From Jim Eskin, Public Affairs Stratagist ....................... ................ January 2009

You can't help noticing Barack Obama looking every bit the Commander-in-Chief, making announcements with the backdrop of American flags and a very presidential-looking podium with "The Office of the President-Elect."

But the props are merely that. Under the Constitution, there is no such thing as the Office of the President-elect.

The Presidential Transition Act - created in 1963 and amended in 2000 - establishes formal provisions for the transition period by outlining training and other assistance that the president-elect and his team of advisers can receive as they prepare to assume office.
Obama has employed over 500 staffers to assist in his transition operations - working from a nondescript office building in downtown Washington and from locations in his hometown of Chicago.

His transition team has received a budget of $12 million - $5.2 million allocated by Congress, and the rest from private donations of under $5,000.

MOTHER OF ALL INAUGURALS
Obama's will be a splendid four-day affair, replete with the traditional balls but also featuring service projects to honor Martin Luther King's holiday.

The schedule also includes a national prayer service the day after Obama and Joe Biden take office on January 20.

The theme - "Renewing America's Promise" - is the same one used for the Democratic National Convention in Denver and for the party's national platform. It's a nod to the optimism that Obama tapped into during a marathon campaign.
The schedule plans an event on January 18, to welcome visitors to the nation's capital.

Inauguration Day will feature many of the events of past schedules, including the oath of office on the western steps of the Capitol, the parade to the White House and the traditional inaugural balls.

OBAMA'S DANCE CARD
It's full! Fix the economy, revamp health care, reduce global warming, pull out of Iraq and improve America's image in the world.

This is a daunting to-do list coupled with high hopes. It offers the new President opportunities and hazards alike - a chance to outshine the unpopular George W. Bush, but with the risk of falling short of the public's substantial expectations.

Apart from dealing with the economy, the public's priorities for Obama in this ABC News/Washington Post poll include making major changes in the country's health care system (77% favor it), implementing policies to try to reduce global warming (75%) and withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq in the next 16 months (70%).

PRINCIPLED LEADERSHIP
Forget political ideology and partisan one-upsmanship, the American public is looking for its new president to be - first and foremost - an honest man of integrity and intelligence who will lead the nation by example through the tumultuous times ahead.

Nearly one in five likely voters -18% - in the Capps Center/Zogby survey most want Obama to be an honest president, while 12% said they most want a president with integrity. Another 12% said they want Obama to be an effective leader emphasizing, in the words of one individual, a "sense of personal responsibility to his leadership of the country." "Intelligence" was the most frequently cited quality in the descriptions people offered overlapping "honesty," "integrity" and "leadership."

DIPLOMAT-IN-CHIEF
The Secretary of State is the head of the Department of State concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hillary Clinton will be the 67th Secretary of State.
Particularly in the early years of the nation, the post was regarded as a natural stepping-stone to the White House. Six Secretaries of State later became President -Jefferson. Madison, Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Van Buren and Buchanan.

CHIEF-IN-CHIEF
Speculating about a new chef at the White House has become - as one culinary insider puts it - fantasy football for foodies.

But as tempting as it may be to see the Obama family's choice as the ultimate
"Top Chef" competition, former White House chefs say the job is about selfless service, not star power.

Walter Scheib, White House executive chef for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, believes there's a 90% chance the new administration will stick with his successor, Cristeta Comerford.

The head chef earns $80,000-$100,000 a year creating menus for state dinners, holiday functions, receptions and official luncheons hosted by the president and first lady.

SUNNY SIDE OF LOBBYISTS
Shocking news in this season of lobbyist bashing - many lobbyists not only are good people but also represent real people.

And even more shocking news: Without lobbyists, government could not function efficiently, and perhaps not at all, going all the way back to George Washington.

Last year, 15,965 lobbyists registered under the Lobbyist Disclosure Act. The top five organizations in amounts spent for lobbying from 1998 to 2008 are U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($427 million), American Medical Association ($195 million), General Electric ($178 million), American Hospital Association ($158 million) and AARP ($148 million).

TRUST
Among all adults who are familiar with them, the Harris Poll indicates that Consumer Reports, American Red Cross, AARP, Nature Conservancy and U.S. Chamber of Commerce are the most trusted among 16 large organizations that influence politics and business in Washington. The AFL-CIO, ACLU, NRA and PhRMA are the least trusted. However, even these organizations are trusted "a great deal" or "a fair amount" by 47% or more of all adults.

IT'S THE POCKETBOOK
No surprise here: Gallup reports that about 40% of Americans on average are currently worrying about money, sustaining a slight but significant increase in worry compared to readings before September.

It is worth noting that fewer Americans report personally having worried about money than report a negative evaluation of the U.S. economy. The latter has been running at about a 75% to 80% negative rating in recent days, almost twice as high as the financial worry number. In other words, Americans are much more likely to report having a negative view of the overall economy than they are to say they personally worried about money.

NEWS SOURCES
Local television news continues to be Americans' preferred source of daily news, with more than half of Americans saying they turn to it daily. Cable news and local newspapers are everyday sources of news for 40%. And for the first time since Gallup began asking this question in 1995, significantly more Americans say they turn to cable news networks daily than say they turn to nightly network news programs, though it is worth noting that the popularity of the network news programs has remained fairly stable compared with recent years.

Not surprisingly, the Internet has shown the biggest increase in popularity as a news source, with 31% now saying it is a daily news source. This marks a nearly 50% increase since 2006 and a more than 100% increase from 2002. Use of the Internet as a news source has increased each time Gallup has asked about it, beginning in 1995.

DID YOU KNOW?
Caroline Kennedy's emergence to fill the New York Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton prompts the question - who was the first presidential daughter to run for office?

Answer: Maureen Reagan, daughter of Ronald, who sought the Republican nomination for the Senate from California in 1982. She lost to Pete Wilson, who went on to win the seat vacated by S.I. Hayakawa.

FOUR-LEGGED LOVE
Sixty-seven percent of pet owners say they understand their animals' barks, purrs and other sounds in an Associated Press-Petside.com poll.

The survey shows that owners' affection for their pets goes well beyond speaking their language. Even as a recession forces millions of families to curtail their budgets, just one in seven owners said they've been forced to trim spending on their pets in the past year. And more than four in 10 said they bought holiday gifts for their animals - about the same as last year.

INAUGURAL ADDRESS QUIZ
They can be speeches for the ages or be big busts. I'm betting Obama will seize the moment. Match the following presidents and the length of their inaugural address. Answers presented below. See you next month.

Answers: 1=e, 2=a, 3=b, 4=d, 5=c.

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