As others have said, it's partly a holdover from early times, but remember we have a very different structure for choosing the President's staff. In parliamentary systems, the Loyal Opposition is already in place with a shadow cabinet, and everyone knows pretty much which portfolio will go to which Member if the government changes. You also have the "vote of confidence" system which can change the government at random times, so you're ready for change.
In the US, there is no connection between the legislative and executive, and each new President needs to build a cabinet and much of the undersecretary lists from scratch. He will appoint all new ambassadors, etc. I forget how many presidential appointments there are, but it's in the thousands. His staff has no doubt been working at it for months, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
It is not uncommon for a President to start his term without his full cabinet in place, because the Senate also has to approve/confirm all Presidential appointments.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2008-11-06 07:46 pm (UTC)In the US, there is no connection between the legislative and executive, and each new President needs to build a cabinet and much of the undersecretary lists from scratch. He will appoint all new ambassadors, etc. I forget how many presidential appointments there are, but it's in the thousands. His staff has no doubt been working at it for months, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
It is not uncommon for a President to start his term without his full cabinet in place, because the Senate also has to approve/confirm all Presidential appointments.