Obama's Cabinet Plans Weekend Retreat
In what some describe as a "bonding" attempt, this weekend President Obama's Cabinet will take a retreat together to mark the administration's first six months.
White House spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said that the "two-day working session" is designed to "assess the first six months of the administration and lay out goals and priorities for the coming months," CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports.
A senior Obama aide, who refrains from labeling the meeting a "retreat," told the The Washington Post, which first reported the story, that the weekend is "tied to the fact that we have been here six months and it made sense to get everyone in a room together to talk about the previous six months and talk about the agenda going forward."
While former President Clinton's Cabinet retreated to Camp David during his term, the Post reports, Mr. Obama's Cabinet will not be going quite so far. All 22 members will be spending Friday and Saturday at the Blair House, near the White House.
The Cabinet will be treated to dinner on Friday and spend several hours in a meeting Saturday. An official says that lengthy policy presentations are to be expected.
"The Obama administration will use this weekend's meeting as an opportunity to collaborate to continue to move forward the agenda of building a new foundation for growth and prosperity in this country," Bedingfield said.