Jan 2, 2009 5:47 am US/Central
Obama Returns To Chicago After Hawaiian Holiday
President-Elect And Family Will Soon Head To Washington
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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President-elect Barack Obama returns to Chicago with his family after a 12-day holiday in Hawaii.
CBS
President-elect Barack Obama and his family returned to Chicago early Friday morning from their 12-day holiday in Hawaii and prepared to fly onward to Washington in the coming days.
Obama's chartered plane landed in his hometown, where thermometers showed a chilly 30 degrees. When he left Honolulu about eight hours earlier, temperatures were in the 70s. He joked to reporters during a brief New Year's Day visit to the press cabin that his wife and girls weren't speaking to him because of the change in climate.
He won't be home long. The Obamas are expected to fly to Washington on Sunday.
The Obamas are going to Washington then so that daughters Sasha and Malia can get ready to start classes monday at the exclusive Sidwell Friends School.
Also, the president-elect will immediately get down to work meeting with congressional leaders on Monday to discuss his economic stimulus plan, which he hopes to be able to sign as soon as he takes the reins of power in 18 days.
Republicans are needed to pass Obama's rescue plan, so the president-elect is expected to huddle with GOP leaders over the next few days.
If he gets enough Republican support, analysts say Obama could make history by signing his stimulus package into law just minutes after he's sworn in as 44th president.
While on vacation, Obama took advantage of his last break before he takes office on Jan. 20 and a rented $9 million beach-front home. He had few public events, other than small talk with residents who followed his every move.
He played golf three times -- and bemoaned his performance each time -- and basketball at his alma mater, the private Punahou School. He also made the quick motorcade to the nearby Marine Corps base for workouts.
He stayed out of the escalating situation in the Middle East, where Israeli troops have launched an offensive against Hamas leaders who fired rockets from Gaza. Aides say there is only one president at a time, but Obama received security briefings and spoke with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and his incoming national security team.
Michelle Obama similarly remained out of sight, other than the occasional trip to the gym. She did not join Obama and the girls when they went to an aquatic park or to the zoo, nor when he visited the nearby Marine base on Christmas Day.
Obama plans to meet with President George W. Bush and former presidents at the White House on Wednesday.
The Obamas aren't set to move into the president-elect's traditional Washington quarters until Jan. 15. In the interim, the first family-in-waiting will stay at the historic Hay-Adams Hotel near the White House.
The president-elect will also likely be keeping tabs on Tuesday's swearing-in of the 111th congress and the succession battle over his vacant senate seat.
As for the Obama family's Chicago home, they will keep their Hyde Park address so they'll have a place to stay when they're not living in the most famous address in the world.
CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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