Obama arrives in Washington ahead of inauguration

WASHINGTON: US President-elect Barack Obama arrived in Washington from Chicago, his home town, some two weeks before his inauguration on January 20.
    
The future First Lady Michelle Obama and her two daughters Malia, 10, and Sasha Obama, 7, arrived in the US capital a day earlier on Saturday. Malia and Sasha Obama would start going to their new school on Monday.
    
The Obama family would stay in Hay-Adams hotel, till a few days before the inauguration, when they will move to Blair House, where presidents-elect normally stay before their swearing in. This is because White House informed them that Blair House was booked and not available immediately for them to stay.
    
Earlier when Obama left Chicago, his home town, it was a bit emotional moment for him. "I gotta say I choked up a little bit leaving my house today," the President-elect told reporters aboard a military aircraft, which transported him to the US Capital.
    
Obama choked up after glancing through an album, which was dropped off by a friend of his daughter Malia. "They had been friends since pre-school and I just looked through the pages and the house was empty and it was a little tough," he was quoted as saying to The Chicago Tribune. "It got me," he said.
    
Talking to reporters abroad the plane, Obama said he was looking forward to his stay in Washington. As expected Obama has a hectic schedule ahead of him.
    
He now has to select his new Secretary of Commerce. Hours before he arrived in Washington, Bill Richardson, the Governor of New Mexico, whom he had nominated as his Secretary of Commerce, withdrew saying that a pending federal investigation in his home state could delay his confirmation.

On Monday, Obama will hold a series of meetings with the Democratic and Republican leaders form the House of Representatives and the Senate to discuss on the economic stimulus plan and other crucial issues facing the nation, which is currently under recession.
    
"President-elect Barack Obama will meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Capitol Hill on Monday," said a statement issued by the transition team.
    
Obama would also hold a meeting with his top economic advisors at his Washington transition office later in the afternoon.
    
Meanwhile, it became clear on Sunday that the mega economic stimulus bill which Obama team was talking about is unlikely to be ready for his signature immediately after he is sworn in on January 20.
    
In separate interview to Sunday talk shows, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, and the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, said the process would take another six weeks. This is because, the two Congressional leaders said, the complications involved and they want to ensure that there is nothing wrong in the bill.