Obama vows far-reaching review of US govt

Signs hanging on light poles honouring US President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday in downtown Chicago, Illinois.Photo: AFP

An army of top-notch specialists is set to fan out across US government agencies to delve deep into the records and prepare for the arrival of president-elect Barack Obama on January 20.
Facing two wars and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, Obama will have to hit the ground running when he takes office, amid global and domestic expectations that he will swiftly institute a slew of landmark changes.
Obama's transition team announced Wednesday that former Clinton administration officials, ambassadors, top business leaders and lawyers would head up the teams setting up in the Treasury, State Department and Pentagon.
No stone will be left overturned, and even the nooks and crannies of the White House will be probed with the 450-strong transition team set to scour more than 100 departments and agencies, his team vowed.
"The Agency Review teams will complete a thorough review of key departments, agencies and commissions of the United States government as well as the White House," the Obama team said in a statement.
The aim will be to provide the incoming president and his vice president, Joe Biden, "with information needed to make strategic policy, budgetary and personnel decisions prior to the inauguration."