By Cliff Montgomery – Jan. 20th, 2009
A number of vans parked at the Capitol were scheduled to shuttle a few select aides to the White House themoment Barack Obama was sworn in as president of the United States, transition aides have told Politico.
Around 20 top officials have been cleared to enter 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue today. Though a handful willescort President Obama to a traditional Inauguration Day lunch in the Capitol, all will be at work as theinaugural parade takes place.
The jump start reveals that Obama’s transition crew has spent the last few months planning how the new ChiefExecutive will spend his first days in office.
Officials told Politico that on Wednesday–called “Day 1” by the transition team–Obama plans to discuss hisstimulus proposal with economic advisors. The sources add that an intact package may have a price tag ofaround $900 billion if it reaches the president’s desk by mid-February.
Obama also will meet tomorrow with his national defense team to begin hammering out the “next steps in Iraqand Afghanistan,” said one aide.
“You’ll see him act quickly” on the Middle East, said incoming top adviser David Axelrod to John King on CNN’s“State of the Union.”
“The president-elect has said repeatedly that he intends to engage early and aggressively with diplomacy allover the world and using the men and women, the professionals who are in place, who are great – and, whereappropriate, special envoys,” said Axelrod.
The new president also plans to sign a flood of executive orders, beginning on Wednesday. These decrees area means by which a president can force governmental changes without the assent of Congress.
The move was one of George W. Bush’s favorite policy tactics – Obama apparently plans to use that sametactic to undue some of Bush’s worst atrocities.
The order which almost certainly will illicit the most profound immediate change from the past eight years willprobably be an expected decree to close America’s infamous military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
President Obama will begin signing these orders during his first days in office, according to Politico.
New White House press secretary Robert Gibbs stated on Fox News Sunday that Obama also will quicklytighten financial sector regulation, adding that it is the president’s top agenda item.
“We have to do things differently, in a more transparent way,” said Gibbs.
“We have to get ourselves out of this mess, and only by demanding more of the financial institutions will we beable to do that,” he added.
