Administration -- Now Comes The Hard Part

January 21, 2009

by Faiz Shakir, Amanda Terkel, Satyam Khanna, Matt Corley, Benjamin Armbruster, Ali Frick, Ryan Powers, and Brad Johnson

ADMINISTRATION

Now Comes The Hard Part

Yesterday, under bright skies and before an estimated crowd of more than a million people gathered on the National Mall, Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office to become the 44th President of the United States. President Obama marked the historic occasion with a somber but stirring inaugural address, telling America that the "challenges we face" -- real, many, and serious -- "will be met."After eight years of conservative misrule in a complex and changing world, the United States faces war, recession, the climate crisis, and systems of health care and education that continue to fail too many Americans. Obama declared these ills not just a "consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some" but also "our collective failure to make hard choices." He repeated a common theme of his candidacy -- that good government alone is not sufficient to restore America's promise. Instead, "the faith and determination of the American people" set the course of the nation. "Starting today," Obama said, "we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

'THE WORK OF REMAKING AMERICA': The Bush administration was marked by a near-ideological adherence to irresponsibility. The dismissal of facts, the failure to plan, and the elevation of politics over competence, led to a host of problems that now consume this nation. Repeatedly, Obama obliquely rebuked the legacy of the previous office-holder. Obama pledged to change the course of government, saying that "our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed." He pledged to "restore science to its rightful place" -- after eight years of "concerted assault" on the environment and inaction on global warming. Obama rejected "as false the choice between our safety and our ideals" -- in contrast to Bush, who personally authorized torture. And he signaled a new course in foreign policy, telling the Muslim world that "we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

'THE PRICE AND THE PROMISE OF CITIZENSHIP': In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Bush rallied the nation to continue shopping. In 2006, with recession looming, Bush asked the American people to "go shopping more." In a stark contrast, Obama defined his ideal of the "price and the promise of citizenship." He called for "a new era of responsibility," in which every American recognizes "that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and our world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task." In a service event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, "when a grateful nation emulates Dr. King's sacrifice and service to others," Obama explained his vision of shared responsibility. "If we're just waiting around for somebody else to do it for us, if we're waiting around for somebody else to clean up the vacant lot or waiting for somebody else to get involved in tutoring a child, if we're waiting for somebody else to do something, it never gets done," he said. "We're going to have to take responsibility -- all of us."

'THE SPIRIT OF SERVICE': Obama honored the men and women of the armed services "not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves," he said. Obama then argued that this spirit "must inhabit us all." this call to service is not new. In the early days of his presidential campaign, Obama "advocated a major expansion of the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other national service programs," and established a goal of "50 hours of community service per year for middle and high school students." For MLK Day, Obama asked "all Americans to make an ongoing commitment to better the lives of others." The Obama team established USAService.org, a website meant to be a clearinghouse for service opportunities. Over 11,000 service projects across the country -- "from working in homeless shelters and mentoring young people to assembling more than 80,000 care packages for our troops at a service event here in Washington, D.C." -- were organized on the site. As one volunteer in Albuquerque, NM, told reporters, "More people need to be aware that this isn't just six people building a fence, but instead a community coming together to say, 'All right we're getting involved, we're going to make a difference.'"

ADMINISTRATION -- OBAMA ORDERS HALT TO LAST-MINUTE BUSH REGULATIONS: Hours after being sworn in as America's 44th president, Barack Obama ordered "a freeze on new or proposed regulations at all government agencies and departments" made in the final months and weeks of Bush administration. A memo from White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said that every regulation would have to be reviewed by the department or agency head appointed by Obama. In some cases, however, Obama is too late. For example, "just six weeks ago, the Bush administration issued revised endangered species regulations to reduce the input of federal scientists and to block the law from being used to fight global warming." The rule went into effect before Obama took office, therefore requiring him "to restart the lengthy rulemaking process." For rules that have already taken effect, "the Democratic-controlled Congress might be able to help the Obama administration by using the Congressional Review Act, a legislative tool to bring new federal regulations under scrutiny," notes the AP. Obama will also act to overturn older Bush regulations; one of his first moves in office will be to reverse the "global gag rule" that "prevents federal money from going to international family planning groups that" provide abortion counseling or services.

IRAQ-- IRAQ IS WILLING TO HAVE U.S. WITHDRAW AT A FASTER PACE: In November, the Bush administration and the Iraqi government signed an agreement that would remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011. With the inauguration of President Obama, who has pledged to withdraw on a 16-month time frame, Iraqi government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh said yesterday that government officials support the U.S. leaving "even before the end of 2011." "The government-owned newspaper Al-Sabah reported Wednesday that Iraqi authorities have drafted contingency plans in case Obama orders a 'sudden' withdrawal of all forces and not just combat troops," the AP notes. "We are capable of controlling the situation in the country and we believe we have passed the worst," remarked the chairman of the Iraqi parliament's defense committee, Abbas al-Bayati. Today, Obama will meet with senior commanders to discuss the withdrawal from Iraq. Obama reaffirmed in his inaugural address Tuesday that he would "begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people."

JUSTICE -- FEDERAL JUDGE RULES CHENEY DID NOT INTEND TO ILLEGALLY DISCARD RECORDS: U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has lifted an injunction mandating the preservation of outgoing Vice President Cheney's records. A group of historians and nonprofit organizations -- including the American Historical Association, the Society of American Archivists, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington -- filed a joint lawsuit in September asking that Cheney's papers be made public. In her decision, which came on the eve of President Obama's inauguration, Kollar-Kotelly rejected the plaintiffs' claim that Cheney "intended to illegally discard some of his official records." While the Justice Department offered what Kollar-Kotelly called "constantly shifting arguments," that was not enough to undermine the testimony of Claire M. O'Donnell, a Cheney aide, who pledged that "key Cheney documents and other materials will be transferred as required to the National Archives." Stanley I. Kutler of the University of Wisconsin Law School and one of the plaintiffs in the case does not expect Cheney to comply with the law. "When the Archives goes to open Cheney's papers, they are going to find empty boxes," he said. "Why did he fight this order so much if he did not have the intent to leave with these papers?" The DOJ had previously argued, unsuccessfully, that the lawsuit was unconstitutional.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 4 percent of its value yesterday, falling below 8,000, while Nasdaq and the S&P 500-stock index both plunged more than 5 percent." The drop came "as fresh evidence mounted that the industry's problems are larger than previously understood, larger than the response so far mustered by the government and perhaps larger than the resources remaining in its rescue program."

The housing crisis "is likely to deepen further this year, with no broad recovery until at least 2010, according to a consensus of building-industry economists." Single-family-housing starts have dropped nearly 75 percent from their peak in 2005.

Yesterday, just hours after Obama was sworn in, the Senate approved seven of his nominees, including Steven Chu as Energy Secretary and Janet Napolitano as Homeland Security Secretary. The nomination of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State -- which is being held up by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) -- will be voted on today.

As one of his first acts in office, President Obama ordered a freeze on new or proposed regulations by the Bush administration at all government agencies and departments. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel issued a memo declaring that "no proposed or final regulation should be sent to the Office of Federal Register for publication unless and until" it is approved by the new administration.

Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from Gaza early this morning, redeploying to "the perimeter of the war-battered enclave, where more than 1,300 Palestinians died in the Israeli campaign against Hamas." Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, also died during the 22-day offensive.

Doctors reported that Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) was "feeling well" after suffering a seizure yesterday and being taken to the hospital. "Medical experts said a seizure in a brain cancer patient was not unusual and ordinarily had no serious consequences," and a hospital spokeswoman said Kennedy was "awake and answering questions." He is set to be released this morning.

President Obama is "strongly considering” appointing former Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME) as U.S. envoy to the Middle East. In a 2001 report on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Mitchell called for "Israelis to freeze construction of new settlements and stop shooting at unarmed demonstrators, and Palestinians to prevent attacks and punish those who perpetrated them."

Professor Neal Katyal of Georgetown University, who successfully argued the landmark detainee rights case Hamdan v. Rumsfeld before the Supreme Court, will serve as Obama's deputy solicitor general.

And finally: Yesterday while their parents were out dancing at the inaugural balls, daughters Malia and Sasha had some of their friends over to watch Disney movies and participate in a scavenger hunt, in which they "ran around their new home, learning about this history of the White House." ABC News reports that at the end of the game, "they opened a door to discover their favorite musical performers: Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas -- the pop boy band sensation who first exploded on the Disney Channel and also appeared earlier this week at the Kids’ Inaugural Concert."

President Obama "instructed military prosecutors late Tuesday to seek a 120-day suspension of legal proceedings involving detainees" at Guantanamo Bay.

THINK PROGRESS: Rush Limbaugh: "I hope Obama fails."

WONK ROOM: A close look at Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs head Cass Sunstein's take on cost-benefit regulation.

YGLESIAS: There are no good alternatives from serious carbon emission curbs in the effort to forestall climate catastrophe.

TALKING POINTS MEMO: Fox News' Chris Wallace wonders if Chief Justice John Robert's bungling of the oath of office means Barack Obama isn't really president.

TEXAS: State Board of Education convenes public hearing on how evolution should be covered in science classes.

NORTH DAKOTA: Legislation would "require abortion facilities to offer a woman who wants to have an abortion the opportunity to see the fetus beforehand."

UTAH: A new statewide poll shows 63 percent support additional legal protections for gay and transgender people.

"Roberts Corrects Obama After Oath Stumble."
-- Fox News, 1/20/09, on Chief Justice John Roberts asking President Obama to recite the first line of the oath in the incorrect order

VERSUS

"Roberts stumbled slightly over the 35-word constitutionally prescribed oath of office as he swore in Barack Obama as the 44th president on Tuesday, sending the new chief executive into a verbal detour of his own."
-- AP, 1/20/09

Think Progress

Now Comes The Hard Part

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