Obama's First Day Not "Business As Usual"

President Freezes Salaries Over $100,000, Limits Lobbyists' Access And Preps To Close Gitmo

(CBS/AP)  A day after celebrating his historic inauguration, President Barack Obama spent his first full day in office instituting policies that "represent a clean break from business as usual."

The Obama administration announced salary freezes for White House employees making over $100,000 a year, placed new limits on lobbyists' White House access and had aides circulate a draft executive order that would close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay within a year.

"The way to make government responsible is to hold it accountable," Obama said as he unveiled ethics rules that he portrayed as the fulfillment of a major campaign promise. He said the action was necessary "to help restore faith in government without which we cannot deliver the changes that we were sent here to make."

Those affected by the freeze include the high-profile jobs of White House chief of staff, national security adviser and press secretary. Other aides who work in relative anonymity also would fit into that cap if Mr. Obama follows a structure similar to the one George W. Bush set up.

"Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," said the new president, taking office amid startlingly bad economic times that many fear will grow worse.

The new lobbying rules will not only ban aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff. Those already hired will be banned from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies that they once targeted.

The rules also ban lobbyists from giving gifts of any size to any member of his administration. It wasn't immediately clear whether the ban would include the traditional "previous relationships" clause, allowing gifts from friends or associates with which an employee comes in with strong ties.

Announcing the moves while attending a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to swear in his staff, Mr. Obama said the steps "represent a clean break from business as usual."

The Obama administration also circulated a draft executive order that calls for closing the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay within a year. The draft order also would declare a halt to all trials currently under way at the facility, where roughly 245 detainees in the battle against terrorism on terror are held.

And Mr. Obama summoned economic advisers and top military officials to meetings aimed at making early progress on the change he promised.

Additionally, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Mr. Obama called the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday morning.

The Obamas attended a prayer breakfast at Washington National Cathedral to start the day and were expected to hold an open house at the presidential mansion.

Mr. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama sat in the first row for Wednesday's invitation-only prayer service. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, joined them, as did former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., awaiting confirmation as secretary of state later in the day.

Dr. Sharon Watkins, general minister and president of Disciples of Christ, and the first woman to deliver the sermon at the Inauguration National Prayer Service, spoke of the responsibilities and choices the new president faces.

"Someone has to stand watch and be ready to defend - and Mr. President - tag, you're it," she said.

---

Read more about President Obama's first day in the Oval Office

---

The meeting with his economic team was planned to assess his approach and plot the way forward. Taking over the White House with 11 million Americans out of work and trillions of dollars in stock market savings lost, Mr. Obama said that turning around the limping economy is his first and greatest priority.

Last week, Congress cleared the way for use of a second, $350 billion installment of financial-industry bailout money, a pre-inaugural victory for Mr. Obama.

Democratic leaders hope to have the $825 billion economic stimulus measure to his desk by mid-February.

Mr. Obama also summoned his holdover defense secretary, Robert Gates, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, to the White House, along with other members of his National Security Council, to discuss a way forward in Iraq, according to two senior military officers.

"Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed," President Obama said in his inaugural address. "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

Mr. Obama said in his speech that his goal was to "responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan."

The two unfinished wars are twinned for Mr. Obama. He has promised to bring U.S. combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months of taking office, as long as doing so wouldn't endanger either the Americans left behind for training and terrorism-fighting nor the security gains in Iraq. And he has said he would use that drawdown to bolster the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, where U.S.-backed fighters are losing ground against a resurgent Taliban.

Mr. Obama's first White House meetings as president meshed with quickened efforts in Congress to add top Cabinet officials to the roster of those confirmed on Tuesday and to advance the economic stimulus measure that is a top priority of his administration.

Treasury Secretary-designate Tim Geithner was called before the Senate Finance Committee for a confirmation hearing certain to touch on his disclosure that he had only belatedly paid personal taxes owed earlier in the decade.

Separately, Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., awaited confirmation as secretary of state. Republicans had refused to permit her confirmation on Tuesday when several other Cabinet officials were approved.

A new poll underscored the sense of anticipation that accompanied Mr. Obama into office.

The Associated Press-Knowledge Networks survey found that by a 3-1 margin, people feel more optimistic about the country's future now that Mr. Obama has been inaugurated, including 30 percent of Republicans.

His first act as president underscored the expected departure from former President George W. Bush's policies. One day after being sworn in, a military judge approved the Obama administration's request for a 120-day halt to the terror trials taking place at Guantanamo Bay, pending review by the president himself.

The government made the request in a motion filed the late Tuesday in the case of five men charged in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Among the possibilities for other early executive actions are: the naming of a Middle East envoy, possibly former Sen. George Mitchell, who worked on the Northern Ireland peace accord, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Plante; overturning the so-called Mexico City policy that forbids U.S. funding for family planning programs that offer abortion, and lifting President George W. Bush's limit on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

And in another preview of what's coming, the new White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told all government agencies to stop implementing any new regulations changed by the outgoing Bush administration until they can be reviewed, reports Plante.

In an address noted for its plain speech rather than soaring oratory, President Obama got right to the point about the problems he faces.

"That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood," he said.

It was an inaugural address that laid out the nation's economic challenges with frank realism. But his remedies - equal parts hope and policy agenda - face a slew of political and practical hurdles. And he offered no specifics to back up his promise to improve America's standing in the world and end a war that he opposed.

"Every new administration talks about the challenges it faces, and they're always there," said CBS News senior political correspondent Jeff Greenfield. "(But this administration) is facing challenges the likes of which have not been seen in decades.

"And the need for celebration that the Democrats are bringing to this (is rooted in) the realization that not only are the challenges immense, but no one is entirely sure that they know what to do about them, Greenfield continued.

The words were also aimed at ears overseas that never adjusted to Bush's Texas swagger. Fairly or not, to much of the rest of the world Bush was the cowboy who rode roughshod over niceties such as international treaties while imposing American rubrics of national security and lifestyle.

"To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect," Mr. Obama pledged.

He followed with an apparent reference to his earlier promises to talk with tyrants or autocrats whom Bush shunned, although he did not name them.

"We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist," he said.

Mr. Obama named names when it came to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but was no more specific about tactics.

He repeated his campaign pledge to quit Iraq responsibly and "forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan."

The campaign, transition and inauguration were the easy parts, remarked CBS News chief White House correspondent Chip Reid. With problems such as the economy, President Obama is "jumping off a precipice and hoping for the best that he can deliver."

[enzoc45]

Why...oh why is this stilla breaking news???

[abby1963]

Those affected by the freeze include the high-profile jobs of White House chief of staff, national security adviser and press secretary. Other aides who work in relative anonymity also would fit into that cap if Mr. Obama follows a structure similar to the one George W. Bush set up.

"Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," said the new president, taking office amid startlingly bad economic times that many fear will grow worse.
======================================================

A good place to start.

[ddmenace1]

Twas better to have had a praying human being who admittendly made mistakes for President than one who can''t even stand up for moral beliefs and tell you when life begins.

[ddaymichael]

Wrong again liberal. The facts show Bush had the most honesty and integrity of any president before or after him. You cant continue to argue with the facts.
Posted by lady_organs
*********************************
THE FACTS?
I hope they don%u2019t allow you to walk around unsupervised...you are a danger to yourself and others. You not only don%u2019t have any active brain cells...you have no soul!
The FACTS show that George W. Bush, a traitorous criminal from a long line of traitorous criminals who established their family fortune by profiteering on America%u2019s wars (and not always by investing on the American side) He would still have been the worst president in US history due to his intellectual deficiencies and utter lack of character.

You want FACTS? OK, crazy lady...try some of these...

[ddaymichael]

George W. Bush is a chronic failure who never even successfully got out of a school until a degree from Yale was obviously purchased for the imbecile (it''s good to be a LEGACY)

He avoided serving his country in Vietnam by having daddy jump his name over hundreds of other rich men%u2019s sons who suddenly developed a desire to learn how to fly obsolete aircraft that they knew would never be deployed.

He even deserted from that cowardly elitist arrangement to avoid being subjected to drug testing for pilots...with no repercussions for having deserted from military service during time of war (It%u2019s GOOD to be the cokehead son of an influential man)

He ran several businesses into the ground, always managing to make a personal profit at the expense of partners and shareholders, only to be given an even bigger opportunity for plunder. (It%u2019s GOOD to be rewarded for every failure)

As governor of Texas, his only accomplishment other than bankrupting the state was to run a distant second to China in the execution sweepstakes, and he wasn%u2019t even harvesting the organs for profit like the Chinese (I don%u2019t think) He just seemed to enjoy inflicting pain on others. (It was just plain GOOD!)

[ddaymichael]

His callous mocking of Karla Faye Tucker to journalist Tucker Carlson, "Please," Bush whimpered, his lips pursed in mock desperation, "please, don''t kill me," showed a not only a complete lack of normal, human feeling and empathy for the woman that he condemned to death after rejecting appeals for clemency from the Pope, Pat Robertson and Jerry Fallwell among thousands of such appeals, but also displayed an utter callousness and arrogance that most politicians are intelligent and sly enough to conceal. (It%u2019s GOOD to be THE DECIDER)

No need to go into his dismal record as the worst, most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America...his impeachable offences on an almost daily basis...we%u2019re all feeling the results of that...and will for decades to come. He and his gang of corporate looters presided over the largest transfer of wealth (theft) in human history. (It wasn%u2019t GOOD at all)

If there truly is a God...I will one day soon enjoy Champagne while watching this vile criminal%u2019s execution on Pay-Per-View. (That%u2019s OK Lord...I%u2019ll provide the drinks...You just handle the rest since both political parties seem too timid to do so))
No empathy there, you say? Not so!

I will take grand delight in every whimpering plea for mercy from this cowardly, draft-dodging, shoe-dodging, blame-dodging dog. (It%u2019ll be soooo GOOD!)

[clovisbuford]

Closing Gitmo is a mistake... The left is sceaming to close it but the majority of Americans don''''t want it closed. I thought Obama was the President for the people not the politicians and buddies who gave the campaign money!!! Let''''s see how they feel when the terrorists are living next door to their kids!!!!!
Posted by blessed1959 at 05:10 PM : Jan 22, 2009
evidently the head of the joint chief of staffs felt differently as well.
Posted January 14, 2008 11:11 AM
by James Oliphant
According to this story from the Associated Press, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that the prison for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be shut down.

While touring the facility with reporters, Mullen said that negative publicity about the treatment of detainees has been "pretty damaging" to the image of the United States worldwide.
Mullen, who rose to his current position last fall, said the decision wasn''t his to make and that the administration, to his knowledge, had no plan in the works to close the facility, which just marked its sixth anniversary.
"I''m not aware that there is any immediate consideration to closing Guantanamo Bay," Mullen said.

[clovisbuford]

Closing Gitmo is a mistake... The left is sceaming to close it but the majority of Americans don''''t want it closed. I thought Obama was the President for the people not the politicians and buddies who gave the campaign money!!! Let''''s see how they feel when the terrorists are living next door to their kids!!!!!
Posted by blessed1959 at 05:10 PM : Jan 22, 2009
this from the charlie rose interview in 2007 with newly appointd secretary of devence under bush Robert Gates:ROSE: One of the things that they say has stained America%u2019s reputation is Guantanamo. Just %u2014 and there is %u2014 it is often said that %u2014 president-elect has said that he wants to do something about it. President Bush has said that he%u2019s not in favor of Guantanamo. Why hasn%u2019t it been taken down? Why hasn%u2019t there been a change in Guantanamo? What is the problem?
GATES: Well, I think that there are some problems that need to be dealt with, probably in statute, to be able to close it. I think that we can provide alternatives to it.
But as an example, you probably want something in legislation that says if somebody is freed from Guantanamo, they don%u2019t have an automatic right to asylum in the United States. Some of these people are very dangerous. And we don%u2019t want them coming here into the United States.
I think these problems are solvable. And my guess is%u2026
GATES: I would like to see it closed. And I think it will be a high priority for the new administration.

[whatisit21]

Sounds like Obama is going to make some powerful enemies.

[blessed1959]

Closing Gitmo is a mistake... The left is sceaming to close it but the majority of Americans don''t want it closed. I thought Obama was the President for the people not the politicians and buddies who gave the campaign money!!! Let''s see how they feel when the terrorists are living next door to their kids!!!!!

[blog_fever2]

Have you noticed that the only cynical naysayers left are the Republicans? Sad. We dealt with the Bush administration for 8 years, now all we ask is that you give President Obama a chance. Btw, if you are going to list facts and figures, please be sure to list references for that material. Thank you.

[dberge3]

Lets see%u2014freeze wages for the people that are hired to work for us in public office with the understanding%u201D if we%u2019re going broke why should they get a raise?%u201D Reinforce ban on torture.Take steps to close Gitmo, the worst embarrassment to U. S. government policy in history, demand transparency of government, and that no one holding public office use their position for personal gain. It%u2019s been over eight years since I%u2019ve heard that kind of common sense and truth.

[whatithink10]

Hey wvu74621,

Can I offer you some cheese with that whine?

Do you need a plate for them sour grapes?

[eclecticman1]

The Obama administration announced salary freezes for White House employees making over $100,000 a year, placed new limits on lobbyists'' White House access and had aides circulate a draft executive order that would close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay within a year.

"The way to make government responsible is to hold it accountable," Obama said as he unveiled ethics rules that he portrayed as the fulfillment of a major campaign promise.

WOW. What a great way to get started. It''s a 180 degree turn around.

[nolalou]

Why does this article keep refering to the President as Mr.Obama? Give him the respect he deserves. He is President Obama.


----------------------------------
----------------------------------------
------

Posted by Dacota62 at 10:44 PM : Jan 21, 2009
+ report

No thanks, you have to earn respect.

Posted by wvu74621

He DID earn it, when he won the election last November! Having said that, when writing about the President (any President), it is customary to refer to him as ''President'' the first time his name is mentioned, and then as Mr. thereafter.

[wvu74621]

"If I wanted Obama to succeed, I''''d be happy the Republicans have laid down. And I would be encouraging Republicans to lay down and support him.

posted by FloydZeppd at 07:13 AM : Jan 22, 2009

I could have sworn that the democrats are just as responsible for the bad shape of the economy, the Patriot act which the democrats could''nt approve fast enough. The housing market Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, Clinton creations. I could go on all day with the problems that the democrats helped create along side the republicans.

[eclecticman1]

I wish the press would stop trying to create news stories. A reporter talking to a GOP Congressman asked if the honeymoon was over since Obama could''t meet with them today. He said no and it turned out that the meeting is next Thursday. The remark about the honeymoon being over was totally uneccessary and just one exmaple how the press tries to create tension.

[wvu74621]

Why does this article keep refering to the President as Mr.Obama? Give him the respect he deserves. He is President Obama.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by Dacota62 at 10:44 PM : Jan 21, 2009
+ report

No thanks, you have to earn respect.

[wvu74621]

Rush Limbaugh the conservative political commentator said on his nationally-syndicated talk show that he hopes President Obama fails. That is the most disgusting thing for any American to say, that they hope the U.S. President fails! Rush Limbaugh needs to be shut down and banned from broadcasting his hate messages. Many spoke out against former President Bush and his policies but few if any true American wanted former President Bush to fail. I personally wish President Obama and his administration much success. Rush Limbaugh like his counterpart in hate Ann Coulter are an American eye sore and a national disgrace!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by spinproof at 03:08 AM : Jan 22, 2009


I was listening to that broadcast last night and at no time did I hear him say "I hope he fails" Maybe I missed it.

[spinproof]

Rush Limbaugh the conservative political commentator said on his nationally-syndicated talk show that he hopes President Obama fails. That is the most disgusting thing for any American to say, that they hope the U.S. President fails! Rush Limbaugh needs to be shut down and banned from broadcasting his hate messages. Many spoke out against former President Bush and his policies but few if any true American wanted former President Bush to fail. I personally wish President Obama and his administration much success. Rush Limbaugh like his counterpart in hate Ann Coulter are an American eye sore and a national disgrace!