DC Fog

The fall colors are fading here in DC, and the Obama Administration is hard at work making sure that the transition to power will be as smooth as possible. Yesterday, Vice President-Elect Joe Biden and his wife met with Vice President Cheney and his wife at the Naval Observatory.

Construction continues on the West Portico of the Capitol. Workers are building the stage for the inauguration. The newspapers are filled with stories of people who live in the District charging exhorbitant fees for their apartments for Inauguration Day. There have been so many calls for tickets - which are available through Members of Congress - that some members have stopped taking requests.

Inauguration day can be a mixed bag here in DC. The weather can be rain, snow, bone chilling cold or part of the January thaw. This year it comes right before the Right to Life day, where thousands more people are expected to march to the Supreme Court to mark the anniversary of Roe v Wade.

The DC Police Department is calling in an additional 4,000 officers for the Inauguration. They are also asking for help from several other police agenices around the country.

Hotel rooms in DC that week are unavailable. Don't even try. I heard one report that people are paying more than $40,000 for a room, a ticket to the parade, and a place at one of the inaugural balls. That's crazy! But I have no doubt that people will pay more than that to get close to the new President.

I must commend the Obama transition team for its efficiency. The transition team is letting everyone know what is coming and how things will go - not how they might go - between now and January 20. Terrorism remains a main challenge, and the economy is still reeling. I can only hope that President Obama runs the country as efficiently as candidate Obama and his team ran their campaign.