Last night, Keith Olbermann suggested to Chris Hayes of The Nation that we need a constitutional amendment to allow future presidents to take office 48 hours after they are elected. I’ve heard or read similar comments since the election, for example, today’s oped page in the New York Times.

Yes, wouldn’t it be great if President-elect Obama, Vice President-elect Biden and Secretary of State-designate Clinton had some sort of legislative mechanism available to them that gave them the ability to draft policies and make laws to save the U.S. economy? You know, a place where, if they were in said legislative body, their three votes would possibly be the margin of victory? A place where their floor speeches could rouse the nation to their cause?

Until then, we’ll have to make do with the 97 members of the Senate who can’t vote “present” on the most important issues of our time.