Abraham Lincoln on C-SPAN

Senate Moves Closer To Passing Stimulus
Amid stunning new job losses, key senators and the White House reached agreement Friday night on a $780 billion verison of the stimulus bill at the heart of President Obama's economic recovery plan. A vote is expected early next week.
Abraham Lincoln on C-SPAN

African American students who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., visit the Lincoln Memorial in 1958. ( Photo/William J. Smith, file)

by Frank James

For those of us in the Tribune's Washington Bureau, there are constant reminders of President Abraham Lincoln very close at hand.

Our offices are only a few dozen feet from Ford's Theater where Lincoln was shot and the Petersen House where he passed from man to martyr.

Less somber is the Madame Tussaud's wax museum in a storefront at the corner of our office building. It displays in its window a likeness of the 16th president, accurate down to the gray eyes noted by his contemporaries.

So it's relatively easy for we Lincolnphiles, even we here, who work in the nation's capital and travel the same streets he once did, to get our Lincoln fix.

But as his 200th birthday approaches on Feb. 12, Lincoln will be remembered and celebrated by Lincoln appreciators across the nation and, indeed, the world. And C-SPAN, the cable public affairs network, is making it easy for them to luxuriate in Lincolniana with TV and website programming focusing on the man many believe was the greatest American president. C-SPAN says its site offers "posted video, an exclusive slide show of Lincoln photographs narrated by Lincoln Historian Harold Holzer and an unprecedented posting of Lincoln images in a photo gallery."

It's part of two-years of C-SPAN programming devoted to everything Lincoln. This year, the first Saturday of each month at 8 pm brings another Lincoln program.

As Lincoln lovers will tell you, probably including the current commander in chief, two years is not nearly enough to sate our appetites. But then we can never get enough of Lincoln anymore than we can get enough of the American ideal.

Scarborough: A Republican Take On Obama

Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Florida, joins Scott Simon to discuss Obama Cabinet nominees' tax problems, the economic stimulus package and other events in Washington this week.

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Senate Leader Reid Hopeful On Stimulus

Senate Leader Reid Hopeful On Stimulus
The Senate Democratic leader expressed optimism about the prospects for a massive economic recovery package while President Barack Obama used the cudgel of his office - and the latest dire jobless numbers - to challenge lawmakers to act swiftly.
Zimbabwe Detains Local Employee of U.S. Embassy
ABC News' Kirit Radia reports: Zimbabwe has detained a local hire employee of the U.S. Embassy in Harare and has accused him and others from the U.S. embassy of attempting to assassinate Zimbabwean Air Marshall Perence Shiri, according to the...
Schocker: 'Hottest' freshman from Illinois

by Mark Silva

Rep. Aaron Schock of Peoria, the youngest member of Congress -- and the "hottest freshman,'' according to the readers of The Huffington Post -- says he is honored.

"It's about time politicians from Illinois were known for something other than bad haircuts or having the ability to walk on water,'' Schock says in an essay acknowledging his award.

The Schock treatment that the Republican newcomer to Washington is getting marks yet another recognition in the fast-tracked career of a guy who's been the youngest at a lot of things, including his hometown School Board.

Schock picked up the seat that former Rep. Ray LaHood left with retirement from Congress -- only to become Transportation secretary and one of only a few Republican Cabinet members serving President Barack Obama, that other Illinoisan to whom the "hottest freshman'' alludes.

"Aaron Schock is an expert at starting young,'' as Laura Olson, an intern in the Tribune Washington Bureau, wrote in a recent profile of him:

By Laura Olson

Aaron Schock is an expert at starting young.

Elected to succeed the retiring Rep. Ray LaHood from Illinois' 18th Congressional District at the age of 27, Schock is familiar with being the freshest face in the room.

From his term on the Peoria school board to his service as a state representative, Schock has defined the parameters of age gaps with colleagues.

"There may be some double-takes when I pass through security without going through the metal detectors," the Republican said, grinning. "Is this guy really a member of Congress?"

Schock isn't wasting any time. He spent last week in Washington learning the ropes of his new job on Capitol Hill. He set out to get to know fellow freshmen, to learn "what issues make them tick," hire a staff and find a place to live.

He will join a growing number of youthful members of Congress. Reps. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) and Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) are both in their 30s. And Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), elected in 2000 at age 26, served last term as chairman of the House Republican Conference, stepping down from that post after the election.

In a body where the average age tends toward the upper 50s, the youngest members bring a new perspective.

"After a couple of months, as it was in the Statehouse, people get used to you and get to know you," Schock said. "You become a member of the organization, an equal member with an equal vote."

Schock hopes his youth will be an advantage in using new technologies, such as virtual town-hall meetings and e-newsletters, to help him stay in touch with constituents. He will offer a fresh take on programs such as Social Security that will cost a younger generation more to maintain.

"My concern is, what's the sustainability of a program like that for the next generation?" Schock said. "Is Social Security, is Medicare going to be around when I get to age 60 or 70 and retire?"

The title of "youngest" has followed him from birth -- he has three older siblings. His family lived in rural Minnesota until he was 10, then moved to Peoria.

As a teenager, Schock was interested in real estate and business. He invested in his first properties before graduating from high school and continued while studying finance at Bradley University.

But it was his experience with his local school board that sparked his interest in public service. Schock wanted to graduate early from high school, but the school board prohibited that. Unable to convince members to relent, he noticed they had been unopposed in a recent election.

He decided to run against the board president.

When the incumbent challenged Schock's petition to place his name on the ballot, Schock ran as a write-in candidate. He knocked on 13,000 doors and garnered more than 6,000 votes -- enough to earn him a board seat.

He was 19.

The board elected him president three years later.

But Schock saw another opportunity, this time in the state General Assembly. When he challenged the incumbent in his state House district, friends said he'd lose because of the "R" after his name. He won by 235 votes.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross said that in Springfield, Schock was able to pass a number of bills despite the contentious political atmosphere.

"He's a guy who is substantive and knowledgeable and the real deal," Cross said. "It would have been really easy to forget your roots, and that never happened with Aaron."

Rep. Susana Mendoza, an Illinois House Democrat who supported both President-elect Barack Obama and Schock in this year's election, adds: "He's been someone who I could talk to and could bring my legislation."

Now Schock is taking over a congressional district that LaHood served for seven terms. LaHood, who's known Schock since he ran for the school board, has offered assistance on decisions about staffing and other practicalities of the job.

"These opportunities for congressional seats, people wait a lifetime for them," LaHood said. "I think people anticipated that there would be a number of good candidates and that Aaron would be among them. He's a very ambitious young man -- I wasn't surprised."

While a Facebook group calling for Schock to consider a 2016 run for the presidency is likely a bit premature (he won't turn 35 until 2016), LaHood believes Schock represents what the GOP is looking for in up-and-coming leaders.

"I think he'll be looked at as someone who can revitalize the Republican Party in Illinois and go out to recruit people to run for congressional seats as well," he said.

In Washington, Schock might heed the words of Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who arrived in Congress in 2005 at age 29 and was the youngest member before Schock's election. The youth title can be "a blessing and curse," he says.

"It's a challenge because people want to talk to you more about your age and less about what you're trying to get done," McHenry said. "Aaron has had eight years in [public] office -- he's battle-tested on the age question."

Jobs Plunge Shows Economy In 'Freefall'

Nearly 600,000 jobs were cut from payrolls last month and the nation's unemployment rate jumped to 7.6 percent — its highest level since 1992. Economist Mark Zandi says businesses are "panicked. They're fighting for survival and that means they're slashing investment and jobs."

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Panetta at CIA: 'Clean break from past'

Senate Races To Trim Stimulus Bill
Senate moderates from both U.S. political parties worked to cut up to $100 billion from economic stimulus legislation and clear the way for the bill's passage as President Barack Obama urged lawmakers to "rise to the moment."
Senators Keep 'Buy American' in the Stimulus
ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports: Senators agreed by voice vote tonight to clarify that the "Buy American" provision in the Senate's version of the stimulus package should comply with existing treaties. Then they rejected by a 31-65 vote a...
Panetta at CIA: 'Clean break from past'

by Rebecca Cole and updated as hearing continues

The Senate Intelligence Committee has taken up the nomination of Leon Panetta, former congressman from California and onetime chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton, for director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

While Panetta's confirmation is expected, new questions have arisen this week surrounding the work he has done in the private sector -- collecting speaking fees from firm troubled banks and a company that does business with the Defense Department. And some have questioned from the start President Barack Obama's appointment of a CIA director who has no experience in the intelligence community.

Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, told Panetta as the hearing got underway this afternoon: "Many of us were surprised by your nomination because we believed that the next CIA director should have a professional intelligence background, which you clearly do not have. This raises a number of questions that I will seek your answers to today and as the committee considers your nomination.''

At the same time, Bond may have presaged committee approval of Panetta (pictured at the hearing in a photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images) with this remark:

"For too many years we have had turf battles and power struggles as individual agencies and departments try to protect their own piece of the pie and their budgets. I am hopeful, that with your cooperation, we can make these destructive battles a thing of the past.''

Senate Intelligence Chairman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who initially had voiced concern about the White House not confiding in her before nominating Panetta, said as she opened the hearing today that the White House views the appointment as "a clean break from the past, from secret interrogations and to break from analysis that was wrong and a product of bad practice that helped lead our nation to war.''

"I know Washington,'' Panetta told the committee, "I think I know why it works, and I think I know why it fails to work.''

Panetta acknowledged the tremendous change that the agency has undergone since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, including the failure to prevent them.

Panetta also recounted the misidentification of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2002 and the controveries over the laws and policies governing rendition, detention and interrogation.

"I want to put that era behind us. We are a nation at war. Since 9/11, the CIA has been in an operational tempo unlike anything it has experienced in its history," Panetta said.

"I believe the director should be instrumental in shaping the role of the CIA in the 21st Century to protect this nation. We will remain clear-eyed about the threats and to always perform our responsibiliites according to the law and Constitution."

Panetta said the CIA's first responsibility will be to prevent surprise, and to that end, he will do everythig possible to improve coordination among the various agencies that operate under the Director of National Intelligence -- the coordination of those agencies representing the central reform initiated in the intelligence community after 9/11.

Panetta also alluded to the contentious relationship between the CIA and the Congress during the past several years, saying he wanted to rebuild a relationship of trust between the two groups.

Select members of Congress -- the House Speaker and minority leader, the Senate majority and minority leaders, and the chairmen and ranking members of the Intelligence committees -- had been privy to the most sensitive information, leaving others on the Intelligence committees to complain of being left in the dark.

"I believe the "Gang of 8" process was overused, and therefore abused,'' Panetta said. "Keeping this committee fully and currently informed is not optional. It is the law.''

Bond asked if Panetta was suggesting that the U.S. has sent suspects to foreign countries for torture under rendition.

"I do not have any direct evidence of that.'' Panetta said.

If the U.S. captures four or five "dangerous terrorists," Bond asked where would the CIA hold them -- "I assume you don't want to let them go."

Individuals held in a non-"black site" would have acess to the Red Cross, Panetta said, they would be held on a temporary basis, and the conventions of the Army field manual would apply to their treatment and interrogrations. The president has signed an order that interrogations must follow the field manual's strictures against torture.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked: "Our country wants to know how you would deal with the human-ticking time bomb - the person who has crticial, urgent-threat information and you need to secure that information.''

"I think we have to do everything possible within the law get that information. And that's what I would do if I were the director of the CIA," Panetta said.

Wyden asked the nominee if he would be willing "to work with me and this committee to start declassifying some of the information about the CIA's interrogations?"

Panetta's answer: Yes.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) offered some praise for Panetta's skill in working across agencies and for his directness of his responses.

"He is perfectly situated not only to represent the interests of the CIA within our government, but to convey an important message to the rest of the world - that when you are talking to the director of the CIA you can be assured that he is speaking for the president and the whole of the administration," Feingold said.

The question of Panetta's outsider status appeared to be firmly dismissed by Sen. Rockefeller (D-W.Va), in his opening statement: "Mr. Panetta, I am delighted by your appointment."

Rockefeller asked about a recent statement made by former Vice President Dick Cheney about concerns that the Obama's administration would "turn the other cheek" against terrorists and that "everything would be OK if we just talk nice to the terrorists."

After expressing his disappointment over those comments, Panetta said he thinks the country is a stronger nation when it abides by the law: "If we don't act together to protect this country, that is the surest way to lose our security."

(Can you link the Cheney stuff to the politico piece you blogged on yesterday)

In Praise Of Reagan, Communicator Extraordinaire

Historian Douglas Brinkley considers Ronald Reagan one of the top five American presidents of the 20th century. Brinkley is the editor of The Reagan Diaries.

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Obama's five-day rule: Broken again

Shinseki Vows Top-Down Review, VA Overhaul
New Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki is launching a top-down review of his embattled department, saying major change is needed soon to ensure the "highest levels of integrity, transparency and performance."
Obama's five-day rule: Broken again

by Rebecca Cole

Hey, what about Obama's five-day rule?

Congress today passed a bill expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, allocating an additional $32.8 billion in funding for the program over the next four and a half years. President Barack Obama plans to sign the bill into law in a White House ceremony later this afternoon.

Yet one of Obama's campaign promises -- the "Sunlight Before Signing" pledge -- was that he would not sign any non-emergency bills without offering the public five days to review and comment on the legislation.

The measure, which passed the House by a vote of 290-135, including 40 Republicans supporting it, calls for a 62-cent increase in the federal tax on cigarettes, bringing the total tax to $1 per pack. Jointly financed by federal and state governments, SCHIP currently insures about 7.4 million children. The new bill will help states insure an additional 4 million kids.

The House adopted the Senate's version of the bill which passed last week, one that closely hews to the SCHIP reauthorization bills that former President Bush vetoed in 2007. The version that passed today strips a controversial clause that would have banned physician self-referral to hospitals in which they have an ownership interest.

This is the second bill that Obama will sign without allowing the public a full five days to review the legislation. Last week, Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act only two days after final passage in the House.

Ahmed Rashid: Taliban Activity Up In Pakistan

Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid says the Taliban is making advances in Pakistan. Rashid reports on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia for The Daily Telegraph and The Far Eastern Economic Review.

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Obama Taps GOP Sen. Gregg For Commerce

Obama Taps GOP Sen. Gregg For Commerce
President Barack Obama has nominated Republican Sen. Judd Gregg to be Commerce secretary.
Clinton Repeats Obama on Iran: 'Reaching Out a Hand, but the Fist Has to Unclench'
ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: Secretary Hillary Clinton repeated President Barack Obama's words on Iran from an interview last month with al Arabiya television. "Iran has an opportunity to step up and become a productive member of the international community,"...
Holder at Justice: Bad old days are over

by Frank James

Today was supposed to be Eric Holder's day, with his swearing-in as the nation's first black attorney general.

But his historic moment was overshadowed by news that two other choices of President Barack Obama for high-profile spots in his administration, Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer, the president's picks for Health and Human Services secretary and chief performance officer, respectively, had withdrawn their names due to tax problems.

Still, history was made at the Justice Department today, one day after Holder was confirmed by the Senate in a 75 to 21 vote.

Holder noted that history and marked it as a sign of the progress the nation has made since the civil rights era.

But he also promised that his arrival at the department was a clean break from the recently extinct Bush Administration whose Justice Department became a political arm of the White House. Holder told the audience of Washington dignitaries and Justice officials:

As I return to the institution that formed me as a lawyer, I am determined to ensure that there shall be a new day for the dedicated career professionals I am once again so honored to call my colleagues. There shall be no place for political favoritism, no reason to be timid in enforcing the laws that protect our rights, our environment and our principles, as long as I have the opportunity to lead this great department. This may be a break from the immediate past, but it is consistent with the long history of the Department of Justice.

I call on every employee of this department from this moment on to return to the practices that are the foundation of this entity. It is time once again to base our actions on policies that are rooted in fairness and in the desire to ensure a more just America.

Here's a complete transcript of the swearing-in ceremony presided over by Vice President Joe Biden:

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: (Applause.) Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. What a distinguished crowd. I think I look at -- every face is recognizable. Welcome back to the Justice Department. (Laughs, laughter, applause.) Senator Warner is here as well.

Thank you all for being here today. As we gather here today, it's worth remembering the mission statement of the -- that guides this great department, one that Senator and Secretary Cohen as a young congressman remembers when he started off at a very unusual time here in American history in 1972. And it goes like this, it says -- the mission statement of this great department reads as follows: to enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety and threats -- against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.

There's no mention in that mission statement of politics. There's no mention in that mission statement of ideology. And that's how it should be, because there is no place for politics or ideology in this building.

With the appointment of Eric Holder as attorney general, we're going to be returning to a standard that has governed this great department at its greatest moments, in my view -- no politics, no ideology, only a clear and honest assessment of the facts and the law.

The Department of Justice holds a special place in our democracy. It's here that individual liberty and security is defended and protected. Americans need a great Department of Justice. And the thousands of dedicated professionals in this department who have been here through thick and thin, let me say to them all that America needs you as well, and needs you badly. And you need a leader -- you need a leader that can meet the challenge of restoring this department to the place of honor and respect it deserves.

Eric Holder -- Eric Holder has served a prosecutor, as a judge, and as deputy attorney general. He knows this department, and he knows that it thrives on the commitment and inspiration of the people who serves here.

His words at his confirmation hearing should be reassuring to all those who serve in this department, as well as to all Americans. Let me quote him. He said, "The Department of Justice will serve justice, not the fleeting interest of any political party." End of quote. These words make clear that this attorney general understands the most important truth about this office. Not only is the attorney general the president's lawyer, but he is the people's lawyer. He's the people's lawyer. And that is as it should be as well.

Mr. Attorney General, would you please step forward and give me the honor of administering the oath.

(Mr. Holder was sworn in as attorney general.)

(Cheers, applause.)

ATTY GEN. HOLDER: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.

Thank you.

I want to begin by thanking Vice President Biden, a good friend and a long-time supporter of the Department of Justice.

I also want to thank Mark Filip, the acting attorney general, deputy attorney general, who has done a great job in this past year or so helping to restore the credibility and the shape of the Department of Justice. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

I want to thank those of you here who helped so much in the confirmation process, especially the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, a good friend, Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont. (Applause.)

I look forward to working with those other leaders of the House and the Senate who are here today. And I want to express my appreciation to my family, especially to my wife and to my three children, for the love that they have shared these past few weeks and always.

I also want to remember the man who was the guiding force in my life and who I know is here with me today.

We know today not just the journey of one fortunate person, but also the distance traveled by this nation and by a people. Though much ground still needs to be covered, the events of the last year signify that a new day for this nation is potentially at hand. Nowhere but in this great country could a person like me or the president hope to achieve the positions we are now so fortunate to hold.

The distance from a very small house in Queens, New York, to the fifth floor of the Department of Justice is not as long as many may think. Given the advantages of the best a public school education can afford, having loving parents, and the opportunity to enroll in two of the nations premier institutions of higher learning -- and with a lot of luck -- (laughter) -- the trip from East Elmhurst to DOJ is not all that improbable.

And that is the wonder of America.

As I return to the institution that formed me as a lawyer, I am determined to ensure that there shall be a new day for the dedicated career professionals I am once again so honored to call my colleagues. There shall be no place for political favoritism, no reason to be timid in enforcing the laws that protect our rights, our environment and our principles, as long as I have the opportunity to lead this great department. This may be a break from the immediate past, but it is consistent with the long history of the Department of Justice.

I call on every employee of this department from this moment on to return to the practices that are the foundation of this entity. It is time once again to base our actions on policies that are rooted in fairness and in the desire to ensure a more just America.

I look forward to the years ahead, as we will restore this institution that is central to what is best about the American experience with a rededication to those values that are old and yet are timeless; with a welcome obligation to future generations; and with an unswervering (sic) commitment to justice for all of our people. We will remake the Department of Justice into what it was and into what it always must be.

Thank you. (Extended applause.)

END.

Antony Hegarty's Otherworldly Sound

Antony Hegarty, lead singer for Antony and the Johnsons, has a striking sound — "between male and female ... at once ethereal and earthy," one critic writes. The group's new CD is The Crying Light.

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Should FEMA Remain Part Of Homeland Security?

Daschle Apologizes To Senate For Tax Woes
Tom Daschle couldn't have received a much warmer welcome from his former Senate colleagues than he got three weeks ago when the prospective Health and Human Services secretary underwent his first confirmation hearing.
RADAR: Clinton's first trip abroad to Asia?
ABC News' Jennifer Duck reports: Speculation is rising and reports are making the rounds about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first trip abroad. A Seoul Foreign Ministry Official has been quoted in numerous reports saying Clinton will depart for Asia...
Michelle Obama's federal thank-you tour

by Mark Silva

First Lady Michelle Obama, launching a thank-your tour at the Department of Education - the first of many federal agencies which she promises to visit in coming weeks and months - promised today that her husband's administration will place education at the "forefront."

The Obamas have a good friend there: Arne Duncan, former superintendent of the Chicago public schools, whom President Obama has made education secretary

"I am a product of your work,'' Obama told employs at an agency which once became a target of politicians vowing to cut the federal bureaucracy. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the public schools that nurtured me and helped me along.''

Of course, Princeton and Harvard Law School didn't hurt either -- though, as she would have it today, it was the public schools of the South Side of Chicago that got her there.

The first lady also did a little campaigning for her husband's economic stimulus plan -- touting progress for 10,000 public schools that stand to benefit from it. She spoke to about 350 people, and worked a rope line in something of a campaign-like event.

"I am committed, as well as my husband, to ensuring that more kids like us and kids around this country, regardless of their race, their income, their status, their -- the property values in their neighborhoods, get... access to an outstanding education,'' she said.

The first lady, making her first appearance at a federal agency since the inauguration of her husband, promised to spend several weeks or months going from agency to agency - "visiting agencies throughout this administration to do just something simple, and that's to say thank you; thank you before we even begin the work, because so many of you have been here struggling and pushing for decades.

"Barack and I want to say thank you for what you've done and thank you for what you will continue to do....

"The Department of Education is going to be at the forefront of many of the things that we have to do in this administration. And we're going to need that energy in these times of economic challenge...

"We're going to be making investments.... With these investments, we're going to create good jobs, as we renovate and modernize more than 10,000 schools... and improve the learning environment for about five million children across this country.

"We'll be able to increase Pell grants and make college more
affordable for seven million students, and give nearly four million students tax credits for tuition... And with these investments that we hope to make through this stimulus package, we'll be able to prevent teacher layoffs -- and education cuts in hard-hit states...

"We'll be able to preserve early childhood education programs,'' she said. "And we can expand opportunities in low-income districts for all students, and particularly for students with disabilities....

"There's a lot of work to do, and we're going to need you,'' she said. "Sometimes I don't ask for much other than a little prayer and hard work, and then a little more prayer, and then a little more hard work....

"We have to remember that the children of this country are counting on all of us. They're looking to us for direction. They're looking to us for that ray of hope.''

Should FEMA Remain Part Of Homeland Security?

FEMA was absorbed into the Deparment of Homeland Security in 2003, but there's debate in Washington about whether it should regain its independent status. It's one of 22 agencies in Homeland Security, and some emergency officials say that's one reason that getting federal disaster aid can be difficult.

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Obama: Robert E. Lee'd be 'very confused'

McConnell: "Wait-And-See" On Daschle
The Senate's leading Republican said he is taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the revelation that former Senator and Cabinet appointee Tom Daschle recently filed an amended tax return and paid $140,000 in back taxes and interest.
Obama: Robert E. Lee'd be 'very confused'

by Mark Silva and Clarence Page and updated

President Barack Obama, the first African-American to hold the office, suggested last night that Robert E. Lee would be "very confused'' if he were around today.

Obama, guest of honor at one of Washington's most exclusive events, the Alfalfa Club dinner, made a debut with a few jokes that the White House is sharing.

"I am seriously glad to be here tonight at the annual Alfalfa dinner,'' Obama said. "I know that many you are aware that this dinner began almost one hundred years ago as a way to celebrate the birthday of General Robert E. Lee. If he were here with us tonight, the general would be 202 years old. And very confused.''

The president, at a dinner attended by first ladies (see Clarence Page's photos here) got off some lines about his chief of staff, the salty-tongued Rahm Emanuel, and that second swearing-in that Obama took after flubbing a line on Inauguration Day at the misprompt of the chief justice of the United States (and Chief Justice John Roberts turned out:last night, to publicly thank the president for his graciousness.)

"Now, this hasn't been reported yet, but it was actually Rahm's idea to do the swearing-in ceremony again,'' Obama said. "Of course, for Rahm, every day is a swearing-in ceremony.

"But don't believe what you read,'' Obama said. "Rahm Emanuel is a real sweetheart....

"No, it's true,'' the president said. "Every week the guy takes a little time away to give back to the community. Just last week he was at a local school, teaching profanity to poor children.''

Joe Lieberman, with a nod to what life might have looked like if John McCain had won the White House, told the Alfalfa crowd (with both McCain and Sarah Palin in attendance) : ""I could almost see the vice president's mansion from my house." Instead, he said, he has become "the first person in U.S. history to be granted a pardon by a president before he had taken office."

Lieberman took a shot at impeached former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich for "giving a bad name to the word 'chutzpah'." And he announced that Obama will be visiting the Washington offices of The New York Times soon "as part of your search for a new house of worship."

"Talk about hard times," said Kit Bond of Missouri. "These days you can't even sell an Illinois Senate seat." And the loquacious Vice President Joe Biden, long the No. 1 commuter between Wilmington, Del., and Washington, he said, "s the reason Amtrak created the 'quiet car'."

Vernon Jordan, wearing a top hat, announced that he would give it to Obama after his speech. Jordan told the president: "The difference between me wearing this hat and you wearing this hat is that I do not have to pull a rabbit out of it." Jordan also told the president: "People have faith in you, but of course I said the same thing to Bernie Madoff."

Obama spoke of the travails of his first 10 days:

"In just the first few weeks, I'e had to engage in some of the toughest diplomacy of my life,'' he said. "And that was just to keep my BlackBerry.

"I finally agreed to limit the number of people who could email me. It' a very exclusive list. How exclusive?... Everyone look at the person sitting on your left Now look at the person sitting on your right. None of you have my email address.''

Others have reports of their own this morning on the president's humor -- including David Brooks of The New York Times, who noted on CBS' Face the Nation that Obama joked about a certain problem he has with the Labradoodle picked out for his daughters -- the dog owes back taxes. See them here:

Among those there, without the president's address: the Republican Party's 2008 presidential ticket, Sen.JMcCain of Arizona and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Palin.

While the dinner is allegedly off the record, the White House has helped break that bubble with its selection of lines released today. Our own columnist Clarence Page has contributed some lines above, and Politico.com reports that Obama told Lieberman, Democrat-turned-independent-turned-McCain supporter, that he has no hard feelings.

The door is always open, Obama assured Lieberman, who observes the Sabbath, so feel to drop by -- any Saturday afternoon.

As for Palin, rubbing elbows with the Washington elite whom she railed against during the campaign, Politico notes that Obama suggested Palin, who had accused him of "pallin' around with terrorists'' during the campaign, now was "palling around with this crew."

The Washington Post also reports that Lieberman reported that former Vice President Dick Cheney injured himself while moving into his new home, saying: 'I had no idea water-boards were so heavy.'''

Transportation Analyst: Stimulus Needs Details

Billions of dollars for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects are part of the stimulus package. But it probably won't include any specifics on what should be built. Phineas Baxandall of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group says that's a missed opportunity.

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