A Slow Work Day

Rahm Emmanuel started off the term by suspending federal regulations pending a review of the last Bush executive orders. President Obama issued an executive order prohibiting any White House staff from lobbying after they left office. He suspended all trials at Gitmo pending a 120-day review and prepared an Executive Order to close the facility in a year. He lifted the limit on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. He overturned George H. Bush's Mexico City policy that banned US funding for family planning. He anounced plans to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and the proposal to extend federal benefits to more than 1,000 gays and asserted the rights of gay to adopt.

President Obama called Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan to discuss re-starting the Arab-Israeli peasce process and the current ceasefire in Gaza. He is to meet with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to order the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in 16 months and the addition of some 30,000 troops to Afghansitan. Sometime during the day he is expected to announce his new Middle East Envoy--rumored to be Senator Mitchell.

Lastly he will meet with his economic team to discuss the stimulus package. That's minus the morning prayer breakfast and the White House open house.

So done. I don't know whether they have enough for a Day 2.