Inauguration speeches from each U.S. president
What George W. Bush said during his second
The parade route
The official inaugural blog
Find an inaugural party near you
The debate over the roll of clergy in the ceremony
PolitiFact staffers will be tracking each one on the Web site's Obameter, which will show whether they are In the Works or Stalled, and will ultimately indicate whether the promise was Kept or Broken. The ratings will be tallied on a chart on PolitiFact's home page that will show the overall progress of the Obama presidency.
Among PolitiFact's findings:
• Obama calls for more regulation, new agencies and at least 11 new groups that would have "corps" in their name, including: an America's Voice Corps to foster international diplomacy; an Artists Corps to work in low-income schools and communities; and a Health Corps to improve public health.
• Of the 510 promises, most deal with foreign policy (87); followed by health (76); the environment (59) and energy (51). He's also fond of transparency (33) and government efficiency (32). Only one deals with canines — a promise to buy his daughters a dog.
• He likes advice. We found he wants to create at least 10 new advisers such as a director of urban policy, a special adviser on violence against women, the nation's first chief technology officer and an American Indian policy adviser.
• Even before the need arose for a major economic stimulus bill, Obama proposed hundreds of billions in new spending. His ideas include $150-billion over 10 years on green initiatives, $60-billion for roads and bridges; $50-billion for the global fight against AIDS; and $25-billion more in foreign aid. He also promised billions in cost savings by ending the war in Iraq, reducing earmarks and reforming federal contracting, to name a few.
• He likes green. Overall, Obama hopes to create 5-million "green" jobs as part of a more energy-efficient economy. He wants to retrofit federal buildings to save energy. For veterans, there's a "Green Vet Initiative" to help vets get jobs in renewable energy. He even has a plan to help spur a "Green Revolution" in Africa.
Obama's high level of detail — and the large number of promises — reflects the need for a newcomer to establish his credibility.
"Obama was relatively unknown at the national level," said Martha Joynt Kumar, a professor of political science at Towson University, "so he had to have a greater degree of specificity about what his plans were. You've got to let people know who you are."
Camera phones flashed as Obama, trailed by Post Co. chief executive Donald Graham, began his stroll around the fifth-floor newsroom's perimeter, shaking hands and greeting nearly 200 staffers. "Where are the sportswriters?" he asked. "I want to ask about the Redskins, Nationals and Wizards."
The shouted questions were about what you would expect from the heart of one of the world's great newspapers.
"Did you like Ben's Chili Bowl?" asked Metro reporter Theola Labbe-DeBose, referring to Obama's recent visit to the downtown eatery.
"That half-smoke's all right," Obama said.
Another staffer asked about the family's dog search.
"Haven't decided yet," said Obama, who visited USA Today earlier in the day.
The president-elect had the foresight to ask about the weather. "What's Tuesday looking like?" he wondered.
... Does the episode, which some staffers muttered was a tad embarrassing, mean the paper's staff has a soft spot for Obama? Not really. It means that when an extremely famous and soon to be very powerful person shows up at the office, journalists act like people everywhere. They gawk.
President Bush’s second inauguration will cost tens of millions of dollars — $40 million alone in private donations for the balls, parade and other invitation-only parties. With that kind of money, what could you buy?
■ 200 armored Humvees with the best armor for troops in Iraq.
■ Vaccinations and preventive health care for 22 million children in regions devastated by the tsunami.
■ A down payment on the nation’s deficit, which hit a record-breaking $412 billion last year....
The questions have come from Bush supporters and opponents: Do we need to spend this money on what seems so extravagant?
New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, a Democrat, suggested inaugural parties should be scaled back, citing as a precedent Roosevelt's inauguration during World War II.
"President Roosevelt held his 1945 inaugural at the White House, making a short speech and serving guests cold chicken salad and plain pound cake," according to a letter from Weiner and Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash. "During World War I, President Wilson did not have any parties at his 1917 inaugural, saying that such festivities would be undignified."...
What gives me pause is the decision to spend some $40 million-plus at this moment in history. When I first began mulling over this expenditure, I thought it quite unseemly that, at a time when so many Americans and countless Iraqis have been and will be killed and maimed, we should be mounting a spectacle said to celebrate our troops, replete with nine official balls, many unofficial affairs, a youth concert, a parade, a fireworks display, etc. (and, at the Ritz-Carlton, white chocolate cowboy boots). But now, with the appalling misery in Southeast Asia added to the scene, it seems even more obvious that an extravaganza is wholly inappropriate.
... We should substantially curtail the inaugural program. By doing so, we would demonstrate due regard for the needs and sensibilities of our citizens and our world (and put to better use the money to be saved -- District police security costs alone are estimated at $15 million). It isn't too late to act. In 1985 the weather led President Reagan to cancel his parade on the day before the inauguration, thereby disappointing 200 high school bands and equestrian troupes from 50 states. The kids survived.
This is no time for Sousa and fireworks and red-white-and-blue cocktails. Some future inaugural, perhaps.
Colleen Evans, spokeswoman for the Ritz-Carlton hotels in Washington, said: "Americans are an optimistic group, and I think everybody is just tired of the negative news and all the complaints. This is a time when they can put aside the pessimism and just celebrate being an American."
The combination of established revelers and novices is expected to result in a boon for the local economy, said Victoria Isley of Destination DC, the District's convention and tourism arm.
At the Claire Dratch shop in Bethesda, ball gowns with prices of as much as $4,000 are being snapped up. It has dressed Jacqueline Kennedy, opera diva Denyce Graves and members of Congress as well as teachers, nurses and saleswomen.
Lori Ross, 45, a speech pathologist who lives in Bethesda, put down plastic for a $2,000 purple sheath for a ball she and her husband will attend, their first. "I'm so excited!" she said Friday, minutes after trying on the dress. "The minute I saw it, I knew it was perfect! I wanted something I could wear again. That's especially important now in this current economic situation."
Michael Lyles, 46, a lawyer who lives in Bowie, said that he and his wife, Deneen, have cut back on eating out, vacations and Christmas presents but that they are likely to spend $3,000 for inaugural events, including a $1,300 table for friends and family at the Omegas for Obama Ball, a fraternity event where his band is playing; two tickets for another ball; and two dresses for Deneen.
While Obama must be sensitive to the nation's time of war and recession, there's still reason to expect a rollicking time.
"We're mindful of the fact that people in this country are hurting, that they're going through hard times," said Linda Douglass, spokeswoman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. "On the other hand, we see this not just as a celebration of an election, but as a time for people to come together and celebrate their common values and shared aspirations and goals."
The committee has disclosed few details of the celebration, but it surely won't come cheap. President George W. Bush raised $42 million to help finance his second inauguration. Millions more were spent by the government on security.
Though costly, an inauguration helps set the tone for a presidency, said Gil Troy, a visiting scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The president shouldn't be seen noshing on caviar, but neither should he dispense with glamour entirely, Troy said. Americans want their leader to be a man of the people and a celebrity superstar, both.
"Americans are people who love to indulge, and deep in our hearts want our leaders to be like the king and queen of England - but not too much," he said.
So you're attending an inaugural ball saluting the historic election of Barack Obama in the worst economic climate in three generations. Can you get away with glitzing it up and still be appropriate, not to mention comfortable and financially viable?
To quote the man of the hour: Yes, you can. Veteran ballgoers say you should. And fashionistas insist that you must.
"This is a time to celebrate. This is a great moment. Do not dress down. Do not wear the Washington uniform," said Tim Gunn, a native Washingtonian and Chief Creative Officer at Liz Claiborne, Inc.
"Just because the economy is in a downturn, it doesn't mean that style is going to be in a downturn," agreed Ken Downing, fashion director for Neiman Marcus.
And if anyone does raise an eyebrow at those sequins, remind them that optimism is good for times like these. "Just say you're doing it to help the economy," chuckled good manners guru Letitia Baldridge.
Wednesday's announcement, made among increasing speculation about the future of the News, marks the first time that Scripps has set a specific deadline for dealing with the 150-year-old newspaper.
The Cincinnati-based media company had said last month that it would try to sell the News through mid-January, at which time it would explore other options that could include shutting down the paper.
Many newspaper analysts have said that the chances of selling the News are slim.
Scripps officials have said a handful of parties have expressed interest in the News, although they have released no information on the prospective buyers' identities or financial qualifications.
Coming off a recent salary freeze and a 10% workforce cut in late 2008, finding out each employee will lose a week of pay this year -- and be unavailable for work -- is another hit to take.
"People are concerned, but it is certainly better than layoffs," said John Kridelbaugh, vice president of market development and digital at The Indianapolis Star. "We are working through the details and all of the business needs so we can continue to still put out a newspaper and a 24-hour Web site."
Susan Patterson Plank, vice president of marketing for the Des Moines Register, said between her paper, the nearby sister Iowa City Press-Citizen and local Gannett television outlets, some 800 employees are impacted. "Our managers are working through it," she said, offering few details. "It will certainly be a challenge. But it gives us the chance not to have layoffs. For most people that is a good thing."
Laura Rehrmann, Gannett Washington bureau chief, said logistics will be difficult for her staff of four editors and 19 reporters. She has already informed them of a sign-up sheet, but also a tongue-in-cheek directive that no one can take next week off.
"I am resigned that this is what the company needs to do in this economic climate," she said. "We will do it in an orderly fashion so that it will not affect journalism."
She added that "the week of Feb. 15, congress is on a break, so that might be a good time for some of our staff to be out."
9 PM - P2+ (25-54) (35-64)
Hannity–2,835,000 viewers (703,000) (1,155,000)
Larry King Live—934,000 viewers (319,000) (468,000)
Rachel Maddow Show –1,341,000 viewers (441,000) (723,000)
Saving GM: Inside Crisis– 293,000 viewers (167,000) (183,000)
Lou Dobbs- 597,000 viewers (247,000) (339,000)
Chicago Tribune Editor Gerould W. Kern says the decision to launch a single-copy tabloid version of the newspaper is a continuation of the risk taking that led to its bold redesign three months ago.
The Chicago Tribune on Monday will replace its broadsheet Mondays through Fridays with a tabloid edition that will be sold at all outlets where the broadsheet is now available.
"We said we were going to be more daring, bolder and going to take some risks," Kern said in an interview. "We said we were going to be more reader-focused about what we did, and we meant it, and we think we delivered on that."
The tabloid version will contain all the content of the broadsheet, Kern said, so stories will not be cut to fit the smaller page. "It's the same content in a different shape -- it's as simple as that," he said. "The tabloid is half the size of the broadsheet, so it will have roughly double the number of pages. There's going to be no impact on length."
The Obama news conferences tell that story, making one yearn for the return of the always-irritating Sam Donaldson to awaken the slumbering press to the notion that decorum isn't all it's cracked up to be.
The press corps, most of us, don't even bother raising our hands any more to ask questions because Obama always has before him a list of correspondents who've been advised they will be called upon that day.
We reporters have earned our own membership in the Bizarro universe.
Who are we, after all? The ones rapid-firing at Rod Blagojevich with tough questions until we drive him from the room? Or the Miss Manners crowd, silent until called upon, quietly accepting that only a handful of questions will be taken at a time?
When reporters filed onto Barack Obama's press plane after his acrimonious debate with Hillary Rodham Clinton last week, one thing was noticeably missing amid the wine and snacks on the Boeing 737.
There was no high-level campaign spinner to argue that Obama had gotten the better of the exchanges or that the verbal fisticuffs were part of some precisely calculated strategy. On the press bus the next day, mid-level aides dealt with travel logistics but made no attempt to shape the coverage.
In an age of all-out political warfare, the Obama campaign is a bit of an odd duck: It is not obsessed with winning each news cycle. The Illinois senator remains a remote figure to those covering him, and his team, while competent and professional, makes only spotty attempts to drive its preferred story lines in the press.
"There is no charm offensive from the candidate toward the press corps," says Newsweek correspondent Richard Wolffe. "The contact is limited. . . . They see the national media more as a logistical problem than a channel for getting stuff out."
As Obama's blowout victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary shows, an aloof attitude toward the media may not be a liability for a candidate with his oratorical gifts. Even the pundits' attempts to minimize his win by focusing on Obama's capturing a quarter of the white vote -- no small achievement in a three-way contest -- came after a week in which journalists talked about race far more than he did. But the contrast in his press strategy is striking, not just with Clinton's campaign -- which aggressively lobbies journalists around the clock -- but also with the Bush White House and the Clinton White House before that. And that, Obama aides say, is by design.
[Whoopi] Goldberg immediately asked Coulter, "What is your issue with single mothers?" and cited stats from "Guilty" that said 70 percent of inmates in prisons come from single-parent homes." Coulter tried to defend her statements but Goldberg wouldn't let her finish before attacking the studies Coulter used:
COULTER: We now have 30 or 40 years of social science research. I mean, I'm just citing, this is um, you know, dressed up numbers crunching. I'm just giving the numbers. 80% of the inmates in prisons were raised by single mothers. About 70% of the runaways of the child, um juvenile delinquents, juvenile murderers, rapists, raised by single mothers. And the point is this didn't happen by accident. The illegitimacy rate alone has gone up over 300% since 1970. And as I describe in my book, this was a specific plan by the left attacking the nuclear family the most famous example --
GOLDBERG: Wait a minute.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: I just want to go --
GOLDBERG: I'm sorry, I know you want to do this left thing because that's what you do, that's your act.
COULTER: No, it's because I think it's true.
GOLDBERG: But I do want to know, because a lot of what you've cited in terms of this, just specifically this, is based on sort of not great research. Because we've seen this research discounted time and time again.
There is no doubt that Coulter's statements are provocative and can inspire heated discussion. However, it could be that the gals were more hostile to Coulter than other controversial personalities simply because of her conservative views. After all, when Bill Maher, another controversial personality appeared on "The View," he was greeted with open arms and able to fully defend his film "Religulous," a movie many religious people found extremely offensive.
