Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

National Mall Filling Early for Obama Inauguration Day

Aired January 20, 2009 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. It is Tuesday, January 20th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. And a very special welcome to our viewers around the world. A historic day, we want to set the scene for you as you take a live look at the nation's capital, 21 degrees and fair right now, going up to 31 and some possible flurries. But that's not going to stop the throngs of people who are expected in Washington, D.C.

John Roberts and Kiran Chetry will be along in a moment, live from the nation's capital. But we want to set the scene for you here on this historic day, really the last day of pre-presidential bliss, if you will, for Barack Obama. He will be inaugurated today as the 44th president of the United States, and the first African-American president in our nation's history.

As I mentioned, the last day of pre-presidential bliss. Tomorrow is where the rubber meets the road, as some have said. Candy Crowley says the same people who have been talking about hope throughout this campaign will soon be asking for help.

So we want to begin with the man who will become president, Barack Obama will be surrounded by pomp, circumstance, and celebration from sunup to sundown, but serious business awaits him at the White House. And he is wasting no time getting to it.

We are breaking it all down with our political panel: John Avlon, Patricia Murphy, and Suzanne Malveaux, all live for us. And we want to begin with Suzanne.

And Mr. Obama making it very clear that every minute counts in this new administration, Suzanne. Good morning to you.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina.

Obviously taking his place as the 44th president. And what Barack Obama is going to do today is he is going to call to usher in a new era of responsibility. And, Alina, he feels this very personally that part of that is his own responsibility. He realizes that there is a lot ahead. And that is why he is going to hit the ground running.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) as the Inaugural parade snakes around the city, several of President-elect Obama's senior staff will already be at work in the White House. Several dozen of Obama's team have been cleared to enter their offices on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue right after Obama takes the oath.

President-elect Barack Obama is considering issuing an executive order to reverse a controversial Bush administration abortion policy in his first week in office, three Democratic sources say.

Thursday, what will be Obama's second full day as president falls on the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the U.S. Sources say Obama may use the occasion to reverse the so-called "global gag rule," which prohibits U.S. dollars from going to international family planning groups that provide abortions or abortion counseling.

The controversial ban was first introduced by President Reagan, reversed by President Clinton, and then reinstated by President George W. Bush as his first executive order. Obama's aides say, expect bold action from the new commander-in-chief during his first week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: So, Alina, you can look to tomorrow, he is actually going to be doing some things, meeting with the top military brass as well as his economic team. And look to Thursday and Friday to issue some key executive orders closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center, banning torture, improving fuel efficiency, White House ethics rules, all of these kinds of things really out of the gate immediately.

But, of course, today is about the formality of taking the position as the 44th president. And then, Alina, it's all about getting down to business.

CHO: Oh, yes. That first day on Wednesday. He'll be meeting with a lot of people. It's going to be a lot of -- a big tough road ahead for us. Suzanne, I want you to stick with us because we're going to be getting to our political panel in just a moment.

We want to take a look at what's happening this morning as hundreds of thousands of people descend on the National Mall. Up to 2 million people expected. At 8:45 Eastern time, President-elect Barack Obama begins his day. He will be attending a private prayer service with his family and the Bidens at the historic St. John's Episcopal Church right next to the White House.

Then at noon Eastern, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the nation's 44th president and the first African-American president in our nation's history. About an hour-and-a-half later at 1:20 Eastern time, the now former President Bush will arrive at Andrew's Air Force Base. He will then fly to Midland, Texas, as a private citizen for the first time in eight years. You can bet he's soaking it all up in these final hours.

Then at 2:35 Eastern time, the Obamas will make their way down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House during the Inaugural parade. And what a sight that will be. What an exciting time to be in Washington.

We want to bring in our political panel now. We'll be checking in with them throughout the morning. And a reminder to our viewers that John Roberts and Kiran Chetry getting miked up there in Washington, D.C. And they will be joining us live in just a moment.

But first we want to bring in Suzanne Malveaux, our White House correspondent, again; John Avlon, author of "Independent Nation," and columnist for thedailybeast.com; and Patricia Murphy, editor of citizenjanepolitics.com.

Good morning to all of you. John, I want to ask you just about this historic nature of this Inauguration and the excitement that surrounds it. Talk a little bit about that and remind our viewers why this is so important.

JOHN AVLON, AUTHOR, "INDEPENDENT NATION": Well, we are living history, and every in Washington and everyone in America seems to know it. You know, yesterday was Martin Luther King Day. Nearly 40 years after his death, we are seeing really the culmination of his dream.

President -- first African-American president, elected because of the content of his character, not the color of his skin, and elected in a way that has brought people together. After years of promises, that play-to-the-base politics, Barack Obama is bringing something new. He is reaching out.

And that is why the country is so united and excited and invigorated by this moment. We are living history. And that attitude is infused throughout Washington, D.C., today.

CHO: And, Patricia, let's talk a little bit about the themes of the speech today. It's expected to be about 18 minutes long. What do you think we're going to hear from the president-elect who will soon in just a few hours become the president?

PATRICIA MURPHY, EDITOR, CITIZENJANEPOLITICS.COM: Right. Well, as Suzanne just reported, the key theme here will be responsibility. It will be responsibility from the top to the bottom. He will be asking for more corporate responsibility, more responsibility and accountability in government, and more personal responsibility. That's really key.

He's going to ride this wave of immense popularity that he has gathered throughout this two-year long campaign. He is going to leverage that to ask the American people to do more, to live within their means, to act responsibly, to parent responsibly, and to give back more to their communities.

He will say that we have gotten ourselves into this economic crisis, and only we, not him, only we as the American people can get ourselves out of it.

CHO: Suzanne, I want to get to you, because you were one of the few people who has had an opportunity to spend an extensive amount of time with the Obamas, interviewing both Michelle Obama and the president-elect.

Take us inside the minds as much as you can, into the Obamas, and what's likely going through their minds right now, and what is likely going through the minds of "no drama Obama" as he gets ready to take the helm tomorrow?

MALVEAUX: One of the things that happens with Barack Obama when he is faced with one of these moments -- really, a pivotal moment is that he gets very quiet, very reflective, and very focused.

This is somebody who turns off that BlackBerry, tunes out everything for the couple of hours that are ahead of that big moment. Obviously he has been working on his speech, the Inaugural speech, and this is somebody who really is confident in himself. He is calm and he tends to rise to the occasion.

This is something that he has been thinking about. And one of the things about his is that for a long, long time he has wanted to do something that was big, that was a big change. He's someone who is inherently impatient. He has been in a hurry for a long time, trying to do something.

And once he actually realized that he could move quickly through the power structure -- you know, he was frustrated being a community organizer because it just didn't happen fast enough, some of the things, the changes he wanted to make in the community.

Now that he is in a position of power here, this is really his moment. This is a time for him to rise to his own expectations. He has extremely high expectations of himself. He is somebody who wants to get this done very quickly. But he is very measured, he is very calm, he realizes what is ahead of him.

And so he is going to ask the American people to take responsibility. And what he is also going to do as well, and he did a year ago -- 18 months ago, is to tap into that feeling, that need of people around him to be a part of something with him. That was the thing that made this really more than politics or a campaign, but really a movement -- Alina.

CHO: Suzanne Malveaux, interesting perspective, and an inside look into the Obamas. Patricia Murphy and John Avlon, we thank you all for joining us. And, of course, we'll be checking with -- back with you throughout the morning.

We want to set the scene for you in the nation's capital and take a live look at something you won't see anywhere else. Take a look at this shot here. Seventeen D.C. security cameras, as everyone knows by now, this is an unprecedented event, even for a city that is used to hosting major events, an unprecedented Inauguration to be sure, and unprecedented security.

Two million people are expected to descend upon the nation's capital and around the National Mall today for this historic Inauguration. And we will be following it all for you, every step of the way.

So stay with us here on AMERICAN MORNING. And just a reminder to our viewers that John Roberts and Kiran Chetry, live in Washington, D.C., they will be along in just a moment.

But coming up this morning, damage control after the Bidens go on Oprah. Hear the state secret Joe Biden's wife let slip about her husband's job offers. It is 10 minutes after hour. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, we're coming right back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the best, that our children think that it's the greatest thing that Barack Obama that is the president -- the next president of the United States. And it gives all of our kids the ability to dream and believe and realize that they can be anything they want. And it's just wonderful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE" (voice-over): As the country moved into the 21st Century, black men did sit in the Oval Office, but only in movies and on TV. And then July 27th, 2004. I was on the convention floor in Boston when an obscure politician from Illinois keynoted his way into history.

Who is this guy? His speech gave me some clues.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT-ELECT, THEN-ILLINOIS STATE SENATOR: There is not a liberal America and a conservative, there is the United States of America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

KING: I got more from his campaign.

OBAMA: We know in our hearts we are ready for change. We are ready to come together. And in this election, we are ready to believe again.

KING: The ultimate answer came November 4th. Barack Obama is the man the American people have elected as their 44th president. I've lived to witness it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: From "LARRY KING LIVE" last night, and it is 13 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to our live coverage here at the West Front of the Capitol. John Roberts together with Kiran Chetry on an incredibly auspicious occasion. What a day this is going to be.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: It certainly is. And I mean, already, when we were making our way here, because the security, as we've talked about, is just enormous today, very thorough, there were already people who were going to be standing here for the better part of the morning and into the afternoon to witness history firsthand, to hear Barack Obama take the oath of office and then give his incredible Inaugural speech, at least that's what it's being billed to be.

And, boy, the setup here right now with this enormous platform so that the international media can cover this and all of the seating, it is going to be a day for the ages, for sure.

ROBERTS: It will. There is 35 words that he will speak at precisely 12:00 noon today according to the Constitution that will make him the 44th president of the United States.

Just to give you a quick little scene set here, we are at what's called the West Front of the Capitol. There is no real front to the Capitol, there are two fronts. There is the East Front, which is on the other side, and then the West Front here, which typically is just stairs.

But over the last couple of months they've built this elaborate platform behind us where dignitaries will be seated, the nine justices of the Supreme Court, of course, Joe Biden and his wife Jill, Michelle Obama, you've got current President George Bush will be here as well, Barack Obama, and just behind us there, behind that bulletproof glass is where he'll give that Inaugural address.

So this platform, this doesn't exist, this is usually stairs that goes down to the reflecting pool in front of the West Front here. So an incredible amount of preparation that goes into the Inauguration of the president of the United States, this incredible peaceful transition of power that is so uniquely American.

CHETRY: Really it is. And we're going to watch this all unfold as the crowds start to make their way here, it will be interesting to see how quickly this fills up. And this is an example of what we're going to be showing you throughout the morning.

These are traffic cameras that we've been able to tap into here in the nation's capital. All of the various streets -- these are going to be lined with people in just a matter of hours. We're going to be able to see the crowds swell.

Today, even at 3:00 a.m., the first of the hardy bunch, for sure, started making their way here. And they're going to be preparing to wait in line, preparing to go through massive security. But in the end they're going to fill this Mall, thousands and thousands, perhaps even as many as 2 million to 4 million to hear Barack Obama.

ROBERTS: As you said, they're coming out already. We were on our way here about 3:00 in the morning and people were already lining up to get a prime spot. We should tell you that those security cameras that you just saw there are exclusive to CNN. This is where you want to keep it for Inauguration coverage today.

We've got a few more surprises we're not ready to unveil to you just yet. But I know it's only 16 minutes after 5:00, and we've got a long way to go here, 12:00 noon is when Barack Obama will be sworn in. But we have got some incredible coverage and we've got some unique coverage. And -- oh, I'm just being told we have our incredibly unique shot, we have the only aerial HD camera that's allowed up -- we've got special permission from the Secret Service to fly a blimp. It's just behind the Capitol Building, kind of over the -- right behind the Cannon Building, which is one of the House buildings.

A little windy up there as you can see as we get a vantage point here as that balloon is going up. This eventually will give us an incredible vantage point of the crowd overlooking the Mall.

We're hoping that the breeze dies down just a little bit here in the early morning hours as we get the transition between night and day. The breeze comes up but it should calm down a little bit later on, and we're hoping to bring you some incredible shots from that blimp.

And then we've got one more other ace in our pocket that we'll tell you about later on.

CHETRY: Yes, we can't stress enough, again, CNN is the place to be. We have you covered all angles today, and it's going to be an exciting morning, no doubt. Well, walking through all of the events as well, the first family, they're first public event taking place in about three hours from now. We'll bring that to you as well.

Meantime, Joe Biden, he has a reputation, of course, for sometimes saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, or maybe it's not the wrong thing, he's just a little candid, right? Well, that honor is now going to his wife, we're going to hear the campaign story that she told Oprah that has the Obama administration scrambling to clarify.

Right now it is 17 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know that it's going to be a (INAUDIBLE). I mean, just to see all of the people together, all of the people that are here to support him, it's just overwhelming. It's something that is just really hard to explain in words.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Really a palpable energy here in Washington, D.C. Thousands of people are securing their spots. Doesn't matter how early they were starting to leave, around 3:00 in the morning for some.

And in just a little more than six hours, Barack Obama will be sworn in as president. Certainly has a full plate of issues to deal with, including trying to walk back what the vice president-elect's wife told Oprah. Alina Cho is live in New York with more. Certainly not the most pressing concern on his plate, but certainly something that was raising eyebrows yesterday -- Alina.

CHO: Certainly did, Kiran. You know, it was really interesting. If you missed it, good morning, everybody. You know, it was an apparent slip of the tongue that led to a lot of nervous laughter on the Oprah set yesterday.

But what Jill Biden said can't help but beg the question, was Hillary Clinton Mr. Obama's second choice for secretary of state? The Bidens appeared on Oprah's show at the Kennedy Center yesterday afternoon. It was a surprise visit.

And that is when Mrs. Biden told the audience her husband was offered the choice of two huge jobs in the new administration. That's right, I said two. And listen closely, the vice president-elect didn't seem too happy when his wife let the cat out of the bag.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL BIDEN, WIFE OF JOE BIDEN: Joe had been...

(SOUND EFFECT)

JILL BIDEN: ... to be secretary of state or vice president. And I said, Joe, no -- well...

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT: Shhh.

(LAUGHTER)

JILL BIDEN: ... OK, he did. So...

OPRAH WINFREY, TELEVISION HOST: Joe.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

WINFREY: OK. It's OK.

JILL BIDEN: Well...

JOE BIDEN: (INAUDIBLE). No, go ahead.

WINFREY: Go ahead.

JILL BIDEN: So I said, Joe, if you're secretary of state, you'll be away, we'll never see you, you know, I'll see you at a state dinner once in a while.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: A little red-faced there, Joe Biden. You know, it was an awkward moment to say the least, and Biden's team was quick to set the record straight, quickly releasing this statement. Take a look.

"To be clear, President-elect Obama offered Vice President-elect Biden one job only, to be his running mate. And the vice president- elect was thrilled to accept the offer."

But I appears that Mr. Biden himself has at least hinted at his before in an October interview with The New Yorker magazine, Biden claimed that he and Obama discussed his interest in national security and foreign policy.

Biden went on to say: "He wasn't offering me this, but he said, would you rather be secretary of state instead of vice president? And I thought a lot about that."

Meantime, Senator Hillary Clinton, the woman who is expected to be confirmed as secretary of state as early as today, what did she think about Jill Biden's comments on Oprah? Well, the senator's office, Kiran, had no comment.

Of course, you know, a lot of people know as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden in large part was chosen for his foreign policy experience. But he is quick to point out that he wants to be the counselor-in-chief to President-elect Obama, who will soon become the president, and that he wants to be known for his candor -- Kiran.

CHETRY: And certainly not that surprising that Hillary Clinton didn't say anything. It's really -- it feels like, you know, it's a no-win situation, no matter what she says it's going to be interpreted one way or the other.

But yes, you're right, Oprah making some news yesterday for sure. Alina Cho, thanks.

CHO: You bet.

ROBERTS: It's one of those moments where you go, oh, did I really say that? Oh well, it will pass. Hey, I've got to tell you, where we are right now, up on this platform, this is like the money shot. This is one of the best seats in the house. This is our vantage point for the Inauguration.

Just to give you a little bit of an orientation here. One the left there, that little part of the platform that bumps out, that's where the president, Barack Obama, after he has given the oath of office, will give his Inaugural Address looking out over the Mall, two miles down to the Lincoln Memorial, where he talked to the folks back there on Sunday where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech back in August of 1963.

Here is that vantage point. He's probably about 20 feet above the main audience, which is going to be below him. These are all of the dignitaries and other invited guests. And then for, again, two miles down, the other end of the Mall, we're expecting as many as 2 million people.

You can see the podium there, just to the right of your screen. That's the blue presidential podium. It will have the seal on it, "President of the United States," that will be Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States at precisely 12:00 noon today. CHETRY: That's a look at all of our security cameras as well. These are -- we've gotten access to them. These are from the District and they provide a lot of different looks all across the nation's capital today.

And you know, one interesting factoid that John and I were talking about yesterday, if indeed 2 million people do converge on the Mall to hear Barack Obama speak, they all will basically be occupying the space of -- imagine of front page of your newspaper.

That is how tight and packed in people are going to be. It's certainly going to rival what Times Square is like on New Year's.

ROBERTS: Anybody who saw "March of the Penguins," though, will know that it's best to huddle together to stay warm.

By the way, these traffic cams exclusive to CNN. We'll be showing you those pictures all throughout the morning, give you a really unique vantage point here of the nation's capital.

That Inaugural Address, that may be the most important speech of Barack Obama's life. He has been working on it for the past two months, literally since November the 5th. We'll tell you what we know about the address and what comes after.

It's 25 minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(AUDIO GAP)

CHETRY: ... off by just a few years, but still simply remarkable. And Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream resonates more than ever as Barack Obama puts the final touches on his Inaugural Address. And joining me now, award-winning writer and New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis.

We were speaking with you yesterday as well, Errol. There is just something about seeing this entire platform set up, seeing all of the chairs and knowing how badly people want to hear from Barack Obama today.

That really changes it compared to yesterday, at least for me. What are you thinking as we take a look at these pictures right now of this huge setup in preparation for the oath of office and then, of course, his Inaugural Address?

ERROL LOUIS, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: Well, everybody is busy down here. Clumps of National Guardsmen -- I assume they're National Guardsmen wearing camouflage on every other corner. The vendors are out.

And all throughout the city, you know, even at this early hour, you see people out. And what's striking to me is that there are so many families that are out. You know, people who packed up everybody in the minivan, drove them down here, people -- parties still going on.

You know, I was leaving my hotel this morning around 4:30, and the parties were still going strong in the lobby. So it's just a gigantic celebration. They've brought the town basically to a standstill for this very important occasion.

ROBERTS: Hey, Errol, Inauguration addresses, as you have recently said, are, quote, "designed to announce a new president's intentions and politics in a way meant to echo through the ages."

What are you expecting to hear from this Inaugural Address today, said to be some 20 minutes long, and as we understand, he has written the bulk of it in his own hand?

LOUIS: Well, you know, it's interesting because the bar is set so high. He has delivered so many great speeches. I mean, for a lot of people, we're hoping it will be splendid and magnificent and one for the ages, even if it's not, it will just be very good.

What I'm expecting to hear is him really announcing what the early agenda is going to be, especially on the economy, to also signal to it in his role as leader of the free world, to the Western nations in particular, but to the world at large that a new day has arrived and a new tone in international relations.

And then of course there's the hard politics, trying to get Congress onboard with a legislative agenda. And I think he'll try and do all of those things as well as appeal to history, appeal to the ages.

CHETRY: Another idea, something that you brought up before as well was that Barack Obama needs to calm the nation, to reassure people that we're in it for the long haul. And, you know, you say that that's what FDR did as well in his 1933 speech.

When we talk about sacrifice and being in it for the long haul, specifically what are we looking at as a nation?

LOUIS: Well, I think main thing he's going to be asking people for is patience that it's going to take some time to do this. That not all of the 3 million jobs he has promised to create are going to materialize, you know, at 1:00 this afternoon.

So he's going to be asking people bear with him, to continue tuning in, you know, because I think one really -- the important part about this administration I think is that they're going to try and explain their strategy in ways that the average person can understand.

I think he learned, as did we all, that first bailout plan the Bush administration did where they didn't explain anything to anybody, it didn't calm the markets, it didn't calm the populace, consumer confidence continued to dive, one of the biggest tools that the president is going to have in his arsenal is going to be to reassure people, but also inform them.

And I think that will start today. ROBERTS: Well, there certainly seems to be a sense, Errol, that people are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and allow him some time to get some of his programs up and running. But patience is a virtue in the best of cases. We'll see how virtuous the American people are.

LOUIS: You know what will be interesting, John, if you see 2 million people out on the Mall, that's the number of people who need jobs. I think that will really dramatize it for the rest of the nation.

ROBERTS: Yes. It will.

CHETRY: And after they're done waiting in line all day today, their patience will certainly be tested as well. So it's just (INAUDIBLE)...

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: Errol Louis for us this morning. We'll be checking in with you throughout the morning, thanks.

LOUIS: Thank you.

ROBERTS: As we mentioned, people already arriving on the National Mall. They were here at 3:00 in the morning. And our Jim Acosta is out there with them.

Jim, how many people have you got around you?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, I've got -- well, I've got about -- I don't know, 100,000? I don't know. I have no idea right now. There are -- they are coming in right now. They are streaming in by the thousands I would say right now, John.

And yes, it is catching all of us by surprise just how many people are coming in at this hour. It's safe to say that they are walking, they are waiting, they are shivering a little bit. But they are very excited.

On our way in here, I heard a few of those chants, "fired up and ready to go" that we heard so much during the campaign. And Shannon (ph) is somebody who came in from Baltimore.

And, Shannon, I just wanted to ask you, what does this day mean to you? Why did you come down?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a day in history. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. It means a lot, especially for all of us young people and old people and everybody.

ACOSTA: And what are you hoping to hear him say today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A plan to, you know, get America back in shape. You know, bring us up and have us be the prosperous country that we should be. ACOSTA: Very good. Thank you very much, Shannon, appreciate it.

And, John and Kiran, I know that you guys had...

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(LAUGHTER)

ACOSTA: I know that you guys had a little trouble getting in this morning. I did as well, because of all of the barricades, I had to run about two miles to this live location. Yes, in a suit and coat.

So if people are watching at home and are wondering just how they're going to get down to the Mall down here, it's probably going to be something alike what I did this morning, which is a whole lot of walking, jogging, shivering, and showing a lot of patience.

But people down here are very excited. It's one of those things, you know, we were all wondering, was this going to be one of those somber occasions because of the difficult economic times.

No, this is a day of celebration. People down here are just radiant. We are seeing lots of smiles down here despite all of the shivering. Hearing a few "Burrrr-ack Obamas" this morning -- John.

(LAUGHTER)

ROBERTS: Oh, I'm sure you are. Well, there is plenty of time for reality to set in, Jim. But for now I guess it's just a celebration of a new phase in America's history. Jim Acosta for us on the Mall there with some newfound friends.

And of course, we'll be checking in with Jim throughout the morning as hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people are expected down there in the Mall.

CHETRY: I feel a little guilty. We had a much easier ride in than he did. We didn't have to jog two miles.

ROBERTS: Yes. Our ride in was actually quite easy. We got dropped off right at the Capitol Building. It was waiting for the Secret Service to complete the security sweep here that held us up just a little bit. And our apologies for being with you a little bit late this morning.

The new Obama administration will be conducting business at the White House even before the Inaugural Parade ends. We'll take a look at the issues that President Obama will tackle in his first 100 days.

Thirty-five minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well, welcome back to a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. There you see the temperature in the corner, 22 degrees. A chilly morning, a breezy morning for sure here in Washington, but a daunting...

ROBERTS: Ah, 'tis nothing.

CHETRY: Hey, you had to go get earmuffs. It is -- the ears are the first things to go out here, those and the fingertips. But you know what? People don't care. People are coming out anyway, 3:00 in the morning we had people lining the streets, trying to get to the location, anything to be able to get a chance.

And these are exclusive to CNN. These are traffic cameras from all around the city giving you a real view of what's going on everywhere. Right now you see a lot of streets closed, a lot of security, a lot of law enforcement.

Later it's going to be packed with people. And it's a dawning of a new day, quite literally here in Washington. Welcome back to our special edition of AMERICAN MORNING.

In about six-and-a-half hours, Barack Obama will become part of history as the nation's 44th president, the first African-American president, of course. And as soon as he's sworn in, nearly two dozen Obama aides will be at their desks in the White House ready to go to work.

Mike Allen is our chief political correspondent for Politico, and he joins us now to talk more about Obama's opening day.

So, you know, really a mix what we've been hearing is, the pageantry, the celebration, the tradition of today, and then nose to the grindstone, really not wasting any time.

MIKE ALLEN, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO.COM: Yes, Kiran, that's right. As soon as he's done taking the oath, giving the speech, there are a couple of vans that are going to take a few aides down to the White House. They've been cleared in.

The desk drawers have been vacuumed out in the sort of symbolic cleansing that our system has built into it. They have brand new hard drives in their computers. The computers have little cards on them.

CHETRY: So the keyboards all have all of the letters?

ALLEN: They do, indeed. They do, indeed. They were...

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: And they said they weren't going to take the Os off, right?

ALLEN: Right. Now they have been very careful about that. And the computers have little cards in them, red, white, and blue cards that say "welcome, if you have trouble with your computer, your printer, here's the number to call."

And so they're going to be at work before the parade even begins. They have a long day. They do the balls tonight. There's a little social thing at the White House then tomorrow.

The president-elect having a meeting with his national security team, including commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, I suppose by video link, talk about steps ahead. Meeting with his economic team. And he is to start issuing executive orders, the stuff he can do without Congress.

ROBERTS: Yes. There has been a lot of moving at the White House and the Naval Observatory in the last few days. We should mention that Dick Cheney, the vice president, will be showing up here in a wheelchair because apparently he was moving some boxes yesterday, threw his back out and can't walk.

ALLEN: (INAUDIBLE) has some issues with the nabobs.

ROBERTS: I just can't imagine Dick Cheney lifting his own boxes. Don't they have people to do that?

ALLEN: They have people.

ROBERTS: So in terms of these executive orders, Mike, what do you think is going to be the first order of business? We've heard about Guantanamo Bay, there are other executive orders that he might sign as well.

ALLEN: Yes. We're told in the first week to 10 days, we're going to get a very good sense of the change that's going to be coming. You mentioned Guantanamo Bay, there's going to be an executive order to begin the process of closing it. It's going to be a long process.

The Bush administration will tell you, it's harder than it sounds. But they're going to start that probably not on day one, in the first early days. There will be a number of executive orders. Some of them are just bureaucratic, continuity of government...

ROBERTS: That Guantanamo order, they are supposed to sign that on the -- he's supposed to sign that on Wednesday, is he not?

ALLEN: They say in the first day or two, like they're not locked into it. But...

CHETRY: Hey, Mike, I just want to draw your attention right now to what we're seeing right here. These are live pictures of people already making their way onto the Mall right below us this morning, you can see the Washington Monument.

And people are lining up already. Are there -- there is a lot of hope. There is a lot of -- just a feeling of togetherness that people are really -- people from all over the country and world are really coming here to try to be a part of.

Why -- I mean, is -- you have covered so many of these, is this normal?

ALLEN: No, this is amazing. And, no, we all were down at the Lincoln Memorial the other day, and a lot of the reporters turned around and instead of watching the performers, put their backs to their performance, and watched down the Mall, just because it was so exciting to see the people celebrating, jumping, to shout at one point.

Driving through the city early this morning was so much fun, 4:00 a.m., you had -- in Georgetown, you had the crowds that had spilled out into the street at closing time. And then just a few blocks away, you had people raring to go, trying to get into the access points.

You look into the polls, something very unusual, people, even Republicans, want to give this new president a chance.

ROBERTS: And we've got just a second here, but one quick point on governance, and a lot of people around the world watching us this morning on CNNI.

You say that he needs to have a muscular administration, why?

ALLEN: He has been planning this transition going back to the summer. They've been very confident. And so he has put all of these people in place. The reason to get these people in place early is to do something.

He wants to show that he is great, not just for who he is, but also what he is going to do. People, as we said, want to give him a chance, but they want action. This administration recognizes that patience is not unlimited. He has warned people that things may get worse before they get better. But he needs to have actions to back that up.

ROBERTS: Mike Allen from Politico, Mike, it's good to see you this morning, thanks so much for being with us.

ALLEN: Good luck with the coverage.

CHETRY: Thank you so much, Mike.

Well, still ahead, the youth vote certainly had an impact on this election. And now America's youth showing up in Washington to witness history. And in a moment, we're going to talk to some of them about their hopes and their expectations for the new president. It's 43 minutes after the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I worked on the campaign as a volunteer. I felt the enthusiasm for this president, and have been involved in the campaign for months. And it's wonderful to bring back a lot of the memories of working in the early campaigns in the '70s. And I think my generation has rekindled its enthusiasm for politics and public service because of Barack Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: All right. This morning, the beautiful sounds -- this is actually a CD, but it's beautiful nonetheless, as we are all listening to them, we're doing some practice runs here, where we're sitting right here at the West Front of the Capitol as they get ready for today's historic day.

And, you know, many of the young people in America are preparing for this Inauguration as well. And they feel that rightfully so, they made it happen. Approximately 23 million people under the age of 30 voted November 4th, and now many of those same young Americans are here in Washington.

And before the election, we introduced you to Noah Gray, he was only 16 years old, but he helped push others into the booth with his "Virgin Voting" video contest. And also joining us is Jason Mattera. He voted for John McCain and is the spokesman for the Young America Foundation. And Alexandra Acker, she backed Barack Obama as the executive director of the Young Democrats of America.

Thanks to all of you for being with us this morning, great to see you. Now, you know, I want to start with Jason, because, Jason, I just want to ask you about that bipartisan ball that took place yesterday, the big situation where Barack Obama extended a hand to his campaign rival not only symbolically, but also to get advice from him.

Does that give you hope for these -- this administration being able to put some of the petty bickering aside and be able to solve some problems?

JASON MATTERA, CONSERVATIVE YOUTH OUTREACH ORGANIZER: Absolutely not. And I don't consider it petty bickering, especially when Obama has released much of his plans to continue the disastrous spending that will only continue a nation in bankruptcy.

I mean, young people should be disgusted with the profligate spending surrounding just this Inauguration. Obama tells Americans, oh, we all need to sacrifice. Well, hey, Barack, you might want to lead by example and sacrifice government spending. I'm sorry, you don't need Bruce Springsteen concerts, $170 million when the nation is in the biggest recession since Jimmy Carter.

ROBERTS: Alexandra, do you want to respond to that?

ALEXANDRA ACKER, NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA: Yes. You know, I think that there is a time for these arguments to be had, and it's not today. Today is about celebrating. It has been so inspiring for me to see so many thousands of young people in Washington, D.C., this weekend.

All over the country, young people are hosting Inaugural watch parties. They heeded the call to service yesterday, went out and volunteered in their communities. You know, this really is our moment, as you said, you know, we think that we had a lot to do with getting Barack Obama elected, and a lot of us will be going to the official youth ball tonight and celebrating.

And today is a day for us to be very excited about the future and then tomorrow we'll get back to arguing.

MATTERA: Alexandra, I'm a little shocked you didn't invite me to the youth ball.

(LAUGHTER)

MATTERA: I'm a little offended, come on.

CHETRY: All right. Let's hear from Noah for a second. Noah, now you had your "Virgin Voter" contest. You wanted people to sort of document in any way whether they wanted to write about it or upload a video to sort of explain why it was so important for them to come out and vote for the first time.

You got reaction yesterday from a lot of different people, what did -- what was the prevailing thought? What did they tell you the feeling that they were feeling as we head into today?

NOAH GRAY, FOUNDER, VIRGIN VOTING: Well, I've been here since Saturday, and the Mall has been totally crowded down there. I've met hundreds of young people from all over the country, and they are all Democrat and Republican, just very excited to be here and just very honored and they that this is such a historic event that technology is a major source for young people, but they wanted to be here and actually feel it firsthand and tell their children they could be here.

CHETRY: All right. It was great to talk to all of you this morning, Noah Gray, Jason Mattera, Alexandra Acker, thanks for getting up with us. Enjoy today.

GRAY: Thank you.

MATTERA: Bye.

ACKER: Thank you, enjoy.

ROBERTS: There's going to be an awful lot of young people down there on that Mall this morning. We saw a lot of them trying to get a seat, or at least a place to stand. And that was at 3:00 this morning, nine hours before the president -- the incoming president will take the oath of office.

Washington certainly, any way you cut it is going to be bursting at the seams today with millions of people making the pilgrimage for the Inauguration. CNN's Carol Costello has been talking with some people who say that they just had to be here. And she's live at the National Mall for us this morning.

And, I'll tell you, Carol, to be out this early in this temperature, you've really got to want to be here.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And a lot of people really want to be here. I cannot tell you the sense of excitement. I mean, a lot of the streets are still blocked off leading to the Mall. And there is security there. The next wave of people won't be let onto the Mall until 7:00 a.m. But Candace got here early. She made it through the first wave.

You caught the metro in Largo, Maryland, at what time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At 4:30 this morning, we actually got there around 4:00.

COSTELLO: And it was?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was packed. I took pictures of everyone going in, getting tickets, getting on the subway, and it was standing -- Largo was the first stop on the Metro, and then you get to D.C. So it was packed all the way to D.C.

COSTELLO: That is just unbelievable. So the swearing in ceremony doesn't take place until 11:30, so what are you going to do between now and then?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I have my daughters under a tree. We're camped out there. It's just like a picnic. We do this a lot in D.C. as far as the big events are concerned. And so we need to catch up on some sleep. We've done a lot of activities since Saturday, so we're going to catch up on some sleep before it's time for the Inauguration.

COSTELLO: So she's going to be sleeping in the frigid cold until 11:30. Thank you, Candace.

You know, Candace is not alone in her craziness, a lot of other people were thinking of the very same thing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enjoy your stay now.

COSTELLO (voice-over): They came from "Everywhere, USA," most with no Inaugural ticket, some with just the clothes on their back and a prayer.

(on camera): So you're actually staying with someone you've never met?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm staying with someone I've never met.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Others contacted long-lost friends, or grabbed a bed wherever they could find one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now here we have our boy's (ph) room.

COSTELLO: These kids from New Orleans spent two days on a bus and are now camping out on air mattresses and bunk beds at a Georgetown church. But who cares? They want to see him.

(on camera): If you catch a glimpse of him tomorrow, how will you feel?

(CROSSTALK) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Important.

COSTELLO (voice-over): But make no mistake, wherever people are camping out, all of them have formulated a plan to see him on Tuesday. Unfortunately, it's the same plan.

(on camera): So what is your primo spot? Where are you hoping to be?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to be right down at the beginning of the parade.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right in the front row.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So we're going to try to get as close to the Capitol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As far down...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... towards the Capitol as we can get.

COSTELLO (voice-over): All of them plan to take the subway to get to that spot around 3:30 a.m. A word of warning, people, this is the "it" spot you are talking about, west of Fourth Street near Pennsylvania Avenue. Problem, 240,000 people who do have a ticket will be blocking your view of Obama's swearing in.

You might be able to get a spot along Pennsylvania Avenue for the parade, but police won't let you get close until 7:00 a.m.

(on camera): Do you have any strategy to sort of worm your way in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, we -- we're -- we have kids with us, so we're going to hope that the charm of children can get us to the front, I guess.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a lot...

COSTELLO: You're going to use the children?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, in a very positive way.

COSTELLO (voice-over): As in...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please?

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: Pretty please?

In the end, though, having a front row seat won't really matter, everyone agrees, just being there will be enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I may not get to that spot, but in my mind, I'm right there in the mix, checking him out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And that is an excellent attitude to have, because, look behind me, everybody is heading towards Fourth Street to the Capitol. They're all going down there to get a spot along the parade route, John. They're probably not going to get one because, you know, along the parade route it's already eight to 10 people deep, and the parade doesn't even start until, what, around 2:30 this afternoon?

ROBERTS: Yes, 2:30 is the official start time of the parade. But that's kind of soft, because after the Inauguration, the Inaugural Address, and of course, they have that luncheon inside the Capitol, in the Statuary Hall. And then people get ready and they sort of saunter out and they line up the parade and it will probably get going about 2:30.

But, Carol, I mean, we can almost see you way down on the Mall there as we look from our vantage point here. Stay warm, you've got a lot of new friends there. Good to talk to you this morning, thanks.

CHETRY: You know, and another issue...

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: The thing is, while all of that is taking place -- oh, sorry, Carol. While all of that is taking place, meanwhile, they're very, very busy at the White House, right? Unpacking all of Barack Obama and his family's belongings so that when they return from the luncheon, they have home.

ROBERTS: Yes. The General Services Administration does one of the most incredible changeovers that you have ever seen a moving company do. They basically pack up all of the Bushs' goods, take them out of the house, and they bring in the Obama goods, and they get them all set up so that when the president -- the new president goes to the White House after the parade is all over, it looks not like your apartment would when you move in...

CHETRY: Exactly.

ROBERTS: ... with boxes everywhere, so.

CHETRY: Well, you know what, one of the perks of a very hard job ahead for sure. And you know, one other interesting thing they were talking about, we were talking about all of the lines here, apparently lines already starting at the metro stations in a lot of the suburban stops.

And people are already making their way in now from all over. They opened early and they're accommodating as many people as they can, riding public transportation, really your best bet today. Well, we're counting down with you to the big moment when Barack Obama makes history and we're live all over Washington today. Stay with us here on a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING, live from the nation's capital.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: This is a CNN exclusive and a real treat if you're looking at this. This is the bird's eye view, the "blimp cam," as we're calling it right now, blimp in HD, broadcasting these wonderful pictures from atop the city today as millions turn out to watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama and the parade.

We're going to be getting some great shots when the sun comes up and when we start seeing the people just stream in and the lines of people that are going to be making their way right here to the Mall. So there it is, the air photos live, the "blimp cam," and you'll see it only here on CNN.

ROBERTS: And we've got one more camera that we're going to show you later on today as well. It's actually a little bit higher than that blimp, but we'll unveil it a little bit later on.

Just getting some testing in there. The blimp will actually climb down a little bit later on so we'll be able to have a better vantage point there as we look for the Capitol Building on the right, down to the Washington Monument on the left, all the way along the Mall.

Just about six hours away now from the historic Inauguration, the swearing in of Barack Obama. Today's ceremony steeped in tradition. The seamless transition of power, and peaceful transition of power from one president to the next.

Let's check in with our panel this morning. Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman and Republican analyst Leslie Sanchez, both CNN political contributors, they join us from our Washington bureau this morning.

Robert, you attended the unity ball last night with the incoming president, what was that scene like?

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: It truly was unprecedented in terms of modern American politics, where the Obama- Biden transition team organized three different unity dinners.

The first one honored Senator John McCain. The second one honored former -- General Colin Powell, our former secretary of state. And the last one honored Joe Biden, and Chuck Hagel, this former Republican Senator who has retired from that position was featured there.

And they truly were remarkable evenings because no matter who was there in attendance, whether they were Republican or Democrat alike, we -- the message clearly was that we all need to come together, for the sake of our republic, for this administration to succeed. And for John McCain it really was a tremendous sense of character and demonstrated his love of country, that he was there playing a leadership role at this unity dinner.

CHETRY: So, Leslie, what were your thoughts about that?

LESLIE SANCHEZ, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I think it's a tremendously important step. You know, it is this kind of mantra of a breath of fresh air. It's Republicans and Democrats coming together and looking at ways to keep this economy moving.