Posted by viv on January 22, 2009, 10:08 am
By DAVID ESPO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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WASHINGTON -- In a first-day whirlwind, President Barack Obama showcased efforts to revive the economy yesterday, summoned top military officials to the White House to chart a new course in Iraq and eased into the daunting thicket of Middle East diplomacy.
"What an opportunity we have to change this country," said the president, who also issued new ethics rules for his administration and hosted a reception at the presidential mansion for 200 inauguration volunteers and guests selected by an Internet lottery.
BUSH LEAVES NOTE
After dancing at inaugural balls with first lady Michelle Obama past midnight, Obama entered the Oval Office for the first time as president in early morning. He read a good luck note left behind by president George W. Bush, then began breaking cleanly with his predecessor's policies.
Aides circulated a draft of an executive order that would close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within a year and halt all war crimes trials in the meantime.
An aide said privately that Obama would sign a formal order today.
Obama presided over the White House meeting on the economy as the House Appropriations Committee moved toward approval of $358 billion in new spending, part of the economic stimulus package making its way to his desk.
The new commander in chief held his first meeting in the Situation Room, where he, Vice President Joe Biden and senior military and foreign policy officials discussed war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
KEEP HIS PROMISE
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama's calls to leaders in the Middle East were meant to convey his "commitment to active engagement in pursuit of Arab-Israeli peace from the beginning of his term."
There was no doubt that the 47-year-old new president meant to fulfil his campaign promise of change.
"As of today, lobbyists will be subject to stricter limits than under any ... other administration in history," Obama told reporters as he signed the new rules. The restrictions included a ban on gifts by lobbyists to anyone serving in the administration.
He also imposed a pay freeze for about 100 White House aides who earn $100,000 or more. Its implementation was unclear, since none of them were on the payroll before Tuesday's noontime inauguration.
On Tuesday, within hours of Obama's inauguration, his administration froze last-minute Bush administration regulations before they could take effect.
Among them was an interior department proposal to remove gray wolves from Endangered Species protections in much of the northern Rocky Mountains, and a labour department recommendation that would allow companies that manage employee retirement plans to market investment products to plan participants.
Nuff said!
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