TRANSITION….According to the New York Times, the Obamas were hoping to move temporarily into Blair House before the inauguration, but it wasn’t available:
The Obamas were told that they could move into Blair House on Jan. 15, but no earlier, because it is booked, an Obama transition official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “We explored the idea so that the girls could start school on schedule,” the official said. “But there were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced.”
….White House officials said the protocol was that Blair House is available to presidents-elect starting Jan. 15, five days before the inauguration.
I’d never thought about this before, but this is sort of odd, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it make sense for the government to provide quarters for the president-elect starting right after the election? It doesn’t have to be Blair House, though apparently it’s pretty convenient since it’s already inside the Secret Service’s security cordon, but surely it makes sense to provide something. Maybe somebody ought to give some thought to changing this protocol in the future.
