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Inaugural Crowds: The View from Space

January 21, 2009 1:34 PM

ABC News' Lisa Stark Reports: If you were jammed into the National Mall yesterday to watch President Obama's swearing in, it must have felt as though the whole nation was packed in with you. Well, not quite. But you were celebrating with more than a million of your closest friends.

Now there's a scientific estimate of the hordes that braved the Washington D.C. cold for the historic day. The estimate is based on a bird's eye view of the festivities -- or more precisely, a view from space.

"It kind of looked like bees in a hive," said Allison Puccioni, a senior imagery analyst for IHS Jane's, who scrutinized the pictures to get the crowd estimate.

Puccioni said her usual job involves scrutinizing satellite imagery to look for things like for submarines in China.

The picture, from the Geo-Eye1 satellite, shows the crowd packed in at 11:19am ET, 47 minutes before the official oath of office was administered. The image wasn't taken closer to the time of the event because at 11:19, the Geo Eye-1 satellite circling 423 miles above the earth happened to be in the right spot to snap the shot.

To estimate the crowd, London-based IHS Jane's took old satellite photos of the area and then took what it calls precise geospatial measurements of 71 different sectors. That picture was compared to the image take on inauguration day.

IHS Jane's determined the crowd density was from .1 to 5 people per square meter. Five people per square meter translates to one person per two square feet. It then determined how many folks were in each of the 71 sectors and added them up. The company concluded that there were between 1.031 million and 1.411 million people shivering and cheering and waiting.

The number doesn't include the nearly quarter of a million people who were in the designated ticket area. Add them into the mix and you get 1.271 to 1.651 million.

It also doesn't count the people present in the federal buildings and doesn't extend over toward the White House area. On top of that, there were still people pouring out of the Smithsonian Metro Station at the time the photo was taken – so the crowd probably got thicker than shown in the satellite photo.

So the crowds may not have approached the 4 million some were predicting but there was still a record number of people were present for a record-setting day.

Of sizing up the inaugural crowds, Puccioni said, "It wasn't what I expected." She said she thought there would be a more even continuation of people throughout the mall, but instead found people were more crowded in some areas and less in others as they moved into their positions for the event.

She also said conventional wisdom is that a maximum of about six people can fit into a square meter. She said that's like the front row of a rock concert, or probably how crowded it was in Chicago's Grant Park the night Obama won the presidency. But, she said, with the cold weather and heavy parka's – it was only possible to squeeze in a maximum of 5 bundled people a square meter. 

Puccioni, who has been analyzing satellite photos for 15 years, said, "This was quite an enjoyable task for sure."

January 21, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (17)

President Obama: 'Government Is Going to Work'

January 20, 2009 10:09 PM

ABC News’ Lauren Sher reports:  In an exclusive interview with ABC News, President Barack Obama said that on opening day as the nation's first black president, he will remember the American people above all else.

“I think it is just the way that the American people have made this about more than just an election," Obama told ABC News' Robin Roberts at the Neighborhood Ball at the Washington Convention Center. "You get a sense that kids are rethinking their priorities, neighbors are starting to think about each other differently, and that kind of spirit.”

The president said that, in his inaugural speech, he hoped to convey that the American spirit is what will guide the nation through rough times.

“Government is going to work, we’re going to make it work,” Obama said. “But it’s ultimately the American people coming together that is going to determine what we accomplish and how we get through some very difficult challenges.”

From a private church service this morning to his inaugural address and the balls this evening, Obama said he is “going to soak in the atmosphere” before he hits the ground running tomorrow. He says the economy will top his “To Do” list.

“Fortunately, we’ve seen Congress immediately start working on the economic recovery package -- getting that passed and putting people back to work -- that’s going to be the thing we’ll be most focused on,” he said.

“We’ll be making a series of announcements both on domestic and foreign policy that I think will be critical for us to act swiftly on. We’re not going to be able to delay.”

As for the trip-up between Chief Justice John Roberts and the president while taking the oath of office, Obama waved it off.

“We were up there, we’ve got a lot of stuff on our minds. He actually, I think, helped me out on a couple of stanzas there,” the president said. “Overall, I think it went relatively smoothly and I’m very grateful to him.”

January 20, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (44)

Obama Embraces His Middle Name: Hussein

January 20, 2009 3:56 PM

ABC's David Wright reports: The confusion today over the precise wording of the oath of office all but eclipsed what might otherwise have been a noteworthy moment in the proceedings: the fact that Obama used his middle name.

During the campaign, mere mention of the middle name was considered inflammatory.  John McCain rebuked one of his supporters for invoking Barack Hussein Obama.  The Obama campaign, for its part, suggested that commentators using their candidate’s full name were trying to imply something sinister. 

Prior to today’s events Obama had indicated he would use his full name, "following the tradition."  But really there is no established tradition.  Each President chooses for himself.

Bush, Clinton and Nixon all used their middle names.

Reagan and Carter did not.  In fact, the latter was famously casual, taking the oath using his nickname "Jimmy."

Ford used his middle initial, as did Eisenhower.  Truman use his middle initial too -- but hadn't the option of using the middle name.  The "S" apparently didn't stand for anything.

The fact that Obama did use his middle name will likely be seen in the Muslim world as a friendly gesture, a sign of cultural change in the US approach. 

Indeed, ABC’s digital correspondent in Islamabad Nick Schifrin notes: “If you talk to anyone here, no matter how poor, it seems they know Barack HUSSEIN Obama became the president of America. They don't necessarily think his Muslim father will translate into different policies -- but they certainly hope so.”

No doubt, some folks in this country will try to make something unflattering of Obama's embrace of his middle name. 

January 20, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (107)

Carter 'Snubs' Clinton?

January 20, 2009 11:54 AM

ABC News' David Wright reports: Today may be a day when the nation briefly sets aside partisan enmity for the peaceful transition of power, but personal enmity?  That’s another matter.

One small example: as the ex-Presidents gathered in the crypt of the Capitol preparing to head out to the platform, a chilly day got a bit chillier as the Carters and the Clintons were forced to occupy the same cramped space.

Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter appeared to greet former Republican President George H.W. Bush and his wife warmly, kissing Barbara Bush on the cheek.  But as Carter passed fellow Democrats Bill and Hillary Clinton, the two men did not appear to acknowledge each others presence at all.

President Carter disputes there was any snub and says any suggestion there was is “erroneous.”  Through a spokesperson at the Carter Center in Atlanta, the former President told ABC News that he had earlier spent a half hour talking to the Clintons and therefore wanted to use the opportunity to say hello to the Bushes while he could.  According to the spokesperson, cameras only caught the later encounter.

Relations between the Carters and the Clintons have reportedly been frosty for years, dating back to 1980, when Carter’s landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan may have cost Clinton the Arkansas governor’s mansion.  At least that’s what Clinton reportedly believed.

In the 90s Clinton was said to resent some of Carter’s freelance diplomacy.  Carter, for his part, spared no criticism of Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Recently, during a photo opportunity at the Oval Office, following a lunch with Barack Obama and the ex-Presidents, Clinton and Carter stood next to one another, but miles apart.  Obama stood between the two Presidents Bush.

January 20, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (600)

Condoleezza Rice Has Left the Building

January 16, 2009 5:52 PM

ABC News' Kirit Radia reports: The outgoing secretary of state made a ceremonial final exit from the State Department's C. St. lobby this afternoon, and hundreds of department employees gathered to see her off.

"I’ve been so lucky to be the chief diplomat for a country that has never sought empire, and understands that power is only good when it is married with principle," Condoleezza Rice told the crowd. "And I have been so privileged and so honored to serve with each and every one of you. Because the men and women of the State Department, those working here in Washington, those working in the far corners of the Earth, are the best example of what America stands for."

After her remarks she was thanked by rounds of applause from the gathered crowd.  Rice lingered for about 10 minutes, shaking hands and posing for photos before walking outside amid more applause and getting in her motorcade.

Earlier in the day, Rice appeared at the start of the daily press briefing to thank the press. She spoke at length about the need for a free press in a functioning democracy.

"Many times, throughout discussions with countries that are trying to break free of authoritarianism, or in cases where countries are still under authoritarian rule, I’ve found myself defending the free press," Rice said.

Her press corps made her prove it by shouting questions as she turned to leave. Rice, this time, obliged and took several questions before handing the podium over to spokesman Sean McCormack for his final briefing.

At the end of the briefing, McCormack offered his own reflections, his eyes welling up as he concluded.

"I view our roles as two sides of the same coin: You try to hold the government to account, and that is terribly important; we try to inform publics along the way as best we can, and that has always been our intention. And if there’s anything I’ve learned standing up here at the podium, it is that a free press is absolutely critical to the functioning of any healthy democracy. I think the secretary spoke quite eloquently about it. But it was an unexpected lesson. Standing up here, that is something I feel very deeply, and I just want to say thank you," McCormack said, before rushing off the podium as his emotions began to show.

January 16, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (61)

Bush's Final Curtain Call

January 15, 2009 9:37 PM

ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: President Bush made his final public appearance before inauguration day with a farewell address to the nation highlighting and defending his past eight years as commander in chief.   

"There have been good days and tough days," the president said.  "But every day I have been inspired by the greatness of our country and uplifted by the goodness of our people."

Seemingly content with his two terms, he got through the speech with a smile and less emotion than witnessed in other farewell addresses, such as the tears seen when he addressed his staff on the South Lawn in November and even the emotional looks he had earlier in the day as he said goodbye to staff at the State Department.

"I have been blessed to represent this Nation we love," he said in the final minute of his thirteen minute speech.  "And I will always be honored to carry a title that means more to me than any other: citizen of the United States of America."

He spoke of the future and gave well wishes to President-elect Barack Obama who will take over the Oval Office on Tuesday.

"Standing on the steps of the Capitol will be a man whose history reflects the enduring promise of our land," President Bush said.  "This is a moment of hope and pride for our whole Nation.  And I join all Americans in offering best wishes to President-elect Obama, his wife Michelle, and their two beautiful girls."

The president also spoke of setbacks saying in general there were a few things we would've "done differently" if he had the chance . 

"Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks.  There are things I would do differently if given the chance.  Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind," he said.  "You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made.  But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."

Rather than hurrying from the podium as he tends to do after big speeches, the 43rd president lingered for just a few seconds taking it all in and smiling at the live audience before him.

He strolled off on the red carpet laid out in the East Room of the White House as the big brown oak doors were closed by his two members of his staff.  Then, unexpectedly the doors reopened and the president appeared for a proper curtain call.

He came out smiling and waving, giving hugs and kisses.  At one point his twin daughters Jenna and Barbara engulfed their dad in a big hug.

He left the room with a confident stride and didn't look back as he turned toward the residence of the White House.

January 15, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (47)

New Details on US-Israel Pact to block Arms to Hamas

January 15, 2009 8:29 PM

ABC News' Kirit Radia reports: The United States and Israel are hammering out a deal late this evening that would guarantee U.S. support in helping to block arms shipments from reaching Hamas in the Gaza area as fighting between Israeli troops and militants there reaches the end of its third week.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is on her way to Washington and could ink a sort of memorandum of understanding with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as soon as tomorrow.

Late this afternoon Rice hinted a deal was in the works, telling reporters "We are discussing with the Israelis and others what we can do to bolster the possibilities of getting to the durable cease-fire that we are all seeking."

"There are several elements to that and we are working with regional partners and also with the Israelis," she added, offering no details on the draft agreement.

The Director General of Israel's Foreign Minister Aaron Abramovitz met at the State Department with acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to work on the details of an agreement.

Jonathan Peled, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said the deal was several days in the works, and would be a "commitment for addressing in a concerted international way the prevention of smuggling arms into Gaza."

Israel is considering signing onto an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, but has been concerned that a halt in fighting would only allow Hamas to re-arm.

This agreement with the US would, Israel hopes, add another layer of security to ensure that arms don't even reach the Egyptian border with Gaza, where underground tunnels have been used to smuggle weapons in.

Under the agreement, according to an Israeli official who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the text has not yet been made public, the US would organize like-minded countries to use methods like interdiction to prevent arms from reaching Gaza.

The effort would be similar, the Israeli official said, to the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is an agreement among several countries to prevent sensitive nuclear technology from falling into the wrong hands. That agreement allows countries to interdict shipments at sea though to be headed for hostile elements.

The Israeli official said there have been preliminary talks with several European countries who are expected to sign on in support.

The official did not know if the incoming Obama administration had officially signed off on the proposed agreement, but said Israel is confident they will not back out of the deal once President-elect Obama takes office on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for the transition team declined to comment when asked if the new team had been kept informed or agreed with the US-Israeli deal.

Livni is expected to leave Washington on Saturday, but an Israeli official said so far she has no plans to meet with members of the incoming Obama team.

January 15, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (16)

CIA Director's Strong Defense of Interrogation Techniques

January 15, 2009 8:04 PM

ABC News' Luis Martinez reports: CIA Director Michael Hayden offered a spirited defense of the agency's controversial detention and interrogation techniques, such as waterboarding, which Attorney General nominee Eric Holder characterized today as "torture." Hayden said the techniques provided extremely useful information about al Qaeda and have led to repeated successes against the terror network.

"You can't say it didn't work. It worked," Hayden said in a wide-ranging farewell interview with reporters at the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Va.

Hayden said the legality of waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques is an "uninteresting question to the CIA" right now because the agency has not engaged in the practices since March 2003. "We don't do that. We haven't done in it since March 2003. We have no intent to do it," said Hayden. He added that given the new legal climate since the passage of the Military Commission Act and the Detainee Treatment Act, "I wouldn't know what kind of answer I'd get from the Justice Department, were I to ask. But we haven't asked."

Hayden was not CIA Director at the time that the enhanced techniques were legally authorized for use at secret CIA prisons, but he offered a strong defense nonetheless. "I am convinced that the program got the maximum amount of information. Particularly out of that first generation of detainees."

Referring to 9-11plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and al Qaeda financier Abu Zubaydah, Hayden said he couldn't conceive of another way for them to have provided useful intelligence, "given their character and given their commitment to what it is they do."

The CIA has acknowledged that waterboarding was used on three "high-value" detainees including Mohammed, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, the plotter of the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

Hayden said the agency did not undertake the controversial program of rendition and interrogations out of "enthusiasm, it did it out of duty and it did it with the best legal advice it had."

Asked if he was concerned that Holder's characterization of the techniques as torture might lead to investigations of the agency's past activities, Hayden said he was "heartened' by President-elect Barack Obama's comments to George Stephanopoulos this weekend that he was "looking forward." Hayden said that approach was appropriate: "It's what this agency has done in the past. What it's doing now. And I'm sure what it will be doing in the future will be based on the very best legal counsel it has at that time."

Hayden was dismissive of congressional efforts to impose the Army's field manual on the agency's interrogation efforts, labeling it a "real shot in the dark" that the manual "would suit the needs of the Republic in all circumstances," particularly when it comes to interrogating al Qaeda leaders.

Hayden spoke of the headway made against al Qaeda's safe haven in the tribal region of western Pakistan. "The great danger was that the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan was a safe haven. My belief is that it is neither safe nor a haven," Hayden said. He attributed this to cooperation with Pakistan, though he did not acknowledge U.S. missile strikes in the region targeting al Qaeda leaders, which have increased both in number and lethality since last summer.

The outgoing CIA Director said he had no regrets during his two-year tenure at the helm of the intelligence agency, but he did say it was a disappointment to him that Osama bin Laden had not been killed or captured during his watch. He said it was telling that the latest audiotape from bin Laden included a request for donations.

On Hayden's list of 10 things to worry about over the next year, al Qaeda was No. 1. But he found it noteworthy that Iraq had not made his list.

On other issues, Hayden expressed his belief that Iran is likely nearing a "decision point" sometime in the next six months about whether to continue pursuing a nuclear weapons program. He also thinks that continued drops in the price of oil may exacerbate domestic tensions in that nation's stability.

January 15, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (11)

New Details on U.S.-Israel Pact to Block Arms to Hamas

January 15, 2009 7:13 PM

ABC News' Kirit Radia reports: The United States and Israel are hammering out a deal late this evening that would guarantee U.S. support in helping to block arms shipments from reaching Hamas in Gaza as fighting between Israeli troops and militants there nears the end of its third week.

An Israeli official said under the agreement, the United States would spearhead and effort to enlist the support of other countries in preventing arms from reaching Gaza.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is on her way to Washington, D.C. and could ink a sort of memorandum of understanding with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tomorrow.

Late this afternoon, Rice hinted a deal was in the works, telling reporters, "We are discussing with the Israelis and others what we can do to bolster the possibilities of getting to the durable cease-fire that we are all seeking."

"There are several elements to that and we are working with regional partners and also with the Israelis," she added, offering no details on the draft agreement.

The director general of Israel's Foreign Minister Aaron Abramovich met at the State Department with acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to work out the details of an agreement.

Jonathan Peled, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said the deal was several days in the works, and would be a "commitment for addressing in a concerted international way the prevention of smuggling arms into Gaza."

Israel is considering signing onto an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, but has been concerned that a halt in fighting would only allow Hamas to re-arm.

This agreement with the United States would, Israel hopes, add another layer of security to ensure that arms don't even reach the Egyptian border with Gaza, where underground tunnels have been used to smuggle weapons in.

Under the agreement, according to an Israeli official who spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the text has not yet been made public, the United States would organize like-minded countries to use methods like interdiction to prevent arms from reaching Gaza.

The effort would be similar, the Israeli official said, to the Proliferation Security Initiative, which is an agreement among several countries to prevent sensitive nuclear technology from falling into the wrong hands. That agreement allows countries to interdict shipments at sea thought to be headed for hostile elements.

The Israeli official said there have been preliminary talks with several European countries who are expected to sign on in support.

The official did not know if the incoming Obama administration had officially signed off on the proposed agreement, but said Israel is confident they will not back out of the deal once President-elect Barack Obama takes office on Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Obama's transition team declined to comment when asked if the new team had been kept informed or agreed with the U.S.-Israeli deal.

Livni is expected to leave Washington, D.C. on Saturday, but an Israeli official said so far she has no plans to meet with members of the incoming Obama team.

January 15, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (17)

Obama and Bush Teams Play War Games

January 13, 2009 10:45 AM

ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: Teams 43 and 44 unite at the White House today to play out a hypothetical terrorist attack. The mock attack exercise will include improvised explosive devices hitting transportation, infrastructure and economic targets in numerous U.S. cities.

Top officials from the incoming Obama team will meet their counterparts on the outgoing Bush team for a 90-minute orientation in the Situation Room, the nerve center of the White House. Following orientation, the teams will head across the street for a two hour disaster exercise in a large room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. The incoming Obama team will be seated next to its predecessors at tables with big screen monitors displaying slides explaining the scenario.

Senior officials from both teams, include Cabinet secretaries, national security advisers and anti-terrorism officials. Representatives from the press office will also participate in the drill. Attendees include Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who is serving as the incident manager, and FBI Director Robert Mueller III and Deputy FBI Director John Pistole.

"They have the utmost participation as well as we do in making sure that everybody understands," incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told reporters outside the White House as he stood alongside Josh Bolten, the current chief of staff. "And as Josh said, there's nothing perfect to this, but you only get good by practicing."

Bolten first recommended the exercise when he met with Emanuel after the election. Emanuel thanked both Bolten and President Bush for their efforts in a "seamless ... handoff to president-elect Obama's administration."

"In the post-9/11 world, this isn't just good mannered, good government; it's a national security responsibility," Bolten said before the meeting. "In keeping with that understanding of the national security responsibility, we are today undertaking an unprecedented homeland security exercise."

Orchestrated by the Department of Homeland Security, the joint practice run is unprecedented but both teams agree it's necessary in this wartime transition.   

"As Republicans and Democrats, we disagree on a lot of policy issues, but we agree completely that we want this new team to be as successful as they possibly can be especially in the areas of national and homeland security," Bolten explained. "And this morning's activities, I think, will be an important contributor to that."

Emanuel praised Bolten for his hard work in helping the incoming administration. "I've now been over with Josh one way or another four separate times. I'm going miss you," Emanuel said, smiling. "The good news is I have his cell phone, and I'll be able to reach him because, at the end of the day, as we said at that breakfast, all of us, we were here as employees of the American people working on their behalf every day to ensure both their safety and their security."

January 13, 2009 | Permalink | User Comments (66)