National Mall Will Be Open to the Public on Inauguration Day

WASHINGTON, DC—In keeping with its pledge to make the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama one of the most open and accessible in history, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced today that, for the first time, the entire length of the National Mall will be opened to the public so that more people than ever before will be able to witness the swearing-in of the President from a vantage point in sight of the Capitol.

The PIC has worked closely with officials from the District of Columbia government, the National Park Service, the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee (AFIC), and the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) to make space at this historic location available to members of the public who are unable to obtain tickets to the swearing-in. Those who come to witness the swearing-in on the Mall will be able to watch and listen to the ceremony on large screens that will be provided by the PIC along the Mall.

“We’re grateful to local, federal, and military officials for their efforts to open up the National Mall to Americans who want to participate in this historic occasion,“ said PIC Executive Director Emmett S. Beliveau. “These arrangements represent our committee’s continuing commitment to make next year’s historic inauguration as accessible as possible to citizens in Washington, D.C., and across the country.“

“This will be an Inauguration for all Americans,“ said Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. “And so we are dedicated to opening it up so that people from across the country can gather together in America’s front yard. We remain hard at work to ensure the day’s festivities are safe and accessible for visitors, residents, and businesses alike.“

In the past, the National Mall has been used as a staging area for participants in the inaugural parade. But in response to early indications that more Americans than usual may travel to Washington to join in celebration of our shared values and common purpose, officials have worked tirelessly in recent weeks to relocate the parade staging area. Inaugural parade participants will be announced next week.

In the coming days and weeks, the PIC will release further information about viewing the inauguration from the National Mall and other inaugural events. For updates, please visit our website at www.pic2009.org.

For further information, please contact:

Josh Earnest/Linda Douglass 202-203-1700

CHICAGO -- President-elect Barack Obama today officially announced his nomination of Governor Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce.

President-elect Obama said, “With his breadth and depth of experience in public life, Governor Richardson is uniquely suited for this role as a leading economic diplomat for America. He has seen from just about every angle what makes our economy work and what keeps it from working better. He will be an unyielding advocate for American business and American jobs, at home and around the world. I look forward to working with him in the years ahead.”

Governor Richardson said, “There is a vital role for the Department of Commerce in our economic recovery. The unique strengths of the department and its talented public servants make it the natural agency to serve as the programmatic nerve center in America’s struggle to rejuvenate our economy. America will once again be at the forefront of innovation, especially in the new frontier of energy independence and clean energy jobs, and we will restore our position of respect in the world.”

Read Governor Richardson's biography below.

Governor Bill Richardson, Secretary of Commerce
Governor Richardson is serving his second term as Governor of New Mexico, where he has worked aggressively to build a high-wage economy, expand health care access, and invest in renewable energy. Richardson served for fifteen years in northern New Mexico representing the 3rd Congressional District. In 1997, Richardson was nominated to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, where he addressed many difficult international negotiating challenges and crises and promoted economic development. In 1998, Richardson was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate as Secretary of Energy. Richardson has served as Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, and Chair of the Western Governors Association, Border Governors Conference and the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He has been married to his wife, Barbara, for 35 years, and received a BA from Tufts in 1970 and a MA from Tuft's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971.

Washington -- Tomorrow, Wednesday December 3rd, 2008, Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be briefed by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, led by former Senators Bob Graham of Florida and Jim Talent of Missouri.

The Vice President-elect will be joined at the meeting by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, who President-elect Obama announced on Monday will be nominated as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The bipartisan commission was mandated by Congress to assess, on an urgent basis, the United States’ efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and their use by terrorist groups.  

WHO:
Vice President-Elect Joe Biden
Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona
Former Senators Bob Graham of Florida and Jim Talent of Missouri
Members of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism

WHAT:
Briefing by the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism

WHERE:
Presidential Transition Team Office
Washington, D.C.

WHEN:
Wednesday December 3rd, 2008 at 2 p.m. EST

PHILADELPHIA -- President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden met this morning in Philadelphia with a bipartisan delegation of the nation's governors at a meeting hosted by the National Governors Association. The meeting, held at Congress Hall at Independence Park, was attended by 49 governors and governors-elect. Participants discussed the unique challenges facing our states during this economic crisis, as well as opportunities for governors to partner with the President and Vice President-elect on a bipartisan basis to create jobs, rebuild our infrastructure, and create a green energy economy.

Please find below the President-elect and Vice President-elect's opening remarks as prepared for delivery.

Thank you, Governor Rendell and Governor Douglas.

And Governor Palin, your being here today sends a powerful message that when campaigns end, we are all partners in progress. Thank you.

I always love events where seating is done by when your state entered the union. That's when it's good to be a Delawarean, and it's good to see Governor-elect Jack Markell here.

Over the course of the campaign, I had the opportunity to travel through many of your states.

Often, I'd be on a bus, and one of you -- or a local official -- would point out local landmarks.

And the commentary was almost always, "This used to be."

This "used to be" a steel mill. This town "used to be" the ceramics capital of America.

This factory "used to" employ 1,200 people. A company "used to have" their headquarters here.

We'll know we've turned the corner when we hear a lot less "This used to be..." and a lot more "this is going to be."

In order to get to "This is going to be" we need to build a partnership with you -- that is much more robust and much deeper.

And in doing that, the partnership we're able to build with all of you is crucial.

Eric Sevareid once told President Kennedy that: "It doesn't make much sense when two people are sitting in a boat for one of them to point a finger accusingly at the other and say `your end of the boat is sinking.'"

Our nation can't succeed unless our states succeed.

Barack and I recognize this.

And we recognize that you've all been incredibly hard hit by this economic crisis.

Already 41 states are looking at budget shortfalls this year or next.

That is why help for you -- everything from direct aid, to countercyclical investments, to benefit programs, to infrastructure investment -- will be key parts of our economic plan.

On infrastructure specifically, we have a huge opportunity. China invests 7-9 percent of its GDP in infrastructure projects. We invest just 1 percent. There's a reason they have a mag-lev train that can go over 200 miles per hour.

I may have a bit of a pro-rail bias, but think of the jobs we could create -- in both construction and innovation -- if we made similarly bold investments here.

We should fast-track funding for the thousands of ready-to-go projects across the country that can quickly put people back to work and lay the foundation for long-term growth.

In the longer term, we are calling for the creation of a new National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank that will help us make the investments we need to build a 21st century transportation system -- while creating jobs and taking the politics out of infrastructure spending. And it has the added benefit of making American business more competitive in the world.

We believe that, together, we can make this country again, in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a place "of beginnings, of projects, of vast designs and expectations."

Despite all of our challenges, I'm struck by how hopeful our nation remains...

... People understand the serious challenges we face -- but they also believe that with leadership in Washington and in your states that gives people the chance to succeed -- there's nothing we can't do.

We should view this moment of challenge as a moment of great opportunity ---

Perhaps most importantly, Barack understands that change is a means, and not an end. And together, we can change "this used to be" into "this is going to be."

It is now my pleasure to introduce a man who has inspired this nation, and who I am honored to join as a partner in leading this nation.

Please join me in welcoming President-elect Barack Obama.

Good morning.

It always feels like a bit of a homecoming when I meet with governors. Because while I stand here today as President-elect, I will never forget the eight years I served in the state Senate in Illinois. It is in state and local government that the rubber hits the road. Of all our elected leaders, you are the ones people count on most to solve the problems in their communities and to help them get by in difficult times. And it's your state governments that bear some of the toughest burdens when an economic crisis strikes.

That is what we're seeing today.

Every one of you is struggling to come up with a budget at a time when you're facing great and growing needs. More and more people are turning to you for help with health care or affordable housing -- even as tightening credit markets and falling tax revenues make it more and more difficult to provide that help.

Forty-one states are likely to face budget shortfalls this year or next, forcing you to choose between reining in spending and raising taxes. Jobs are being cut. Programs for the needy are at risk. Libraries, parks, and historic sites are being closed. Right here in Philadelphia, over two hundred workers are being laid off -- and hundreds more unfilled positions are being eliminated.

Meanwhile, virtually all of you are facing the additional challenge of a state constitution that requires you to balance your budget, leaving you with the impossible choice of either helping families at the risk of violating your constitution or upholding your constitution at the expense of helping families.

To solve this crisis and to ease the burden on our states, we need action -- and action now. That means passing an economic recovery plan for both Wall Street and Main Street that jumpstarts our economy, helps save or create two and a half million jobs, puts tax cuts into the pockets of hard-pressed middle class families, and makes a down payment on the investments we need to build a strong economy for years to come.

But we also have to recognize that any true solution will not come from Washington alone. It will come from all of you. It will come from the White House and the State House working together every step of the way. That is the kind of strong partnership I intend to build as President of the United States.

Today is our chance to lay the foundation for that partnership. Over the next few hours, I look forward to hearing about the problems you're facing, learning about the work you're doing, and discussing some of the ways we can work together to reduce health care costs, rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools, and ensure that more families can stay in their homes.

But the partnership we begin here must not -- and will not -- end here. As President, I will not simply ask our nation's governors to help implement our economic recovery plan. I will ask you to help design that plan. Because if we're listening to our governors, we'll not only be doing what's right for our states, we'll be doing what's right for our country. That's how we'll grow our economy -- from the bottom-up. And that's how we'll put America on the path to long-term prosperity.

Make no mistake: these are difficult times, and we're going to have to make hard choices in the months ahead about how to invest precious tax dollars and how to save them -- hard choices like the ones you're making right now. I won't stand here and tell you that you'll like all the decisions I make. You probably won't. But I promise you this -- as President, I will seek your counsel. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And we will once again be true partners in the work of rebuilding our economy, strengthening our states, and lifting up our entire country.

To our Republican colleagues, let me just say a special word. I offer you the same hand of friendship and cooperation that I offer our Democratic governors. We have a strong and vibrant democracy. We compete vigorously during an election. But with the end of that season comes the time to govern together -- and that time is now.

It was Justice Brandeis who said, during a period of far greater turmoil in our markets, that one of the blessings of our democracy was that -- and I quote -- "a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory," experimenting with innovative solutions to its economic problems. That is the spirit of courage and ingenuity that so many of you embody. And that is the spirit I want to reclaim in this country -- one where our states are testing new ideas, where Washington is investing in what works, and where you and I are working in partnership to move this country forward. Thank you.

WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama announced today that Louis Caldera will serve as Director of the White House Military Office. Caldera brings a lifetime of military and public service to the Military Office, which coordinates all military support for Presidential operations.

“Louis has served his country with distinction in uniform and in government, and his pedigree is second-to-none. I know he’ll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post, from Secretary of the Army to university president,” said President-elect Obama.

Louis Caldera, Director, White House Military Office

Caldera has had a distinguished 30-year career as a soldier, lawyer, legislator, high ranking government official, university president and professor of law. In 1992, Caldera was elected to the California State Assembly, and later served in the Clinton administration. From 1997 to 1998, Caldera was managing director and chief operating officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service. From 1998 to 2001, he served as the nation’s 17th Secretary of the Army. He has served as a vice chancellor for the California State University system and president of the University of New Mexico, after which he joined the faculty of the UNM School of Law as a tenured professor. Caldera is a member of the Board of Trustees of Claremont McKenna College and of The National World War II Museum, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Caldera is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned his law and business degrees at Harvard University in 1987, later practicing law in Los Angeles.