President Obama is set to return to the White House shortly before noon, following an 11-day trip to Hawaii. He has no public events listed on his schedule for the rest of the day, but his advisers are bustling through the West Wing to prepare for his arrival – and an even busier year than they anticipated before the holiday break began.
Mr. Obama had planned to make a stop on the way back to Washington – a visit to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada — but his aides concluded that it was better to return to the White House, where a full agenda awaits.
As he begins the second year of his term, these are five of the top items on his desk in the Oval Office:
1.) A national security review of what broke down in the intelligence coordination that led to an attempted Christmas Day airplane bombing, as well as a review of airline security procedures.
2.) A reconciliation of the health care plans passed by the House and Senate, with an eye toward reaching an agreement before he delivers the State of the Union address.
3.) Building support in Congress for his plan to send more troops to Afghanistan.
4.) Making the case for why it’s a wise idea to move detainees to Thompson, Ill., from the military prison in Guantánamo, Cuba.
5.) Taking steps to try to lower the unemployment rate and improve the economy, in hopes of making strides well in advance of the midterm elections that are only 11 months away.
On Sunday afternoon in Hawaii, as Mr. Obama and his family stopped by the Honolulu Zoo, they were asked if they were ready to return to the mainland.
“No,” the family told reporters, with the president leading the reply.
The first lady , Michelle Obama, added: “Let’s stay. We’ll all stay. Are we all in? I’m trying to mount a coup.”
It was apparently unsuccessful. Air Force One left at 10:04 p.m. Hawaii time for an overnight flight to Washington.
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