44, Day Two

Tracking the new president's first 100 days.

• If anyone was thinking of doing a year or two in the Obama administration and then turning around to make big bucks as a lobbyist, well, maybe they should rethink their career strategy. Obama did as promised and imposed a ban Wednesday on anyone lobbying who leaves his administration while he is president. Plus, he signed another executive order freezing the salaries of anyone in the White House making more than $100,000 a year.
• House Republicans, really, really, really want to meet with Obama about the stimulus package. They sent a letter to the White House on Wednesday asking to meet today. "The challenge as we see it is to create a plan that helps middle class taxpayers and small businesses without wasting money or exploding our national deficit," the House GOP leaders write. Republicans especially object to a Democratic plan to cut payroll taxes.
• Obama on Wednesday started the process of reevaluating the official U.S. positions on Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House issued a statement after a meeting between the president, military, and Cabinet officials and said Obama would be taking a trip to the Pentagon soon, but it offered no timeline for action.
• Today, Obama is expected to sign an executive order calling for the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to be closed within the year. The president has already suspended military tribunals at the prison. Other orders likely to come from the president: a review of military trials of terror suspects and an end to the harsh interrogations--torture, anyone?--of detainees.
• Obama now has a Secretary of State, since the Senate overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton to have the job (only two Republicans objected). Press reports also suggest that Tim Geithner is likely to be confirmed to be Treasury Secretary, following a confirmation hearing that focused, in part, on his failure to pay taxes.

by J. Jennings Moss