Barack Obama's first priority when he takes office

[MikeinAR]

in 2 1/2 months, obviously has to be the economy. He'll need a strong economic team around him and Treasury Secretary will be as powerful with the $700 billion bailout in his hands as anytime in history. The coming recession will be the most important issue for at least his first year in office.

I really believe though that he could unite both parties in a common purpose if he'd make his second priority energy reform. He could appoint a bipartisan commission that would bring together every major alternative energy group: solar, wind, natural gas, hydrogen, and nuclear, etc. Study the in's and out's, and step forward with a solid plan that would set some sort of time table for non-oil dependence. The time table isn't as important to me as the fact that we actually make some sort of goal and start that way.

We need a comprehensive plan and policy that can be worked toward. It has to be Dem's and Pub's actually working together for the future. It's not a political issue. It'll be hard work and there will be a lot of differences when you start cutting big oil's $$$ down, but it's a must.

In doing so, the economy will be stimulated by new job production in these fields and be attractive to investors once they see the country's serious about it and there will be huge returns. Companies would begin to invest in solar, wind, natural gas, hydrogen, clean coal and whatever other new technologies and create jobs.

Leave healthcare, tax hikes, etc., for the future, but he could set the right tone by tackling the country's biggest future problem.