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American Morning
Inauguration Eve Dawns for President-elect Barack Obama; Washington, D.C. Regaining Luster With the Obamas at the White House; Capturing the Moment of the Inauguration; Obama Speaks at Lincoln Memorial Celebration; The Real Men in Black Discuss What It Takes to Protect the President
Aired January 19, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Countdown to history.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, America.
ROBERTS: As the nation remembers the good doctor.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER: Now is the time.
ROBERTS: Barack Obama looks back on his road to the White House.
OBAMA: There's a pool that still reflects the dream of a King.
ROBERTS: And gets ready to write a new chapter in America's story.
OBAMA: There is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change.
ROBERTS: This morning, a new generation, people of every creed and color start a new journey to their nation's capital to take a snapshot in their minds for future generations. It's inauguration eve live from the National Mall on a special AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And welcome. Thanks so much for being with us this morning. This is a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We're live here at the National Mall. We have the beautiful shot of the Capitol right behind us all lit up and in front. We're looking at the Washington Monument.
It's about 27 degrees right now. It should warm up a little bit later but hey, we'll take it compared to the single digits we were dealing with in New York last week.
ROBERTS: A hand warmer is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It is. And, you know, of course, tomorrow Barack Obama will be making history, becoming the first black president of the United States and today we have many different people with us to talk more about it. What we can expect in the festivities taking place here for the past three days.
ROBERTS: Yes. Barack Obama is going to take the oath of office behind us here on what's called the west front of the Capitol. It's usually steps that come down but they built this elaborate balcony out there to hold everyone. It's the same thing they do every four years.
Directly opposite to Lincoln Memorial is where the Capitol building is. That's where Martin Luther King Jr. talked about his dream less than a half a century ago. Barack Obama was there yesterday as well.
Today, Barack Obama will ask the country to engage in community service to honor Dr. King. Meantime, the clock is ticking down to Mr. Obama's big day. We're just about 30 hours away now for his inauguration and his last day as president-elect is going to be another busy one, but a big part of the weekend was all about partying with some A-list celebrities.
Suzanne Malveaux is standing by just blocks away in our D.C. newsroom. Suzanne, you had a pretty much a front row seat for that party yesterday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial. I saw you up there on the press rise (ph). A very nice vantage point for everything that happened.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it was great, John. It was really quite amazing because not only the thousands and thousands of people who turned out for the concert, but also I had a chance to see some of the cabinet secretary nominees. Tim Geithner for treasury, Eric Holder for attorney general. These are guys who were really in the hot seat last week, and they were having fun with their kids, very relaxed.
I talked to one Obama adviser, however, who said, you know, Barack Obama very much aware of the sense of the tone here, the seriousness, even the cast that is before him, monumental, these two wars and economic crisis. So Barack Obama was really trying to strike a balance here. Obviously it's time for celebration but I want you to take a listen to his message, what he was telling folks out there about the kind of challenges that we're all going to face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I won't pretend that meeting any one of these challenges will be easy. It will take more than a month or a year and will likely take many. Along the way, there will be setbacks and false starts and days that test our resolve as a nation. But despite all this, despite the enormity of the task that lies ahead, I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And John, obviously, he's not going to waste any time. This week, I mean starting the day after that he is inaugurated, he's going to be meeting with his top military officials, the top military brass, as well as his economic team, obviously trying to push forward that $825 billion economic stimulus plan to get Congress to pass that, to figure out how they're going to deal with the other money that's basically been put in his lap, how he's going to deal with that, as well as withdrawing U.S. troops within 16 months. These are the things that he's going to be dealing with from day one, John.
ROBERTS: Yes. In fact, there's going to be a phalanx of vans over at the Capitol tomorrow to immediately whisk his key closest aides from the inaugural luncheon back over to the White House so that they can get to work right away before the parade even starts.
Hey, Suzanne, we're hearing Obama ask people to be patient. But you were with him on the campaign trail and he never proved himself to be the most patient guy in the world, right?
MALVEAUX: The patience is not his forte here. I mean, Barack Obama, you know, the community organizer -- the reason why he didn't stay a community organizer, he was too impatient to get the asbestos out of those buildings. It just didn't happen fast enough. I mean, you just take a look at his track record and it is all about fast moving, getting ahead. He has always wanted to do something very big, a big purpose, a big reason. And he always felt he needed to be in a position of power to do that. That's why you see that kind of trajectory with Barack Obama now going to be president in just hours.
This is not a patient guy, so he's going to be pushing really, really hard to make sure that these things are happening.
ROBERTS: Well, he's certainly got a lot of problems on his plate but he's going to have to push hard on. Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning. Suzanne, good to see you, thanks.
CHETRY: Joining me now is our political panel, Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman and Republican analyst Leslie Sanchez, both CNN contributors. Welcome. Thanks for joining John and myself out here this morning.
ROBERTS: Did you come straight from the Latino ball over here.
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, I did.
CHETRY: She was crowned the belle of the ball.
SANCHEZ: I have my dancing shoes on.
CHETRY: You were actually out at some of the festivities yesterday as well. You said that you were at the concert that took place. You actually were right there on the front, had a chance to actually speak to Barack Obama in a small group.
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: It was --
CHETRY: What was that like?
ZIMMERMAN: Before the concert began, he had a small gathering with a number of us. And I was really touched by his humility and by the sense of presence. This is a man who is ready to be president and you saw a president when he spoke to us about understanding the challenges ahead and humility in the sense of bipartisanship, really is a theme that's running throughout this inauguration. The concert reflected that especially with this tribute to Teddy Roosevelt, for example, and a recognition of the need to come together. It was really -- it was very, very moving looking at the mall and seeing 400,000 people and they were there to be with each other and to celebrate the event. That's what made it so special.
ROBERTS: Leslie, let's get your take on what the atmosphere here is in Washington because many people particularly on the Republican side of things thought that the media was absolutely in love with Barack Obama. And now when we look at, you know, the coverage leading up to the inauguration, people are saying it's just more of the same. But there's also a sense of regardless of your political strifes, you can't really ignore the significance of the event.
SANCHEZ: No, but there's two parts to that. I think there is a tremendous and very valid point in the sense that there was a bias, a lot of people felt that. A lot of journalists agreed that there was a bias for what Barack Obama more so stood for, you know, the charisma, the Kennedy type of personality. But with respect to the inauguration, it's when Republicans and Democrats come together. There's a tremendous amount of hope and excitement about what this new president can bring. And regardless of what people think, Republicans just like the rest of, you know, -- regardless of political ideology, we want to see this president succeed.
CHETRY: And that's the other interesting thing, I mean, when we look ahead to what he's going to say in his inaugural speech, is he going to give a laundry list of the problems that are facing us and offer solutions? Is he going to get that specific or are we talking broader issues and themes that we're going to hear?
ZIMMERMAN: Well, you know, there are two speeches that we're looking forward to. One is the inaugural speech coming up this Tuesday.
CHETRY: Right.
ZIMMERMAN: Then there's the State of the Union. The State of the Union is traditionally the speech that lays out the policy agenda and the programs. The inaugural speech is really a coming together, speaking to the American dream, a sense of personal responsibility. I think we'll hear a lot about personal responsibility and the personal mission that we confront both in our communities and at a national level as well. This is what you can look forward to.
ROBERTS: Do you think that the incoming president is going to lay down any broad themes in terms of goals. I think back to George Bush's 2004 inaugural address where he said the spread of democracy, end of tyranny is my goal for the next four years. It didn't turn out so well in some cases.
SANCHEZ: No, very much so, but I think you can't ignore the tarantula on the birthday cake and that is the economy.
ROBERTS: Is that like the elephant in the room?
SANCHEZ: We're moving past the elephant. It's a new year.
ZIMMERMAN: So wake up the tarantula on a birthday cake.
ROBERTS: That's a lot of birthday cake.
ZIMMERMAN: That's a buzzkill.
SANCHEZ: It is the economy. Everybody as much as we talk about the honeymoon period and the people are very excited and hopeful for what this new president represents. They're going to have to see results. They're going to see how effective he is in working with Congress, and I think Republicans are very anxious for the debate.
ZIMMERMAN: But that economic crisis also becomes a tremendous opportunity for our nation, a transformational opportunity for our nation. In terms of the development of green jobs, we hear that often or rebuilding our infrastructure or modernizing our medical records to improve health care.
So I think what's exciting is this president-elect is prepared to take office. He's really, I think, bringing the country together in realistic expectations about the time it will take but about the opportunity it presents as well.
ROBERTS: We'll see. Well, we'll see if that's the tarantula on the birthday cake or the scorpion in the pinata or whatever you want to say.
(LAUGHTER)
Thanks, Leslie.
ZIMMERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) it's not my birthday.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Blow out the candles, ignore the spider.
Well, plenty of parties and celebrations leading up to Barack Obama's history-making he inauguration. In fact, yesterday, hundreds of thousands joined the president-elect in front of the Lincoln Memorial for a concert. That's what we've been talking about. That included will.i.am, Sheryl Crow, Bono, just to name a few.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONO, MUSICIAN, U2: On this spot where we're standing, 43 years ago, 46 years ago, Dr. King had a dream. On Tuesday, that dream comes to pass.
(singing): One man come in the name of love. One man come and go. (END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, our Carol Costello is going to be joining us ahead with a look at the overwhelming excitement the inauguration is bringing to Washington. We'll be right back.
ROBERTS: So is Washington ready for the biggest crowds in capital history? Coming up, we are going to ask the mayor as we countdown to inauguration day live from the National Mall. And if you are going to be there tomorrow as Barack Obama takes the oath of office, you can help CNN capture the moment that he is sworn in. We'll explain to you how.
It's nine minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shirts, hats and flags, for you. And you. And you. We ain't going to leave nobody out. So what time is it? Obama time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most Politics in the Morning. We are live right now from the National Mall. Barack Obama's election is energizing the nation. You can certainly feel it even here in D.C. really, a different vibe, a different atmosphere than I'm used to seeing and I grew up around the area.
AMERICAN MORNING's Carol Costello is here to look at some of the excitement. No, I mean, just everybody is smiling at each other. You're taking the metro together. Everyone's got huge suitcases because of all the people that are in town, and no one is griping, no one is complaining. Everyone just seems to be really caught up in the excitement of what's going on.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And you know it's going to last because you know, being from this area, that Washington isn't considered the most vibrant of city. I mean, it's never really been considered the "it" place but because of the Obamas, Washington, D.C. may be regaining its luster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obama, get us a taxi.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Barack Obama is not the only one having a major moment. D.C., our nation's capital, is too.
FELICIA GRANT, CHICAGO, ATTENDING INAUGURATION ACTIVITIES: This is just a thrill for me. First of all, we're on historic ground anyway in the United States, period. Anything coming from out of Pittsburgh, Baltimore, this is where our history began. This is where it should start all over again. COSTELLO: Hear that? She said historic ground. Not where politicians bitterly bicker or homeless people sleep near the White House, where D.C. Mayor Marion Barry smoked that crack pipe. Suddenly D.C. is where it's at.
Sunday's "New York Times" lamenting the action has moved on. Washington suddenly has the stars. Yes, like U2, Usher and Bruce Springsteen, who are coming to rub elbows with the biggest star of all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: O-O-Obama.
COSTELLO: Obama's celebrity is so huge. His visit to Washington's Ben's Chili Bowl has made the restaurant an international sensation. People, most of whom have never been to D.C., are flocking to Ben's, taking pictures, eating dogs, spending money and waxing poetic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's Obama time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm from Miami.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just north of Oakland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm from Ohio. Why did I come here? I'm here for history, baby.
COSTELLO: Joshua Isen from Chicago came to Ben's to bask in post-Obama glow and missed the birth of his son. It was worth it.
JOSHUA ISEN, CHICAGO, ATTENDING INAUGURATION ACTIVITIES: I'm telling him his daddy was in Washington, D.C. at Obama's inauguration for the 44th president of the United States. I can say I was there.
COSTELLO: D.C. hopes that kind of crazy passion sticks. And by the sounds of things, as long as Obama is in the House, D.C. will be, too.
SHARON FREEMAN, SAN FRANCISCO, ATTENDING INAUGURATION ACTIVITIES: I think it's on the map in a way it never has been before. In fact, I had never been to D.C. before and now coming here, and now, coming here, I mean I love it and would come back in a heartbeat. And I think it's going to hold a special place for everybody now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: See? Washington is becoming the "it" place. You know, as for how Washingtonians feel about the Obamas, they were really thrilled that he went to Ben's Chili Bowl because Chili had a sort of a common touch and they're thinking maybe, just maybe, that this president will pave the way to D.C. becoming an actually state or at least they'll get a vote in the House and Senate.
CHETRY: Yes, exactly. I would kill for a bowl of that chili right now. It's really good.
COSTELLO: It's so good.
CHETRY: I had to laugh at the guy who said he missed his son's birth to be here. But hopefully he'll understand.
COSTELLO: Well, the doctors called him and said hey, your son was born. And he said hey, great, I'm here in Washington.
ROBERTS: At least the guy is saying, at least I can say I was there. And his wife is saying, yes, why weren't you here?
CHETRY: Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Carol, thanks so much.
COSTELLO: Sure.
ROBERTS: It's fun to share all that.
It's going to be a bit like squeezing into and out of Times Square in New York on new year's eve. So is Washington ready to handle the biggest crowds in capital history? We will ask an expert on protecting the homeland straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Oh, gorgeous shot.
ROBERTS: And beautiful shot of the Capitol building there that they're keeping lit even this early in the morning because of a very, very special week in just one day until the inauguration of President- elect Barack Obama. And here's a look at his parade route for tomorrow, which we'll take him right to the heart of Washington, D.C.
He's going to start just a short distance from the Capitol building going up Pennsylvania Avenue to 15th Street, where then he'll jog onto New York Avenue which then turns back into Pennsylvania Avenue going in front of the White House. And those stars that you see are places where we have reporters and cameras at every step along the way there and we're going to be bringing you the best coverage right here on CNN of that inaugural parade, which will be a real event not just here in Washington but also for the nation.
CHETRY: And everyone watching it at home as well and we're going to do our best to bring you the flavor and everything about it even if you're not here in Washington.
Well, the district is going to be a part of history for sure. One man who has his hands full is Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. He joins us right now this morning. The beginning of a very busy day for you and a very busy couple of days. Thanks for being with us.
MAYOR ADRIAN FENTY (D), WASHINGTON: Oh, I'm so glad to be here. It's the culmination of really weeks and months of work on behalf of some first responders and planners. The parade route itself is just a logistical challenge.
CHETRY: And how many people are you guys expecting realistically or what are you planning for?
FENTY: Yes. Well, the parade route actually, you cap out at 300,000. You can't get any more than that safely on the sidewalks and bleachers. But this mall can probably hold about two million people. An interesting note, before Barack Obama, people used to stage equipment out here on the mall because you didn't need the whole thing.
(LAUGHTER)
My thought is that you may actually be able to fill the mall, so we'll see if it happens Tuesday but we think we got enough space.
ROBERTS: You know, "The Washington Post" had an interesting little figure in it saying that if you put two million people on the mall here, the way that they're jammed together, each one will have the space of just not a folded out newspaper, but just the unfolded newspaper, you know, the front page -- about 2.1 square feet.
FENTY: That's exactly right.
ROBERTS: That's not a whole lot of space.
CHETRY: And that's if you're not moving or breathing.
FENTY: No. It's better to have around three square feet, so there's a little bit of extra space over by the polo grounds for those who know D.C. and I think we'll have one JumboTron over there in addition to the 22 JumboTrons on the mall.
CHETRY: There's going to be certainly opportunities for anyone that's here to be able to check it out. You guys are doing your best with that. It's also a little bit of a logistical nightmare in terms of getting into the city.
FENTY: Right.
CHETRY: That's understandable. But what is your advice to people that are traveling in here, that are going to be here and want to know, you know, what they should do?
FENTY: Wow. The best thing would be like if you know somebody who lives in the city, you can come in the day before and find some way to walk or take a taxi cab down.
We do have 10,000 spaces for professional coaches to park in the city. So getting on a coach is good, too. And you can park and just walk to it. The one thing you don't want to do is probably drive a personal vehicle. You'll get just log jammed, as you saw yesterday, just around the welcoming procession.
ROBERTS: No. I think they closed the bridges down at 10:00 yesterday morning, something like that. FENTY: Yes. All of the -- a lot of bridges will be closed and it's good because if you didn't close the bridges, people would just get stuck on the bridges.
ROBERTS: So, you know, we talk a lot about security here and the unprecedented nature because of the unprecedented size of this inaugural. We're not asking you to give away any secrets or anything, but have there been any threats that you could say have been corroborated? Is there any potential threat against this? Or is it just security precautions?
FENTY: Well, most of it is just precautions. I think it's not out of school to say that there are always threats. And the Secret Service, as well as our police department, takes them extremely serious. But these things, these 8,000 officers, 10,000 National Reserve Guards, unprecedented measures are just a bit precautionary in nature.
CHETRY: And on a personal note, you're an African-American with young children, you know, that this is your city as the mayor.
FENTY: Yes.
CHETRY: What are your thoughts as you -- as you get ready for this historic inauguration tomorrow?
FENTY: Well, I mean just objectively, it really is proof that racial minorities, sexual minority, anybody who's not, you know, in the majority in the country has the same opportunities as everyone else, which is something we always talked about, is happening in other sectors. Now, it's happening at the top of our political leadership.
Obama ran a great campaign including people. I think people want to be included, not divided. It's great for the country.
CHETRY: Adrian Fenty, the mayor of D.C., thanks so much for joining us this morning.
FENTY: Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow.
ROBERTS: Good to see you. I know it's cold and bright and early, so thanks for coming out.
The inauguration of Barack Obama comes down to just one moment in history. If you're there in person, you can help CNN capture with just a click of your camera. We'll tell you how to do it. It's now coming up on 22 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, time to fast forward to see what's on tap for this inauguration eve. At 10:00 Eastern time this morning, President- elect Obama, Michelle Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden will head to service day projects in D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is meant to be a national day of service to emulate the civil rights leader's action. At 12:35, the Obamas and the Bidens will attend a community service day lunch with as many as a thousand other people. President- elect Obama is expected to speak there. The president-elect will host dinners honoring former opponents Senator John McCain and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as his vice president, Joe Biden. That's at 5:00 p.m. And then at 7:00, soon to be first daughters Sasha and Malia's favorite part of the festivities, the Jonas Brothers. They're going to headline the kids inaugural concert and that will take place at the Verizon Center.
CHETRY: There you go. That's what a lot of the kids are excited about.
Well, with all the pomp and circumstance, Barack Obama's inauguration comes down to just one moment in history. He's going to be raising his right hand, he's going to be putting his left hand on the bible and reciting the oath of office. And you, our viewers, can help us capture that moment. CNN's John King tells us how.
KING: John and Kiran, we want to use some revolutionary technology to capture the moment when Barack Obama takes the oath of office in an extraordinary way, but to do so, we need our viewers' help. We need the help of hundreds, even thousands of those who are here in Washington for the moment.
Now, to show you just what I mean and why we need your help when Barack Obama puts his hand on the bible and raises his hand to take the oath, I want to take you on a tour of a very familiar site here in Washington, the Lincoln Memorial.
Here is the 16th president of the United States. It is a majestic site here in Washington and when we tap this and bring out the picture, you see this here you think maybe that's a tourist just took an excellent snapshot. But see we can pull it out and come for another angle here. We can see it from the side. We can move it back this way here over here. We can come up to the top and read the words inscribed above the former president's head. This is a breathtaking memorial.
Remember, Barack Obama went here just the other night with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. And he said, one of the places they wanted to see was over here. This is Lincoln's second inaugural address. It is inscribed in the walls of this breathtaking memorial. Barack Obama's daughter Malia told him, dad, as the first African-American president, yours better be good.
Now why are we doing this? We're taking you around this monument. This was not done with the video camera. This was done with more than 100 photographs. You see them all here together in a collage. And what happens with the Microsoft photo technology is that it puts them all together, finds the common points of reference like this column here, like the base of the pedestal here. You can start with just one snapshot here and as you build out as the others come in, you get more of them. It assembles more of a picture, more of them, more of a picture. It comes out even further and it gets multi dimensional so that you can turn and look from every perspective inside the memorial. And that is the help we need at the moment when Barack Obama is taking the oath of office, take this picture, no matter where you are. Close up front, way in the back, off to the left, off to the right, take it and send it to us at the themoment@CNN.com. We will put the collage together just like here at the Lincoln Memorial, and we will be able to within moments of that key moment, show you something, show you the perspective from everywhere. But we need your help -- John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: All right.
CHETRY: Wow. Sounds complicated, but John King is going to be able it do it with the help of his engineers what we need to see, by the way. So again, if you want to help capture that moment of Barack Obama making history, go to CNN.com/themoment to find out more how.
ROBERTS: We want to take a second now to show you a picture. You're going to be seeing a lot of this not today but tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon, after the inauguration wraps up at the Capitol building.
President Barack Obama will be getting into his motorcade and he'll be going to this viewing stand, which has been constructed out in front of the White House. They do this every four years during the inauguration, and he and his family will be sitting in there watching the inaugural parade, which is expected to last some three, three and a half hours. He'll be spending a lot of time out there saluting the troops and the other participants in the parade as they go by. It's always a lot of fun.
It is the first transition since 9/11, and it is expected to be the biggest crowd in the city's history. So what's being done to keep everyone safe? We're going to ask former Homeland Security adviser to the president as our special edition of AMERICAN MORNING continues live from the National Mall in a chilly Washington, D.C. this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Beautiful shot of the White House, and now we're looking at another beautiful shot of the Capitol today.
You know, back to the White House, it's so interesting that, as we just heard from one of our guests, it's five hours that all of the former president -- soon-to-be former president, Mr. and Mrs. Bush, their stuff leaves. Barack Obama and his family's stuff comes in, and within five hours, from the time they get back from that inaugural luncheon, its home.
ROBERTS: Thank goodness for the General Services Administration which handles all of that. They do a terrific job. And there again is the viewing station out in front White House. It's been constructed for the new president, Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, his family and all of his friends to watch the parade go by tomorrow afternoon. CHETRY: And that's going to be wonderful. Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning" with John Roberts and myself are here. We've been here since 5:00 in the morning Eastern Time and we're going to be here until 9:00 in the morning. We're bringing you the flavor of what...
ROBERTS: We'll be popsicles by then.
CHETRY: Exactly. Well, we will be here physically. I don't know if in spirit anymore after four hours out here.
ROBERTS: We may look like Jack Nicholson at the end of "The Shining."
CHETRY: But you know, it could be colder. So, the bright side is it's not the single digits that we're dealing with last week. But now we're just 30 hours away from Barack Obama becoming the next president of the United States.
ROBERTS: Obviously, the excitement is building. The security here is unprecedented with record-breaking crowds closing in to the city to catch a glimpse of history, and so many people coming from far and wide. So what's being done to keep everyone safe?
CHETRY: Well, our next guest served as a Homeland Security adviser to President Bush. Frances Townsend is a CNN national security contributor and she's with us this morning.
Thanks for being with us.
FRANCES TOWNSEND, FMR. BUSH HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: Good morning.
CHETRY: You know, you just only have to take a look around and to see the massive preparations that have been made in this city from all levels to make sure everybody is safe and orderly. What are the biggest challenges heading into tomorrow as they expect millions to descend here on D.C.?
TOWNSEND: Well, that's just it, Kiran. It's the raw numbers, the amounts of people that got to get in and out of the city. And with the streets closed, it's an added challenge. And so people got to leave -- to have a lot of patience and leave plenty of time to get in and out of the city.
You know, there have been practices. The National Guard is here, the Military District of Washington. They work with the Secret Service. We've done this before for events like the State of the Union. And as John pointed out earlier, other inaugurations, but the sheer size of this makes it different.
ROBERTS: Right. You know, we talk a lot, Frances, about credible terrorist threats. And we had the mayor of Washington Adrian Fenty here a little while ago and he seems to suggest that there's no credible terrorist threat against the inauguration. But another thing that people wonder about -- what about a potential assassination threat. I mean, here's a president who many people think may be a target for assassination.
TOWNSEND: Well and I think, John, that explains a good deal of why the security is so much more massive than in any other inauguration. You got to worry about not just a terrorist attack but a nut. You know, some crazy person in this very large crowd. And so it's important as people come down here, they shouldn't be frightened.
These are unprecedented steps, I think, the government is taking to make people safe. But just your average thing when you go to a large event, about having a family plan -- a meeting point, where you would in the event of an emergency, how would you contact one another, and doing the standard things you would do just to keep your family safe and, you know, be able to enjoy it.
ROBERTS: You actually had a good tip about what you should do with your kids if you're coming down here.
TOWNSEND: Well, it's fine Kiran and I both have small children. And you know, you take your cell phone number and your name and you write it on a piece of paper and put it in the kid's pocket. If a kid winds up with the police official because they get separated from you, they don't have to worry and they remember in a panic what the right number is. They've got your number and your name. And so little things like that will help children and parents enjoy it.
CHETRY: Other things to keep in mind for people -- they're not allowing strollers, as I understand, or large backpacks if you are planning to come out tomorrow. You should keep that in mind with the temperatures and everything else in the mix, it might not be the best place for kids actually tomorrow.
TOWNSEND: That's right. And you know, you're going to have limited access to the sorts of facilities that children want on a short notice basis like port-a-potties and things, and so...
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: As we said, Frances, you used to be the Homeland Security adviser to President Bush. So, what would you be telling the officials now, the Secret Service and everybody else, you know, when you were in those joint meetings? What would you be telling them is your primary concern?
TOWNSEND: You know, the closest you get to the actual swearing in, the people who have the best intelligence at the last minute are the policemen who are on the mall, on the street, seeing things that are out of the ordinary. And so the key here is communication from the street level all the way up to the command centers and the operation centers like Mayor Fenty is responsible for here in D.C., and making sure that people can react quickly.
As I said, they've practiced this. I have real confidence in D.C. and the federal officials.
ROBERTS: So far, things have seem to go pretty smoothly, so hope it continues. Frances, great to see you again. TOWNSEND: Good to see you.
CHETRY: Thanks so much for being with us.
ROBERTS: Well, you think expectations are high for tomorrow's inaugural address? Well, yesterday, Barack Obama had to follow "The Boss" and Bono and he still managed to inspire hundreds of thousands of people as he stood in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln. The next president in his own words, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. It's 6:36 Eastern time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." We're live in D.C. You're on AMERICAN MORNING today. About 27 degrees outside as we are here on The Mall. What an exciting day and tomorrow, of course as well. And you know what Barack Obama is going to be saying in his inaugural address is something that a lot of the pundits have been talking about, trying to guess about, and also getting a little bit of insight. Perhaps a little bit of a preview yesterday. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: There is no doubt that our road will be long, that our climb will be steep, but never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease, but by the right we do when the moment is hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: We turn now to our political panel -- Daily Beast columnist John Avlon, as well as Patricia Murphy, editor of Citizenjanepolitics.com.
So we talk a lot about the feeling in this city, you know, the sense of history and significance for the country. But I'm wondering looking forward, do you think Barack Obama has got coattails for other African-American candidates?
PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: Oh, absolutely. I think that even though he has coattails, he also is inspiring an entire generation of young African-Americans to get into politics. I think a lot of African-American saw a limited -- kind of a limited trail ahead of them if they did get into politics. You could rise to a certain level but never to the ultimate level of the presidency. So I think not only will he bring others in because of the way voters have reacted to him, I think he'll bring in elected officials as well. New people who wouldn't have gotten into politics in the first place.
CHETRY: He's somebody, you know -- and there are very few politicians that can really inspire, make you believe what they're feeling and thinking by their words and it's a gift, truly. And we're talking about what he's going to talk about tomorrow in his inaugural speech. You found out a little bit of information from his aide that he's doing the majority of the writing.
JOHN AVLON, COLUMNIST, DAILY BEAST: That's right. Aides are saying that he's really written the vast majority of this speech, and for once you can actually believe that. I mean, this is our -- the first president since really Teddy Roosevelt who has made most of his money in private life by writing books. And his two books are incredibly well-written. He wrote the famous April speech on race himself. And so, I think he's been offering a little foreshadowing of the inaugural address.
I think over the last several days, some of the themes to look for are the idea of this Declaration of Independence from ideology and the ongoing American revolution. But this is -- this is amazing. He's not just a great orator; he's a great writer in his own right.
ROBERTS: Right. And we hear that he's written an awful lot of this speech. I believe that he and his chief speechwriter have been sort of trading things back and forth over the last couple of months almost since the day after the election.
But coming back to this idea, too, you know, the inaugural address is an inspiration. We talked to race and coattails, and things like that. Barack Obama seems to think that his election will change racial attitudes in this nation. That African-Americans will look at America differently and that whites will look at African- American children differently. Do you think that's true?
MURPHY: Well, I do think that's true. And you look at this man who is going to be sworn into presidency in front of the Capitol that was built with slave labor. It is almost impossible to think about how far we've come as a country. And I think that he is going on this tour of historical fights and in front of monuments, not just a trip down memory lane for America, but to say these are generations that have overcome insurmountable odds and insurmountable challenges. American generation today, it's your turn. You've got to get it together.
ROBERTS: On Saturday, I went and visited Frederick Douglas' house across the river in Anacostia, and it's a place that I guess, you know, gets a certain amount of visitorship during the course of the year. But all of the tours were sold out. People want to know the history. It's really interesting.
CHETRY: Also fascinating, and again, a little bit of symbolism. The railcar that he rode in on was built in 1939. And a "New York Times" article is pointing out that in 1939 the highest aspiration for an African-American at the time was to be a porter on a railcar like that. And when you look -- I mean, we're only talking decades from where we are now.
AVLON: That's exactly right. I mean, A. Phillip Randolph was the head of the Pullman Porters Union, and that was really as far as you could go. Today of course is Martin Luther King Day. I mean, this day is so stalked with symbolism. This moment for the United States. You know, we say politics is history in the present tense.
CHETRY: Right.
AVLON: Everybody is feeling that today, and we should. The major themes in American history are all coming together, struggling to get past our original sin of slavery. And really reclaiming and renewing the American dream for a new generation (INAUDIBLE), all that is happening today. This is a celebration of America.
ROBERTS: Pretty incredible. Pretty incredible time here in this country.
What does it take to head the toughest Secret Service job on earth? The real men in black with the eyes of the world here in The Mall. The eyes from the rooftop counter-snipers will be everywhere. We'll introduce you to them.
And once Barack Obama takes office, will Republicans stand with him or will they stand in his way? Former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney gives us his view. It's coming up now on 46 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A shot outside the White House today. And what's great is that during this inauguration, the lead-up to the inauguration, they're leaving all the lights on in all the major buildings here in Washington. So you're seeing spectacular views that you don't normally see at this time in the morning. And you can see as we come back here to the Mall. Take a look at that shot of the west front of the Capitol. That's the balcony that's been built for the inauguration. They've got the spotlights on the Capitol dome. It really is just a beautiful, beautiful scene here.
Expectation are high for Barack Obama's incoming administration and for his big inaugural address. He did not disappoint yesterday speaking to an estimated 400,000 people from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial building on the theme of his historic run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: Because there is no obstacle that can stand in the way of millions of voices calling for change. That is the belief with which we began this campaign, and that is how we will overcome what ails us now.
There is no doubt that our road will be long. That our climb will be steep, but never forget that the true character of our nation is revealed not during times of comfort and ease but by the right we do when the moment is hard. I ask you to help reveal that character once more. And, together, we can carry forward as one nation and one people the legacy of our forefathers that we celebrate today. Thank you, America. God bless you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You know, he just has this way of being able to talk to people that just -- it seems very, very sincere. So that's why it will be so interesting to watch his inaugural address tomorrow. Because presidents in their inaugural addresses, particularly their first one, you know, they're laying out sort of their vision for the country, where they want to take the nation in the next four years, not necessarily setting out particular agenda items, but just a broad theme. So it will be really interesting, fascinating to see what sort of language he uses, what kind of themes he hits.
CHETRY: Yes. And a lot of people were talking about him invoking some of the symbolism and even some of the words of people in the past that he admires so much like Lincoln, like FDR and others who, you know, were able to inspire with their words. John F. Kennedy as well.
The other interesting thing, though, is that there is so much optimism. Isn't it interesting that there's so much optimism at a time where we're dealing with millions of people being unemployed, housing problems, foreclosures and this really huge financial situation that we're still trying to figure out, and so a lot, as we head into 2009, to take care of and to solve.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, you know, that's the thing about around the inauguration. Particularly, what is significant is this. There is sort of magical sense about, you know, potential for the future. But, you know, the harsh reality of the situation in the country will probably be realized quite quickly after the blush of the inauguration wears off here in the nation's capital. So we'll see how long it last, but there's no question the incoming president-elect has got a lot of work -- a lot of work ahead of him.
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: Stay with us in this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We'll be right back. It's now nine minutes to the top of the hour.
Protecting Obama at all costs. The most elite Secret Service team on earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: I would put them among the best in the world at what they do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Where you see them, where you don't. What it takes to be the real men in black.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right on!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Counter snipers are watching.
Plus, on inauguration eve, taking the pulse of America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Taxi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Taxi pundits sound off.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama, and I said, whoa!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Now they make it look so cool, don't they? But in real life, those men in black are in charged of protecting our next president. They've got a far more nerve-racking job because there is so much at stake.
Our Jeanne Meserve is live at Freedom Plaza here in D.C. this morning to tell us what it's like to be a part of the Secret Service elite.
Hey, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John, if you were here on the parade route tomorrow, when you look up at the top of any of these buildings, you're likely to see them, men in black with rifles at the ready to protect the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Target one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hit!
MESERVE (voice-over): They shoot with great accuracy at great distances.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hit, right on!
MESERVE: And call it a blend of art and science. They are the counter snipers of the U.S. Secret Service.
MARK SULLIVAN, DIRECTOR, U.S. SECRET SERVICE: They're very good. And I would put them among the best in the world at what they do.
MESERVE: The counter snipers consider themselves the most elite unit in the uniformed Secret Service. Nine weeks of intense training turns them into Olympic quality shooters. They have to requalify monthly. Standards are so high, half of the agents accepted for training wash out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hit, left log!
MESERVE: Each counter snipers uses a rifle customized for his height and arm length. They work in two-man teams, though both are expert marksman, only one shoots at a time, the other gauges the wind which can change a bullet's trajectory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hit in like with the forehead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are different methods, smoke from chimney, undulations and the mirage from heat, foliage on the tree, flag poles.
MESERVE: When a president is going to move along a public route, the counter snipers scout it out to assess the threat and find good vantage points for themselves.
On inauguration day, some will position themselves on rooftops with a view of the parade route, the crowd and other buildings where snipers could be hiding. The cold will be biting but the counter snipers can wear lightweight gloves and they have tricks for keeping mental focus no matter what the weather.
LT. BERNARD HALL, COUNTER SNIPER UNIT: When it's hot in the summer, we think about the cold days in January, and then in January, we're thinking about what's happening in August.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: And we can bet that tomorrow they're going to be thinking about August. And by the way, they make no effort to hide themselves. They want the bad guys to know they're there ready to shoot -- John.
ROBERTS: You know, I've been trying to employ some of those psychological tricks this morning pretending I'm actually on a beach in Florida this morning, Jeanne, but it's just not working, I don't know why. It's interesting, though, as you say --
MESERVE: You need that mental discipline.
ROBERTS: Yes. It's interesting, though, as you say, that they want people to know that they're there. We were out at the Lincoln Memorial yesterday for the "We Are One" concert, and they were randomly displaying themselves on the top of the Lincoln Memorial. So they are really sending a message to people that we are here. If you got an (INAUDIBLE), you better think twice about it, because we are watching you.
MESERVE: Exactly. The idea is deterrence. If people see them, they'll be less likely to do something they shouldn't do.
ROBERTS: All right, Jeanne Meserve for us in Freedom Plaza this morning. Jeanne, thanks so much. It's great to see you. CHETRY: Practicing some of those mental images of warmth. At least the sun is starting to come up a little bit. Maybe it will warm up.
ROBERTS: You know, mental images and good winter boots would have been a good combination.
