‘Emergency’ Declared for Inauguration

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
Published: January 13, 2009
WASHINGTON — It is true, President Bush sounded alarms about Barack Obama during the campaign season. On Tuesday, Mr. Bush went one step further: He declared Mr. Obama’s inauguration an actual emergency.

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The declaration, though, was not a political statement about Republicans being run out of town. Rather, it was a bureaucratic move intended to provide additional federal money to help Washington cope with the huge crowds that are expected to turn out for the ceremony next Tuesday that will make Mr. Obama the nation’s first black president.

The government has set aside $15 million to help pay for security and medical personnel. But Mayor Adrian M. Fenty asked for more money, citing possible crowds of 1.5 million to 2 million and “the associated stresses that it would place on the city’s capabilities, particularly the medical community,” said Scott Stanzel, a spokesman for Mr. Bush.

Mr. Bush granted the request as “a precaution,” Mr. Stanzel said; if Washington needs the money, it can apply for reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The declaration will also allow federal public health workers to join in the public safety effort.

The president’s power to declare a state of emergency is typically used after natural disasters, although Mr. Stanzel said presidents had occasionally declared emergencies before an anticipated event. But never before, he said, has an advance declaration been used for a “non-disaster.”

More Articles in US » A version of this article appeared in print on January 14, 2009, on page A20 of the New York edition.

Wouldn't it be cool if W went crazy on tv right before the inauguration and instituted martial law because of the "emergency," thus making the power shift impossible?!? That would be so awesome.

Never happen. Bush can't wait to get outta Dodge.

All I know is that this inauguration scares the hell out of me. There are crazy international terrorists and really nutty terrorists in America..real wackos.

Right - and my daughter is in boarding school, and they're taking them all to it. I'm not sure if I should tell her to stay at school, because it seems like the whole situation could end up really badly - but it's such a historical event, it would be cool for her to go, just because she'd probably regret it as an adult if she didn't. I've been in DC for huge protests, but we're talking about 500,000 people, and they could get a little crazy. But this thing? I just don't know. I was going to go down myself, but no freaking way I'm getting trapped in that scene.

remember when the left was up in arms about Bush's 48 million dollar inauguration? but in this wonderful economic times it is okay for a black dem to have a 150 million dollar inauguration

He will get a pass on everything.

Just FYI, Obama's inauguration is being funded - at least in part - by donations from his supporters. He sends out emails a few times a week asking for money so he can reduce the tax money and corporate money going into it. No, I have not donated.

And I think it's also worth noting that it isn't Obama's fault if millions of people want to come to DC for his inauguration, and the country should probably give special recognition to the incredibly historical nature of this event. I think you can criticize the guy on stuff, but this is probably not particularly valid to attack him on...

Show me the ledger, if he spends less tax dollars than the shrub then I will concede this point.

Its gonna be a real freakshow. Cant wait. :o)

I still think the whole Super Star status is out of control.

The Inauguration of the 44th President seems more stately than the Inauguration of Barak H. Obama.....jmo..

...being the Pres. is serious especially in the world we are in now, the economy and 2 wars, etc....security should be far more stringent, the allowing of millions to bottleneck DC is assinine.

The money allotted to this is ludicrous.

I really hope it goes on without incident. I doubt it will though.

Praying!! I sure hope nothing happens too.

Just FYI, his "supporters" are Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. And "at least in part" is 80%. By some strange coincidence, Obama spent this week telling people how Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs need more bailout money! How did that go? "Change - you can believe in"


Big Donors Foot Inaugural Bill
By KENNETH P. VOGEL
Updated 6:45 AM CST, Thu, Jan 15, 2009

AP

Barack Obama has boasted that his inauguration will be funded by the same small donors who propelled his presidential campaign to victory, but a new analysis shows the inaugural bill is being footed primarily by big-dollar contributors, including many from Wall Street.

In fact, nearly 80 percent of the $35.3 million raised by Obama’s inaugural committee can be traced to just 211 individual bundlers, according to an analysis by the non-partisan watchdog group Public Citizen.

One Wall Street bundler steered the $300,000 maximum to committee, Louis Susman, a top Citigroup executive, the report found.

“No doubt many donors give simply because they want to be part of history,” said Craig Holman, a campaign finance lobbyist for Public Citizen. “But donors and bundlers who represent special interests with business pending before the government and who dole out five-figure checks to the inaugural committee usually want a seat at the table with the new administration.”


Other Wall Street bundlers who contributed include:
* Mark Gilbert, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers: $185,000
* Robert Wolf, CEO of UBS Americas: $100,000
* Jennifer Scully, a vice president at Goldman Sachs: $100,000
* Bruce Heyman, a manager at Goldman Sachs: $50,000



http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/us_world/Big_donors_foot_inaugural_bill.html

Wish I could go!

2005 was not that long ago. The country was two years into the Iraq occupation. The Republicans favorite son was being sworn in a second time. Were you right wingers complaining about the cost then of his inauguration?

I think it was the left that complained about his (Bush's) inaugeration costs.

Personally, with both parties giving away trillions to big business ...

What's a few hundred million for a swearing in ceremoney for BHO?