The World Newser is World News' daily blog. Here, you'll find our staff's thoughts on the day's news and the way we build our broadcast. Plus, we'll share reports from our team of correspondents in the field, as well as producers behind-the-scenes.
RECENT POSTS
- You Buying Less This Holiday?
- President Lou Dobbs?
- The Democrats Need LBJ
- Another Vampire Blockbuster? Why?
- Documenting the Planet's Demise -- One Striking Photograph at a Time
- President Obama Answers Questions From Anti-Castro Blogger
- Jim Sciutto: A Tiny Town Salutes Its Fallen
- 10 Reasons the Belgians Hate the British
- Is Swine Flu Ebbing?
- Susan Boyle's First Album Makes Amazon CD Sales History
- Another Day, Another Recommendation to Relax Screening for Women
- Clem's Chronicles: Hasan's Emails/FAA outage/Afghanistan
WORLD NEWSER CATEGORIES
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
West Wing 'Ghost Town'
January 15, 2009 9:40 AM
From long-time ABC News White House correspondent Ann Compton:
President and Mrs. Bush fly to Camp David Friday afternoon for a final weekend in the rustic seclusion of "the Camp." Over the next 36 hours, White House staffers will go through the behind-the-scenes business of turning in their hard passes, coded lapel pins, "flip-top" fancy White House IDs in leather folders, blackberries, cellphones, and security clearances.
At 9:00 p.m. Friday, the highest-level staffers will turn in their gear; and the West Wing will become a ghost town.
Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, Counselor Ed Gillespie, and Press Secy Dana Perino are the senior staffers who will remain here, on standby. Monday is a federal holiday so the White House would be closed anyway. On Tuesday, Special Agent Donald White of the U.S. Secret Service will shadow President Bush, sit in the customary front "shotgun" seat of the limousine, and guard the President until noon. At 12:01, Agent White steps over to a position behind Barack Obama.
President and Mrs. Bush will helicopter to Andrews Air Force Base after the swearing-in (they do not remain on Capitol Hill for the luncheon); the Cheneys drive to Andrews. At 1:20 pm, the former President will speak (no cameras) to hundreds of loyal friends invited to come out to a hangar at Andrews for the send-off. A handful of these friends have been invited to fly on what can can no longer be called Air Force One (it's only Air Force One when it ferries the President) to Midland, Texas.
Here at the White House, Laura Bush has already packed up her books and dispatched them to Texas. An aide says the only personal piece of furniture departing is a chest of drawers belonging to President Bush's grandmother.
Around 10:30 am Tuesday, moving trucks will be waiting to enter the south drive of the White House, bringing the Obama family's belongings. And a new era.
January 15, 2009 in Inauguration, Obama, Barack, President 44 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (23)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Too bad it isn't 2005 right now.....
This is 4 or 8 years too late (take your pick)
Posted by: Derf | Jan 15, 2009 12:57:11 PM
When (on the timeline) will the authorities take Bush and Cheney into custody for their numerous war crimes??
Posted by: Fergie | Jan 15, 2009 12:59:21 PM
How can we get Obama to punch Bush in the face.....ideally with an uppercut, right after the swearing in. He could play it off as an accident, sying he was just raising his hand in celebration or waving or something.
Can we make this happen? Yes We Can!
Posted by: Lon | Jan 15, 2009 1:05:54 PM
I think Obama should whisper to Bush, "Don't leave the country....", right after he gets sworn in.
Posted by: John | Jan 15, 2009 1:07:29 PM
I can't beleive it's really gonna happen... this joke of a president, no this joke of a man will finally be gone.
Posted by: Thomas H | Jan 15, 2009 1:24:06 PM
I never liked Bush, but in the same way you don't realize how much you hate a job -- or a boss -- until after you quit, I am shocked by how giddy I am becoming as Bush's last moments are upon us. I can't wait to be done with Mr. Bush, and move on to something new and hopeful. I'm afraid I may explode by noon on Tuesday.
Posted by: Todd | Jan 15, 2009 1:37:50 PM
Did you really just report that the United States of America will be functionally without a leadership infrastructure for the long weekend before the inauguration?
Seems to me some group with a grudge would be interested in that sort of thing...
Posted by: js | Jan 15, 2009 1:49:16 PM
I try not to wish away hours or days of my life in anticipation, but OMG I wish it were Jan. 2oth today. The dawn is coming; the long dark age of the Bush administration is ending. GOOD RIDDANCE, Mr. Bush. You were never my president. You stole your elections and now you're finally almost gone. Thank heavens, it's almost over. 5 more days...
Posted by: zerlinarosa | Jan 15, 2009 1:49:32 PM
With some there is joy upon their arrival, with Bush there is joy upon his departure.
Posted by: ralph burquist | Jan 15, 2009 2:10:42 PM
THANK GOODNESS 1/20/09 IS NEARLY HERE
GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBBISH
Posted by: r€nato | Jan 15, 2009 2:23:13 PM
such hatred - such a waste of energy -
Are any of these words helpful?
Posted by: cc | Jan 15, 2009 3:12:51 PM
EDITED sentence from story: "An aide says the only personal piece of furniture departing is a chest of drawers belonging to President Bush's grandmother."
UNEDITED: "An aide says the only personal piece of furniture departing is a chest of drawers belonging to President Bush's grandmother, Martha Washington."
Why not? He's stolen everything else from us.
Posted by: Pat D. | Jan 15, 2009 3:18:24 PM
For a man who bankrupted us, betrayed our values and Constitution, turned his back of science and may have condemned this planet and our children to a slow death and has caused needless war, there are no words that can express the level of disgust I feel for this man and his familiars. This failure of a Presidency must not be forgotten for it must never be allowed to happen again for it will surely kill us all, if it has not already condemned us to death.
Posted by: Serge | Jan 15, 2009 3:21:28 PM
Hmm. When do Obama and his team sweep the place for bugs? surely the bushies will have wired the entire place...
Posted by: Albertine | Jan 15, 2009 3:42:48 PM
Thanks, Ann, for a fascinating look into the backstage stuff. That can only come from somebody who knows the place inside and out.
Posted by: Mark | Jan 15, 2009 3:50:22 PM
Oh yes it will be all rainbows and unicorns! All hail Obamamessiah.
Sorry, but Bush stopped global warming....see the weather report lately. Guess O will have to save us from something else.
Posted by: T | Jan 15, 2009 3:52:55 PM
"Functionally without a leadership structure" is how I would describe the federal government's executive branch since Jan 2001. In fact, I'd wager that we're better off with GWs staffers being gone during the long weekend than we are with them there.
Good riddance!
Posted by: nagha | Jan 15, 2009 4:05:30 PM
I love so-called conservatives who, with an apparently straight face, decry some sort of era of "Socialism" that Obama is going to usher in. I have news for you: we've just witnessed 8 years straight of unbridled corporate socialism where profit was privatized and loss was socialized. Where were your protests when companies were making record profits as the government shoveled money into them for boondogle projects and slashed their taxes as the national debt exponentially grew? The last 8 years have been an orgy of corporate greed, all fed by your "socialist" tax dollars. And now we're all broke. Your conservative hero George Bush has been at the helm of it all. It takes a lot of nerve and no sense of shame to now cry foul on "socialism."
Posted by: Jon | Jan 15, 2009 4:10:06 PM
Pretty funny how many comments here are savaging the raving idiot bush. There are the few dimwits who seem to think that people don't have a right to express their opinion about the war criminal bush, the rest of us are enjoying these last few days of bush bashing, before the trials get under way. Now as to Obama, one can only wait to criticize since he hasn't really even got going.
Posted by: Black Jack Shellac | Jan 15, 2009 4:23:08 PM
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Dubya!
Posted by: beowulf888 | Jan 15, 2009 6:08:50 PM
Post a comment
