What Romney Would Have Said to Federal Employees

Taegan Goddard of Political Wire managed to catch a glimpse of Mitt Romney's official transition website in the brief period it went live before it was shut down. It provides a peek at what might have been, especially as regards the people who work for the federal government, or might have wanted to join a Romney administration. 

Let's start with the site's tagline: "Smaller, Simpler, Smarter" -- presumably a reference to the federal establishment, and the government workforce, given Romney's promise to scale back operations and cut the employment rolls through attrition.

That's balanced, though, by a prominently placed quote from Romney lauding the people who've worked under him: "Whatever success we were able to enjoy in business, at the Winter Olympic Games and in the State of Massachusetts is a tribute to the thousands of talented and committed men and women who served at every level of the organization."

The site also addresses potential Romney political appointees. "One of President-elect Romney's top priorities," it says, "is to select men and women of the greatest ability and highest ethical and professional integrity to serve in policy-making and key administrative positions in his administration."

Landing such a job, the site says, would be "an honor and a privilege. However, government service is not for everyone."

Among the factors would-be appointees should consider, the Romney team warned:

• "The hours are long and the pace is intense."
• "There is much public/press scrutiny, as you would expect in an open, democratic form of government such as ours."
• "Most applicants under serious consideration for an appointment will go through a full FBI background check in which their employment, professional, personal, travel, medical, financial, legal, military and educational histories will be reviewed and scrutinized."

(Hat tip: Mashable)