by Andrew Zajac

A day after telling a political blog that the federal judge who threw out her case was corrupt and might merit a trial for treason, leading Obama birther Orly Taitz was slapped with a California Bar complaint alleging professional misconduct.

Cleveland attorney Subodh Chandra fired off the complaint after reading Taitz's interview with TPM in which she made her accusations against Judge Clay Land, a George W. Bush appointee, and compared herself to Nelson Mandela.

Chandra's complaint asserts that Taitz "violated her duty to maintain the respect due to the courts of justice and judicial officers."

Read Chandra's filing here: Taitz Complaint.pdf

by Andrew Zajac

Don't let the venom and bad manners in some of the town hall meetings on health care distract you from the real issues involving the availability and affordability of medical insurance, President Obama told listeners this morning in his weekly radio address.

Obama downplayed the ferocity of confrontations between citizens and lawmakers at a number of gatherings held to assess the national mood for an overhaul of the health care delivery system, saying that beyond "the chatter and noise out there" a serious discussion is taking place.

As he has for several weeks now, Obama sought to keep the pressure on insurance companies, whose practices, he asserted, put health coverage out of reach of too many Americans.

Read on about the debate below the fold, see the full texts below, see the president's address above and Sen. Orrin Hatch's response here:

by John McCormick

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to do more to address youth violence in Chicago.

"Last school year, more than 500 Chicago school children were shot and at least 36 of them were killed," Durbin said today in a statement. "This is not a chance occurrence but, unfortunately, is a developing pattern of tragedy. We need to work with the Obama Administration and state and local officials to end this devastating violence in Chicago."

Durbin made his remarks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing dealing with oversight of the Justice Department. He noted that he has also called on Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the former head of Chicago Public Schools, to join in the effort.

"No one in Washington knows the Chicago schools better," Durbin said.

Obama has come under some criticism for not doing more to address youth violence in a community where he still owns property, as noted in this April Tribune story.

by John McCormick

As President Barack Obama flies Monday to Chicago for a midday speech on health-care reform, the round trip on Air Force One will run about $236,000, according to government estimates of the operating costs for one of the top symbols, and perks, of the presidency.

But that does not include such expenses as Secret Service protection, motorcades and helicopter transports.

After landing at O'Hare International Airport, Obama is scheduled to spend about 2 1/2 hours here. To avoid snarling traffic on the Kennedy Expressway, he likely will be taken from the airport by helicopter to a location near the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

A Government Accounting Office report in 2000 showed Air Force One cost $54,100 to operate each flight hour, or almost $67,000 in today's dollars. It is a tough number to estimate, however, because of so many variables and fixed costs that could be included in or excluded from the calculation.

Read the rest of the story and view a three-quarter-page graphic in Monday's Chicago Tribune.

by John McCormick

As President Barack Obama delivered a highly anticipated speech to the Muslim world recently, he stood before the audience at Cairo University in Egypt and pointed to a place more than 6,100 miles away.

"As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith," he said.

While Obama has not come home to Chicago much as president -- on Monday he plans to make just his second trip here since the inauguration -- the city apparently is never far from his mind. The same is true for First Lady Michelle Obama.

The president and first lady often mention Chicago and Illinois when speaking, generating the kind of global advertising that is impossible to buy.

The rest of the story is in Sunday's Chicago Tribune.

By John McCormick and Stacy St. Clair

Malia and Sasha Obama are starting their summer vacation with a trip to Europe.

The White House confirmed Thursday that the girls will join their parents at ceremonies Saturday marking the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, then stay on in Paris for several days with their mother.

The girls, ages 10 and 7, have made numerous trips to their father's native state of Hawaii, but have never before been to Europe. They traveled to Kenya with their parents in 2006 and are expected to make numerous additional overseas journeys now that they live in the White House.

The eventful weekend for the First Daughters follows completion today of their first semester at the Sidwell Friends School in the Washington, D.C., area.

President Barack Obama is traveling through the Middle East and Germany, before joining his family in France on Friday.

by John McCormick

President Barack Obama's great uncle, a Chicagoan who helped liberate a German concentration camp in 1945, plans to travel to France late this week to take part in a weekend event to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the Tribune has learned.

Charles Payne, 84, is expected to travel to Normandy with a delegation led by the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs, retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki. The group will also include former Sen. Bob Dole and Susan Eisenhower, President Dwight Eisenhower's granddaughter and a Republican who backed Obama early on in the campaign.

Payne landed at Le Havre in the Normandy region of France in January 1945 - well after D-Day - to start an often confusing and cold journey across Europe that eventually took him to a concentration camp where more than 50,000 people had been killed.

Obama will visit that concentration camp on Friday as part of an itinerary that also includes stops in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The president's tour of the Buchenwald concentration camp in Dresden, Germany, will come roughly in the middle of his trip.

Read the rest of the story in Wednesday's Chicago Tribune.

By John McCormick and Jeff Coen

Virtually every Wednesday evening, Diane Wood leaves one courthouse and travels a few blocks to another for a two-hour rehearsal with the Chicago Bar Association Symphony, an ensemble where she has played the oboe and English horn for roughly two decades.

Like virtually every aspect of her life, from the multiple languages she speaks to the tomatoes she grows, the federal appeals court judge approaches her music from the perspective of a perfectionist.

"There are people who play notes and people who play music. She plays music," said Chicago lawyer and clarinetist John Vishneski, who has sat next to her throughout her symphony tenure. "She understands what she is playing."

Wood, a judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, is believed to be a finalist to succeed retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court. Just days ago, she had a face-to-face interview in Washington with President Barack Obama, a former colleague at the University of Chicago Law School.

Those who know Wood well describe her as exceedingly driven and pragmatic, qualities often also used to describe Obama. But unlike the president, she is fluent in more than one language, speaking very good French, strong German and some Russian.

Read the rest of the profile of Judge Diane Wood in Sunday's Chicago Tribune.

by John McCormick, updated

Although not exactly a 'stop the presses' moment, two top aides to President Barack Obama broke a small piece of White House news while appearing this afternoon at a Chicago luncheon to boost the campaign coffers of U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).

Chicagoans Valerie Jarrett and Tina Tchen said an office they both lead, the White House Office of Public Liaison, is being renamed to the Office of Public Engagement to give it more of a community organizing tone that is central to Obama's biography.

Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president, and Tchen, director of the engagement office, told stories about their first months into the White House during a joint half-hour appearance before a heavily female audience of about 2,000.

Schakowsky, meanwhile, said she will announce on June 8 -- an arbitrary deadline -- whether she will run for U.S. Senate. "If I do run, we will put together a campaign that leaves no stone unturned," she said.

With the Democrats in control of the White House and Congress, she said she has no plans to leaving public life, even as she prepares to turn 65 later this month.

"I find retirement unthinkable," she said. "This is harvest time."

Should she decide to run, questions about her husband, Robert Creamer, will almost certainly be raised.

by John McCormick

For much of his 84 years, Charles Payne has lived in Chicago in relative obscurity and watched his sister's grandson rise to the presidency.

But now it appears possible that a painful part of Payne's own story will be brought to the forefront, based on German news reports that President Barack Obama is considering a visit to the concentration camp that his great uncle helped liberate in April 1945.

Payne, who spent much of his career working in library science at the University of Chicago, was a private first class in the 89th Infantry Division during World War II when he participated in the liberation of Ohrdruf, a forced-labor camp that was a satellite of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

"I remember seeing a lot of really emaciated people in rags at the point of starvation. People were clutching tin cups for food," he said Thursday in a Tribune interview. "I saw sheds where dead bodies had been stacked up."

But Payne said he had thought little in recent years about the horrors he saw, until German reporters started calling to ask about a possible presidential visit.

A German government spokesman told reporters in Berlin that Obama may visit Buchenwald while in Europe this summer. The president is expected to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France on June 6, and a Group of Eight summit will be in Italy in July.

Read the rest of the story in Friday's Chicago Tribune.

by Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons

As President Obama prepares to mark his 100th day in the White House, he is acknowledging that the nation might not reach one of his major environmental goals for a while longer: 15,000 days, or 41 years.

That's how long it could take for the nation to cut its carbon emissions by 80%, Obama said during an appearance at the National Academy of Sciences yesterday.

His caution plays into the administration's efforts to deflate expectations about what he reasonably could have solved by Wednesday.

The White House initially downplayed the 100-day benchmark -- one of his senior advisors, David Axelrod, called it the "journalistic equivalent of a Hallmark holiday."

But now, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says, the administration is "playing along."

On Wednesday, Obama will take part in a town-hall-style event in St. Louis and a prime-time news conference from the East Room of the White House. Every major broadcast network but Fox will air the news conference live.

The president is certain to get a question on what he's accomplished in his first 100 days -- and he's certain to have a ready answer. But Obama also wants to discourage the idea that progress will be quick.

"It's an arbitrary demarcation of time created by some conglomeration of reporters and historians," Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's deputy communications director, said Monday. "Any suggestion we could do more than make a down payment on the change the president promised in 100 days is unrealistic."

by Christi Parsons

He may suffer in other reviews of his first 100 days in office, but one analysis finds that President Obama has at least got game.

That assessment came from the star point guard of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team who shot hoops with the president this afternoon. (Photo by Gerald Herbert / Associated Press.)

The president met with the Huskies women's team at the South Portico of the White House, where he congratulated them on their NCAA championship and thanked them for being role models for young women -- especially tall ones, like his daughters.

"As a father," he told them, "I want to thank all of you."

Then Obama invited the team to walk down the drive to his basketball court -- he in his blue suit and tie and most of them in sundresses and sandals.

Out of sight of reporters covering the event, the president reportedly took a few shots and possibly even played a game of some kind. After ten or fifteen minutes of occasional cheering, the president went back to work and the players headed back to the portico.

Who won? Point guard Renee Montgomery offered the only report.

"He did!" she said. "The president can shoot!"

No word on whether the president will fill out brackets for the women's tournament next year, but he did promise to wear the team jersey they gave him -- it has the numeral one on the back -- when he plays.

"Number One," he said. "That's what I'm talking about."

by John McCormick

On the mid-December morning when Arne Duncan was introduced as the nominee for Secretary of Education, he was greeted by Reggie Love, a Duke University basketball and football star who served as a traveling aide to Barack Obama during the campaign and now works for him at the White House.

As the two extra-sized men exchanged a hug, Love passed along his congratulations and a nod to Duncan's basketball prowess. "Now we know we've got some ball in D.C.," Love said in a hallway at a West Side school.

But during the busy first three months of the new administration, there apparently hasn't been much presidential ball, at least involving Cabinet members.

"It's been very sporadic. We've played a couple times and we're not in any good rhythm yet," Duncan said during a visit to the Tribune earlier this week. "We keep saying we want to do more, but we are struggling to sort of figure it out."

Duncan, a co-captain at Harvard who played four years of pro basketball in Australia, said he did manage to take a few shots Monday during a basketball clinic he helped with on the White House grounds that was part of a massive Easter egg party there.

(Secretary of Education Arne Duncan met with the U.S. Conference of Mayors' on March. 31. Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images)

by John McCormick

As President Barack Obama on Thursday talked up the economic benefits from the wave of home refinancing sweeping the nation, a mortgage broker said he and First Lady Michelle Obama would likely do well to stand pat with the 30-year mortgage they have on their stately mansion in Chicago.

During a White House event, the president surrounded himself with several families who have lowered their bills through refinancing as he touted Federal Reserve and Treasury Department efforts to lower mortgage rates to historic lows in an attempt to stir the sagging economy.

The Obamas, however, do not need to worry about lowering their monthly expenses as much as most Americans, and their Washington housing is free. Back in Chicago, they have a mortgage locked in at 5.625 percent, compared with the current national average of about 4.87 for a standard home loan.

The Obama loan, however, is what bankers call a "super jumbo," which is larger and often harder to finance in today's market conditions. At the time they received the loan, the average for similar-size mortgages was estimated in the range of 5.93 percent to 6 percent, according to news reports.

The rest of the story is in Friday's Chicago Tribune.

by Christi Parsons and Laura King

ISTANBUL --Following up on his call a day earlier for Turkey to respect the rights of religious minorities, President Barack Obama this morning met with religious leaders including the country's chief rabbi, its Armenian and Greek Orthodox patriarchs and the Syrian Orthodox archbishop.

In keeping with the respectful, non-confrontational tone of his stop here, Obama eschewed what would have been the more assertive gesture of visiting the Christian patriarchates. Instead, the talks were held at his hotel.

A day earlier, he made an explicit appeal in his speech to Parliament for the reopening of a hotly contested Greek Orthodox seminary on an island off of Istanbul.

The Turkish government's nearly 40-year closure of the Halki seminary, and tireless efforts by Christian leaders to secure its reopening, have been viewed by the European Union and others as a test case for religious freedom in Turkey.

"Freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state, which is why steps like reopening the Halki Seminary will send such an important signal inside Turkey and beyond," Obama told the parliament in an address in Ankara on Monday.

The Greek Orthodox Halki seminary is located on Heybeliada Island, off Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. It was closed in 1971 in a dispute between the Turkish government and leaders of the dwindling Greek Orthodox Community, with Turkish authorities requiring state supervision of the seminary before it is allowed to operate.

Obama's meeting with Greek Patriarch Bartholomew fulfilled a promise he made earlier to the head of the American church.

by John McCormick

Along Honolulu's bustling South Beretania Street, the cinder-block Punahou Circle Apartments look dated and generally unimpressive.

Still, Hawaiian lawmakers are pushing for the 1960s-era building to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places because it is the structure most recognized as Barack Obama's boyhood home.

Obama was born in Honolulu and lived in apartment No. 1008 from 1971 to 1979, when he graduated from high school. His grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, lived in the building for 41 years and died there just before Obama was elected president.

The 12-story high-rise already attracts the occasional tour bus, although neighbors interviewed there in December said the number of tourists stopping has been minimal so far.

What will happen to the vacant apartment on the 10th floor remains unknown. Residents in the building said it would be impractical to convert it to some kind of boyhood museum because of the hassles such a move would create for them.

by Christi Parsons

PRAGUE -- President Barack Obama, condemning North Korea's missile launch, today called for a strong international response to deter future advancement of its nuclear program.

"They, I think, have taken a provocative action,'' Obama said before heading into a scheduled meeting with the president of the European Union in Prague. "It creates instability in their region, around the world.''

The president also addressed the launch in a public forum, a planned speech on nuclear power before an audience of 20,000 in Prague, the one major public address of his weeklong tour across Europe.

"North Korea broke the rules, once again, by testing a rocket that could be used for long range missiles," Obama said in his speech. ""Words must mean something . . . The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons."

States harboring nuclear ambitions need to know that the path to world respect will not come through proliferation, but rather through talks based on "mutual interest and mutual respect,'' Obama told his audience.

This response to this weekend's missile launch came during an already scheduled address on nuclear arms. Calling for "a world without weapons," Obama committed to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in American national security strategy as well as the size of his nation's nuclear arsenal.

by John McCormick and Philip Hersh

President Barack Obama has taped a video greeting that will be shown Saturday during an opening session with the International Olympic Committee evaluation team visiting Chicago this weekend.

A White House official said the greeting is scheduled to be played about 9 a.m. Saturday and will then be posted to the Web site run by the Chicago 2016 committee.

Obama has also taped a video that will run at a closing night dinner Monday at the Art Institute, an event that will feature an appearance by Oprah Winfrey.

Soon after his election, Obama taped a different video that was shown Nov. 21 during the Chicago presentation at the annual meeting of the European Olympic Committees in Istanbul.

That video delivered a message dear to the ears of the IOC: The United States and Chicago would be honored to host the Games as a way to serve the Olympic movement and as an opportunity for the country, in Obama's words, "to reach out, welcome the world to our shores and strengthen our friendships across the globe."

In that appearance, Obama said nations must work together to meet their shared challenges. "By uniting the world in a peaceful celebration of human achievement, the Olympic Games reminds us that this is possible," he said.

By Peter Wallsten and Jim Tankersley

President Obama has merged his efforts to save GM and Chrysler with his plan to craft a strict new national standard for fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas, a feat of industrial engineering that marks a major step across the line that traditionally separates government from private industry.

In effect, the president is re-writing the rules of the automobile market -- and conditioning future support for automakers on how well they position themselves to follow them.

The dual focus is evident in the two questions that guided the meetings of Obama's auto task force, according to an administration official who participated in the talks: "One, how do we keep Detroit and the rest of the auto industry afloat and make them ultimately profitable, and two, how do we ensure we're bringing cleaner, more affordable cars to American families?"

The new rules, which are speeding toward adoption, are expected to set a blanket standard for fuel efficiency that will encompass current federal mileage standards, Environmental Protection Agency regulation of greenhouse gases and efforts by California and other states to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. Bottom line: They favor small fuel-sippers over less-efficient SUVs and pick-up trucks.

Obama believes gasoline prices will inevitably rise once the global recession ends, that the threat of climate change demands action now and that oil dependence jeopardizes national security. Under those assumptions, administration officials and their supporters said Obama was leveraging his office to force Detroit toward its only strategy for success

"You have both standards and incentives being offered to lead the auto industry in the direction it needs to go," said David Doniger, climate policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "This is the only way forward, is to transform its product line."

The strategy has already drawn fire -- and some cries of socialism -- from conservatives. Read more in our analysis piece in today's Los Angeles Times.

By Jim Tankersley

Chalk up another casualty in the Obama administration's attempts to staff federal agencies.

Jon Cannon, nominated to be the deputy director of the Environmental Protection Agency, pulled his name from consideration today, citing questions over a non-profit where he once sat on the board -- and which EPA auditors accused in 2007 of mismanaging $25 million in taxpayer funds.

Cannon sat on the board of America's Clean Water Foundation, which won some $25 million in federal contracts to identify environmental risks at beef, poultry and pork plants, and to help states and tribes comply with the Clean Water Act. EPA auditors questioned the accounting on almost all that money, charging that the group could not support some costs, included duplicate transactions on others, and did not complete several required audits. The IG report, which does not mention Cannon, also alludes to allegations of embezzlement in the foundation, which dissolved in 2006.

Senate Republicans apparently raised the report -- which appears on the first screen of a Google search on the foundation's name -- in questioning Cannon, but they said Wednesday the questions would not have affected his nomination.

The bigger issue, for a young administration that has faced many questions on its vetting process, is whether Team Obama knew about the report, and if so, how much it cared about it.

by John McCormick

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- President Barack Obama's planned visit to the University of Notre Dame this spring has triggered a national debate over whether such a prominent supporter of abortion rights should be welcomed at one of America's premier Catholic universities.

Obama's decision to speak at the school's May 17 commencement is generating strong feelings on all sides, with supporters saying he should be welcomed as the nation's leader and opponents saying he should be shunned because of his views.

As the leaders of campus groups upset about his selection prepared to meet Tuesday evening to map out opposition plans, abortion opponents from across the country said they were making plans to travel here for the commencement.

The prospect of graphic abortion photos lining areas leading into the ceremony, meanwhile, has some students fearing that their day of accomplishment will be tarnished.

The rest of the story is in Wednesday's Chicago Tribune.

by John McCormick

As much as President Barack Obama would like to be at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field on April 6, it seems unlikely that the First Fan will be there for the home season opener against the Kansas City Royals.

On that day, Obama is now expected to be in Istanbul, Turkey, making the visit to an overwhelmingly Muslim country that he has promised during the early days of his administration.

The stop in Turkey will follow a trip the president and First Lady Michelle Obama are making to Europe from March 31 to April 5 that will include a NATO summit and meetings with European Union leaders.

The Sox had invited their highest-profile fan to use his left-handed toss to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on the South Side, something Obama did during the 2005 playoffs.

Brooks Boyer, the Sox's chief marketing officer, said the ballclub has not heard anything official from the White House about the team's offer.

"We'd love to have him there, but we've known all along that if duty calls, duty calls," Boyer said. "Hopefully, at some point, he'll make it out to a game."

by Christi Parsons

President Barack Obama will begin to outline his education reform plan today, announcing plans to expand pay incentives for good teachers and offering grants to schools that raise their standards for students.

The president will announce his intent to hike federal support for expansion of performance pay models in at least 150 school districts around the country, according to senior administration officials.

Grants included in his 2010 budget plan are designed to encourage states to raise statewide standards and to collect data about performance in early childhood education programs, the officials said.

Funding available through Obama's recently passed economic stimulus plan will go to helping states upgrade the data systems they use to track student progress and teacher effectiveness.

And the president also will announce his intent to support dropout prevention programs in the next budget and to redirect money that now goes to support bank loans to college students into direct student aid.

Today's speech to a group of Hispanic business leaders comes two weeks after Obama's address to a joint session of Congress, in which he promised to work for a competitive education for every children from "the day they are born to the day they begin a career."

The president's proposals describe voluntary, not mandatory, programs, officials said, and he will not discuss possible changes in President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" program.

He will call for rewarding good teachers and issue a national call for the next generation to "step forward and enter the profession of teaching," one official said.

by Mike Dorning and Christi Parsons

President Barack Obama is planning a trip to Turkey as part of his administration's ongoing outreach to the Muslim world, a senior administration official said this morning.

The trip is meant to continue dialogue with leaders in Muslim countries, the official said. But it will not include the speech from a Muslim capital that Obama spoke of during his presidential campaign.

"Planning for the Turkey visit is just the beginning," the official said. "It will be an important opportunity to visit a NATO ally and discuss shared challenges."

Obama said in an address in the summer of 2007 that he would deliver an address in a "major Islamic forum" during the first hundred days of his administration. He said he would make it clear that "we are not at war with Islam" and that "we'll stand with those who are willing to stand up for their future."

But in an interview with the Tribune in December, Obama said he wasn't sure about the timing of that speech.

Earlier this week, the White House announced that the president is planning a trip to Europe the end of this month, and that he will be at the NATO meeting in Germany in early April.

By Andrew Zajac

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, cuts a figure of no-nonsense, Midwestern rectitude.

Middle of the road, plain-spoken, competent. Yeah, her husband likes rock, Gary Sebelius.doc but he's a federal magistrate, so how wild is he going to get?

If there is a provocateur gene in the family, it may have gone to son John, who caused a stir last year when he began marketing "Don't Drop the Soap", a prison board game he created, out of the governor's mansion.

By Andrew Zajac

Chicago's Northern Trust Corp. now under fire for excessive merrymaking after collecting federal TARP money, earlier was under scrutiny for the favorable mortgage terms it granted to now-President Barack Obama when he bought his Hyde Park personal residence in 2005.

When they bought the $1.65 million property, the Obamas took out a $1.32 million mortgage for 5.67 percent.

At the time, jumbo mortgages in the Chicago area averaged 5.93 to 6 percent, according a Washington Post story detailing the transaction.

Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission alleging that the mortgage rate amounted to an illegal corporate campaign contribution by Northern Trust.

By John McCormick and Stacy St. Clair, updated

The morning after a romantic Valentine's Day dinner out, President Barack Obama hit the basketball court Sunday to burn off a few calories and visit with some Chicago friends.

The presidential game, which lasted about two hours and was followed by a haircut at an apartment building near Obama's South Side home, was at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, according to a media pool report. No word yet on who he played with.

The game came after a Saturday evening meal enjoyed by Obama and his wife, Michelle, at a Gold Coast restaurant owned by Oprah Winfrey's one-time personal chef, Art Smith.

After a three-day weekend at home, the First Family is scheduled leave for Washington from O'Hare International Airport aboard Air Force One about 10 a.m. Monday.

Obama's basketball game was dissected on nation television on Sunday, when CNN's "State of the Union with John King" asked several NBA stars to review his moves.

"He's smart at the game," former Los Angeles Lakers star Earvin "Magic" Johnson said. "First thing up he's passing, nice post pass, nice set up, always looking for the other man."

by Christi Parsons

As Congress prepares to pass his economic rescue plan, President Barack Obama today was promising to turn immediately to the housing crisis, saying he will soon offer more details on how to address "the root of our economic challenges."

He also called on business leaders to help his administration as their forbears helped President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the early days of his presidency.

Speaking to the Business Council - founded in 1933 by FDR's secretary of commerce - Obama asked dozens of CEOs gathered in the White House East Room to help him bring their "best practices" to the enterprise of government.

"Even as our president was leading unprecedented public interventions into the private sector," Obama said of Roosevelt, "he did so always in concert with the private sector's leaders."

Obama said he expects a House vote today on his $790 billion rescue plan will get the U.S. economy on the road to recovery.

But passing the plan is only the first step, he told members of the council, now a self-appointed panel that meets once a year.

"To truly address this economic crisis, we need to address the crisis in our financial sector to get credit flowing again to families and businesses," Obama said. "We need to confront the crisis in the housing sector, that has been at the root of our economic challenges, and I'll be discussing that soon.

"We need comprehensive financial reform in the way government relates to the financial markets in order to deal with the complex challenges of the 21st Century - both as a way to restore trust and ensure that a crisis like this can never happen again."

by John McCormick and Sara Olkon

When Air Force One touches down Friday evening in Chicago, there will once again be a chance to see heavily armed motorcades and be surprised by unexpected appearances by the most famous and powerful Chicagoan.

It will also mark the start of an entirely new experience for the city: hosting an extended visit by a sitting president.

In the past, presidential visits have typically lasted a couple hours, just long enough for the nation's top executives to land at O'Hare International Airport, ride a chopper downtown and appear before some television cameras.

This trip, however, is expected to last three days and will offer the first glimpse of what are likely to become fairly routine hometown visits by President Barack Obama and his family. The return to Chicago will come a day after scheduled stops Thursday in East Peoria, Ill., and Springfield.

In many ways, the Obama family's weekend stay in Chicago will look like the seven-week transition between the November election and January move to Washington.

by Jim Tankersley

The Environmental Protection Agency announced this morning that it has reopened consideration of a request by California and more than a dozen other states to set strict standards for greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles - hinting strongly that it's just a matter of time before they're approved.

Following a directive issued by President Obama late last month, the EPA said it will begin accepting public comments for 60 days on the request, which proponents call a major step toward curbing global warming. Critics say allowing the states to set tougher rules than the federal government would batter the domestic auto industry, by forcing carmakers to produce two sets of vehicles or to restrict production of big-selling - but heavy emitting - trucks and SUVs.

"EPA has now set in motion an impartial review of the California waiver decision," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a press release. "It is imperative that we get this decision right, and base it on the best available science and a thorough understanding of the law."

But the next two paragraphs of the release strongly suggest the agency will approve California's request.

"The Clean Air Act gives EPA the authority to allow California to adopt its own emission standards for motor vehicles due to the seriousness of the state's air pollution challenges," it reads. "There is a long-standing history of EPA granting waivers to the state of California.

"EPA believes that there are significant issues regarding the agency's denial of the waiver. The denial was a substantial departure from EPA's longstanding interpretation of the Clean Air Act's waiver provisions."

by Jim Tankersley

President Obama will officially ask the Energy Department today to speed up its efforts to set congressionally mandated efficiency standards - some of them long-overdue - for household appliances.

It's a move sure to be welcomed by environmentalists and by Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who preaches efficiency as a key weapon in the administration's fight to curb global warming.

Obama's presidential memorandum will ask the department to issue several standards by August, as mandated by law, covering products that include ovens, lamps, microwaves, dishwashers and air conditioners. He'll also ask the department to give high priority to speeding up standards that promise especially large energy savings for consumers.

A variety of court orders and congressional laws have left the energy department with a backlog of efficiency standards it needs to set, and a schedule of others it must complete in coming years. Obama's memo includes directions to complete that schedule on time, and early if possible.

The administration's bigger efficiency push goes beyond appliances.

by Christi Parsons

President Barack Obama is expected to call for a crack down on cash payouts to corporate executives this morning, unveiling new rules he thinks should govern firms that take government bailout money.

The president plans to propose a $500,000 cap on the pay of executives whose firms get the public money, according to an administration official familiar with the plan.

This restriction will be unbending for firms that get exceptional assistance from the federal government, although healthier banks applying for the money may be able to waive the rule if they disclose the information.

The president's plan would also give more power to shareholders in reining in executive compensation, a runaway problem that Obama has been railing against in recent days.

In the wake of news that corporate executives paid out almost $20 billion in bonuses last year, even as they were seeking or taking public money intended to spur the economy, the White House and some Democrats on Capitol Hill began to talk of imposing new restrictions.

The rules the president is suggesting would come as a condition of receiving money that remains from the $700 billion bailout fund Congress set up last year.

The proposals are expected in a morning announcement from the president and his Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner.

by Christi Parsons

Sen. Judd Gregg has assured Republican leadership that he won't take the job as Commerce secretary unless he's certain his replacement in the Senate will line up with the GOP caucus.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said this morning that he's not worried a change in the partisan makeup of the chamber will come about with the likely departure of Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican.

"Whoever is appointed to replace him will caucus with Senate Republicans," McConnell said in a morning interview on CBS' Face the Nation. "Sen. Gregg has told me that if he were to take this appointment, it would not alter the makeup of the Senate in terms of the majority and the minority."

President Barack Obama is expected to appoint Gregg to the commerce position, possibly as early as Monday.

The ultimate decision belongs to New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, who hasn't yet said anything publicly about which candidates he is considering as Gregg's replacement.

But the state arguably stands to benefit if its veteran senator joins the Obama administration, and state Democrats like their chances for upending a Republican appointee better than those of beating an incumbent Gregg next year.

Another news nugget from this morning's talk shows: former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is set to meet privately with key senators to discuss the tax problem now plaguing his confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary.

Former Senate colleagues, even Republicans, avoided pummeling Daschle this morning, though Sen. Susan Collins did offer cautionary words.

"This is a legitimate issue," she said. "We need some answers. We need more of an explanation than we have now. It's an awful lot of money."

by Christi Parsons

President Barack Obama says his team is preparing a new strategy for reviving the American financial system, and promised to make sure that corporate executives don't drain public money intended to spur the economy.

"We'll ensure that CEOs are not draining funds that should be advancing our recovery," Obama said in his weekly radio address this morning. "And we will insist on unprecedented transparency, rigorous oversight and clear accountability, so taxpayers know how their money is being spent and whether it is achieving results."

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will soon lay out a new plan focused on getting credit flowing and lowering the cost of mortgages, Obama said.

Geithner is also expected to address the question of corporate bonuses, a sore subject with the Obama administration lately. After hearing word that Wall Street executives had doled out nearly $20 billion in bonuses in 2008, Obama expressed outrage at what he called "the height of irresponsibility" and suggested there might be repercussions.

While the issue of executive compension may be part of Obama's plan to rescue the financial markets in some fashion, the Washington Post reports this morning that the administration isn't likely to impose tougher restrictions in executive pay, out of fear that harsh limits could discourage some firms from seeking aid.

Even so, Obama appears intent on continuing his campaign of shaming the executives who approve payouts.

"While I'm committed to doing what it takes to maintain the flow of credit, the American people will not excuse or tolerate such arrogance and greed," he said in this morning. "The road to recovery demands that we all act responsibly, from Main Street to Washington to Wall Street."

by Jim Tankersley

When the bars closed in Washington and the trains revved up and night slipped into early morning, two groups of people stood giddy and shivering together, in a line to claim spots on the National Mall and the inaugural parade route.

There were African-Americans, marking a climax in a centuries-long struggle. And there were young people, less noticed by the cameras and the pundits, come to celebrate an awakening that roused their parents and grandparents long ago but had eluded them until now.

Theirs is a video-game generation, younger cousins to a video-music generation. They were glimmers of thoughts, at best, when assassins felled JFK and RFK. Their formative political memories include hanging chads, collapsing trade towers and "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

They have never sweated out a military draft. They did not, in any grand numbers, volunteer to fight after terrorists struck their land on Sept. 11, 2001. Their political leaders did not, in loud voices, call on them to sacrifice and serve.

But in this campaign, Barack Obama called, and they answered in numbers not seen since in nearly 40 years. Americans 30 and younger voted - a feat in itself - and overwhelmingly so, for the first presidential candidate to engage them technologically and motivate them to think and act beyond their own Facebook worlds.

By Jim Tankersley and James Oliphant

The newly installed President Obama doesn't plan any sweeping moves today, other than signing some cabinet-related paperwork and maybe a foxtrot or two at one of his many celebratory balls. But advisors say he could issue a raft of executive orders as soon as tomorrow.

Here are a few strokes of the pen we'd like to see:

• Create a college football playoff system. Start this Saturday with Utah vs. USC and Florida vs. Texas.
• Pardon Jose Canseco.
• Mobilize National Guard to reunite The Fugees.
• Strike from the Library of Congress, the Internet and all Blockbuster video stores any traces of the second "Star Wars" trilogy.
• End controversial bailout of the Detroit Lions.
• Reinstate Eisenhower-era ban on the designated hitter.

by Jim Tankersley

The Senate quickly confirmed seven of President Obama's cabinet nominees this afternoon, mere hours after the Inauguration - but it left many more, including Hillary Clinton, to wait at least another day.

Among those winning approval by unanimous consent: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar; Energy Secretary Steven Chu; Education Secretary Arne Duncan; Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget; Eric Shinseki, the secretary of Veterans' Affairs; and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Secretary-of-State-nominee Clinton was originally expected to make that list, but Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) held her up by a day over conflict-of-interest objections to her husband, former Bill Clinton, and his charitable foundation's foreign donors.

Others who face a more protracted process include Labor nominee Hilda Solis, Treasury nominee Timothy Geithner, Attorney General nominee Eric Holder and Transportation nominee Ray LaHood. Obama also still needs tp nominate a commerce secretary pick to replace Bill Richardson, who withdrew from consideration amidst a scandal in his home state New Mexico.

Most observers expect all of Obama's nominees to eventually win confirmation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urged as much in a statement this afternoon.

"President Obama has nominated a cabinet of exceptionally bright and capable people," Reid said. "They represent a cross-section of our country, geographically and politically. It is up to us, Democrats and Republicans in the Senate, to confirm these worthy nominees quickly so that they, along with our new President, can hit the ground running."

By Andrew Zajac

Snapshots from the run-up to the inauguration.

There's only a trickle of passenger traffic at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport on the eve of the Martin Luther King Day holiday.
But a knot of people fills the waiting area near Gate B10. As Southwest Airlines Flight 449 to Baltimore begins boarding, a pair of Transportation Security Administration workers begin picking ticket-holders out of the queu for apparently random searches of persons and bags, something not seen in four years of fairly frequently flying on this route.

by John McCormick

BEDFORD HEIGHTS, Ohio - Campaigning for the top priority of his upcoming presidency, Barack Obama on Friday pitched his plan for more than $800 billion in new spending and tax cuts as he stood under the roof of a clean energy manufacturer.

Obama's stop at Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. came on the day before he starts a weekend of activities in advance of his inauguration as the 44th president on Tuesday.

"The way I see it, the first job of my administration is to put people back to work and get our economy moving again," the president-elect said. "That's why I've moved quickly to work with my economic team and leaders of both parties on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will immediately jump-start job creation and long-term growth."

Joined by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, Obama seemed relaxed, perhaps even enjoying the opportunity to be on the road again. After his speech, he jokingly used a large bolt he had been given as a gift as a weight-lifting dumbbell.

Still, he sought to show just how seriously he is taking the economy's problems as he worked to build support for his proposal among Democrats and Republicans.

By Jim Tankersley

Barack Obama has pitched his stimulus package as a quick jolt for the ailing economy and a "down payment" on his priorities as president. But those goals appear to be colliding in at least one key area: energy independence.

The stimulus plan increasingly appears unlikely to include major investments in so-called "green infrastructure" - the wires and rails that could deliver renewable energy to Americans' homes and help them kick their gasoline addictions - according to alternative-energy advocates who are discussing the plans with the Obama transition team.

It's a timing issue. The blueprints and, in many cases, the authority simply don't exist to lay miles of high-speed rail lines, or to build a sprawling web of new power lines to create a truly national electric grid.

"Before you spend billions of dollars on new lines, you have to spend millions of dollars on design work," said Michael Moynihan, the green project director of the liberal think tank NDN, who has worked extensively on green infrastructure and the stimulus. "Nobody had been thinking about this much money (becoming available). So the planning just has not been done."

by John McCormick

The official Barack Obama portrait, an image shot yesterday by the incoming chief White House photographer, was revealed this morning on the "Today" show.

The Pete Souza photo will be on display in American embassies worldwide and in numerous other government offices. Souza is a former Chicago Tribune photographer who also worked as a White House photographer for Ronald Reagan.

The video is linked here.

By John McCormick

When David Axelrod moves into his West Wing office next week, he will have a new painting to hang on the wall as he starts a new chapter in his life as a senior advisor to Barack Obama.

The painting, done by his disabled daughter with some help from an art instructor, appears like any other of the White House. But upon closer inspection, it has a distinct feature: Chicago's skyline is framed in a reflecting pond outside the mansion.

Axelrod's daughter, Lauren, presented the painting Monday after a speech her father gave at a $250,000 fundraising event for Misericordia, a North Side facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Reflecting his newfound celebrity and clout, the event drew nearly 400 people, including virtually every statewide elected official -- with the exception of Gov. Rod Blagojevich -- as well as numerous Chicago aldermen and Cook County leaders.

As he began his speech, the former newspaper reporter asked for a correction in what several previous speakers had suggested about his leaving town for Washington.

"I'm thrilled to serve this new president," Axelrod said. "But I always explain: I'm merely a Chicagoan on assignment. Chicago is my home and it always will be."

It was an assurance he also gave his daughter in what was a poignant scene for a man more associated with the hard-ball of Illinois and national politics.

"Lauren is my hero. Because of her epilepsy, she has had many challenges in life, physical and emotional challenges, that most of us have never imagined," he said. "Mom and I are so lucky to have you. And I just want to say I love you and we'll see each other often, so don't worry about this moving thing. I'm coming home for every home visit."

As public as Axelrod's recent life has been, he does not often talk about his 27-year-old daughter, who suffered irreversible brain damage following epileptic seizures. She has lived at Misericordia since 2002.

For an audience that included many politicians, Axelrod reflected on some of the pivotal moments in a nearly two-year campaign where he worked as Obama's top strategist.

He also tried to explain why Obama is trying so hard to keep his BlackBerry, even after entering the Oval Office.

by Mark Silva

Stop the servers.

Never mind the economy, or Gaza, or Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The real news out of the interview that George Stephanopoulos aired with President-elect Barack Obama this morning is the answer to the question that Obama's daughters, Sasha and Malia, planted with the interviewer:

What kind of dog, and when?

It'll probably either be a "Labradoodle" or a "Portuguese Water Hound,'' Obama replied on ABC News' This Week-- revealing that he still has a little homework of his own to do: That's a Portuguese Water Dog, a pedigree pup -- "known for centuries along Portugal's coast,'' the American Kennel Club notes, "this seafaring breed was prized by fishermen for a spirited, yet obedient nature, and a robust, medium build that allowed for a full day's work in and out of the water. ''

But those Labradoodles sure are popular. A designer hybrid generally accepted as an informal breed of its own now, yet not recognized by the AKC, the mix of Labrador retriever and Poodle is a spirited and bouncy pooch. We've seen the two of them at play in the local dog parks, and both the Doodles and Portuguese have boundless energy.

"They seem to have narrowed it down to a Labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound,'' Obama told Stephanopoulos. "We're closing in on it.''

Off to the shelters of greater Washington, the Obamas go now -- in a "rescue" search for one of the two preferred pets for the next first family.

"This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary,'' Obama noted.

By Richard Simon and Jill Zuckman

For the inauguration of a president who promised to be a friend of the environment, what would you expect but carbon-neutral inaugural balls, hybrid Lexuses, organic menus and valet bicycle parking?

Political correctness will rule the day.

Two Green Inaugural Balls are planned, including one featuring a green carpet made from--what else?--a recycled rug. Official invitations to the Jan. 20 inauguration are being printed on recycled paper. The homeless will be handed furs.

With millions of visitors headed to Washington for President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in, "Our goal is to create an unforgettable evening while treading lightly on the Earth," said Jenna Mack, an organizer of one Green Inaugural Ball--not to be confused with another Green Inaugural Ball featuring Al Gore.

Beyond the Earth-minded, nearly every imaginable group is planning an event to promote a cause.

PETA plans to give away fur coats to the homeless while offering hot soy milk cocoa in cups that read: "Thank You for Not Wearing Fur!"

"We expect that the only fur on the streets on Jan. 20 will be on homeless people," said Bruce Friedrich, PETA vice president.

The furs, collected from people who don't want them anymore, will be marked with black paint before they are given away so that they cannot be sold.

For the rest of the story on Obama's green inauguration see the story in Tribune newspapers and here in the Swamp:

by Mark Silva

President-elect Barack Obama concedes that, in light of the economic situation which the nation faces, "not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able do on the pace we had hoped.''

And there will be some "sacrifice'' ahead, he says - "everybody's going to have some skin in the game.''.

Obama's remarks come in an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos airing Sunday morning. Ever the promoter, Georgeo released excerpts of his talk tonight.

"Our challenge is going to be identifying what works and putting more money into that, eliminating things that don't work, and making things that we have more efficient,'' Obama says in the interview, according to ABC News.. "But I'm not suggesting, George, I want to be realistic here, not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace we had hoped.''

The host of This Week says he asked the president-elect: "At the end of the day, are you really talking about over the course of your presidency some kind of grand bargain? That you have tax reform, healthcare reform, entitlement reform including Social Security and Medicare, where everybody in the country is going to have to sacrifice something, accept change for the greater good?"

"Yes," Obama tells the interviewer.

"And when will that get done?"

"Well, right now, I'm focused on a pretty heavy lift, which is making sure we get that reinvestment and recovery package in place. But what you described is exactly what we're going to have to do. What we have to do is to take a look at our structural deficit, how are we paying for government? What are we getting for it? And how do we make the system more efficient?"

"And eventually sacrifice from everyone?" the host asks.

"Everybody's going to have (to) give,'' Obama replies. "Everybody's going to have to have some skin (in) the game.''

by Mark Silva

Stop the servers.

The Democratic National Committee has circulated an email, in the name of President-elect Barack Obama, that doesn't ask for a penny for the party. Obama, who built his record-setting nearly billion-dollar presidential campaign on an Internet plea for five dollars here, ten dollars there, and who has reported raising another $27 million for his inauguration, simply sent out a note today praising the DNC's new chairman, Tim Kaine, governor of Virginia.

"We're in a strong position to build the Democratic Party, renew our commitment to the principles we share, and continue the outstanding work of Chairman Howard Dean,'' Obama says in the e-missive. "Among his many achievements, Gov. Dean launched a strategy to reach out to Americans in all 50 states -- north, south, east and west. This 50-state strategy helped Democrats compete in states where we hadn't in years, including states like Virginia.

"Gov. Kaine has seen the power of the 50-state strategy firsthand, and under his leadership, Democrats will continue to organize and compete in every corner of our country,'' he suggests, inviting fellow Democrats to send up questions for Kaine, who will "answer as many as possible in a video on Democrats.org.

"Tim is the ideal leader to grow and strengthen this party -- not by appealing to our divisions, but by appealing to our common hopes; not by pursuing policies that advance a specific dogma, but by pursuing policies that work for ordinary people,'' Obama says.

And, one of these days, Kaine is sure to get around to fundraising again.

by Christi Parsons

WASHINGTON--Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine claimed his job as chairman of the Democratic National Committee this afternoon, but he and President-elect Barack Obama spent almost as much time downplaying the importance of party as in announcing its new mission.

In short, they said, the new DNC should be about engaging all Americans in the civic process - regardless of whether they voted for Obama or not.

The party should strive for "breaking free of old orthodoxies, reaching across party lines," Obama said in a joint press conference, with the goal of achieving "progress for all Americans."

Kaine is fit for the job, Obama said, because of his "belief that politics is about something more than what all too often it has become in Washington," the president-elect said.

by Jim Puzzanghera

President-elect Barack Obama today asked Congress to delay next month's planned switch to all-digital broadcast television, warning that the TVs of millions of Americans could go dark because of major problems in the government's preparations.

In a letter to Congressional leaders, John Podesta, co-chairman of Obama's presidential transition team, urged that the Feb. 17 conversion date be extended. A major reason was the announcement this week by the Commerce Department that it had run out of money for a government program to provide $40 coupons for low-cost converter boxes to allow older TVs to receive the new digital signal. But Podesta also cited problems with the government's effort to educate the public about the switch and help prepare people, particularly the elderly, poor and those living in rural areas.

"With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively-mandated analog cutoff date," Podesta wrote to the chairmen and top Republicans on the Senate Commerce committee and the House Energy and Commerce committee.

Congress decided in 2005 to require all TV stations to broadcast only in digital to free up valuable airwaves. People with cable, satellite or phone company TV services will continue to get broadcast stations. But those who rely on antennas to watch TV must have either a newer set with a digital receiver or get a digital-to-analog converter box.

by Frank James

Congressional Republican leaders responded to President-elect Barack Obama's economic speech today by accepting the next president's premise that the moribund economy requires a fiscal stimulus package but expressing a lot of caution about its size, its potential impact on swelling deficits and the content of the package.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, and Rep. John Boehner, the House Minority Leader, indicated that they sensed Obama is hearing them and their concerns about significantly adding to the federal deficit.

McConnell said: "It's clear to me from listening to the president, the new president, that he wants to include Republican ideas and among them, that I've laid out in the last few days, are reducing the middle-class tax rate. He -- he, the new president, today again underscored that there will be a significant tax component. It's still a little unclear as what it will look like. I think the quickest way to get money in the hands of people who can spend it would be to reduce the middle-class tax rate, which is currently at 25 percent, for example, down to 10 percent."

He also said that the help to states which Obama has proposed should come in the form of loans, not grants, since that would likely get the states to spend the money more wisely.

Both men also indicated that, feeling once burned by the $700 billion financial bailout known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program which passed through Congress last year with very few hearings, by-passing the way legislation is typically done in Congress, they were now twice cautious.

by Frank James

Don't get rid of those old analog televisions yet. The national transition to digital television was supposed to occur next month on Feb. 17. But some key members of Congress and the Obama presidential transition may engineer a delay of a few months because of problems in the transition.

There's been growing concern that the Federal Communications Commission has mishandled the roll-out in a way that could potentially leave millions of viewers with analog TVs unconnected to cable without the ability to get a signal.

The problem is a backlog in the federal program that provides coupons to the TV owners to offset the cost of converter boxes that will be needed by analog TVs to receive a signal once TV broadcasters completely change over to transmitting digital signals alone.

According to Broadcasting and Cable magazine's website:

Consumers Union (CU) late Wednesday asked the heads of the congressional committees with telecommunications oversight, as well as the current and future administrations, to consider delaying the Feb. 17, 2009 transition date.

In a letter to Rep. Markey, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committe, and others, the CU requested that Congress consider a delay "until a plan is in place to minimize the number of consumers who will lose TV signals, particularly by fixing the flaws in the federal coupon program created to offset the cost of this transition."

by Mark Silva

President-elect Barack Obama, pledging to "set a new course'' for an ailing American economy, will deliver a pointed public appeal for his nearly $1-trillion recovery plan today, the start of a campaign asking Americans to accept massive new spending as a "reinvestment'' in the nation.

With it, Obama will say, the nation should be able to generate 3 million new jobs over the next few years. Without it, he will say, the nation's unemployment rate could climb into double-digits.

Appearing at George Mason University in suburban Virginia for his premier economic address in the run-up to inauguration on Jan. 20, Obama will deliver his first appeal for an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan which, he will say, is not simply a "public works program.''

It's an attempt to invest in areas of the economy that promise new growth, he will say, and a turnaround from a recession that "could linger for years'' if the nation does not act swiftly.

"I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible,'' Obama plans to say, according to excerpts of his speech that the transition team released this morning. " If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years.''

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama is due to make a major speech on the economy today at George Mason University in Northern Virginia just outside Washington, D.C.

It is essentially a call for support of what is expected to be a huge economic stimulus package he hopes to get enacted in the first few months of his presidency. He warns that if an economic stimulus isn't passed quickly enough, it may come too late to stave off a dramatic decline not of just the economy but the nation too.

His presidential transition office has released excerpts:

I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible. If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years. The unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. We could lose a generation of potential and promise, as more young Americans are forced to forgo dreams of college or the chance to train for the jobs of the future. And our nation could lose the competitive edge that has served as a foundation for our strength and standing in the world.

There is no doubt that the cost of this plan will be considerable. It will certainly add to the budget deficit in the short-term. But equally certain are the consequences of doing too little or nothing at all, for that will lead to an even greater deficit of jobs, incomes, and confidence in our economy. It is true that we cannot depend on government alone to create jobs or long-term growth, but at this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe. Only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy - where a lack of spending leads to lost jobs which leads to even less spending; where an inability to lend and borrow stops growth and leads to even less credit.

by Peter Nicholas

President-elect Barack Obama announced today that he is creating a new high-level position to wring waste and inefficiencies from government, as part of a broader push to bring more discipline to federal spending.

At a news conference, Obama introduced a Chief Performance Officer -- Nancy Killefer, a partner at the management consulting firm McKinsey and Company, and a former Treasury Department official in former President Bill Clinton's administration from 1997-2000.

Part of her job will be eliminating unnecessary spending - an essential goal at a time when the federal deficit is expected to reach $1.2 trillion, Obama said. He cast Killefer's appointment as one of the most important he will make as president. And he said he would order his new Cabinet and staff to meet with Killefer following his inauguration on Jan. 20 "to discuss how they can run their agencies with greater efficiency, transparency and accountability.''

Obama conceded that his economic timulus package would add to the deficit, but he defended it as a step needed to revive the ailing economy.

His transition team estimates that the two-year stimulus would range from $675-$775 billion. Taking questions from reporters, Obama said he is consulting with members of Congress about the "final size of the package,'' but added that "we expect it will be on the high end of our estimates.''

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama said he expected his economic stimulus package wouldn't be near the top end of economists estimates because of growing concerns about federal deficits.

At a Washington press conference where he announced his administration's chief performance officer, Obama also waded into the Roland Burris controversy, saying he would work with him if the Senate chose to seat him.

Asked by a reporter about the size of an economic stimulus meant to jumpstart the economy, Obama indicated it would be at the top end of the range his transition officials have discussed, $775 billion, not as large as the more than $1 trillion many economists say would be necessary to provide an adequate stimulus.

We expect that it will be on the high end of our estimates, but will not -- will not be as high as some economists have recommended, because of the constraints and concerns we have about the existing deficit.

Obama's mention of deficit concerns came on the same day the Congressional Budget Office reported that this fiscal year's deficit would be a record $1.2 trillion.

by Frank James

Mark Brown, the Chicago Sun-Times columnist, argues President-elect Barack Obama should either tell Roland Burris directly, or have some tough-talking emissary (Rahm Emanuel perhaps), tell the senator-in-limbo to end his bid to be seated in the Senate.

Obama doesn't want to do that. He's got bigger fish to fry and would prefer to stand pat with what he's already done, which was to issue a statement from a safe distance saying Burris is a great guy but agreeing the Senate shouldn't accept an appointment made by a governor accused by federal prosecutors of selling the very same seat. While that was helpful, it's not enough. We need Obama's direct intervention.

But we're in a bind here, one created in part by Obama's run for president. He bears some responsibility.

by Noam N. Levey and Matea Gold

President-elect Barack Obama has asked Dr. Sanjay Gupta to be the next U.S. surgeon general, looking to a popular television personality to help provide a public face for his healthcare agenda.

Best known as a health and medicine correspondent for CNN and CBS, Gupta, 39, (pictured left in a photo by Scott Gries/Getty Images) is also a practicing neurosurgeon in Atlanta and a member of the faculty of the Emory University School of Medicine, one of the nation's premier medical schools.

The surgeon general oversees some 6,000 officers in the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service. Officers work as physicians, nurses, dentists and other health professionals in various federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Prisons.

Past surgeons general have wielded most influence, however, by using the bully pulpit to focus public attention on major public health issues.

Gupta would bring to the post an unparalleled background as a communicator, having won widespread public recognition and a number of journalistic award in recent years. He has also been an outspoken advocate for public health.

In 2003, while reporting on the invasion in Iraq, he was embedded with a Navy medical unit and performed brain surgery on U.S soldiers and Iraqi civilians.

More recently, Gupta launched a nationwide campaign on CNN titled "Fit Nation" to highlight the dangers of obesity in children.

Obama's transition office declined to comment publicly on the offer. But Gupta confirmed on his Twitter feed for CNN Tuesday that he had been "approached."

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama's planned pre-inauguration train trip to Washington via Philadelphia, Wilmington, Del. and Baltimore has stoked concerns among some that he could be at risk from a terrorist attack on caustic industrial chemicals near the rail lines his official train will use.

According to Government Security News magazine:

Two leading environmental groups, the Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, have written a letter to the Secret Service warning about the potential danger of a catastrophic terrorist attack on a hazardous chemical facility along the East Coast rail corridor while Barack Obama and Joe Biden make a highly-publicized pre-inaugural whistle-stop train trip to Washington, DC, on Jan. 17.

"This means that during a period of some days of heightened vulnerability to terrorism, Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden on this day will be highly visible and relatively approachable together on the difficult-to-protect Eastern Urban rail corridor," wrote Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder and Greenpeace legislative director, Rick Hind, to Mark Sullivan, the Director of the Secret Service, in a letter dated Dec. 23.

by Mark Silva

The private fundraising for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration -- $27 million and counting - is nearing the $40 million raised for each of President Bush's two big shows.

And some of the biggest donors are no strangers:

Nearly 400 donors have contributed the maximum $50,000 allowed to support the Jan. 20 swearing-in. They include billionaire George Soros, actors Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson, Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, directors Ron Howard, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (pictured at left) and impresario Barbra Streisand.

The inaugural committee is refusing money from labor unions, corporations, political action committees, foreigners and Washington lobbyists.

But that hasn't stopped Thomas Strickland, UnitedHealth Group executive vice president and chief legal officer, two Indian tribes with casinos, the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians in California, or Louis Susman, who retired this month as vice chairman of Citigroup, a banking giant that has received a multibillion-dollar bailout from the U.S. government.

The inauguration has raised a total of $150,500 from six Microsoft employees, including the maximum $50,000 from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

And Google this: Google chief executive Eric Schmidt and five others at the company contributed $25,000 each for Obama's celebration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

With Steven Spielberg backing it, the inauguration could be as good a show as the film starring Roy Scheider -- Jaws -- that Spielberg directed in 1975. (They're going to have to get a bigger inauguration.)

by Mark Silva

We don't often see the president-elect of the United States doing restaurant reviews.

And we only now are seeing this one, taped in 2001.

The producers of Chicago station WTTW's Check, Please! had been scouting for amateur reviewers. "The premise was simple: Check, Please! would feature three new amateur reviewers each week; each critic would pick a favorite restaurant and review it, then review the picks of the other two reviewers,'' the Tribune's Christopher Borelli has written.

The producer called Barack Obama, a state senator at the time. Obama chose Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop in Hyde Park. They shot in August 2001-- but the episode was shelved. It will be revived, however, for the program's 100th episode on Jan. 16, days before Obama's inauguration as the 44th president.

Why the nearly eight-year delay? Both Producer David Manilow and then-host Amanda Puck remember Obama's debut as a restaurant critic: He was "too good--too thoughtful, too articulate, not enough of an amateur. He ended up dominating the conversation,'' Borelli notes.

"It was unbalanced," Manilow said, "to put it charitably."

by Frank James

Reports that President-elect Barack Obama intends to make Leon Panetta director of the Central Intelligence Agency not only surprised some key Capitol Hill Democrats but left them questioning the former congressman and Clinton Administration official's bona fides for the post.

For instance, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who will be the new chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, didn't sound pleased. As CNN reported:

(CNN) -- Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Senate's incoming Intelligence committee chair, slammed President-elect Barack Obama's choice of Leon Panetta as director of the CIA Monday.

"The President-elect will now have a chance to make his arguments," the spokesman said. "Her next move is to listen."

by Frank James

As one of those who felt badly for President-elect Barack Obama that he was going to be made to give up his Blackberry, I have to say yesterday's report that his Twitter account was compromised seemed to prove the point made by those who worry that his use of the latest communications technology could be problematic for security and legal reasons.

As was reported on Twitter's blog Monday morning:

This morning we discovered 33 Twitter accounts had been "hacked" including prominent Twitter-ers like Rick Sanchez and Barack Obama (who has not been Twittering since becoming the president elect due to transition issues). We immediately locked down the accounts and investigated the issue. Rick, Barack, and others are now back in control of their accounts.

I assume the Sanchez mentioned is CNN's on-air personality. It's a little odd that the posting's author mentioned Sanchez before, say, the next president of the U.S. But set that aside.

by James Oliphant and Christi Parsons

Barack Obama insists America has only one president at a time. But for the next two weeks, this city shows all signs of hosting two - working a mile apart along Pennsylvania Avenue.

On Day One of President-elect Obama's tenure in Washington, the Democrat has introduced a new leader's sense of urgency - meeting with legislative leaders of both parties and promising "a genuine partnership.''

There is, of course, still a sitting president, George W. Bush, consumed with the crisis unfolding in Gaza. But events at the White House Monday served as a backdrop, the final days of a show near its end.

For Obama, the day brought a full dress rehearsal for the role he assumes formally in two weeks, his first full working day since moving to Washington from Chicago over the weekend.

The First Family to-be has taken up residence at the historic Hay-Adams hotel, just one block north and a leafy park apart from the White House. And Monday, they started settling into their new life: Michelle Obama dropped daughters Malia and Sasha off at their new school, Sidwell Friends, a private Northwest Washington enclave that has educated the children of other presidents such as Chelsea Clinton.

The president-elect, meanwhile, working from a transition office a mile from the White House, paid a call on Congress to lobby for his massive economic stimulus plan and later met with his team of economic advisors. And, while Obama has appeared at times reluctant to embrace the trappings of his new office since winning election in November, there was no mistaking the look of the motorcade that rolled toward Capitol Hill Monday morning amid applause, waves and popping flashbulbs.

by Frank James

Andrew Cordesman, one of the Washington's top national-security experts, asks and attempts to answer some questions on a lot of people's minds right now: how does the fighting in Gaza stop and what can the U.S. do to help end it?

He calls the crisis a "strategic liability" for the U.S. since it places the U.S., viewed as Israel's strongest ally, at odds with so much of world opinion, especially but not only in the Arab world. And whatever differences in Mideast policy the global population had hoped from a President Obama, are quickly being dashed by the consistency of U.S. policy across administrations.

A snippet from his analysis:

Hard-line Islamist extremist movements, the Hezbollah and Iran, and other opponents of the US have all begun to capitalize on the fighting. Moreover, moderate Arab governments have become targets as well as the US. This pushes such Arab regimes - which have no more love for Hamas than Israel and the US to distance themselves from the US as well as support of Fatah and the peace proposals of the Arab League. It also puts new pressure on Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations.

By John McCormick

Barack Obama is taking another Chicagoan with him to the White House and this one happens to be his wife's former boss.

A transition aide said this afternoon that Susan Sher will be named associate counsel to the president. Sher is now a vice president for legal and government affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she is also general counsel.

The aide said Sher's duties will include providing legal advice to future First Lady Michelle Obama and working on legal issues associated with health care policy.

Michelle Obama had been on unpaid leave of absence at the medical center for all of 2008 as she helped her husband campaign for the presidency. She had worked there as a vice president for community and external affairs.

Sher, who previously worked for Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, also is close to Valerie Jarrett, an Obama family friend who will serve as a senior adviser to the future president.

From 1993 through 1997, Sher was corporation counsel for the City of Chicago, where she reported to the mayor and was responsible for representing the city on all legal matters. From 1989 through 1993, she was the city's assistant corporation counsel.

Sher had also worked at the Chicago law firm of Mayer Brown & Platt, where she specializing in labor and litigation. She is a graduate of the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law and serves on a variety of community boards and task forces.

Her community service has included serving as a past chair of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, where both of Obama's daughters had attended until their move to Washington this week.

(Photo provided by the Obama Transition Office shows President-elect Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama getting their daughters Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, ready for their first day of school in Washington, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Obama Transition Office, Callie Shell)

by Frank James

If ever there were two little girls who seem perfect for their role as First Kids, it's got to be Malia and Shasha Obama. We're talking central casting. We're talking child stars.

They seem completely at ease with the concept that on their first day at a new school in a new city, there should be a photographer on hand to capture the send-off they received from their father, the president-elect of the United States.

It was off to Sidwell Friends today for them where they will immediately be at the top of the kiddie pecking order owing to how their father will be the only parent with control of the nation's nuclear arsenal and their residence in the most famous home in the U.S. Even a senator's kid can't measure up to that kind of status in a status-conscious town.

Politico.com has a story that examines what it's been like for past presidential scions who have gone to local schools. Sidwell Friends features prominently in the piece since it is a school accustomed to educating presidential progeny, having schooled Chelsea Clinton and the Nixon girls, among others.

by Mark Silva

President-elect Barack Obama, meeting with congressional leaders today, voiced a sense of urgency in his first of many sessions -- with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"The reason we are here today is because the people can't wait,'' Obama said this morning. "We have an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us.

"We are expecting a sobering job report at the end of the week,'' he said. "The speaker and her staff have been extraordinarily helpful in working with our team so we can shape an economic investment and recovery plan that will start to put people back to work. And I can't think of a better partner in building what is necessary to get this economy back on track than Speaker Nancy Pelosi who has just been an extraordinary advocate for working people all her life.''

Pelosi (D-Calif.) said: "It is a great honor and personal privilege to welcome you to the Speaker's office. Tomorrow we will start a new Congress.

"We will hit the ground running on initiatives, some of which you have described and address some of the pain being felt by the American people,'' she said. "And then two weeks from tomorrow we will inaugurate a new president of the United States.

"As the president-elect indicated, the construction is underway right now,'' Pelosi said. "At that time we hope to have signed into law legislation that will improve the lives of the American people. It's a very very exciting time. We pledge to work together in a bipartisan way.''

Pelosi promised: "great civility, great fiscal discipline.''

Obama also meets today with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and later this afternoon joins bipartisan leaders of both houses in a session on Capitol Hill.

(AP Photo/Jim Cole)

by John McCormick

Former Chicago Tribune photographer Pete Souza will be the top official photographer in Barack Obama's White House, a transition aide confirmed this morning.

Souza, 54, was also a White House photographer during President Ronald Reagan's time in office. He has been teaching photojournalism at Ohio University after leaving the Tribune's Washington Bureau in 2007.

"Pete is great person and a wonderful photographer," said Robert Gibbs, the incoming White House press secretary and someone who has interacted with Souza since 2005. "The White House is lucky to have him back again."

Souza first met Obama in January 2005 when the now president-elect was being sworn into office as the junior senator from Illinois. He documented Obama's first year in office as part of a multi-part series for the Tribune that included trips to Africa and Russia.

Souza later compiled the photos in a best selling book called "The Rise of Barack Obama."

During Obama's presidential bid, Souza traveled with the campaign on several occasions to capture some final images for the book and his portfolio.

by Frank James

As his inauguration to be the nation's 44th president draws closer, President-elect Barack Obama is gaining the trappings of the Oval Office occupant.

There was the hard-to-miss presidential seal on the door of the aircraft that carried him to Andrews Air Force Base just outside Washington last night.

Indeed, the fact that he was flown into Andrews was another sign of how he is being gradually surrounded by the accoutrements that come witn the presidency. As was the saluting Air Force officers who greeted him as he descended the jet stairs. Or the armored limousine, no longer the SUV used in Chicago, that whisked him from Andrews to the hotel near the White House where his family is setting up housekeeping until they can move into the White House on Jan. 20.

Perhaps we actually can have more than one president at a time. Maybe it's more like one and a half.

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama apparently plans on including more than $300 billion in tax cuts in his expected mega stimulus bill of at least $775 billion over two years, according to news reports.

The move is meant to give the incoming Obama Administration the ability to fend off Republican charges that they are typical tax-and-spend Democrats. The tax cuts will allow Obama to better defend his right flank, as it were, from congressional Republicans who have proposed that any stimulus plan be heavily weighted towards tax cuts. See the plan proposed by House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner last fall.

What's more, the tax reductions would redeem the president-elect's campaign promise of a middle-class tax cut.

As the Tribune's Peter Nicholas reported wrote a week ago:

President-elect Barack Obama's top advisors ... wouldn't back away from a promise to cut taxes on the middle class and raise them for the wealthiest Americans, as they made the case for a massive new stimulus package geared toward reviving the slumping economy.

According to the New York Times:

President-elect Barack Obama plans to include about $300 billion in tax cuts for workers and businesses in his economic recovery program, advisers said Sunday, as his team seeks to win over Congressional skeptics worried that he was too focused on government spending.

by Frank James

My first thought on hearing that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had asked President-elect Obama to drop his nomination as Commerce Secretary because of a federal probe into possible pay to play activity in Richardson's office was "Uh-oh, don't tell me Obama has some pay-to-play curse that will be following his presidency like a hungry stray dog."

The scandal involving Gov. Rod Blagojevich in Illinois is, of course, about the governor's alleged pay-to-play activities including the charge in a federal criminal complaint that he sought to auction off Obama's vacant Senate seat. First Illinois, now New Mexico. You're almost afraid to ask what state comes next?

My follow-up thought was that Richardson's move obviously calls into question the quality of the, ahem, "vetting process" that the Obama team conducted. How did Richardson, an old baseball player, ever to first base with a huge problem like this hanging out there?

As it turns out, the Obama people are reportedly saying they asked Richardson's people about the probe but were evidently stone-walled.

That seems like reason enough for Obama to have told Richardson "don't call us, we'll call you." Who would have blamed the president-elect? Even Latino groups would have been hard pressed to defend Richardson, one of their own, under such circumstances.

by Mark Silva

In a little more than two weeks, the presidential military aide will travel to the Capitol with President George W. Bush carrying codes for America's nuclear defenses, and later that day the military aide will leave the Capitol with President Barack Obama.

The handoff of power around high noon on Jan. 20 is one of the great ceremonies of the American political order.

And this inauguration, installing the first African-American in the presidency, with as many as 3 million people expected to overrun the National Mall from the Capitol end to the Lincoln Memorial end, could prove to be one of the grandest. Obama, who will check into the Hay-Adams Hotel one block from the White House on Sunday, plans to take the oath of office on Jan. 20 with the inaugural Bible of Abraham Lincoln.

The voice of Aretha Franklin should help make it all soar

Our friends at Top of the Ticket remind us of the ceremony at hand with the official schedule for the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama, the full name by which the son of an American woman and Kenyan man will take the oath of office. It all starts at 10 am EST in Washington on the west front of the Capitol:

-- Musical Selections: The United States Marine Band, followed by The San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

-- Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

-- Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren of California.

-- Musical Selection: Aretha Franklin.

-- Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will be sworn into office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the Honorable John Paul Stevens.

-- Musical Selection: John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet).

-- President-elect Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln's Inaugural Bible, administered by the Chief Justice of the United States, the Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.

-- Inaugural Address.

-- Poem: Elizabeth Alexander.

-- Benediction: The Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery.

-- The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters"

After President Obama gives his Inaugural Address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol's Statuary Hall. The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House with groups traveling from all over the country to participate.

Later that day, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host 10 official Inaugural Balls.

by Mark Silva

As he heads to Washington this weekend, President-elect Barack Obama already has built an image as a strong and decisive leader - winning the highest marks on this score since Ronald Reagan.

Seventy-six percent of Americans surveyed by CNN/Opinion Research Corp. call Obama a strong and decisive leader.

"That's the best number an incoming president has gotten on that dimension since Ronald Reagan took office in 1981," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland says.. "The public's rating of his leadership skills is already as high as George W. Bush's was after 9/11 and easily beats the numbers that both Bush and Bill Clinton got at the start of their first terms in office."

Eight in ten Americans say Obama " inspires confidence, can get things done and is tough enough to be president, three characteristics Americans look for in a leader and the three qualities on which Obama got his highest scores,'' CNN reports.

"It is Obama's ability to inspire confidence and the perception that he is tough enough for the job that may be most important for him as the country faces fresh challenges abroad and a historically harsh economic downturn," Holland says.

The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey of 1,013 adults was conducted December 19-21, and carries a possible margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released December 26 showed that 75 percent of those surveyed were happy to see President Bush leave office.

Obama, finishing a family vacation in Hawaii, plans to move to Washington this wekeend, settling into the Hay-Adams Hotel a block from the White House, so that his two young daughters -- second and fifth-graders -- can start school at Sidwell Friends. The Obamas will move to Blair House on Jan. 15, and into the White House on Jan. 20.

(President-elect Barack Obama after his morning workout at the Semper Fit Center on Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kailua, Hawaii, today. AP Photo by Gerald Herbert)

by Peter Nicholas and updated

Fresh from his Hawaiian vacation, President-elect Barack Obama will leave behind his home and transition office in Chicago and make his move to Washington, D.C., this weekend.

But he won't be staying put for long.

Soon after he is sworn in Jan. 20, the new president is expected to travel outside of Washington to make the case for the massive stimulus package that he hopes will revive the weak economy.

Obama is coming to Washington a couple of weeks early to accommodate his two young daughters, who are to start school at the private Sidwell Friends in Washington next week.

The 44th president likely will be staying in a Washington hotel at least until Jan. 15 , when he moves into Blair House, the official residence for visiting dignitaries located across the street from the White House.

Obama had wanted to move up his stay at Blair House, but was told by the Bush White House that pre-scheduled receptions prevented him from moving in early.

"Tells you what a tony place it is - you can't get in!'' said David Axelrod, the president-elect's chief strategist.

The scheduling difficulties "are not a source of consternation'' for Obama, he added. "I'm confident he'll have a roof overhead.''

by Mark Silva

"Obama's Army'' remains on active reserve duty, according to the findings of a Pew Research Center survey.

And many of the troops are waiting for their text-message assignments.

Many of those who were active in the campaign of the president-elect "expect to remain engaged with the incoming Obama Administration and mobilize others in support of his agenda,'' Pew reports:

 62 percent of Obama voters expect that they will encourage others to support the new administration's policies during the upcoming year.

 48 percent expect to do so in person, 25 percent expect to do so over the phone, and 16 percent expect to promote the new president's agenda to others on the Internet.

 Among Obama voters who were involved online during the campaign, 25 percent say they plan to mobilize support for the administration's policies by using the Internet.

 Nearly half (46 percent) of all Obama voters expect to hear directly from the new president or other officials as the incoming administration takes office.

 34 percent of Obama-supporting email users expect direct email communication from the new administration.

 11 percent of cell-phone texters expect to receive text messages from the new administration.

"The election may be over, but these voters want to hear directly from their leaders and they hope to remain part of the action," says Aaron Smith, research specialist with the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. "They plan to be in direct contact with the administration and then carry those conversations back to their fellow citizens. This is a new kind of personal democracy."

The findings are based on a survey of 2,254 adults conducted between Nov. 20 and Dec. 4 and carries an overall margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Some 1,591 are Internet users, which makes their margin of error three points.

by Mark Silva

Has Barack Obama got game on the golf course?

It's hard to tell, standing back as far as the "protective pool'' does. But the reporters assigned to the president-elect's Hawaiian vacation have reported seeing the Illinoisan on the links. The report on at least one of Obama's putts was not so promising.

President Bush gave up golf - despite the fact that President Clinton planted one champion designer-green on the South Lawn of the White House (it's a hole in one from the Truman Balcony) - with the outgoing president suggesting that Americans didn't want to see their president teeing off while American men and women are at war.

President-elect Obama vows to end the war - at least the one in Iraq. So in the weeks before inauguration, he appears to be working on his game.

Obama "chafes under the constant gaze of the so-called 'protective pool,' the gaggle of media representatives allowed to follow his every move almost everywhere just in case, well, you can guess,'' as our colleague Andrew Malcolm at the Top of the Ticket notes. "It's, frankly, not the greatest duty for media folks either. You can spend seven hours waiting outside a house party sitting in a hot van and never see anything the officeholder is doing. Nothing to show for a day's 'work.'"

Here's a sampler from Monday's protective pool report of Obama's third round of vacation golf:

"At 5:37 p.m. the pool could see Obama get out of his golf cart and approach his ball located in the middle of the fairway on the 414 yard, par 4, 18th hole. He took three practice swings before centering the ball and hitting a shot that flew low and straight for about 75 yards before landing at the front, center-edge of the green.

"More than 100 people sitting on a rock wall along the fairway applauded as Obama approached and he put his gloved right hand to his mouth to signal for quiet, pointing to another member of his group who was getting ready to shoot. As he got close to his ball, (Obama) turned to the crowd and said 'Hey guys. That was pretty good right? That almost made up for my 20 yard drive.'

"That drew applause and laughter and prompted one member of the crowd to shout, 'Better than your bowling.'

by Mark Silva

Before President-elect Barack Obama makes good on any New Year's resolution to give up smoking for good, the next commander-in-chief may want to consider the benefits of nicotine.

So says a health-blogger at the Wall Street Journal.

"With Barack Obama readying himself to take on what will be quite a high-stakes and stressful job, are we sure we actually want him to quit smoking?'' Sarah Rubenstein asks.

"We put in a call to Neal Benowitz of the University of California, San Francisco, an expert in nicotine addiction,'' she reports. "He told us that there is evidence that stopping smoking can cause irritability, slowed reaction time, or difficulty concentrating and solving problems. But that's typically in heavy smokers -- people who've smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day.''

There's little evidence that that occasional smokers like Obama, who has admitted to falling off the wagon once in a while, experience the same sorts of impairments without cigarettes, Benowitz told the Journal's Health Blog.

"I'm not so concerned about Obama," he said. "I'm sure there might be a time when he wants to sneak out to the Rose Garden and have a cigarette. I'm not really sure it helps him think better, but if he thinks that and it's an occasional cigarette, it's not going to do much to him."

So hold that resolution, perhaps -- 60 percent of all Americans surveyed say they won't be making any big changes next year.

And hold the ash trays - we don't want anyone setting the Rose Garden on fire either.

by Peter Nicholas

President-elect Barack Obama's top advisors say they won't back away from a promise to cut taxes on the middle class and raise them for the wealthiest Americans, as they made the case for a massive new stimulus package geared toward reviving the slumping economy.

Speaking on Sunday talk shows and in a newspaper opinion piece, Obama aides stepped up a drive to build a broad political consensus behind Obama's core economic proposals: a two-year spending package that could exceed $775 billion, coupled with tax policies weighted in favor of the middle class.

Appearing on NBC's Meet the Press, David Axelrod, a senior advisor to Obama, said, "We have to act. Every economist from left to right agrees that we have to do something big in terms of job creation, but we want to do it in a way that will leave a lasting footprint."

Obama wants lawmakers to give him a stimulus bill to sign soon after he is sworn in Jan. 20.

Writing Sunday in the Washington Post, Lawrence H. Summers, Obama's incoming director of the White House National Economic Council, said the bleak economic climate called for substantial new spending.

"Economic forecasts have been revised significantly downward over the past several months; today, many experts believe that unemployment could reach 10% by the end of next year," Summers wrote. As of November, unemployment stood at 6.7 percent.

Summers added: "In this crisis, doing too little poses a greater threat than doing too much."

See the rest of the report on Obama's plans for his promises from Tribune's Washington Bureau in the newspapers.

By John McCormick

HONOLULU - President-elect Barack Obama is using his holiday radio address to remember the nation's troops serving overseas and those at home struggling amid a troubled economy.

"Many troops are serving their second, third, or even fourth tour of duty," Obama says in a recording scheduled to air on radio stations on Saturday. "This holiday season, their families celebrate with a joy that is muted knowing that a loved one is absent and sometimes in danger."

Obama, who is vacationing on his native island of Oahu, also talks about the missed memories of those away from home.

"In towns and cities across America, there is an empty seat at the dinner table," he says. "In distant bases and on ships at sea, our servicemen and women can only wonder at the look on their child's face as they open a gift back home."

With a weak economy, Obama says there is a need for collective sacrifice.

"That is why this season of giving should also be a time to renew a sense of common purpose and shared citizenship," he says. "Now, more than ever, we must rededicate ourselves to the notion that we share a common destiny as Americans."

Obama says that is the spirit that will guide his administration.

"If the American people come together and put their shoulder to the wheel of history, then I know that we can put our people back to work and point our country in a new direction," he says. "That is how we will see ourselves through this time of crisis, and reach the promise of a brighter day."

The full-text of Obama's radio address is below the jump.

by Frank James

The Obama transition team report on its contacts with Gov. Rod Blagojevich' or the governors' office has been released and, as has been telegraphed for days by the Obama team, it exonerates President-elect Obama and his aides from the pay-to-play scandal surrounding the governor.

One of the report's key passages asserts:

The accounts support your statement on December 11, 2008 that you "have never spoken to the Governor on this subject [or] about these issues," and that you "had no contact with the
Governor's office." In addition, the accounts contain no indication of inappropriate discussions
with the Governor or anyone from his office about a "deal" or a quid pro quo arrangement in
which he would receive a personal benefit in return for any specific appointment to fill the
vacancy.

One member of the transition staff, Rahm Emanuel, did have contacts of the type covered by
your request. I discuss the nature of those contacts in the attached report. David Axelrod and
Valerie Jarrett, two other individuals on the transition staff, did not have any contacts with the
Governor or his office but are included in the report to address questions raised by the press.

by Frank James

The Muslim Public Affairs Council has clued us in to where to find the video of Rev. Rick Warren's speech last weekend to the organization, a response to critics opposed to President-elect Barack Obama choice of Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

It's worth watching to get the full context of Warren's remarks and to study his laid back, conversational approach to speechmaking which is quite entertaining and effective. Small wonder he's one of the nation's most successful evangelical preachers.

by Jill Zuckman and John McCormick

WASHINGTON - Vice President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that a report due out this afternoon will show "no inappropriate contact" between Barack Obama's presidential transition team and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Blagojevich has been accused of putting Obama's Illinois Senate seat up for sale to the highest bidder, as well as putting a price tag on other state government appointments and services.

"I don't think there is anything to exonerate," Biden told reporters following an economic briefing. He said the report will show "there has been no inappropriate contact between any member of the Obama staff or transition team with Blagojevich."

Obama told his staff to review all internal contacts with Blagojevich and his staff, which is scheduled to be released late this afternoon while the president-elect is vacationing in Hawaii.

Obama has said he was eager to release the report, but was asked not to do so by federal prosecutors.

"It's a little bit frustrating," he said last week. "There's been a lot of speculation in the press that I would love to correct immediately...By next week you guys will have the answers to all your questions."

by Frank James

Photos of President-elect Barack Obama on his Hawaiian vacation are probably causing a lot of people to promise themselves that they will return to the treadmill to burn off more calories. That is, just as soon as the holiday season is over. Those daily gym sessions are clearly having the desired effect.

The Daily Mail, a British newspaper, has a story with more pictures and a great headline: "Obama shows off his war chest..."

by Frank James

George Stephanopoulos broke some news today when he reported that his former fellow Clinton White House colleague Rahm Emanuel was cleared by an investigation by Greg Craig, the former Clinton White House lawyer, into contacts the Obama transition team had with Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office (so far as we know Blago had no role in the Clinton Administration even though the former president and Blago both have a thing for Elvis, thank you very much.)

As Stephanopoulos reports in his blog (he also said this on "This Week" this morning:

Sources tell me that the Obama team's review of contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will show that Rahm Emanuel had only one phone conversation with Blagojevich.

The contact, described as a "pro-forma" courtesy call, came as Emanuel was named Chief of Staff for Obama. Most of the discussion concerned Emanuel's Congressional seat (which had previously been held by Blagojevich), with only a "passing reference" to the Senate vacancy, according to these sources. No deal for the Senate vacancy was discussed.

by Frank James

If politics were a beach, President-elect Barack Obama would be kicking a little Al Gore sand onto President Bush today.

In his Saturday web address to the nation, the next president, in announcing the completion of his White House science team, says his administration will be marked by a respect for scientific inquiry even when the truths it reveals are "inconvenient."

Obama said in part:

Because the truth is that promoting science isn't just about providing resources--it's about protecting free and open inquiry. It's about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's inconvenient--especially when it's inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States--and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work.

Former Vice President Gore has spent recent years castigating Bush and his administration for ignoring scientific results that didn't fit with their conservative worldview, a critique that culminated in Gore's Oscar-winning movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and in his winning a Nobel Prize.

It was a criticism made by many others that appeared to be borne out by reporting by journalists.

Those days are over, Obama was essentially saying.

DC Inauguration Video 121808 from Daniel R. Odio on Vimeo.

by Frank James

Smartphone owners intending to visit Washington for the Obama inaugural (that probably narrows the field of all inauguration visitors to around one million people right there) may want to check out a free phone application I just learned about.

Using your phone's GPS functionality, the ap allows visitors to navigate around the nation's capital by foot or Metro train, make restaurant reservations, find free-wifi locations, know where they are in relation to inaugural parties, the whole shebang,

The ap's creators also envision adding functions in time for the inauguration to alert users to where longest waiting times are so they can avoid crowds at museums etc, or report on emergencies. And they hope to include a feature that will let people submit and read each others' reviews of restaurants, bars etc.

The ap comes courtesy of Qorvis, the public-relations firm; Patton Boggs, the law firm, and PointAbout, a software maker. For them, it represents an excellent opportunity to get their brands in front of potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city.

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama welcomed President Bush's decision to approve a $17.4 billion bailout for the Detroit Three automakers but warned the companies that the American people's patience was running low and urged them not to waste the grace time they've received to restructure their businesses in order to avoid bankruptcy.

In his last press conference before heading to Hawaii for the Christmas holidays, Obama also indicated that his planned economic stimulus would be massive as has been rumored.

Though he declined to name a dollar figure, the president-elect didn't deny reports that it could be as much as $1 trillion. Acknowledging that the amounts being contemplated were enough to raise the concerns of taxpayers, including himself, he said he was struck by the consensus of economists that a stimulus had to be "bold" to be effective and was the priority, given the economy's deteriorating condition.

As he spoke with reporters, Obama was accompanied by some of the last members of his cabinet to be named, House members Hilda Solis, a California Democrat, and Ray LaHood, an Illinois Republican, who were named to head the Labor and Transportation departments, respectively.

Obama also named Ron Kirk, Dallas's former mayor, to be U.S. Trade Representative and Karen Mills, a Maine venture capitalist, to head the Small Business Administration.

In discussing the auto bailout, Obama never mentioned Bush. It was a noticeable omission, especially since the president has said specifically that one of the reasons he decided to approve spending money out of the $700 billion bank rescue fund was so Obama wouldn't be greeted on his first day of office with the collapse of the auto industry.

Obama seemed intent on sending a signal to auto makers that they should not delay making any hard choices in the hope of getting better terms from his incoming administration.

And in a nod to the organized labor members in his Democratic party base, he emphasized that he wanted all of the auto makers' stakeholders -- management, labor, suppliers, creditors and bondholders -- to bear the pain of the expected restructurings. The president-elect made clear that he would find unacceptable any package of concessions that required relatively more from labor than from other stakeholders.

"I do want to emphasize to the big three automakers and their executives that the Americans -- people's patience is running out, and that they should seize on this opportunity over the next several weeks and months to come up with a plan that is sustainable," Obama said. "And that means that they're going to have to make some hard choices."

The helmet camera of astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper shows her tool bag as it floats away from the International Space Station. She lost hold of it when when a grease gun inside it exploded. NASA/Associate Press.

by Frank James

Who knew that with a pair of binoculars you could see a tool bag flying through space in earth orbit? And this tool bag is turning out to be for NASA what the $400 hammer was to Pentagon as a symbol of insane overspending by a government agency.

Because this tool bag with a few commonplace tools in it cost NASA $100,000.

Mark Matthews and Robert Block of the Tribune write about how NASA spending ways are being examined by Obama's transition team as a way to try and get some of those cost cuts the president-elect is looking for in order to help pay for his health-care plan.

Most nights it's possible to look skyward with a pair of cheap binoculars and see a $100,000 mistake circling the Earth. The glowing object -- an orbiting NASA tool bag -- was lost last month by an astronaut during a routine spacewalk.

Of 74 questions submitted to the agency by Obama's NASA transition team, more than half asked about basic spending issues, including cost overruns.

by Frank James

Rep. Hilda Solis of the Los Angeles-area is reportedly President-elect Barack Obama's choice for Labor Department secretary and the raves are coming in.

Labor likes her a lot (no surprise there. A pick this important would have been run by organized labor beforehand.) Here's a statement from AFL-CIO president John Sweeney:

We're thrilled at the prospect of having Rep. Hilda Solis as our nation's next labor secretary. We're confident that she will return to the labor department one of its core missions - - to defend workers' basic rights in our nation's workplaces. She's proven to be a passionate leader and advocate for all working families - - in fact, she's voted with working men and women 97 percent of the time. The AFL-CIO looks forward to working with Rep. Solis as she charts new territory for our nation's working men and women.

Andy Stern of the Service Employees International Union or SEIU had this to say:

"As someone who has pounded the pavement knocking on doors for Hilda Solis in her first upset campaign in California, I can tell you firsthand that this woman is about opening doors for millions of Americans who get up and go to work each day.

by Andrew Zajac

The William J. Clinton Foundation this morning posted a list of donors who have given nearly $500 million to the ex-president's charity.

As expected, there are large dollops of money from China, India and various countries in the Middle East, setting the stage for further discusssion about whether Hillary Clinton can be an honest broker in global hot spots where one side or other has contributed to her husband's foundation.

by Frank James

At his press conference this morning, President-elect Barack Obama addressed the criticism of his liberal supporters who are outraged that he asked well-known evangelical preacher Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif, to deliver the invocation at his inaugural.

OBAMA: It is important for America to come together, even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues.

Because that's what America is about. That's the (inaudible) and the magic of this country is that we are diverse and noisy and opinionated. And so that's the spirit in which we have put together what I think will be a terrific inauguration.

by Christi Parsons and James Janega

CHICAGO--Decrying a lack of "adult supervision" in American society, President-elect Barack Obama this morning vowed to try and clean up the worlds of politics and finance and called on others to take seriously their own responsibility to "operate honorably."

Part of the solution is looking for common ground, he said, as when he asked the evangelical conservative Rick Warren - with whom he differs on some key social issues - to give the invocation at his inauguration.

"We're not going to agree on every single issue," Obama said in a morning news conference. "What we have to do is create an atmosphere where we can disagree without being disagreeable, and focus on those things we hold in common."

People are feeling frustrated by a mentality governed by the principle that, as he put it, "Whatever is good for me, I do."

The homily came at the end of the formal announcement of three key members of his economic team, a panel he says he is charging with the mission of overhauling the financial regulatory system.

Obama named Mary Schapiro, current head of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, to serve as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He appointed former Treasury official Gary Gensler to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Georgetown law professor Dan Tarullo to serve as a governor on the Federal Reserve Board.

by Frank James

Well, that didn't take long.

The congressional committee putting together the inauguration earlier this afternoon announced that the program for President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural would include an invocation by Rick Warren, the celebrity preacher at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

People for the American Way, one of the best known liberal advocacy groups in the nation's capital, is letting it be known it's not happy with this choice.

An excerpt of a PFAW statement attributed to Kathryn Kolbert, the group's president:

It is a grave disappointment to learn that pastor Rick Warren will give the invocation at the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Pastor Warren, while enjoying a reputation as a moderate based on his affable personality and his church's engagement on issues like AIDS in Africa, has said that the real difference between James Dobson and himself is one of tone rather than substance. He has recently compared marriage by loving and committed same-sex couples to incest and pedophilia. He has repeated the Religious Right's big lie that supporters of equality for gay Americans are out to silence pastors. He has called Christians who advance a social gospel Marxists. He is adamantly opposed to women having a legal right to choose an abortion.

This reaction isn't surprising. But for Obama, making a statement about his inclusiveness and willingness to reach across ideological lines is more important than satisfying liberals on every issue as he has shown with his cabinet choices.

In fact, PFAW's reaction may help Obama with some centrist and more conservative voters.

by Frank James

Now that the Illinois Supreme Court decided to put coal in Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's Christmas stocking, rebuffing her call for the court to essentially bar Gov. Rod Blagojevich from filling the state's empty Senate seat, all eyes turn back to legislature which started impeachment proceedings earlier this week.

The Supreme Court was always a long shot. Courts generally don't like to insert themselves in fights between the executive and legislative branches, especially when a state constitution or, on the federal level, the U.S. constitution prescribe other means for dealing with the conflict.

In this case, impeachment is the prescribed and lengthy process for the state to deal with Blagojevich, the subject of a criminal for allegedly trying to auction the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson has the few details available on the court's action today on the Clout Street blog.

SPRINGFIELD---The Illinois Supreme Court today rejected Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan's attempt to have disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared unable to hold the office of Illinois chief executive, court officials said.

The high court, without comment, denied Madigan's attempt to file a complaint with justices arguing Blagojevich's fitness to serve. The court also rejected Madigan's attempt for a temporary restraining order, aimed at preventing him from using state law to appoint a U.S. Senate replacement for President-elect Barack Obama.

by Frank James

The congressional committee handling the arrangements for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration has released the program for the event which will include famous entertainers like Aretha Franklin, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman and a couple of well-known preachers, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

There'll be two childrens' choruses from San Francisco (Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, a former mayor of that city, chairs the committee) the U.S. Marine Band and the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters. It looks like musical groups from the other services didn't make the cut.

The poet will be Elizabeth Alexander, a finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize.

Lowery may prompt a bad flashback for President Bush. It was the now 86-year old preacher who castigated Bush's policies at Coretta Scott King's funeral two years ago as Bush sat only a few feet away.

Here's the committee's press release:

For Immediate Release
Dec. 17, 2008

JCCIC ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL PROGRAM

"I am delighted to announce this superb line-up of participants in the 2009 inaugural ceremonies," said Senator Feinstein. "The inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama will be an event of historic proportion. It is appropriate that the program will include some of the world's most gifted artists from a wide range of backgrounds and genres."

by Mike Dorning
updated

Peoria Republican congressman Ray LaHood will be nominated Transportation Secretary for the Obama Administration, Republican and Democratic sources said today.

A spokesman for the Obama transition team declined to comment and LaHood's office did not immediately return phone calls.

The nomination of LaHood would fulfill Obama's promise to name a Republican to his cabinet with an ideological moderate who has a well-established reputation for bipartisanship and efforts to encourage civil discourse in Congress. Though Obama has asked Bush Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to remain in the cabinet, Gates is a registered independent.

LaHood, a long-time staff aide to the affable then-House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.) who took his boss's seat when Michel retired, was elected along with a tide of Republicans led by Newt Gingrich. But he did not follow the same highly partisan path that characterized the class elected with him.

Among those LaHood maintained a friendly relationship with over the years is White House chief of staff- designate Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), whose aggressive style infuriated many Republicans but whom LaHood praised publicly for competence and pragmatism.

by Mike Dorning and James Janega

Barack Obama told reporters today to wait until he's out of town on Christmas vacation in Hawaii for answers to questions on his advisers' dealings with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Asked at a press conference moments ago about how he squared his commitment to transparency in government with the tight-lipped response he and his advisers have had to questions about their dealings with the scandal-tarnished governor, Obama said that it has been "frustrating" to maintain silence but that the questions will be answered next week--which happens to be when he will be in Hawaii on break.

"It's a little bit frustrating. There has been a little bit of speculation in the press that I would like to correct immediately. We are abiding by the request of the U.S. Attorney's office," Obama said. "But it's not going to be that long. By next week, you guys will have the answers to all of your questions."

As Obama spoke, his political advisor David Axelrod and chief of staff designate Rahm Emanuel watched from the margins of the room. Axelrod stood motionless, hands on hips, a frown partially hidden by his moustache and his attention laser-focused on Obama as he spoke. Emanuel, who was checking a message on his Blackberry when the question was asked, smiled in faint amusement, put the Blackberry away and watched the rest of Obama's response with his legs crossed at his ankles, arms crossed and a single finger pressed across his lips. He was still smiling.

by Frank James

President Bush has been determined to make his transition to President-elect Barack Obama an unalloyed success. One day, historians may paraphrase Shakespeare in saying nothing became Bush's presidency like his leaving of it.

To that end, Peter Baker of the New York Times reports that the Bush White House is to an unprecedented degree leaving cheat sheets for the incoming administration on how to handle a wide range of emergencies that could arise early in the presidency.

The New York Times reports:

WASHINGTON -- The White House has prepared more than a dozen contingency plans to help guide President-elect Barack Obama if an international crisis erupts in the opening days of his administration, part of an elaborate operation devised to smooth the first transition of power since Sept. 11, 2001.

The memorandums envision a variety of volatile possibilities, like a North Korean nuclear explosion, a cyberattack on American computer systems, a terrorist strike on United States facilities overseas or a fresh outbreak of instability in the Middle East, according to people briefed on them. Each then outlines options for Mr. Obama to consider.

Then Sen. Barack Obama at the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Ill., April 2005. (Chicago Tribune photo by Pete Souza.)

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama really has a thing for Abraham Lincoln.

The latest manifestation of what appears to be his Lincoln envy is the way Obama intends on arriving in Washington for his inaugural, by train via Philadelphia and Baltimore, just like Lincoln. There's been no mention of whether the president-elect will be wearing a stove-pipe hat.

Of course, Lincoln was sneaked through Baltimore because of credible reports of a conspiracy against his life. As we have seen since then, the protection afforded a president has so improved that a U.S. president can even go into hostile territory as President Bush just did when he went to Iraq and, given the right preparations, be safeguarded from most threats except perhaps a pair of size 9 shoes.

In Obama cabinet appointments, there has been the whole Lincolnesque "team of rivals" theme and Obama has returned to the Lincoln language repeatedly, saying we must "think anew" and "act anew."

For us Lincolnphiles, the attachment is understandable. Lincoln was the gold standard for presidents. For Obama, who adopted Lincoln's Illinois as his home state, who worked in Lincoln's Springfield and who has that special feeling, dare I call it love? for Lincoln possessed by so many African Americans down too present day, it would be hard not to feel a deep connection to Father Abraham.

Lincoln is owed a debt of gratitude the country will never be able to repay. By referencing him so often, Obama appears to be trying to do his part at repayment.

But is it possible for Obama to take his personal passion for Lincoln too far?

by Frank James

It looks like Illinois will continue to have one senator, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, for weeks if not longer.

It's clear that embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich won't step down. And why would he? That $177,000 governor's salary, which only a few weeks ago looked puny to him, now must look especially bountiful, given the bleak prospects he faces if he resigns.

So it stands to reason he will hang on as long as he can just to collect the paycheck and to have a "thing of value," as U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald might say, with which to bargain with prosecutors later on for a lesser criminal penalty if he chooses to work with Fitzgerald.

If Illinoisans want to pry him out of the governorship, it looks increasingly likely that they will have to impeach him. The Illinois legislature started that process yesterday, but it could take weeks if not longer for that to play out.

What a weird turn of events for Illinoisans. They have the pride of having the next president be one of their own.

by Frank James

Bowling's popularity has been falling for years which means the bowling industry is constantly on the hunt for opportunities to promote itself to a public which is increasingly moving on to other recreational pursuits.

So after President-elect Barack Obama won the White House, bowling-industry officials clearly had an epiphany. Combine Obama's famously bad bowling (gutter balls) during a presidential campaign stop and the outdated White House bowling alley and maybe there's a public-relations opportunity.

Barack Obama bowling at the Pleasant Valley Bowling Center in Altoona, PA in March 2008. (Chicago Tribune photo by Zbigniew Bzdak)

Thus, bowling-industry types have a modest proposal for Obama. As a gift to the American people, they will completely renovate the current White House bowling alley which dates back to the Nixon era and looks like it, transforming it into a high-tech video-game era family entertainment center where he can practice his bowling technique.

(Aging White House bowling alley.)

by Frank James

How much should the Obamas and their supporters party to mark his inauguration and how much should be spent considering the anguish so many families are experiencing because of the economy?

That's the implicit question in a story by Richard Simon and Jill Zuckman of the Tribune Washington bureau. Obviously, winning the presidency is reason for anyone to celebrate, especially the first African American president.

But too much celebrating and free-spending runs the risk of seeming uncaring or tone deaf to the nation's current mood.

So many inaugural party planners are trying to strike a balance, although not all are.

From the sound of it, Michigan intends to have a subdued, cost-conscious event that reflects the less-than-celebratory mood in that state. Indiana is another matter.

by Mike Dorning

The Obama transition office notified reporters moments ago that it will not release information on contacts that Obama staff members had with advisers to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich until next week.

Obama Transition Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said in a statement that the Obama team delayed release of the information at the request of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.

"At the direction of the President-elect, a review of Transition staff contacts with Governor Blagojevich and his office has been conducted and completed and is ready for release. That review affirmed the public statements of the President-elect that he had no contact with the governor or his staff, and that the President-elect's staff was not involved in inappropriate discussions with the governor or his staff over the selection of his successor as US Senator," Pfeiffer said in the statment.

"Also at the President-elect's direction, Gregory Graig, counsel to the Transition, has kept the US Attorney's office informed of this fact-gathering process in order to ensure our full cooperation with the investigation," the statement continued.

"In the course of those discussions, the US Attorney's office requested the public release of the Transition review be deferred until the week of December 22, in order not to impede their investigation of the governor. The Transition has agreed to this revised timetable for release," Pfeiffer added.

by Richard Simon and Jill Zuckman

As Washington gears up for a big night of inaugural balls, a delicate dance is taking place. Planners want to stage a splashy celebration worthy of the historic moment but are doing it in the midst of tough economic times, perhaps even as President-elect Barack Obama calls for sacrifice in his inaugural address.

"Anything too flashy or expensive, and the new presidency starts off on the wrong foot," said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington watchdog group. "It would be difficult to call for sacrifice on the one hand and toast with Dom Perignon in the other."

Linda Douglass, spokeswoman for the inaugural committee, says planners are preparing for the most open, accessible, inclusive inauguration in recent history, noting that the National Mall will be open to anyone, regardless of whether they have a ticket.

Still, a debate rages on.

"This is no time to party," Janett Calland of Ohio, whose husband was recently laid off, wrote on www.presidential-inauguration.com. "It would be a real impressive gesture for President-elect Obama and Mrs. Obama to elect to cancel parties and balls considering the state of the economy of our country at this time. ... The masses are financially hurting, but the 'money crowd' is eating caviar and drinking champagne."

Donald Baker of Kentucky replied: "Obama shouldn't be denied his moment of celebration. ... Lord knows the man is going to have his hands full enough soon."

See the rest of the story aobut the Obama inaugural tone, in the Tribune and here:

by Mark Silva

The "unanswered questions'' -- as the Republican National Committee and others are calling them -- will continue to haunt President-elect Obama and staff in the sordid case of the Illinois governor accused of attempting to sell Obama's Senate seat.

Until Obama, and his staff, answer them.

While Obama maintains that he had no conversations with Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich about the appointment, Obama's chief of staff has refused to say what talks he may have had.

It's important to remember that federal prosecutors, who have accused Blagojevich of dialing for dollars with his power of appointment over the seat that the junior senator from Illinois left after election as president, have implicated neither Obama nor his staff in the Blagojevich scandal.

But Emanuel did have conversations with Blagojevich's administration about who would replace Obama in the Senate, the Chicago Tribune has learned.

"The revelation does not suggest Obama's new gatekeeper was involved in any talk of dealmaking involving the seat.,'' the Tribune's Bob Secter has written. "But it does help fill in the gaps surrounding a question that Obama was unable or unwilling to answer this week: Did anyone on his staff have contact with Blagojevich about his choice for the Senate seat?''

These are questions that Obama and staff will continue to face this week, as the president-elect continues rolling out the remaining members of his Cabinet. The work of assembling that Cabinet is nearly finished, with Obama and family planning to leave for a Chistmas vacation in a week. Seems like a good week to answer all those questions.

by Mark Silva

Actress Sharon Stone and entertainer Jamie Foxx are among the big early donors to President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural committee, according to the first accounting from a committee that already has raised nearly $10 million for the festivities.

They each gave the maximum accepted, $50,000.

Financier George Soros and four family members also have contributed a combined total of $250,000. Among the donors identified - those contributing more than $200 per person - the inaugural committee reports that 169 gave the maximum of $50,000 42 gave $25,000.The committee is not accepting contributions from corporations, political action committees, labor unions,federally registered lobbyists, non-U.S. citizens or registered foreign agents,

But the committee is selling four-day packages of four tickets for the historic swearing-in plus festivities surrounding the Jan. 20 inauguration for $50,000.

This is scaling things back, by comparison: President Bush charged $250,000 for a similar package, with more events and contact with the president and vice president.
The Obama National Finance Committee is spreading the word about the. package to friends and associates. "We've been waiting for this day for eight years," committee member Michael Caplin told The Associated Press.

. "The 4-ticket Inaugural Package offered by the Presidential Inaugural Committee costs $50,000," Caplin wrote in an e-mail to supporters. It includes a nightclub performance on Jan. 17, brunch the next morning ands nighttime VIP seating at a concert that probably will take place at the Lincoln Memorial. On Jan. 19, it includes candlelight dinners around town with members of Congress and drop-ins by the Obamas

The Associated Press contributed.

by Christi Parsons

New York City housing commissioner Shaun Donovan is the choice for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the incoming administration, President-elect Barack Obama announced this morning.

The role of HUD will be crucial in the days and months to come, Obama said, praising Donovan's record on on expanding access to affordable housing.

Donovan brings "fresh thinking" to the job, "unencumbered by old ideology and outdated ideas," Obama said in his weekly radio address this morning. "He understands that we need to move past the stale arguments that say low-income Americans shouldn't even try to own a home or that our mortgage crisis is due solely to a few greedy lenders."

More families can own their own homes "so long as we're making loans in the right way," Obama said, "and so long as those who buy a home are prepared for the responsibilities of homeownership."

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama has frequently reminded the nation that there's only one president at a time. And he and future first lady Michelle Obama just received some proof of that.

The Bushes declined their request to move into Blair House, the official White House guest house, on Jan. 5 so that the Obama daughters can start school at Sidwell Friends at the start of the year. The Obamas don't get to move into the White House until Jan. 20.

As the Associated Press reports:

CHICAGO (AP) -- President-elect Barack Obama asked the White House if his family could move to Washington earlier than normal, but aides say the White House couldn't give them the official guest house as early as his family wanted.

The Obamas had asked White House officials to move into Blair House about two weeks before the traditional date so their two daughters could start their new school when classes resume Jan. 5. Obama aides say the White House told them that the request cannot be met because the current administration still has plans for the historic government home across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.

by Frank James

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, appearing on MSNBC's Morning Joe said President-elect Barack Obama erred by not putting out the key points on his campaign's dealings with Gov. Rod Blagojevich immediately, and making the story last distract his transition longer than it would have otherwise.

Politico.com captures the main thrust of Rendell's comments:

Now, he said, the story will continue to dominate the media's attention.

The criminal complaint essentially exonerates Obama and his staff, Rendell said, because it quotes Blagojevich as saying the president-elect would offer him nothing but appreciation for appointing Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett to the position.

by Josh Meyer

The logistical nightmare formally known as the 56th Presidential Inaugural became ever more clear today when a bevy of local, state and federal authorities invited the media over for a ``pen and pad'' briefing on what to expect when the multitudes descend on Washington for the swearing-in of the nation's first African-American president, Barack Obama.

The answer, for the most part, was that even the inauguration security and logistics planners themselves have no idea what to expect. And they admitted that they are still scrambling to devise even some of the most fundamental parts of their transportation, security and response plans.

To be sure, evidence was presented that suggested intensive and significant planning has been underway in the months leading up to the Jan. 20 event, which is now 39 days away.

Malcolm Wiley, the chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee's public affairs subcommittee, said 23 specialized panels have been established to deal with the minutiae of everything from dissemination of information to the public to explosives issues and even air and space management.

``All of us here at the table understand that this is a historic event,'' said Special Agent Wiley, an agency spokesman, who was flanked by officials from nearly a dozen agencies involved in some aspect of inauguration day planning. Numerous other agencies are involved, but did not have representatives in attendance.

Because the inauguration has been designated as a National Special Security Event, the Secret Service assumes its role as the lead federal agency for the design and implementation of the operational security plan.

John McCormick (see the Clout Street blog for updates of this post.)

President-elect Barack Obama said today that he hasn't been contacted by federal authorities in their investigation of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and is "confident" none of his staff engaged in deal-making on the U.S. Senate seat he once held.

With the national spotlight focused on the Blagojevich scandal following the governor's arrest Tuesday, Obama tried to explain to the nation the political culture in his home state of Illinois.

"I was appalled and disappointed by what we heard in those transcripts," the president-elect said. "Here in Illinois, as I think is true across the country, there is a tradition of public service where people are getting in it for the right reasons and to serve. But there's also a tradition where people view politics as a business."

Obama also once again suggested Blagojevich should step aside as governor.

"We have to reclaim a tradition of public service that is about people and their lives and their hopes and their dreams, and it isn't about what's in it for me. And I think the public trust has been violated. Let me absolutely clear, I do not think that the governor at this point can effective serve the people of Illinois," Obama said.

The president-elect reiterated his staff's statements Wednesday regarding federal allegations that Blagojevich tried to sell Obama's former U.S. Senate seat to enrich himself and his family.

"I have never spoken to the governor on this subject. I am confident that no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat. I think the materials release by the U.S. attorney reflect that fact," Obama said. "I've asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the governor's office about this vacant seat, so that we can share them with you over the next few days."

Later, Obama added: "But what I'm absolutely certain of is that our office had no involvement in any deal-making around my senate seat. That, I'm absolutely certain of. That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about. And that's not how we do business."

by Frank James

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. held a Capitol Hill press conference to assert that he didn't participate in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged scheme to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Jackson, who's been openly interested in the seat, said he had no idea Blagojevich didn't plan on choosing Obama's replacement based on credentials but rather on what federal prosecutors allege was Blagojevich's desire to essentially auction the seat to the highest bidder.

Jackson has been identified as "Senate Candidate Five" in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich and his top aide John Harris. The complaint has Blagojevich saying that SC5 promised to raise $1 million for Blagojevich if he was named to the open Senate seat.

Jackson said:

I did not initiate or authorize anyone at any time to promise anything to Governor Blagojevich on my behalf. I never sent a message or an emissary to the governor to make an offer, to plead my case or to propose a deal about a U.S. Senate seat, period.

Clearly, I was badly mistaken. I did not know that the process had been corrupted. I did not know that credentials, that qualifications, that a record of service meant nothing to the governor. I did not know that the governor and his cronies were attempting to use the process to extort money and favors in a brazen pay-to-play scheme.

by Frank James

President-elect Barack Obama's first comments on the arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on corruption charges left something too be desired, according to Robert "Mike" Duncan, the Republican National Committee's chair:

"Leaders of both political parties have a responsibility to clearly condemn the actions by Governor Rod Blagojevich as alleged by federal prosecutors today. Americans expect strong leadership, but President-elect Barack Obama's comments on the matter are insufficient at best. Given the President-elect's history of supporting and advising Governor Blagojevich, he has a responsibility to speak out and fully address the issue."

By Jim Tankersley and Andrew Zajac

It's a quote likely destined for political infamy: A Senate seat, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich allegedly said, "is a (expletive) valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing."

But if federal prosecutors' allegations are true, Blagojevich was set to give one away for far less than market value.

The feds arrested Blagojevich today on corruption charges including allegations that he put a "for sale" sign on the former Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama. The criminal complaint prosecutors filed today, based heavily on taped conversations between the governor and his aides, lists several potential price tags floated by Blagojevich and co. It includes a cabinet appointment, up to $1 million in campaign contributions and lucrative employment for the governor and his wife.

by Frank James

So do you still get to pick the Senate replacement for President-elect Barack Obama if you've been arrested on federal corruption charges as Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was today?

Some pretty stunning allegations are being made by federal prosecutors, including U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. According to a story on the Chicago Tribune's Breaking News site:

On the issue of the U.S. Senate selection, federal prosecutors alleged Blagojevich sought appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the new Obama administration, or a lucrative job with a union in exchange for appointing a union-preferred candidate.

Blagojevich and Harris, along with others, obtained and sought to gain financial benefits for the governor, members of his family and his campaign fund in exchange for appointments to state boards and commissions, state jobs and state contracts.

by Mark Silva

The man who has won the White House will meet today with the man who fell 537 votes of winning the White House, yet a man who shares a Nobel Prize for his work on climate control. One is hot, hot hot at the moment, the other intent on averting global warming.

President-elect Barack Obama's meeting in Chicago today with former Vice President Al Gore comes in a week of expected announcements of the next elements of Obama's leadership team. He has announced the economic team, and the national security team. Now comes the green team.

Watch for Energy and Interior secretaries this week, and perhaps a new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Dont watch for Gore in the lineup, though.

Gore, who is on his way this week to Poland to meet with delegates from 190 countries debating a new global climate-change treaty, has said that he can probably be more effective as an advocate for the environment as a private citizen. He will meet today with Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden to discuss energy and climate change and how to make policies on those fronts tools for improving the economy.

The massive public works program that Obama will propose -- seeking 2.5 million new jobs over the next couple of years -- will include projects that make Americans more energy efficient in the process of employing people: Installing meters that provide an accurate and current reading on energy consumption and savings, installing new insulation and roofs. The three plan to issue a statement after their meeting.

Think of it as a few former senators sitting around brainstorming. Think anyone might talk about the Sunshine State in the process, the place where Gore fell just a few hundred votes shy of becoming the 43rd president and where Obama racked up a 2.5 percentage point lead in the amassing of the electoral mandate that made him the 44th?

Not likely.

The talk at the transition team's table today is more likely to turn toward glacial melting than electoral landslides. And this is a remarkable discussion, near the end of an administration that rode that disputed Florida election in 2000 to victory and took the better part of eight years to acknowledge that man might have something to do with global warming. It' may be a Red, White and Blue Christmas at the Bush White House this season, but Obama will soon be painting the place green.

(Photo of Al Gore, 2007 Noble Peace Prize Laureate , receiving an honorary doctorate at Waseda University in Tokyo in November, by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)

by Frank James

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell was up at Harvard University last week talking about the importance of intelligence when he dropped a little tidbit I hadn't seen before.

"It's quite a thrill for someone to be able to go in and sit down and speak with the president of the United States every day. We do it six days a week. The president-elect is doing it seven days a week. I don't know if there's a little competition there or not - (laughter) - but it's seven days a week. And the sessions last somewhere between 30 minutes to almost an hour. And the subjects are absolutely incredible. The speed with which these two particular gentlemen absorb information and move on is astounding. But we go through a great deal of substance on any topic you can imagine in the context of national security or potential threats to the United States."

Apparently with Obama, there's no day of rest when it comes to daily intelligence briefings.

by David G. Savage

Undaunted by election results on Nov. 4, several persistent plaintiffs have pursued lawsuits asserting that President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to hold the office of president because he is not an "natural born citizen." Their claims were rejected in lower courts, but they have filed motions and appeals at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Q: What do these suits say?

A: One filed by Philip Berg, a lawyer in Lafayette Hill, Pa., asserts that Obama was born in Kenya, even though he has a birth certificate from the state of Hawaii showing he was born there on August 4, 1961. A second, by Leo C. Donofrio of East Brunswick, N.J., asserts that neither Sens. John McCain nor Obama were natural born citizens.

"Even if it were proved (Obama) was born in Hawaii," he was not a "natural born citizen," Donofrio says, because Obama's father was born in Kenya. But under U.S. law, persons born in the U.S. are natural born citizens.

Berg sued Obama, while Donofrio sued New Jersey's secretary of state. Initially, the suits sought a court order to remove Obama's name from the ballot. Since early November, they have lodged appeals and motions saying courts should intervene to block Obama from becoming president.

Q: How have these suits fared?

by Frank James

President Bush evidently tries to keep a sense of humor about his low popularity with most of the American people.

In Philadelphia Saturday to attend the annual football classic, the Army-Navy Game, Bush also made a stop at the venerable Union League Club on Broad Street where his portrait of him was unveiled to go along with those of the other presidents.

He opened his remarks by saying:

Good morning. Welcome to my hanging. (Laughter and applause.) Thank you for coming and thank you for your warm welcome.

by John McCormick

Following an interview broadcast Sunday morning where he repeatedly tried to brace the country for more tough times ahead, President-elect Barack Obama sought to inject some optimism about the future as he introduced his selection for Veterans Affairs secretary in Chicago.

"I am absolutely confident that if we take the right steps over the coming months that not only can we get the economy back on track, but we can emerge leaner, meaner and ultimately more competitive and more prosperous," he said.

The statement came as Obama introduced a fellow native of Hawaii and early skeptic of Iraq war strategy as his pick for Veterans Affairs secretary at a new an afternoon news conference.

Retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki's appointment puts in place a former Army chief of staff who was a leading doubter of the Bush administration's early war planning.

Obama said he would call on Shinseki to cut red tape in the agency and work for full funding of health care benefits for veterans.

"We have a sacred trust to repay a favor, the favor that they have done us," Obama said. "For many of today's troops and their families, the war does not end when they come home. Far too many are suffering from the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Obama noted this being Pearl Harbor Day as he appeared with Shinseki at the Hilton Chicago.

Caroline Kennedy waves to the crowd after stumping for then Sen. Barack Obama at the Wilkes University student center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Kristen Mullen, The Citizens' Voice)

by Frank James

It's easy to understand some of what must be tugging on Caroline Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy's daughter who, according to reports, is considering seeking the Senate seat from New York being vacated by Sen. Hillary Clinton, President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be his secretary of state.

A Kennedy has served in the Senate since 1952 when her father was first elected to the body, with only a brief interruption after JFK was elected president.

But her uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy has an incurable brain cancer and is 76. The easiest way to ensure that the Kennedy Senate tradition continues would be for her to have New York Gov. David Patterson appoint her to fill the seat.

Of course, the seat being vacated by Clinton was once occupied by Kennedy's other uncle, Robert F. Kennedy, so that's quite possibly another draw.

by Frank James

William Ayers continues his post-election fight to set the record straight after the recent presidential campaign in which he was labeled a terrorist by the McCain-Palin team.

Today, it's on the op-ed page of the New York Times. The Chicago educator, whose acquaintance with President-elect Barack Obama became a major issue, wrote:

I never killed or injured anyone. I did join the civil rights movement in the mid-1960s, and later resisted the draft and was arrested in nonviolent demonstrations. I became a full-time antiwar organizer for Students for a Democratic Society. In 1970, I co-founded the Weather Underground, an organization that was created after an accidental explosion that claimed the lives of three of our comrades in Greenwich Village. The Weather Underground went on to take responsibility for placing several small bombs in empty offices -- the ones at the Pentagon and the United States Capitol were the most notorious -- as an illegal and unpopular war consumed the nation.

Peaceful protests had failed to stop the war. So we issued a screaming response. But it was not terrorism; we were not engaged in a campaign to kill and injure people indiscriminately, spreading fear and suffering for political ends.

by Peter Wallsten

President-elect Barack Obama today pledged to launch the biggest public works program since the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950s as part of his plan to create millions of new jobs and stem an economic tailspin that is growing worse by the day.

"We need action -- and action now," Obama said in a weekly address broadcast on radio and posted as a YouTube video.

His comments came the day after the government announced that 533,000 jobs had been lost in November - the worst monthly job loss report in 34 years. The address marks the latest effort by the incoming president to shape events and build momentum for his agenda weeks before he takes office.

Obama aides and Democratic lawmakers hope that a new economic stimulus plan, which could cost as much as $700 billion, will be passed by Congress in January so that Obama can sign it into law within hours or days of his inauguration on January 20.

The plan, as Obama laid it out today, would include massive investments in roads and other infrastructure programs reminiscent of President Eisenhower's highway program that employed millions of people and cost tens of billions of dollars. Obama said he would compel states to move quickly on construction projects or risk losing the help from Washington.

"We will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s," he said. "We'll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we'll set a simple rule - use it or lose it. If a state doesn't act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they'll lose the money."

by Peter Nicholas and Janet Hook

President-elect Barack Obama is crafting a financial stimulus plan far more ambitious than a quick cash infusion, viewing it as a way to create jobs in a struggling economy and push the nation toward improved healthcare and roads and clean energy.

In hopes of attracting a share of the billions of dollars in stimulus money, special interests and industry representatives have been meeting with the Obama team and recasting their proposals for federal funding as engines of economic recovery.

In private discussions with Obama's transition aides, interest groups are hearing that the president-elect wants proposals that could employ people right away.

Congressional leaders say a stimulus plan could cost $400 billion to $700 billion -- figures the Obama team does not dispute. Those numbers dwarf anything the House had been considering before Obama's victory. In recent years, federal stimulus packages sometimes amounted to giving Americans checks, with a goal of stoking consumer spending.

But Obama hopes to launch a stimulus program that helps drive the agenda of his presidency: improving the nation's power grid in ways that reduce carbon emissions and cut energy costs, shoring up roads, bridges and tunnels, and computerizing medical records so that doctors have up-to-date information on patients.

For the rest of the Tribune Washington Bureau's advance look at elements of Obama's economic stimulus plan in the works, see the rest of the report appearing in weekend newspapers:

Theresa Cao speaks about President-elect Barack Obama's proof of U.S. citizenship outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday Dec. 5, 2008. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

by Frank James

No announcement today from the Supreme Court about whether it will hear what I call the Obama-isn't-a-natural-born-citizen-so-he-can't-be-president lawsuit, officially known as Donofrio v. Wells.

As I wrote yesterday, Justice Clarence Thomas had the case listed for the justices' Friday conference where the court's members, among other orders of business, decided what cases to hear arguments on.

Donofrio wasn't announced as one of the two cases the court decided to take. Scotusblog has details on the cases.

I'm told by a Supreme Court watcher that the lack of an announcement doesn't mean the court definitely won't hear Donofrio although he thinks it's safe to say its unlikely the court won't hear the case. The full orders aren't due until Monday.

So we'll just have to stay tuned.

By Christi Parsons and John McCormick

A Chicago native and longtime friend and aide to Barack Obama is being named chief of staff to Valerie Jarrett, the Chicago businesswoman and real-estate developer who will be Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison.

Michael Strautmanis first came to know the Obamas when he worked as a paralegal for Michelle Obama at the Chicago law firm Sidley & Austin.

In Obama's U.S. Senate office, he served as an ambassador of sorts to key Democratic constituencies, such as African-American leaders, unions and other liberal interest groups.

During the presidential campaign, he played a similar role as a liaison between the campaign and members of Congress, other political leaders and groups.

Strautmanis practiced complex litigation and employment law in Chicago, before joining the Clinton Administration at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He also served as legislative director and counsel to then Rep. Rod Blagojevich, and helped the now troubled Illinois governor win election in 2002.

Jon Favreau (L) and unidentified friend with Sen. Hillary Clinton cutout. (from the Washington Post "44" blog.)

by Frank James

A colleague tipped me to a Washington Post posting from the "44" blog which reports on an incident which is like something from a "West Wing" episode.

As the WaPo's Al Kamen writes, Jon Favreau, 27, who President-elect Obama has named his speechwriting chief, did something really dumb at a party:

... Some interesting photos of a recent party he attended -- including one where he's dancing with a life-sized cardboard cut-out of secretary of state-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and another where he's placed his hand on the cardboard former first lady's chest while a friend is offering her lips a beer -- popped up on Facebook for about two hours. The photos were quickly taken down -- along with every other photo Favreau had of himself on the popular social networking site, save for one profile headshot.

by Christi Parsons and John McCormick

A prominent Chicago lawyer who was one of Barack Obama's top fundraisers will be appointed to run the Office of Public Liaison for the White House, the Tribune has learned.

The formal appointment of Tina Tchen, a law partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, is expected to be announced in the near future.

Tchen raised between $200,000 and $500,000 for Obama's presidential bid, according to his campaign's web site. She was also active with his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate.

The office promotes presidential priorities through outreach to concerned constituencies and public interest groups. This includes planning White House briefings, meetings, and large events with the president, vice president and White House staff.

Tchen, who has been with her law firm since 1985, has broad litigation experience in state and federal courts. She has worked on cases involving shareholders, intellectual property, constitutional matters, insurance, real estates and breach of contract.

by Frank James

At a time when we're desperately searching for things to laugh about, especially with the economy swooning, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has given us something to smile about.

Who could not like the story about her repeated phone hang ups on President-elect Barack Obama and his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel? She didn't want to be played for a fool by what she thought were impersonators who would air her gullibility on a radio show, as happened to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

So she hung up. Again and again. She has since apologized.

A lot of people are evidently more upset about this than Obama was. Her office has been fielding numerous angry callers who believe she hung up on Obama intentionally, according to an Associated Press story. Presumably, her staff isn't hanging up on those callers.

by John McCormick and Mike Dorning

As he hosted a gala celebration for some of his earliest and most loyal financial supporters Thursday evening, President-elect Barack Obama's aides released new information showing the magnitude of their feat: They raised nearly $1 billion for his campaign and other election-related efforts.

The stunning total includes already recorded and estimated fundraising for his campaign, national convention, transition and upcoming inauguration.

That sets a new and dramatically higher bar for future presidential candidates, radically changing the financial definition of a serious bid for the White House.

Roughly three-quarters of the money Obama raised was directly channeled to his campaign, a marathon that lasted nearly two years and ushered in an unprecedented level of national fundraising using old-school techniques as well as a cutting-edge, Internet-based operation.

A disclosure report filed late Thursday showed Obama raised $111 million from Oct. 16 through Nov. 24.

That brings his campaign total receipts to $770 million, easily more than the combined fundraising for the 2004 election by President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

by Mark Silva

There's no Diet Obama yet.

But the Classic Obama -- with "change we can believe in'' promised right on the soda-pop can -- is one Paris entrepreneur's way of raising some money to raise the hopes of the poor French, or the French poor at least.

Jean-Jaques Attisso says Obama's election has given hope to the disadvantaged, and he hopes that sales of his soda will help the down-trodden around the perimeter of Paris -- with a share of the profits pledged to help fund housing for the needy.

Pop goes the Obama can-top, ushering in a new era perhaps in Franco-American relations. This is a far cry from "Freedom Fries'' -- the next frontier: Sarkozy Soda in D.C.

by Frank James

The U.S. Supreme Court's justices will discuss at their Friday conference tomorrow the Obama's-not-a-natural-born-citizen lawsuit known as Donofrio v. Wells.

As Chicago Tribune reporter James Janega writes:

The suit originally sought to stay the election, and was filed on behalf of Leo Donofrio against New Jersey Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells.

Legal experts say the appeal has little chance of succeeding, despite appearing on the court's schedule. Legal records show it is only the tip of an iceberg of nationwide efforts seeking to derail Obama's election over accusations that he either wasn't born a U.S. citizen or that he later renounced his citizenship in Indonesia.

In one of those delicious ironies that makes life so interesting, the justice who distributed the case to his colleagues was none other than Clarence Thomas, only the second African American to sit on the high court. I can only assume the justice saw some potentially interesting legal issue in the lawsuit.

by James Oliphant

Barack Obama still wants your money. But now you can get something back -- just in time for the holidays!

According to his website, a donation of $15 or more will place this "limited edition" coffee mug in your hot little hands.

What makes it a "limited edition?" Well, it's uh, black. And it has the words "Obama" on it. Other than that, it looks like a rather garden-variety coffee mug. Couldn't it be shaped like Joe Biden's head or something?

(I may save my money for the Sarah Palin limited edition ammunition belt.)

For a donation of $200,000 or more, Bill Clinton will come over and pour the coffee himself.

by Frank James

First Lady Laura Bush had the media in the residence part of the White House today to show off the holiday decorations, discuss her and President Bush's plans for the holidays, their impending return to Washington and the tour they gave the White House's next occupants, the Obamas.

Among the nuggets she divulged.

-- The presidential family intends to be "careful" in its gift-giving this year (Sorry Jenna and Barbara) to reflect the mood in the country. it will be more a time for family members to enjoy each other's company that to give gifts.

-- The money saved instead will go towards the family's likely post-White House house purchase in Dallas.

-- When Mrs. Bush showed Michelle Obama the family quarters, she pointed out a window in the First Lady's dressing room that allows the first lady to spy, I mean, look down on the Rose Garden and the Oval Office to see what the president is doing.

-- They actually make brie cheese in Texas, some of which will be on the menu at the White House holiday receptions this year. (Is there a good Texas Chardonnay as well?)

by Frank James

Darn those open mikes. The latest politician to learn that a mike must always be assumed to be live is Pennsylvania's very garrulous Gov. Ed Rendell who by now has probably placed a call to fellow Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano to apologize for a comment that could hurt a sensitive person's feelings.

As the Associated Press reports:

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell was picked up on an open microphone saying Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano is a perfect fit for Homeland Security secretary because she "has no family."

Rendell press secretary Chuck Ardo says Rendell meant no disrespect to Napolitano and would have made the same comment if the candidate was a man.

(Rendell photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

by Frank James

At the recently completely press conference at which President-elect Barack Obama officially named Gov. Bill Richardson his choice for Commerce Secretary, Obama called on Fox News's White House reporter.

The interchange was interesting for a few reasons. One, some observers had thought that Obama might be freezing out the news channel known for its conservative bent. Ed Schultz, the progressive radio host, said yesterday he hoped Fox never got to ask a question.

But Obama called on Wendell Goler, Fox News's reporter, ending that conspiracy theory.

After being called on, Goler thanked the president for calling on him. The reporter then asked one serious and one not-so-serious question.

What would Obama's reaction be if Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. dipped into the second half of the $700 billion bailout funds even before Obama is sworn in? And Goler's light-hearted question directed to Richardson: "What happened to the beard?"

by Frank James

Someone took the time to morph all the faces of the 43 presidents and the one president-elect, into each other. It's interesting because it graphically makes a point made so often since Election Day and that will likely be made for a long time going forward, that President-elect Barack Obama gives the presidency a strikingly new and different look.

Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" as a soundtrack wouldn't have been my choice. A better choice might have been a loop of the musical introduction of Aaron Copeland's "A Lincoln Portrait." Or how about "Hail to the Chief?"

by Frank James

There are apparently still people who don't believe President-elect Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and hold therefore that he's ineligible to be president. And they are willing to spend time and money to make their case.

As Tribune reporters Sara Olken and James Janega write:

An anti-tax activist from upstate New York who is questioning whether President-elect Barack Obama is a "natural born citizen" eligible for the nation's top job said Tuesday that his non-profit group spent "tens of thousands of dollars" to get his message across in ads in the Chicago Tribune this week.

The ads echo accusations circulated online by some Obama opponents before the election. Cases challenging Obama's citizenship have been tossed out of local courts in several states, and Hawaiian officials have vouched for the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate, which is locked in a state vault. The Obama campaign likewise has always dismissed the accusations.

The Olken/Janega piece goes on to debunk the claims that Obama isn't a natural-born citizen, mentioning that some journalists have actually seen and held Obama's actual birth certificate.

by Christi Parsons

PHILADELPHIA--The nation's governors came to tell their tales of economic woe, and president-elect Barack Obama was ready with an offer to ask them to help draft the national economic recovery plan.

After convening almost a complete set of the state executives today, Obama pledged "action, and action now" to address the budget shortfalls expected in no less than 41 states this year or next.

"As president, I will not simply ask our nation's governors to help implement our economic recovery plan," Obama told an assembly of 48 governors gathered in historic Congress Hall. "I will ask you to help design that plan. Because, if we're listening to our governors, we'll not only be doing what's right for our states, we'll be doing what's right for our country."

The pledge is easier said than accomplished. Twenty states have cut $7.6 billion from their fiscal year 2009 budgets, the National Governors Association reports. Thirty states say they are expecting additional shortfalls of more than $30 billion.

But after recent years of tenuous relationships with the Bush administration, several governors -- mostly Democrats, as is Obama -- say they are hopeful the incoming president will take their counsel as he crafts his economic recovery plan.

They, in turn, promised to help Obama promote his proposal to the American people.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity you're affording the nation's governors to have input on something that we believe is crucial to beginning the process of turning this country's economy around," Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told Obama.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson waves at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Aug. 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

by Frank James

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson will be named President-elect Barack Obama's Commerce Secretary at a Chicago press conference tomorrow.

Richardson will become the first Hispanic named to Obama's cabinet. It will be Richardson's third go round in a presidential cabinet. The 61-year old was both United Nations ambassador and Energy Secretary during the Clinton administration.

Many political observers had expected Richardson to be named the nation's first Hispanic Secretary of State. Many Hispanics had expected as much too, as a reward for their strong support for Obama on Election Day.

Richardson's experience at the UN and his proven skills negotiating with dictatorial regimes, for instance, North Korea, made him appear to be a real contender. The notion that Richardson wind up at State grew even stronger when he dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary and threw his support to Obama, angering many Clinton supporters in the process. After all that, it appeared that Obama would owe him something major.

But when it became clear that Sen. Hillary Clinton was Obama's choice for top U.S. envoy, the word went out that Richardson was likely to be at Commerce.

by Mark Silva

The nation's governors are not going with "hat in hand'' to President-elect Barack Obama at a special summit in Philadelphia today, says one.

But, yes, they are looking for some money.

As Obama meets with most of the nation's governors today in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, chairman of the National Governors Association, says this is not a question of the governors going begging to the incoming president - "We're not coming with our hat in hand,'' he said today in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe.

The governors are seeking is three things, he says:

-- "Help for our citizens,'' with continuing unemployment benefits and food stamps and the like in the midst of continuing layoffs.

-- The production of some new jobs, with a federal road- and bridge-building public works programs.

-- And "some help financially'' for state-supported programs such as Medicaid, which people are turning to for help.

"This economy is causing more people to come to us for safety net programs,'' Rendell said.

So maybe that's not a hat in their hands. More like a wheelbarrow.

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)