I kept waiting for the "Ha, I'm just being facetious" moment in Gail Collins' column from Saturday, but, unfortunately for her, it never came. She is completely serious apparently:

Putting Barack Obama in charge immediately isn't impossible. Dick Cheney, obviously, would have to quit as well as Bush. In fact, just to be on the safe side, the vice president ought to turn in his resignation first. (We're desperate, but not crazy.) Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would become president until Jan. 20. Obviously, she'd defer to her party's incoming chief executive, and Barack Obama could begin governing.

As a bonus, the Pelosi presidency would put a woman in the White House this year after all. On the downside, a few right-wing talk-show hosts might succumb to apoplexy. That would, of course, be terrible, but I'm afraid we might have to take the risk in the name of a greater good.

Because, apparently, ditching the 200-year-plus tradition, which, coincidentally, has worked through wars, a depression, and countless other disasters, is what the country needs right now.

On the serious end of the spectrum, we hear:

Bush said he approved the action, recommended by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, while flying back to Washington on Sunday evening from meetings in Peru with Pacific Rim leaders. He said he also spoke with President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday night, part of what he has promised will be "close cooperation" between his administration and the Obama camp until the transfer of power on Jan. 20.

Which is exactly as it's supposed to happen. We don't ditch current administrations when times get tough, and we don't set aside constitutional rules when we feel like it. It's worked for well over 200 years, and Collins' suggestion to ditch it would be a joke if she wasn't serious.