Senator Benson Rockefeller Goes For The Gold

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN, first in news.  I'm Bernard Shaw News Anchor.

CNN has received more details as to the makeup of the new Rockefeller administration.

Carlos Guitierrez of Florida will head up the Labor Department as the new Secretary of Labor.  Born in Cuba, Guitierrez studied business administration and higher education, served as CEO of Kellog USA and became known as "The Man Who Fixed Kellogg", having led Kellog through a rough financial period.  

Alveda King of Georgia becomes the new Secretary of Health and Human Services.  King is a niece of slain civil rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and the daughter of another slain civil rights leader, Reverend A.D. King.  Alveda King is a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives, a college professor, and an accomplished author.

Roderick Paige of Texas will take over as Secretary of Education.  Paige is noted for having the philosophy that education equalizes opportunity.  Paige has been a college dean, a school superintendent, and is an acknowledged expert on educational reform.

Douglas Forrester of New Jersey becomes the new Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.  Forrester served as Mayor of West Windsor, New Jersey, as Assistant State Treasurer, and directed the pension system for state employees.  He is a wealthy New Jersey businessman.  

Elaine Chao of Kentucky, will become the new Secretary of Transportation.  Chao holds a B.A. in economics, and has a Harvard MBA.  She has also studied at three other prominent American universities.  Chao has a long and impressive record of public service, as Deputy  Administrator of the Maritime Administration in the U.S. Department of Transportation, Deputy Secretary of Transportation under President Bush, as well she was Director of the Peace Corps.  Chao is the wife of Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell.

President Elect Rockefeller appears to have pulled off a real coup by persuading Louisiana Democratic Senator John Breaux to serve as Secretary of Energy.  Breaux served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for fifteen years, and has been a United States Senator since 1987.

CNN will bring you further details as they become available.

This is CNN.

[Lincoln Republican]

President Elect Benson Rockefeller holds a press conference at which he discusses international relations and national security.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today.

I have with me today a group of individuals who will be forming, in my view, the most impressive and talented national security team in the history of this nation.

I am pleased to have here today Senator John Warner, who, as you are aware, is to become the new Secretary of State.  

As well, Secretary Dick Cheney, a former Secretary of Defense, who will be taking over the same responsibilities in the new administration.  

Senator, Mr. Secretary, thank you for offering your tremendous talents and abilities to the nation in these important responsibilities.

Warner and Cheney nod their acknowledgment.

At this time, I will be introducing further members of our national security team.

Lawrence Eagleburger will become the new National Security Advisor.  Lawrence is an experienced and talented diplomat and an acknowledged authority in international affairs and national security issues.  Lawrence, I am so pleased to have you on the team.

Eagleburger nods, and says Thank you.  I am honored.

I am honored to introduce to you today the new United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Condoleeezza Rice, who will be leaving her position as Provost of Stanford University to accept these new and imortant responsibilities.  Ms. Rice is one of the foremost authorities in America today in the field of international relations, and one of the most brilliant people I have ever met.  Condi, thank you.

Rice nods her acknowledgment.

To my immediate right is, as you know, the new Vice President, Liddy Dole.  One of the first priorities of my administration will be to estabish a new government department, which is to be called The Department of Homeland Security.  Homeland security is becoming more and more important as increasing  threats to the peace and well being of Americans is on the rise.  This department will be headed by a cabinet secretary, the Secretary of Homeland Security.  The establishment of this new department will be the most significant and massive overhaul of government in this nation in generations.  This department will coordinate all national security efforts and initiatives, and will streamline national security initiatives and procedures.  Vice President Dole will spearhead this reorganization.

I have asked the Vice President to take on this tremendous task, because I know  with her at the helm it will be done right.  Thank you Liddy.

Dole nods politely.

At this time, I am very pleased and honored to announce that this new department, the Department of Homeland Security, will be headed by General Colin Powell, who will become the Secretary of Homeland Security.  General Powell is one of the truly great military commanders in the history of this nation. He is as well a former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a former National Security Advisor in the administration of President Reagan.

General, it is an honor to have you join my administration.

Powell nods, saying Thank you Mr. President.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for joining us here today.

[Lincoln Republican]

President Elect Rockefeller meets again with the press to announce new appointments to his administration.  All the new nominees and appointees are present, as is Vice President Elect Liddy Dole.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us here today.

It is my pleasure to announce that Governor William Weld of Massachusets will become the new White House Chief of Staff.  Bill brings with him a remarkable record as United States Attorney in Massachusetts who took on corruption and successfully brought the guilty to justice.  Bill joined the United States Department of Justice where he headed the Criminal Division, was resonsible for more than seven hundred employees, and oversaw some of the most significant prosecutions of the time.  As Governor, Bill has a record of reducing taxes and balanced budgets, among many other significant accomplishments.  Bill brings a record of tremendous ability and accomplishment to this important role in government.

The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers will be Michael Boskin, a Professor of Economics at Stanford University.  Mike is a brilliant economist who brings with him many years of experience in academia, in government, and in business.

The new Director of the Offfice of Management and Budget is Congressman Rob Portman of Ohio.  Rob is a proven legislator and brings with him tremendous experience and qualifications to this important office.

The new United States Trade Representative will be Congressman Jim Rastad of Minnesota.  Jim has proven his capabilities during a long and productive public career.  He brings these same qualities to this office.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us here today.

[Lincoln Republican]

President Elect Benson Rockefeller and Vice President Elect Dole meet with the press.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for meeting with us here today.

The new administration will have as one of its' major priorities the environment.  This administration will be working towards boosting energy independence and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions.  The United States will be supporting positive and effective proposals to cut greenhouse-gas emissions, proposals that must be adhered by all nations.  The only way that an international environmental agreement will work and be effective is if it is adhered to by all nations.  The new administration recognizes the importance of economic development, as well as the need for preserving our wilderness areas and protecting our wildlife.

We are pleased to announce today that Congressman Chris Shays of Connecticut will become the new Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.  Congressman Shays brings a ramarkable record of accomplishment from both the private and public sectors to this office.

Chris, thank you for accepting this important responsibility.

Thank you Mr. President.

[Lincoln Republican]

A black limo, accompanied by two other black vehicles with security, drives slowly through the White House gates, and drives up to the front steps.

The vehicles come to a stop.  From the middle vehicle, the limo, the President Elect and future First Lady emerge, to pay the traditional visit of the incoming President and First Lady to the outgoing First Couple.   

The Rockefellers embrace the Clintons, the four of them pause for photos.

BWR:  Bill, Hillary, how nice to see you.  Nice house you have here.

Laughs from the two couples and from the assembled press.

WJC:  Ben, Diane, welcome to the White House.  I guess we got evicted four years earlier than planned, but Hillary and I have been planning on downsizing eventually anyway.

More laughs.   

The two couples wave to the press, then proceed into the White House.

HRC:  Diane, I'll show you around.  We'll let the men discuss saving the world in the Oval Office.

DRR:  Hillary, they'll either be discussing saving the world, or their golf handicaps.

Laughs from the two of them.

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN.

Governor William Weld resigned today as Governor of Massachusetts.  Weld will become the Chief of Staff for incoming President Benson Rockefeller.

Here is footage of Governor Weld

It has been my honor to serve as Governor of the great state of Massachusetts for the past seven years.  I would like to thank my staff, the legislators, and most of all the people of this state for their support during my time as Governor.

As you know, I have been asked by President Elect Rockefeller to become Chief of Staff in the new administration.  This is a responsibility which I am honored to accept, and I look forward to be working with President Rockefeller and his administration.

As I did as Governor of Massachusetts, I will put my best efforts into these new responsibilities in serving the nation.....

That was footage of Governor William Weld of Massachusetts who resigned today as Governor.

Lieutenant Governor Paul Cellucci, also a Republican, has been sworn in as the new Governor of Massachusetts.

This is CNN.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

Excellent choice.

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN, first in news.

We now take you live to Providence, Rhode Island, where Republican Governor Lincoln Almond is holding a press conference at this hour.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today.

As you know, that great Rhode Islander and dedicated public servant, Senator John Chafee, has resigned from the United States Senate in order to assume his new responsibilities in the incoming administration of the new President, Benson Rockefeller, as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  We are honored to have Senator John Chafee with us here today.  Senator, thank you so much for your many years of dedicated and outstanding service to the people of Rhode Island and to the people of the nation.  John has spent many years serving our great state and our great nation, as an outstanding officer in the military, as Governor, as Secretary of the Navy, as United States Senator.

John, We have every confidence that your record of dedication and leadership will continue as you assume your new responsibilities as you head the Department of Veterans Affairs.  

John, please do us the honor of saying a few words.  

Governor, thank you.  It has indeed been my honor to serve the people of this state and of this nation over this past many years.  I look forward to my new responsibilities as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.  I can think of no better way that I would rather cap off my career of public service than to be the nation's lead spokesperson for our great men and women who have served this nation in the military.  President Elect Rockefeller has honored me greatly by offering me this position.  

[Lincoln Republican]

Thank you John.

I am pleased at this time to introduce to you the new Senator for the great state of Rhode Island, the current Mayor of the city of Warwick, Lincoln Chafee.

Lincoln Chafee and his wife and children enter the room and stand to the left of Governor Lincoln Almond.  John Chafee and his wife Virginia are standing to the Governor's right.  

Besides having a great first name.....

Laughs throughout the room

.....I have chosen Lincoln Chafee for this position because I know Lincoln to be a man of ability and dedication.  He will serve the state and the nation well as United States Senator.

Ladies and gentlemen, Senator Lincoln Chafee.

Lincoln Chafee takes the podium.

Thank you Governor.  I would like to thank Governor Almond, I love your first name by the way,  (laughs throughout the room), for the confidence he has shown in me in asking me to accept this responsibility.  It is a responsibility that I accept in all humility.  I shall work hard for the people of this great state, and their interests and concerns shall be at the top of my agenda.  What is best for Rhode Island and what is best for the nation shall be paramount as I serve the people in the United states Senate.

My experience and knowledge of the issues facing this state and facing this nation have prepared me well for this new responsibility.

My father has very big shoes to fill, and I shall dedicate myself to filling those shoes to the best of my ability.  Thanks dad for all the great work you have done for the people of this state and this nation.  I know that your great work will now continue in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

[Lincoln Republican]

Excellent choice.

Thanks Dallas.

[Lincoln Republican]

That was the press conference where Rhode Island Republican Governor Lincoln Almond announced the appointment of Lincoln Chafee as the new Senator for Rhode Island.

The Senate vacancy was created due to the resignation from the Senate of John Chafee, who is to become Secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Rockefeller cabinet.  Lincoln Chafee is the son of John Chafee.

Alex, what are we to make of this appointment?

Well, Bernie, the outcry over the appontment of Benson Rockefeller's son, Grayson Rockefeller II to fill the Senate vacancy when his father resigned from the Senate after winning the Presidential election no sooner dies down than John Chafee's son, Lincoln Chafee, is appointed to fill his father's Senate seat.

It must be remembered that John Chafee is one of Benson Rockefeller's closest political allies, as well as one of the President Elects' closest personal friends.  It is almost inevitable that comparisons will be drawn between the Chafee appointment and the Rockefeller appointment.  Comparisons like, was Governor Lincoln Almond influenced by Benson  Rockefeller and or by John Chafee?  Two sons appointed to the U.S. Senate, one the son of the most powerful Reublican in the country, and the other the son of one of the most powerful Republicans in the country.

I can imagine the Democrats will jump on this one.

Bernie.

Thank you Alex.

This is CNN.  

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN.

We now take you live to Richmond, Virginia, where Republican Governor George Allen is to announce the Senate replacement for former Senator Warner, who is to become Secretary of State in the new administration.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today.

As you know, our great Senator, John Warner, will be assuming new and important duties as Secretary of State in the Rockefeller administration.  As Governor, it is my responsibility to name a replacement.  I am pleased to announce at this time that one time Virginia Attorney General Marshall Coleman will be assuming the duties as our new United States Senator.  Marshall is a dedicated and hard working public servant, with experience and ability.  Marshall.

Thank you Governor.  I am honored to to accept this responsibility in behalf of the people of Virginia.  The advancement of the interests of this state and the well being of this nation shall be priorities with me in the Senate..........

Alex, what do you make of this latest Senate appointment?

Well, Marshall Coleman has been around Virginia politics for a long time.  He was Attorney General of the state 1978 to 1982.  He was the Republican nominee for Governor in 1981, but lost out to Chuck Robb at the time.  Coleman was again the Republican nominee for Governor in 1989, and was considered to be the front runner until about two days before the election, taking a strong stand against abortion, losing many of the women's votes, and lost a very close election to L. Douglas Wilder. 

In 1994, Coleman ran as an independent for the United states Senate in the highly publicized race between Oliver North and Chuck Robb.  Coleman fared poorly, and North lost narrowly to Robb.

Something interesting about this Senate race was that Senator John Warner endorsed and supported Marshall Coleman over the official Republican candidate Oliver North.

First any role Rockefeller may have played in the Senate appointment in New York of his son was brought into question, than that of John Chafee in Rhode Island when his son was appointed to fill the Senate vacancy, now Warner in Virginia with the appointment of his friend Coleman to the Senate.

Did Warner have any influence in this appointment of Coleman to the Senate?  We simply don't know.

Thanks Alex.

This is CNN.  First in news.

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN.

This just in.

North Dakota Republican Governor Ed Schafer has named Republican Wayne Stenehjem to the United States Senate, to fill the vacancy with the resignation of Senator Kent Conrad, a Democrat, who is to become Interior Secretary in the Rockefeller administration.

Senator Designate Stenehjem is a lawyer by profession, and is an experienced and respected politician in the state of North Dakota.  He was a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1976 to 1979, and has been a member of the North Dakota Senate since 1980, serving as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee since 1995.

Senator Designate Wayne Stenehjem is the brother of Bob Stenehjem, who is as well a Republican member of the North Dakota Senate.

With the appointment of Wayne Stenehjem, this represents a pick up of one Republican seat in the United States Senate, as he is replacing a Democrat.

This is CNN.

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN.  I'm Bernard Shaw, News Anchor with breaking news.

Republican Louisiana Governor Mike Foster has named Democrat Francis C. Thompson to the United States Senate, replacing Democrat John Breaux, who will become the new Secretary of Energy in the Rockefeller administration.

Alex, we understand you have background details on the new Senator and the background of his appointment.

Yes Bernie.

First of all, some background on Francis Thompson.  He comes to his new appointment with an impressive resume behind him.  He has been a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives since 1975.  He has a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science degree, as well as a Doctorate in Education.  He was a teacher from 1963 to 1965, leaving teaching to become Vice President of a manufacturing company from 1965 to 1972, following which he returned to teaching as an Assistant Professor of Education.

From 1968 to 1975, Thompson was an elected member of the Richland Parish School Board. He won a special election in 1975 to fill a vacant House seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives.  Thompson later won a full term to the seat.  Prior to his legislative years, Thompson worked in Baton Rouge for the Louisiana Department of Education from 1974 to 1975.  He was a member of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement from 1973 to 1974.  Thompson has also been a member of the Southern Regional Education Board and the Education Commission of the States.  He has been active in the Retarded Children's Association and the Louisiana Mental Health Drug Advisory Council.

As to the details behind a Republican Governor appointing a Democrat to the Senate, the following details have been confirmed by the Rockefeller Transition Office.  President Elect Rockefeller met with Senator John Breaux and told him he wanted some bipartisan representation in the cabinet, and that he believed that he, Breaux, was the best candidate to become Energy Secretary, and invited him to join the cabinet.  After two days, Breaux met with Rockefeller again, and advised him that he would accept the appointment as long as his Senate seat was filled by a Democrat.

President Elect Rockefeller called Louisiana Republican Governor Mike Foster advising him of the situation, advising the Governor that he wanted Breaux in the cabinet.  Foster agreed it would be good for the country to have Breaux head up the Energy Department and agreed that he would appoint a Democrat to the Senate.

The rest, as they say, is history.

This Senate seat was a Democratic seat anyway, so the Republicans are not losing a seat here.

That you Alex.

In other news this hour..........

[Lincoln Republican]

January 20, 1997, Inauguration Day (with acknowledgement to GWB)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzkINTeCeUw

Shortly before noon, the Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist, administers the oath of office to the incoming Vice President of the United States.

Liddy Dole's husband, Seantor Bob dole, holds the Hanford family bible, upon which Liddy Dole takes the oath of office.  

I, Mary Elizabeth Hanford Dole, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

Liddy Dole becomes the 46th Vice President of the United States, the first woman in history to hold this office.

The United States Marine band performs four ruffles and flourishes, followed by Hail, Columbia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfbiw6vhYiQ

At twelve noon, the Chief Justice of the United States, William Rehnquist, then administers the oath of office to the incoming President of the United States.

Benson Rockefeller's wife, Diane Rutherford Rockefeller, holds the Rockefeller family bible, upon which Benson Rockefeller takes the oath of office.

I, Benson Wentworth Rockefeller, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.  So help me God.

The United States Marine Band performs four ruffles and flourishes, followed by Hail to the Chief, while a 21-gun salute is fired using artillery pieces from the Presidential Guns Salute Battery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLWWXFHdJGE

President Benson Rockefeller, the 43rd President of the United States, deliveres the inaugural address.  

President Clinton, Vice President Gore, Vice President Dole, Chief Justice Rehnquist, distinguished guests and my fellow citizens, the peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions and make new beginnings.    

As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation.  
And I thank Vice President Gore for his service to the nation as well.  
I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America’s leaders have come before me, and so many will follow.  

We have a place, all of us, in a long story—a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old, a story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom, the story of a power that went into the world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer.  
It is the American story—a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals.  

The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born.  
Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course.

Through much of the last century, America’s faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations.  
Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity, an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along. And even after nearly 221 years, we have a long way yet to travel.  

While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise, even the justice, of our own country. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools and hidden prejudice and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country.  

We do not accept this, and we will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity.  
I know this is in our reach because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves who creates us equal in His image.  

And we are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward.  
America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.  

Today, we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation’s promise through civility, courage, compassion and character.  

America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness.  
Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small.  

But the stakes for America are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.  

We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.  
America, at its best, is also courageous.  

Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must choose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.  

Together, we will reclaim America’s schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives.  

We will reform Social Security sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent.  

We will build our defenses beyond challenge, lest weakness invite challenge.  
The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake: America remains engaged in the world by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.  

America, at its best, is compassionate. In the quiet of American conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation’s promise.  
And whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault. Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, they are failures of love.  
And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.  

Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens, not problems, but priorities. And all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.  
Government has great responsibilities for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools. Yet compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government.  
Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty, but we can listen to those who do.  

And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side.  

America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected.  
Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free.  

Our public interest depends on private character, on civic duty and family bonds and basic fairness, on uncounted, unhonored acts of decency which give direction to our freedom.  

Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love. The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone.  

I will live and lead by these principles: to advance my convictions with civility, to pursue the public interest with courage, to speak for greater justice and compassion, to call for responsibility and try to live it as well.  

In all these ways, I will bring the values of our history to the care of our times.  
What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character.  

Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.  

Our nation’s grand story is one of courage and its simple dream one of dignity.  
We are not this story’s author, who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose is achieved in our duty, and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another.  
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.  
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.  

God bless you all, and God bless America.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has been invited to the inauguration to sing The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpZ3jPMM5Ac

The Marine Band strikes up The Stars and Stripes. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4v9Da5DpYo&feature=fvst

[Lincoln Republican]

This is CNN.

You have just been listening to the inauguration speech from the new President, Benson Rockefeller.

We are now watching the new first couple, Benson and Diane Rockefeller, hand in hand, as they lead the inaugural parade, on foot, from the Capitol.  Walking behind the President and First Lady is the new Vice President, Liddy Dole and her husband, Senator Bob Dole.

The four of them are all smiles as they wave to the cheering crowds lining the parade route.

They will walk the entire distance from the Capitol to the White House.  This will be the first time in the last twenty years that a President has walked the entire route.   

[Lincoln Republican]

January 21, 1997, the first full day of the Presidency of Benson Rockefeller, proves to be a busy one.

At 7:00 A.M., Rockefeller meets with two of his strongest supporters who have been by his side for many years, John Warner and John Chafee.

BWR:  I would like to thank the both of you for accepting positions in the cabinet.  As you know, I very much value your support and input, and I wanted both of you in the administration and around the cabinet table.  I very much appreciate both of you willing to give up your Senate seats to join my administraion.  I know serving in the Senate was very important to both of you. 

Warner:  Thank you Ben, or Mr. President.  I speak for both Secretary Chafee and myself when I say we are honored to serve in your administration. 

Chafee:  Absolutely.

BWR:  Call me Ben in private.

Laughs all around.       

Beginning at 9:00 A.M., Vice President Liddy Dole swears in seven new cabinet Secretaries, whose nominations sailed relatively smoothly through the Senate.

John Warner, State
Dick Cheney, Defense
Ann Veneman, Agriculture
Carlos Gutierrez, Labor
Elaine Chao, Transportation
John Breaux, Energy
John Chafee, Veterans Affairs

The remainder are held up in committee.

Mitt Romney, Treasury
William Barr, Attorney General
Kent Conrad, Interior
Steve Forbes, Commerce
Alveda King, HHS
Roderick Paige, Education
Douglas Forrester, HUD

In particular, Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee are putting Romney through a grilling, questioning his extensive assets and holdings.

As well, Democrats on the Senate Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies are giving a rough ride to Kent Conrad, a Democrat who backed Rockefeller in the election.

Douglas Forrester, the nomnee for HUD Secretary, is as well facing tough questioning on his extensive assets from Democrats on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

 
 

[Lincoln Republican]

January 21, 1997, continued.

7:30 A.M., President Rockefeller has his first national security briefing as President. Those in attendance, the President, the Vice President, Secretary of State John Warner, Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, National Security Advisor Lawrence Eagleburger, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Condoleezza Rice, and the other members of the National Security Council.  The meeting lasts until 9:45, at which time Vice President Dole goes to swear in  some cabinet Secretaries.

10:00 A.M., the President meets with Attorney General designate William Barr and Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch.  Main topic of dicusssion the new Supreme Court nominee.

BWR:  Bill, thanks for all your hard work in finding a suitable Supreme Court nominee, especially with the criteria I had.  After a very in depth discussion with him, I have decided to go ahead with the nomination.  I believe he is as close to an ideal nominee as could be found.  He's conservative enough so I keep my promise to the Republican base to nominate a conservative judge to the court, yet he's the type of conservative who does not scare the daylights out of moderates and liberals.  Most importantly, I believe he is eminently qualified to be an effective member of the Supreme Court.  I will be making the announcement at noon today.

Barr:  Mr. President, Mr. Roberts has exceptional qualities for this position.  I cannot recommend him highly enough.

BWR:  Indeed.

BWR:  Orrin, how long do you expect this nomination will take to clear committee and the Senate?

Hatch:  Mr. President, I am confident this nomination will go smoothly.  Mr. Roberts is a non controversial nominee, and I can't see any major problems.  I fully expect Mr. Roberts will be able to take his seat on the Court within three weeks.

BWR:  Great.  Good news.  

11:00 A.M., the President meets with the Council of Ecomomic Advisers.

[Lincoln Republican]

At 12:00 noon, President Rockefeller, with Diane Rockefeller to his right, and the nominee and his family to his left, announces his pick for the Supreme Court.

BWR:  Ladies and gentlemen, I am most pleased at this time to announce my nominee for Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, John G. Roberts, a brilliant and gifted attorney.

Mr. Roberts has a most successul and distinguished legal record.

Mr. Roberts attended Harvard College, graduating with an A.B. in history summa cum laude in three years.  He then attended Harvard Law School, where he was managing editor of the Harvard Law Review.  He graduated from Harvard Law School with a J.D. magna cum laude in 1979. After being admitted to the bar, he served as a law clerk for William Rehnquist before taking a position in the Attorney General's office during the Reagan Administration. He went on to serve the Reagan Administration and the George Bush administration in the Department of Justice and the Office of the White House Counsel, before spending fourteen years in private law practice.

After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk for Judge Henry Friendly on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for one year.  From 1980 to 1981, he clerked for then Associate Justice William Rehnquist on the United States Supreme Court. From 1981 to 1982, he served in the Reagan administration as a Special Assistant to U.S. Attorney General William French Smith.  From 1982 to 1986, he served as Associate Counsel to the President under White House Counsel Fred Fielding.

Mr. Roberts entered private law practice in 1986 as an associate at the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Hogan & Hartson, leaving to serve in the George Bush administration as Principal Deputy Solicitor General from 1989 to 1993.

He returned to Hogan & Hartson as a partner and became the head of the firm's appellate practice, in addition to serving as an adjunct faculty member at the Georgetown University Law Center. During this time, Mr. Roberts argued 39 cases for the government before the Supreme Court, prevailing in 25 of them.

I have every confidence that John Roberts will be a valuable and effective member of the United States Supreme Court.

[Lincoln Republican]

At 1:00 P.M., after the news conference announcing the Roberts Supreme Court pick, the President has lunch with John Warner and John Chafee in the Oval Office.

BWR:  You know, in 1992 when President Bush nominated John Roberts for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the Democrats didn't bring the nomination to a vote, therefore denying Roberts a seat on the Appeals Court.

Well, the Democrats may have thought they pulled off a real coup by preventing Roberts from going to the Appeals Court, but they are now about to witness the same John Roberts going to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Fortunately, we control Congress, as well as the White House.

Chafee:  Brilliant move Ben, brilliant.

Warner:  We not only get an extremely highly qualified judge that the base likes,  but we really get to stick it to the Democrats   It's win win.

BWR, Warner, Chafee:  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Lincoln Republican]

If anyone is interested, I have altered the Benson Rockefeller biography on page 1, making it more realistic.

He serves in Vietnam in the navy as an Enlisted Seaman on an aircraft carrier, not as a navy pilot.  He serves honorably, but does not perform any particular heroics, and does not receive the purple heart.

He is never a Professor of Law at Harvard, or anywhere else, and does not have a PhD in law, rather a JD Degree from Yale, so he can practice law.

He serves as Attorney General of New York before becoming Governor of the state.  He does not serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

He is of course a U.S. Senator, however, he does not negotiate a peace in the middle east nor does he receive the Nobel Peace Prize.  He also does not negotiate a lasting peace in Northern Ireland.

[Lincoln Republican]

January 21, 1997

2:00 P.M. the President and First Lady attend as Vice President Dole swears in White House Chief of Staff William Weld, the Deputy Chiefs of Staff and the Senior Advisors.

3:00 P.M. the President puts in calls to twenty three of the state Governor's to discuss forging a national energy policy, to get the states on side.

5:00 P.M. the President and First lady have dinner in the President's Dining Room in the White House Residence.

6:00 P.M. President Rockefeller, Vice President Dole, Chief of Staff Weld, the Deputy Chiefs of Staff, and the Senior Advisors meet with the Congressional leadership, to discuss the new Congressional session and initiatives the new administration will be pursuing.

Those attending the meeting    

Senate

President pro tempore Strom Thurmond

Majority Republican leadership
Majority Leader: Trent Lott
Majority Whip: Don Nickles
Republican Conference Chairman: Connie Mack III
Republican Policy Committee Chairman: Larry Craig
Republican Conference Secretary: Paul Coverdell
Republican Campaign Committee Chair: Mitch McConnell

Minority Democratic leadership
Minority Leader: Tom Daschle
Minority Whip: Wendell Ford
Democratic Conference Chairman: Tom Daschle
Democratic Policy Committee Co-Chairs: Tom Daschle and Harry Reid
Democratic Conference Secretary: Barbara Mikulski
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Bob Kerrey

House of Representatives

Speaker: Newt Gingrich

Majority Republican leadership
Majority Leader: Dick Armey
Majority Whip: Tom DeLay
Republican Conference Chair: John Boehner
Republican Conference Vice-Chair: Jennifer Dunn
Republican Conference Secretary: Tillie K. Fowler

Minority Democratic leadership
Minority Leader: Dick Gephardt
Minority Whip: David Bonior
Democratic Caucus Chairman: Vic Fazio
Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman: Barbara B. Kennelly

The meeting goes until 9:00 P.M..

The President studies briefing papers until 11:00 P.M., then retires for the evening.

[Lincoln Republican]

January 22, 1997

President Rockefeller spends the day on the phone with world leaders, discussing issues of peace and security in the world, the global economy, world environmental issues, emerging economies, support for underdeveloped nations, working towards peaceful solutions to global problems in a changing world.

The President speaks with the following world leaders

Prime Minister John Major, United Kingdom
President Jacques Chirac, France
Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Germany
Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro, Japan
President Boris Yeltsin, Russian Federation
Prime Minister Romano Prodi, Italy
Premier Li Peng, People's Republic of China
Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Canada    

[Lincoln Republican]

After some contentious committee hearings, the balance of the cabinet is sworn in by Vice President Elizabeth Dole, over a period of two weeks beginning February 3.  Chief Justice William Rehnquist swears in Barr as Attorney General.

Mitt Romney at Treasury
William Barr as Attorney General
Kent Conrad at Interior
Steve Forbes at Commerce
Alveda King at HHS
Roderick paige at Education
Douglas Forrester at HUD

[Lincoln Republican]

On February 6, President Benson Rockefeller talks in the Oval Office with his cousin, Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia.

President's Secretary:  Mr. President, Senator Rockefeller is here.

BWR:  Thank you.  Send him right in.

The President gets up from his desk and greets his cousin with a hearty handshake and a big hug.

BWR:  Jay, the Rockefeller Democrat.  HAHA.  Great to see you.  How's Sharon and the kids?

Jay:  Great Ben.  How's Diane and the family?

BWR:  Great, just great.

Jay:  Grayson is really getting into the swing of things in the Senate.  He's a pleasure to work with.

BWR:  Good to hear, good to hear.  Two Rockefellers in the Senate.  Another 49 and we'll run the place.  

BWR and Jay:  HAHAHAHA.      

BWR:  Jay, our Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, Jim Sasser, has advised me that he would like to return to America as soon as possible, for personal reasons.

Jay, I want you to become our new Ambassador to the People's Republic of China.  Your lifelong interest in that part of the world, your expertise in Sino Amerian relations and in China in general qualifies you, I believe, as well as anyone in the nation to take over this very important responsibility.

I don't have to tell you that China is an emerging political and economic super power, and I want to ensure that America's interests are represented and looked after in that crucial part of the world.

Talk it over with Sharon and get back to me.

Jay:  Thanks for your confidence Ben.  I'll get back to you.