Throw the bums out. Just not yet.

In my last post I mentioned that Gail Collins, a New York Times columnist, had advocated George Bush resign the Presidency so that Barack Obama could start his term early. Today, Thomas Friedman, the Times' foreign affairs correspondent seconded that desire. I just found out that Lou Dobbs, the CNN anchor, had made the same suggestion, that George Bush resign.

These are supposed to be thoughtful, intelligent, well-educated people. What possesses them to say such silly things?

One of the great things about the American political system is the peaceful transfer of power. On the appointed day, the outgoing guy packs up his momentos and rides off into the sunset. No riots in the street. No power sharing deals. No cabals of senior military officers throwing their support behind one candidate or another. No flight into exile, financed by a secret Swiss bank account. On Inauguration Day, the ex-President and his team leave quietly, and the new President and his team move into the White House.

What the pundits listed above have proposed is to interfere with that process. There is a crisis, so throw the rulebook out the window. No one's in charge, and we need a strong hand at the helm to steer us through this storm!

This just another version of the end justifies the means. If, by some miricle, they did manage to hound Bush out of office prematurely, do they not realize that would set a precedent? A precedent that can cut both ways. Suppose Bush was to announce that due to the crisis in the financial markets, he was going to have to stay in office until the crisis was resolved. That would create a constitutional crisis, but no more so than trying to install Obama before Bushes term in office is over.

Once you start playing games like that, you are starting to erode away one of the supports of our democracy.

Whether they like it or not, Obama is just going to have to wait his turn.