Bush starts preparing for transition

President Bush on Thursday signed an executive order directing his staff to start preparing either John McCain or Barack Obama and their future staffs for the highest office in the land. 

{mosads}Bush's executive order creates a Presidential Transition Coordinating Council, consisting of several high-ranking members of the president's staff and headed by White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten.

White House press secretary Dana Perino told reporters Wednesday morning that the council "will help to coordinate efforts already under way to ensure a seamless presidential transition."

"This is especially important as our nation is fighting a war, dealing with a financial crisis and working to protect ourselves from future terrorist attacks," Perino said in an e-mail. "The smooth and collegial transfer from one presidential administration to the next is a hallmark of American democracy. It is always an enormous undertaking and requires hard work and a lot of coordination. The president has directed us to be forward-leaning in all of our efforts to ensure as smooth and effective a transition as possible."

The president's order comes 26 days before Election Day.