE COOPER, 1/16/09, NY Times)

[A] transition that has moved forward with precision and decisiveness has also begun encountering signs of trouble that could foreshadow the challenges awaiting him once he moves into the White House next week.

The failure of Mr. Obama’s pick for Treasury secretary to pay all of his taxes has pushed off his confirmation so that a stand-in will temporarily lead the department after Mr. Obama’s swearing-in, even as renewed turmoil buffets the financial sector. Aides said Mr. Obama would likewise take office without settling on a commerce secretary to replace his first choice, who dropped out. And the man Mr. Obama once declared should not fill his Senate seat was nonetheless sworn in on Thursday. [...]

That means that Senate Democrats, who once hoped to beat Mr. Bush’s record of having seven of his cabinet nominees confirmed by Inauguration Day, are no longer confident they can match that.