"The Reform Party at the moment is totally irrelevant, " Brookings Institution analyst Stephen Hess told the BBC.

BBC: Reform Party pulled right

Mr. STEPHEN HESS (Senior Fellow Emeritus, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution): Yes, and beginnings are more fun than endings, let me assure you of that.

NPR: Clock Ticking On Obama's First 100 Days

Yes, I'm here just off the National Mall with Stephen Hess.

NPR: Clock Ticking On Obama's First 100 Days

But Stephen Hess, a former staffer in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and an adviser to presidents Ford and Carter, says that right now, there are no other Kennedys to assume Ted Kennedy's place in American politics.

CNN: Is Camelot's future in Obama's hands?

Stephen Hess, Senior Fellow Emeritus, Governance Studies at the The Brookings Institution, suggested in 2001 that as a rule of thumb an incoming president need have their White House appointments -- their immediate inner circle -- in place by Thanksgiving (November 27) and Cabinet staff by Christmas (December 25).

CNN: How will Obama build his administration?