Politics

White House Tours A Victim Of War

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

November 20, 2001 / 2:07 PM EST / CBS

Tiny replicas of presidential family homes are on display throughout the White House, part of Laura Bush's "home for the holidays" theme. But this year few people will see the holiday decor - a casualty of tightened security that followed the terrorist attacks.

At the urging of the Secret Service, there will be no public tours of the White House this season.

Also, next month's lighting of the National Christmas Tree outside the south grounds of the White House will also be restricted to ticketed guests, due to security reasons.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says the president "regrets very much that a time-honored tradition has to change in a time of war."

"We wish the arrival of Christmas could mean that the terrorists would take time off. It doesn't work that way," Fleischer said. He called the White House "probably the terrorists' No. 1 target."

Not since the Truman-era renovation has the White House been closed to the public for an extended period of time, reports CBS News Chief White House Correspondent John Roberts. Rare is the occasion that so many Christmas decorations will be seen by so few. The White House says the ongoing risk terrorism is just too high.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the district's delegate to the House of Representatives, says it sends the wrong message to America.

"It's a consistent message that the district is closed for tourism and for business, that official Washington is closed," says Norton. "You can't get a tour of the White House; you can't get a tour of the Capitol."

The holiday shutdown stands in sharp contrast to the President's repeated calls for the nation to get back to normal. Wednesday he will star in a $12 million ad campaign urging Americans to defy terrorism and see the sights.

The presidential home will remain open to prescreened, invited guests, Fleischer said. When asked how long White House doors will be closed to the general public, he said, "It's impossible to say.... We are still a nation at war."

In past years, scores of groups asked the White House for walk-throughs after the Christmastime decorations went up. Those seeking such tours were told they will not take place this year, said White House spokeswoman Anne Womack. The daily tours that once drew some 3,000 people a day also remain suspended indefinitely.

A few people will get a glimpse of the White House in holiday trim during open houses: Members of Congress and their families, White House staff members, and certain members of the military and law enforcement organizations.

President Bush also restricted public access to the White House before the attacks, when he limited invitations to the Fourth of July fireworks-watching party. In past years, 11,000 or more attended; the administration restricted attendees to groundskeepers, employees of the residence, political appointees and their families. Then, the administration cited fears of wear and tear on the White House grounds.

Thogh she chose this year's theme in July, Mrs. Bush said Monday it carries special meaning in a year when millions of Americans shaken by the attacks are eager to reach the comfort of home and family.

"Because this year's holiday season follows a national tragedy, both home and family have special meaning to all Americans," she said. "Gatherings of loved ones - familiar faces in familiar places - can be a tremendous source of strength and reassurance during this season of remembrance and good will."

Tourists outside the gates of "The People's House" were saddened but not surprised by the news, says CBS News White House Correspondent Peter Maer.

"That, frankly, is a disappointment for me; yet understandable given the nature of the security measures, said one Washington visitor.

"It's too bad, but I don't blame them. I think for security, it's probably a good thing", said another.

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The moves were a blow to attempts by the city of Washington to coax tourists back to downtown businesses battered by fears of new attacks on the capital.

To highlight this year's theme, workers in the White House residence assembled replicas of 18 family homes of presidents, from George Washington's Mount Vernon to Franklin D. Roosevelt's Hyde Park.

A replica of the only house Abraham Lincoln ever owned, in Springfield, Ill., is on display beneath former first lady Barbara Bush's portrait in the Ground Floor Corridor. Nearby, a model of a home once occupied by Ulysses S. Grant stands under a portrait of former first lady Betty Ford. There's also a replica of Lyndon Johnson's Texas ranch.