Declassify and release all those top-secret papers the Bush Administration has been hiding for the last four years. Fastest way to destroy evil is to expose it to the light of truth, after all.
I second, third and fourth that !
Kerry shouldn’t do like our former governor here did… he didn’t investigate the past doings of the super corrupt governor before him… and 4 years later that guy won the election… 
That is an outstanding idea.
I seem to remember hearing somewhere that Kerry promised one of his first acts would be to sign an exeuctive order allowing domestic partners who are federal employees to share benefits. Sort of a legalize civil union type of thing. I think that’s good policy, but a terrible first act. Anyone remember Clinton’s first act in office, and what a disaster that was?
Yeah sure, you shill for the lumber and paper industries. 
Seriously, that’s a lot of documents, even to just put into PDF form. Much as I agree with you that we’ve got to throw open the windows of the government and let the light shine in, we bureaucrats generate lotsa paper. 
Why would pandering to the irrational fears of some people be an outstanding idea? A true leader would ignore that crap and realize that it’s best for the country to keep the registration in place in case there’s an emergency need.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m opposed to the draft in all but the most dire circumstances. I just don’t think presidents should make policy based on silly internet rumors.
Boy howdy, do I. Which is why his first acts need to be ones that have widespread support - and there are plenty of good center-left things that need doing that do have widespread support, despite GOP opposition.
Fire Porter Goss.
He probably will, eventually. Neither Kerry nor Edwards voted to confirm him. From CNN:
Kerry and Edwards are on campaign… I doubt they could have voted for or against Goss anyway … no ?
The Republicans have an Army of Fawn Hall clones ready to shred documents at a moments notice if things don’t go their way on election day.
This would crack my ass up.
“No, we don’t know you’ve done anything wrong, but just in case there’s something hanging over your head, now you don’t have to worry about it. Oh, and no, Mr. Perle, I did not forget to include you in this.”
Then see whether Bush looks more relaxed all of a sudden.
Talk about a snarky moment of pure political theater. 
Will: Do something boring & uncontroversial first, then the important stuff after.
Should: Decommission all US ICBM’s. (Well, it’s what I would do.)
Then they could simply be scanned and e-mailed to the media, and they could print out their own hard copies if they wanted to.
Do you think, if Kerry did this, those declassified documents would reveal any really big surprises?
I do.
I agree with you on this: it’s good policy, bad strategy. That’s why I’m all in favor of getting the Justice Department hounds going full-bore. Look, the Republican noise machine will still be in place after the election. Hate radio will still be howling. Give them something to howl about. Then move on to good policy initiatives. Keep them so busy baying about the Plame affair investigation, or the 2000 election investigation, or an investigation into the relationship between Hallliburton and Cheney vis a vis Iraq, and an investigation into Rummy vis a vis Abu Ghraib, that they won’t have VOICE for all the other stuff.
Make 'em squeal like the peegs they are. It’s not just good fun, it’s good strategy.
I don’t get it, John. Are you saying we can sustain our operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and elsewhere with the military we’ve got, plus the additional 40K troops Kerry plans to ask for?
We all know our military is stretched to near the breaking point right now. We’ve permanently borrowed troops from Korea, we’ve called up elite training units to overseas duty, tank troops are over there as infantry rather than tank cavalry, we’ve basically used our National Guard and Reserves as if they were active-duty troops rather than as people you draw on to meet a short-term peak need, and we’re calling up the Individual Ready Reserve.
Anybody with any sense can see that the numbers don’t add up, and there’s a real chance they may still not add up even if Kerry gets his extra troops. The only silly thing about the draft rumors is that the lazy-ass mainstream media haven’t touched the subject of how we’ll keep doing what we’re doing without a draft.
Sorry, first BIG thing. Don’t ask, don’t tell.
This won’t happen, but I think his first act as President should be to request the resignation of Chief Justice Rhenquist. I know Kerry can’t force him to step down, but the media attention on Rhenquist would be interesting. I really doubt Rhenquist will be able to last 4 more years.
For the first one, probably emphasis on reforming the economy to be more poor friendly orientated, what he should do is emphasise a strategic plan for the democratization of Iraq and the stabilisation and takeover of insurgent re-doubts. Abandoning/withdrawing from Iraq in his first term is a recipe for disaster.
So many choices. Well, with the understanding that he can’t do all this by presidential fiat:
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Take the SDI program out in the backyard and kill it with an axe.
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BrainGlutton’s Declassification Initiative and reaffirmation of FOIA.
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Far from a pardon for his predecessor, he should immediately sign the Rome treaty, get it ratified, declare void all the Article 98 bilateral immunity agreements the Bush Administration bludgeoned some of our allies into signing, and declare that the U.S. is ready to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court. I just want this because I enjoy the mental picture of Bush and Rumsfeld (and Henry Kissinger too!), in clever disguises, stowing away on a freighter bound for Liberia.