Sun-Times: White House has rejected a recent request by Obama to occupy Blair House

[wndycty]

An Obama rejection ...

President-elect Barack Obama just got nixed!

Sneed hears the White House has rejected a recent request by Obama to occupy Blair House, the president-elect's Washington residence, at an earlier date.

• • To wit: Sneed hears Obama wanted to move his family and his transition team to Blair House, which is across from the White House, nearly two weeks before the president-elect historically moves there on Jan. 15 -- five days before the inaugural.

• • The backshot: A source tells Sneed: "There were reportedly two reasons for the request: Obama's children start school in early January -- and the move could be interpreted as a New Year's symbolic gesture showing the president-elect in a presidential capacity across from the White House on Jan. 2, the day after New Year's Day."

• • The buckshot: Blair House, the president's guest house for visiting dignitaries, nixed the request. "It was a polite rejection," the source added. "But I'm told Blair House was appalled."

• • Responses: An Obama spokesman tells Sneed they were told Blair House had guests until Jan. 15. ... Sally McDonough, a spokesman for first lady Laura Bush, tells Sneed: "Respectfully, we are keeping transition conversations quiet. But Jan. 15 is historically the time when incoming presidents occupy Blair House, which is the president's guest house."
-snip-

http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/1325772,CST-NWS-SNEED11.article

[chimpymustgo]

1. Who's staying there? Campaign contributers? Really, the House should be available to the PE no

later than Jan 1. Those kids have to start school, and it's ridiculous to have to move twice - and have to pay for their housing.

[City Lights]

3. I'd also like to know who the "guests" are.

In a presidential transition year, it seems odd to me that guests are scheduled to stay at Blair House up to the day the new First Family is scheduled to move in. Nice scheduling, george and laura. I hope check-out time is early enough to prepare the place for the Obamas.

[slampoet]

9. CHENEY is staying there. Or at least the vice prez is supposed to be living there.....

Also the Blair House has been used when the White House is under renovations (like during Truman and IKE)

[Fleshdancer]

10. Cheney lives at Number One Observatory Circle

The Blair House is the President's guest house.

On edit: link

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/life/vpresidence.html

[AZ Criminal JD]

25. They don't have to pay for housing

There are scores of DC mansions that owners and friends of the Obamas will be happy to let them use. Get real.

[onenote]

36. its not a matter of cost as much as security i would think

Because the kids are going to be starting school, there is a greater need for the Obamas to take up residence in DC before January 15 than has been the case in previous administrations. In terms of a secure location for the first family-to be, Blair House has significant advantages over any other place that they might stay. For that reason, it was a reasonable request. While it may not have been unreasonable for it to be denied, it would have to be a pretty compelling reason, imo.

[Afikpo Chic]

63. strange strange strange

why can't obama just have patience? i don,t even believe this story. i mean, they could easily stay at a hotel in dc until they officially move in. looks tacky to me.

[LeftishBrit]

2. Blair House? Maybe Tony thinks it's his, and that's why Obama can't have it!

[slampoet]

8. The Blair House is the US Vice president's House. it is located Next door to 1600 pensylvania Ave

[WI_DEM]

22. No, Blair House is not the US VP House--they live in the Naval Observatory superintendants house.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/photoessays/vpresidence/04-js.html

Blair House is usually for visiting head of state. Though President Truman occupied it from 1949-1952 while the White House was being renovatted. An attempted assasination of Truman took place at Blair House in November, 1950.

[EFerrari]

51. For some reason, I always had thought it was the veep's residence, too,

but you're right, it isn't. It's the preident's guest house.

[WePurrsevere]

4. That house should be available to the P-E anytime after the election...

but especially after the Holidays. It would probably help transitions to go easier and more smoothly which, especially during times of trouble, benefits America. We NEED the Obama Admin to hit the ground running.

It also makes a LOT of sense for any children of a P-E. Moving and changing schools is difficult under normal circumstances but IME it's a bit easier when kids are coming back from a big break.

[Captain Hilts]

5. This whole story is kind of weird. nt

[bunnies]

6. "appalled"

Oh please. :eyes: There are many things in this world to be appalled at - but this sure as hell isnt one of them. Losers.

[GarbagemanLB]

12. Obama wants to move in early so his kids can go to school? I am APPALLED! The nerve!

[bunnies]

16. I know. He's so uppity. Oh, and pretentious. How dare he!

[LiberalFighter]

7. Find out who is staying and have them evicted.

[Rowdyboy]

11. Why aren't we standing out in front of Blair House chanting "Get out of Obama's House!"

Like they did to Al Gore after the Supremes stole the election of 2000?

[Doremus]

13. I was thinking that too.

But then it occurred to me those people telling Gore to get out were probably Brooks Brothers operatives, i.e. paid pukes.

[Fleshdancer]

14. "appalled"?

I'm appalled that the Blair House was "appalled" over the fact that a family with young kids are attempting to make the transition as easy as possible! If the house isn't being used, then I really don't see the harm in allowing the Obama Family to stay there 15 whole freakin' days earlier than originally scheduled.

This is petty.

[Jennicut]

15. Here is a pic of the Blair House

It is not the VP's residence, the house at the Naval Observatory

[CaliforniaPeggy]

19. Thanks for the pics!

I'd seen the Naval Observatory house before, but not the Blair House...

[AspenRose]

17. Stay classy, Republicans!

:eyes:

[Nancy Waterman]

18. This story should be spread bigtime!

Shame them into some decency!!! They can't give up a couple of rooms so the kids can start school? Please!
More family values from the GOP scumbags, imo. With them attacking Obama for some vague complicity in Blago's depredations, I have let go of my bipartisan post-election good will.

[ecstatic]

20. How can one not assume the worst about their motives

when they use words like "appalled" to describe their feelings about PE Obama moving his family in early?

[supernova]

21. Wierd doesn't begin to cover it

Why would Blair House be "appalled?"

Appalled at having to turn down the Obamas?

Appalled at being asked in the first place (which is definitely the way it reads)? :shrug:

And why would Blair House have to say no? Who is staying there now?

Blair House is the Executive Branch's private hotel so it should be available.

Unless Dick Cheney's lard ass can't be bothered to move out fast enough.

Or Is Laura staying there and not in the family quarters?

Just wierd all the way around.

[TexasObserver]

23. Blair House is appalled?! Does that mean the Bushie assholes who run it are appalled?

They act as if Blair House is a private bed and breakfast.

This means the Bushes are not through using the perks of office, and they'll use them until they're made to leave by law.

[rvablue]

24. Kick...just more petty and strange ridiculousness....thank god there's only 40 more days of this. n/

[Kaleva]

26. Bush's poodle needs his home!

[earth mom]

27. Why is anyone surprised by this? The rethugs aren't going to give up anything until the very last

second.

If they even leave at all since there is still time for them to create some crisis that requires them to stay in office. :yoiks:

[Beacool]

28. Excuse me, but it was bad form to ask for the house in the first place.

Blair House is used for diplomatic purposes and it is booked well in advance.

There are plenty of other accommodations that the Obamas can make in DC if they need to arrive sooner than anticipated. They can stay at a hotel, a friend's home or they can rent a place.

[onenote]

29. What was bad form was for this story to be leaked to the press.

I have no problem for Obama to make the request, and I have no problem with it being turned down if, as is likely the case, Blair House already is reserved for the first part of the month. But this all could and should have been handled quietly and without any publicity.

[Beacool]

33. Of course it shouldn't have been leaked.

I come from a family of politicians and diplomats and know how protocol is very important in the diplomatic sphere. Obama should have arranged for other accommodations.

[FrenchieCat]

30. Why is that? Because the outgoing President's guests are more important?

In 1942 the house was purchased by the U.S. government and has since been the official residence for guests of the U.S. president. Blair House is primarily used to house foreign heads of state visiting the president, but it has also been used for domestic guests.

Several presidents-elect of the United States have spent the night before their inauguration in the house. President George W. Bush arranged for former First Lady Nancy Reagan to stay at the house in 2004 and receive guests there following the state funeral for her husband, former president Ronald Reagan; the same was done for former First Lady Betty Ford in 2006 following the state funeral of her husband, former president Gerald Ford.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blair_House

[Beacool]

35. Well, they are not less important.

Bush is still president, whether we like it or not, and he has a right to decide the use of Blair House until he leaves office. Besides, the house is usually booked well in advance.

[onenote]

38. that is true, but the circumstances do suggest that an effort at accomodation should've been made

The situation presented by the Obama transition differs from most recent transitions. The Obama children are about to start a new school and therefore it is important that the new first family take up residence in DC before Jan 15. Blair House is by far and away, from a security standpoint, the best place for them to stay. Therefore it was not unreasonable for them to make the request and, imo, the request should've been accomodated unless there was a compelling reason not to do so. I don't know the details of the reason for turning them down, so I'm not offering a judgment as to whether it was reasonable or not. But asking was eminently reasonable.

[Beacool]

41. The reason for turning them down appears to be that the house

is already booked (which it usually is). Why should those people be displaced? A president deserves all due consideration, but so do others.

There's a vast array of places where they can stay. Heck, maybe Hillary can put them up for a couple of weeks. It's already SS approved and there's plenty of room. I'm sure Mrs. Rodham would be tickled pink to have the little girls running around.

:D

[FrenchieCat]

53. That is where bad manners come into play. Bush knew that a New President

would be coming to town this election around.

The house appears to have been used quite often for the purpose of housing a Prez-Elect before inauguration, so this is not a unique new situation.

In otherwords, the Bushes should not have booked Blair House, knowing that around the time (unlike the other 8 years) of the inauguration, a new President might need to be accomodated.

Also, after November 4th and once the elections were settled, the Bushes, if they had even an ounce of class in their bodies, would have rerouted any scheduled guests and accomodated them elsewhere, to make room for the New President. That would have been classy and appropriate, since it is taxpayers that maintains this home, and if we elected President Obama, it means that we consider him damn important.....especially compared to some ambassador of some foreign country!

The Guests are coming for what I wonder.....the inauguration of President Obama perhaps? If so, that would be more than ironic.

The Bushes whose lack of grace is noted....could have accomodated the Obamas if they chose to. They chose not to, according to this story. Although I am not surprised that the Bushes might act that way, it doesn't make it appropriate, and it certainly doesn't make the Obamas, if they asked, out of line in anyways.

[tammywammy]

57. It also says that historically the President-Elect & family don't move into the Blair House

until Jan 15. It makes sense that it would be booked up until then.

[silverlil]

72. Obama should be allowed

to stay in Blair House. I read somewhere in the last couple of days, that President Clinton moved to Blair House around Jan 5th and another President moved in earlier than the 15th, but I cant remember the name now.
The security will be much better for him to stay at Blair House. Obama should have top priority afterall this house also belongs to the taxpayers.

[woolldog]

58. That's actually a great idea!

The Obamas should stay with Hill and Bill for the weeks between early Jan and the 15th. Problem solved.

[EFerrari]

47. Perhaps the Bushes don't want it getting around that they behaved like decent people

to the Obamas. They might lose the remaining 12 people in their base.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

60. Bush is not acting like he's president. He's out kicking footballs around.

And for this, the rudest administration I have ever ever ever seen, to suddenly be "appalled" that the usual rules of decorum are not expressed is laughable.

[EFerrari]

32. Ridiculous. People change their travel plans all the time

AND their accommodations. There is no higher priority than smoothing the transition and there have to be other venues that can be used for guests.

[Beacool]

37. The transition has been smooth so far.

I'm sure the Obamas will find suitable accommodations for the 2 weeks prior to the 20th.

[Captain Hilts]

45. The Mayflower or Hay Adams are the traditional places to stay. nt

[grace0418]

34. Well, I'm sure the Obamas can just get a hotel on Priceline and that should be easy peasy.

It's not a logistical nightmare for his staff and secret service detail or anything. :eyes:

Seeing as the Blair House is traditionally the place where the PE stays in the days before the inauguration, and it's set up to accommodate diplomatic guests at other times, I'm guessing it's a bit more equipped to handle the logistics involved in keeping the PE safe. Not at all "bad form" for them to try and make the transition easier for their family.

[Beacool]

39. They can always stay at the Mayflower.

Wouldn't be the fist president to stay there. Like the Waldorf in NY, it can handle the security concerns.

[Captain Hilts]

43. It was good enough to for the Roosevelts and most others. nt

[Sebastian Doyle]

44. Ask Pickles about that

Supposedly she spends more time there than at the White House.

[rainbow4321]

62. Ooooohhhhh..ding ding ding

THAT would be an interesting spin. Heh, heh.

Ok..we need to see a LIST of those "previously scheduled events". Now. Shouldn't be a problem, right, chimpass??
Surely some creative Dem blogger world could camp out near/run by Blair House between Jan 5th and 15th to see who is coming and going and what "events" are being held.
Guess Pickles could be staying there so she can still run across the street for an occassional photo op with chimp.

[Tigress DEM]

70. Not really. Asking to move in "early" isn't bad form especially when the country needs him t'now.

I'm of the philosophy "Ask always, but be prepared to accept 'No' as an answer". If he had asked and if accomodations had been made it wouldn't have been an issue.

Obama is probably less p-o'd than we are, but the thing is he is trying to ease the burden on his family and they are going to be our "First Family" so accomodations should go toward them and move other people who are there temporarily to nice accomodations.

The President has 2 complete Airforce One's and staff entirely set up to duplicate the White House's ability to have the President's finger on the pulse of the nation. We want him to hit the ground running then put hurdles in his way. Kind of non-productive if you ask me.

Obama has Secret Service people and staff of his own to accomodate and you can't have the guy in the next room listening in to top secret conversations about the direction he'll be taking.

...the president-elect historically moves there on Jan. 15 -- five days before the inaugural..

[underpants]

73. The bookings should have been kept clear

but then these assholes aren't very good at looking past the next two days anyway.

[EFerrari]

31. Can the Bushes be any more trashy?

Forty days and counting.

[firedupdem]

40. Ain't that a bitch? They are appalled that the President Elect

along with his two young daughters who need to start school asked to stay there? These fuckers never cease to amaze me. I don't care who was staying there? Whoever that is can get a fucking hotel or rent a place. He's the President Elect of these United States of America. This would never ever have been done to another first family. I hate these bastards.

[Captain Hilts]

46. Bitch?

[firedupdem]

49. yep...it's a figure of speech...if it's bad

i'm sure someone will alert and it'll be deleted...but I meant that!

[Captain Hilts]

42. I don't believe this story. That Obama asked and that the Bush WH refused.

And future WH residents often stay at the Mayflower or Hay Adams.

[firedupdem]

48. I hope you are right....n/t

[Captain Hilts]

50. It just doesn't pass the smell test with me.

I don't think the Obamas would ask any favors of the Bushes.

[Clio the Leo]

52. What's the story on the Trowbridge House.....

... which is the house next door. This website.....

http://www.trowbridgehouse.org/home.html

Says they are hoping to restore what was an office building to make it a home for former Presidents and their families. But the website also says "Coming in 2006."

Anyone know?

[onenote]

56. just posted about it. As far as I know the renovations were completed

[tammywammy]

54. It was acceptable for Obama to ask and for it to be denied n/t

[onenote]

55. The more I think about this, the less I believe it to be an accurate story

Among other things, why would the Obamas ask to stay at Blair House. Wouldn't Trowbridge House be a more likely choice. WHat is Trowbridge House, you ask? It is adjacent to Blair House and is specifically reserved for former presidents to stay in. Well, the only former presidents at this point in time are George HW Bush, who has a place to stay (with chimpy in the WH), Bill Clinton (who has a place to stay -- he and Hillary own a place in DC), and Jimmy Carter, who probably would be more than happy to give up a spot at Trowbridge House for the Obamas. Indeed, it is highly unlikely that any of the past presidents would need a place to stay in DC for the pre-Jan 15 period at issue here, so that if the Obamas stayed in Trowbridge from, say Jan 3 to Jan 14, they could just move next door to Blair House on the 15th.

I can't be the only one to have thought this through, so either I'm missing something or the story is to be doubted.

[Clio the Leo]

59. Maybe......

... Bush is gonna surprise us all and, in an effort to retrieve SOME but of likeablilty ... move out after New Years and the Obamas can move in three weeks early!

Hey, a girl can dream, right?

[wndycty]

64. Well you doubted its accuracy but it appears I tipped the this yesterday courtesy . . .

. . .of the Sun-Times.

[Phx_Dem]

61. They only thing that's appalling is the Bush Admin's

response that Obama's request was appalling. If the place is occupied, fine. Just say so politely -- there's no reason to be a dick about it. The Obama's have two young kids who start school in early January so it's perfectly understandable that they might want to be town earlier than Jan. 15.

[MzShellG]

65. No room at the inn, huh?

And at Christmas too. Shameful.

[Tigress DEM]

71. Kind of chilling when you think about it.

Our first black president and still not letting him into the neighborhood until the law requires it.

BUT then it's probably MORE because he's a DEM Pres.

IF Obama had been Rethug AND Black, like Colin Powell, for instance the rethugs would have made it THE MOST SPECTACULAR TRANSITION SHOW IN THE WORLD.

[cherokeeprogressive]

66. "symbolic gesture showing the president-elect in a presidential capacity"

A gesture to whom? The world? Like the world knows whether the podium from behind which he speaks is in Blair House or the fucking Ramada Inn. "Across from the White House"? What, he's going to sleep with the window open so he can hear the Bat Phone when it rings at 3 a.m.? Maybe he can offer some neighborly advice to georgie porgie over the hedge?

Anyone who thinks the "move could be interpreted as a New Year's symbolic gesture showing the president-elect in a presidential capacity" is deluded and has become drunk on the cult of personality kool-aid. The man has no constitutional power, and no right to act like he does. The Constitution says he becomes President on January 20th. He has said on numerous occasions that the country only has one President at a time.

As for the Obama girls starting school in early January, does it really matter where the 10 vehicle caravan full of SUV's filled with automatic weapons takes off from? Is it farther from Blair House to their school than it would be from the Mayflower or the Hay Adams? And if it is, who cares?

Much ado about nothing.

[marshall]

67. I hope somebody steps forward and offers the Obamas a place to stay

There's got to be somebody in DC, a senator or lobbyist or some other dignitary, who has extra room to allow them a place to stay for a couple of weeks so the girls can start school. I'm sure we'll be hearing about the arrangements in a few days.

[woo me with science]

68. Oh please. It was sensible for them to ask, and the denial is fine.

The article explains that the President-Elect does not usually move into the house until the 15th. It is simply booked already, and not through some nefarious plot against Obama.

Can you imagine the outrage we would be seeing here if the situation were reversed - the Bushes were incoming, and they ousted people who had booked the place months in advance? There would be howling and rending of garments about the Imperial Presidency and calls for respect for the common man.

C'mon, people.

[tammywammy]

69. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that thinks this too

it's fine that the Obama's asked and fine that it was denied. Much ado over nothing.