I wasn’t sure what to expect from the inauguration: an atmosphere like that of Election Night, perhaps, a night that felt like a moment of national catharsis – thousands of people flooding the streets, cheering, crying, honking horns. But Inauguration Day wasn’t like that. There certainly were emotions: tears after Obama took the oath of office; smiles after the Rev. Joseph Lowery’s benediction. Overall, though, the mood was more celebratory. The Foggy Bottom Metro stop looked like a street fair: Dozens of vendors sold everything from Obama t-shirts to commemorative copies of the Washington Post. They said business was slow…
Monthly Archives: January, 2009
Those who are claustrophobic or merely uncomfortable with being pressed up against dozens of other people likely hated today’s inauguration. Drawing near-record crowds, depending on whom you ask, the event taxed people’s patience, tolerance for cold and even their needs for personal space bubbles. A lot had been made of the difficulties guests would have getting to the inauguration, what with practically all of northern Virginia being declared a no-driving zone for personal vehicles. So I was surprised to find the District-bound Blue line Metro at Crystal City nearly empty at 6:30 a.m. and thought I was in for an…
President Barack Obama’s Cabinet now has eight official members. The Senate voted by voice vote just before 4 p.m. today to confirm the following seven nominees: Steven Chu for Energy, Arne Duncan for Education, Janet Napolitano for Homeland Security, Peter Orszag for director of the Office of Management and Budget, Ken Salazar for Interior, Eric Shinseki for Veterans Affairs and Tom Vilsak for Agriculture. His Cabinet already included Robert Gates, whom Obama asked to stay on as Defense secretary. But things aren’t moving so quickly for Sen. Hillary Clinton’s secretary of state nomination. After her smooth hearing before the Senate…
Medical workers aided Sens. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd during the inaugural luncheon in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. Both were wheeled out by medical personnel during the luncheon, which immediately followed President Barack Obama’s inaguration on the West Front of the Capitol. Kennedy recently returned to the Senate after a fight with a brain tumor, while Byrd has been frail for years. Capitol staff had no further updates on the conditions of either senator though comments from Obama hinted at something serious. “He was there when the voting rights act was passed,” Obama said of Kennedy. “So I would be…
The new WhiteHouse.gov is up and running. Its inaugural blog post promises timely communications with the public, transparency and public participation. But the most exciting part of the site for this FedLine reporter is the fun facts page. Because we all know I have no interest in fun facts of any sort, right? 😉
In remarks prepared for delivery, Barack Obama had this to say about federal government: The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light…
President Barack Obama’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery, after the jump.
.tweetacc { margin-bottom: 0.25em; } .tweets { margin: 0 0 0.5em 0; padding: 0; font-size: 1.0em; } .tweets li { padding: 0.5em; list-style: none; } .flwtime { color: #666666; margin-left: 1em; } At noon today, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nation’s 44th president. We’ll be providing live updates via Twitter from our three reporters at the inauguration. Rebecca is in the official press section; Steve has tickets to the swearing-in ceremony; Gregg is roaming around on the National Mall. (The last 5 updates from each reporter will display here.) Stephen Losey I’m signing off now–getting anywhere the…
The hour of the inauguration is getting closer and we’re sure to hear a lot about the nation’s financial crisis in soon-to-be President Barack Obama’s speech today. In yesterday’s edition of Federal Times I wrote about the stimulus plan. The story discussed how many of the programs Obama and congressional Democrats want to set up will require more procurement staff than are on hand. I thought it would be worth pointing out that Obama has yet to name leaders to key procurement slots. Obama’s choices for the chief of the General Services Administration and the administrator of Federal Procurement Policy…
President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in at noon today and President Bush will bow out to Texas. To honor the peaceful transition between the 43rd and 44th presidents we give you a special edition of fun facts for the inauguration. 1.5 million to 3 million people are expected to attend today’s festivities. If those numbers are reached it will set a new inaugural record. The record is held by Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 inaugural, which was attended by 1.2 million people. The population of Washington is just 600,000 people. 58 agencies, including the Secret Service, will have a role in the event.…