CHICAGO - Slow to name White House staffers, the Obama transition team made official what had previously been confirmed by “Democratic sources.”

David Axelrod will serve as Senior Advisor to the President while Greg Craig is being tapped for White House Counsel. The team also announced Lisa Brown will be Mr. Obama’s staff secretary and Chris Lu will be Cabinet Secretary.

“I am pleased to announce these new additions to our team, and I’ll be relying on their broad and diverse experience in the months ahead as we work to strengthen our economy, reform Washington, and meet the great challenges of our time,” said President-elect Barack Obama in a statement.

Axelrod, a fixture on the campaign trail, was a senior advisor and confidante to Mr. Obama during his bouts with Senators Clinton and McCain. Greg Craig, also a campaign vet, was a foreign policy advisor to the then candidate for president, and played the role of Mr. McCain during debate preparations.

 Read their full bios after the jump. (more…)

CHICAGO - Joe Biden’s 66th birthday came a day early at the Obama transition offices in Chicago. After the President-elect and Vice President-elect wrapped up their weekly lunch, Barack Obama surprised Mr. Biden by leading nearby staff in a rendition of “Happy Birthday” while presenting him with a dozen cupcakes, candles blazing.

“Your 12 years old!” Mr. Obama joked. “Maybe in dog years,” Mr. Biden shot back.

According to an Obama aide, the soon-to-be-president gave his #2 a birthday assortment sure to please any non-Chicagoan: a Chicago White Sox hat, a Chicago Bears hat, and a bucket of Garrett’s popcorn.

CHICAGO - In a letter dated November 18th to the Vice President and President of the U.S. Senate, Richard Cheney, Barack Obama officially resigned his seat in the Senate chamber.

“This letter is to inform you that I resigned from the United States Senate, effective November 16, 2008, in order to prepare for my duties as President of the United States,” the president-elect wrote in his succinct letter.

obamaletter2

The Secretary of the Senate’s office told FOX News that his resignation has been accepted earlier this afternoon, and the President-elect is officially no longer a Senator.

The Governor of Illinois, who received a similar letter from Mr. Obama last week, will now appoint a successor to fill out the remainder of the junior senator’s term through 2010.

As many as 4 million people will descend upon Washington, DC, to try to witness Barack Obama’s historic inauguration next year. Or at least catch a glimpse of the man who will take control of the free world upon taking the oath at the U.S. Capitol on January 20th.

Expedia.com, the popular online travel website, noticed such an interest in all things Obama that they set up a parallel site to accommodate inaugural interest. Amanda Hoffman, a PR manager with the website, told FOX that area hotels are nearing 100% capacity now, and even smaller motels outside the city are selling out quickly.

“To illustrate just how quickly rooms are booking, Expedia was able to acquire a small motel in Vienna and two hours after acquiring it on the site, all 60 rooms had sold out,” Hoffman explained in an email. Vienna is an end-of-the-metro-line suburb about a half an hour away from the city. Without traffic.

While Expedia continues to seek additional hotels for its customers, what this means is that unless you can afford “specials” like the 44th Commander-In-Chief Package at the Omni Shoreham in DC that gets you four nights (and a private jet, a pre-Inaugural makeover, and a “Presidential puppy” of your choice) for a mere $440,000 - you’re likely going to have a hard time finding a place to stay during the festivities.

Apparently that’s opportunity knocking for many in the DC area.

Just check out craigslist.org – the site where you can rent a room, find a new mate, and buy old exercise equipment – where the demand for rooms has enticed regular homeowners to throw open their doors to their fellow Americans.

“Our home is your bed and breakfast!” one user posted online. For a price, of course ($879/night for that Gaithersburg B&B).

Browsing the housing section of the site you can find the reasonable: two extra bedrooms in a Capitol Hill townhouse (with parking or free pickup at the airport) for just $200 per person per night. And the outrageous: just $65,000 for a week in a 7,500 square foot home in the District.

For $25,000 you can enhance your historic trip and “stay in the house that Senator George McGovern lived in during his 1972 run for president against Richard Nixon.” Or for a more affordable $4,999, you can help a likely Capitol Hill intern out by staying in his studio where you’re even promised “fresh bedding.”

One apparent jokester offers up a room for the week in his “lovely garden condo” in Alexandria for $30,000. “We offer a private room with a luxury futon with real sheets and cheap pillows,” the poster writes. “No pets, kids, smoking, or food allowed. No loud noise, no doing anything that might annoy us,” he warns. “We offer no transportation or assistance of any kind.”

Need a car? You can opt for $55,000 for a week in a Waldorf, MD, home plus use of a 2005 Infinity G35 (low miles), or you can always spring for a black Rolls Royce Phantom – with driver – for $575 per hour.

Some ‘generous opportunists’ are offering their homes with added bonuses. $60,000 will get you six nights in a four bedroom home in Woodbridge, VA. AND, the homeowner promises the “refrigerator will be stocked with your favorite drinks, breakfast basics plus a fresh fruit tray, assorted muffins and gormet (SIC) cheeses and crackers.”

If all of this is too much for you, you can always call on that long, lost friend who lives in DC - and beg. No room? Here’s a tip from one craigslist seller who has an idea for those needing “extra sleeping space for the upcoming inauguration.”

“I have a beautiful queen-sized LAZY BOY sofa bed that is in EXCELLENT condition. The fabric is a variety of soft blues with subtle red and gold streaks in the fabric…If you have a need for extra sleeping accommodations, this is a great bargain.”

For $200, they’ll even help deliver.

CHICAGO - President-elect Obama made his third on-camera appearance in as many days when he submitted a short video to address the Global Climate Summit, a two-day event in Los Angeles to discuss the issue ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland next month.

Although Mr. Obama will not attend next month’s summit, he has asked those Members of Congress who are attending to report back to him on what they take away from it.

In the four minute video, the president elect pledged his administration marks a “new chapter in American leadership on climate change” and vowed that the lack of leadership on the issue ”will change when I take office.”

As a candidate for president, Mr. Obama frequently characterized climate change as one of ”the most critical issues” facing the country, and often praised Al Gore for his work bringing attention to the matter.

At one of his many town hall meetings on the road to the White House, Mr. Obama was asked if he might consider a cabinet level position for the former veep. “Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem,” he told a Pennsylvania crowd last April.

CHICAGO - Today’s New York Times reports that Michelle Obama and her daughters, 7-year-old Sasha and 10-year-old Malia, will visit the prestigious Sidwell Friends School today in Washington, DC.

The paper also reports Mrs. Obama dropped by Sidwell Friends - alma mater to Chelsea Clinton - and the Georgetown Day School last week in her quest to find a new school for the girls who currently attend the University of Chicago Lab School.

A spokesperson for Mrs. Obama would not confirm that Sidwell Friends is on the first family’s itinerary, but did acknowledge the trio is in DC today to visit new schools today “to make sure they find the right fit.”

They will announce their pick when the decision is made, the spokesperson maintained, and reiterated that the family’s move to Washington is the future first lady’s top priority.

The school decision is not a new one to first families, of course. Of note: Caroline Kennedy was home schooled, Susan Ford went to a private school for girls in Bethesda, Amy Carter famously attended DC public schools, and the children of Presidents Taft, Coolidge, and F. D. Roosevelt were educated at boarding schools.

CHICAGO - Yesterday President-elect Obama spoke with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to “express his concern over the wildfires and to receive an update on the situation” that is devastating Southern California.

Today if you visit his old campaign website, the next president is asking those in the region to donate their time, and encouraging everyone to contribute to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

“Throughout the campaign, we saw time and again that when ordinary people act together, they can make a huge difference,” the website reads, linking to the office of the California Governor’s site with ways to help.

Barack Obama, of course, made history during his 20-month campaign by attracting millions to donate small amounts to his successful candidacy. When the Gulf Coast was ravaged by Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, the then candidate also utilized his base to donate their time and money.

CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama and his onetime rival, Senator John McCain met face-to-face for the first time since the two vied for the nation’s top job. Before noon Chicago time, the two met in a conference room on the 38th floor of the next president’s transition headquarters in downtown Chicago.

Last week in that same office, the president-elect met with another former rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, in a secret rendezvous that was only confirmed by “Democratic sources” the following day.

This time, however, a small press pool was allowed inside to witness the meeting - for about three minutes. Which, other than seeing him on 60 Minutes last night, was more of Mr. Obama than any reporter has seen since his 20-minute press conference following the election.

When asked the purpose of the meeting by one of the handful of reporters allowed inside, the president-elect responded, ““We’re going to have a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country, and also to offer thanks to Sen. McCain for the outstanding service he’s already rendered.”

Another reporter wondered if Mr. McCain would help an Obama administration. “Obviously,” the Arizona senator answered, clearly ready to move beyond the five-month political war he waged with the man sitting next to him.

As the press pool was ushered out, one intrepid reporter threw out a question the auto industry bailout. Smiling, the next president replied, “You’re incorrigible.”

Following their hour-or-so-long meeting along with Mr. McCain’s close confidante, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Mr. Obama’s pick for chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, the two former adversaries issued a singular statement.

“At this defining moment in history, we believe that Americans of all parties want and need their leaders to come together and change the bad habits of Washington so that we can solve the common and urgent challenges of our time.  It is in this spirit that we had a productive conversation today about the need to launch a new era of reform where we take on government waste and bitter partisanship in Washington in order to restore trust in government, and bring back prosperity and opportunity for every hardworking American family.  We hope to work together in the days and months ahead on critical challenges like solving our financial crisis, creating a new energy economy, and protecting our nation’s security.”

AP-Miami, FL

From Fox News Dot Com: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Thursday the Republican Governors Association is committed to returning to the bedrock values of the party after a battering in the Nov. 4 election left Republicans in a weakened state across the nation.

“Let us resolve not to become the negative party, too eager to find fault or unwilling to help in this time of crisis and war,” she told the gathering Thursday. “Losing an election does not have to mean losing our way, and for governors, the way forward leads through our own state capitals in reforms we will carry on or begin anew.”

Palin, whose vice presidential nomination led to her being cast as one of the GOP’s rising stars, told reporters ahead of the group’s plenary session that she’s not thinking about her personal ambitions but putting the country back on the conservative track.

“As far as we’re concerned, the past is the past, it’s behind us,” she said. “And I, like all of our governors, we’re focused on the future. And the future for us is not that 2012 presidential race. It’s next year, and our next budgets and the next reforms in our states, and it’s 2010 when we’ll have 36 governors’ positions open across the U.S.”

Nonetheless, Palin’s role in the coming years helping other Republicans get elected could be the key factor in her ability to stake a claim to the presidential nomination in 2012. Palin is hoping to rise from the ashes of a failed John McCain presidential campaign that ended with her fending off claims she is countrified and bubble-headed.

“I can assure you, she’s just getting started,” said Texas Gov. Rick Perry, introducing her, and telling her to “knock ‘em dead” at a press conference before the press conference.

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CHICAGO - The Obama transition team announced yesterday that some 450 people will be working on the transition over the next 69 days until the inauguration.

With the names of many helping with the transition yet to be released, Washington’s favorite parlor game has begun - guessing and speculating who will help usher in the new administration.

The Associated Press took a swipe at it yesterday, citing government officials “and others” who claimed that Clinton alum Warren Christopher and former Senator Sam Nunn would be heading up handover teams at the State Department and the Pentagon, respectively.

When asked to confirm, the Obama team depicted the report as “completely inaccurate” and in an effort to clear the confusion, released a statement today.

“Senator Sam Nunn will play an informal senior advisor role throughout the defense transition process.  His expertise and the respect he has earned will be invaluable to ensure a smooth transition. Secretary Christopher is deeply respected in the United States and throughout the international community.  However, he is not playing a role in the transition process. There’s a lot of disinformation out there.  We’re working hard to put the agency review teams together and expect they’ll be announced this week and inside the agencies by the end of the week,” transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter said in the statement.

Famous for its discipline, the Obama team was recently scooped when reporters learned Congressman Rahm Emanuel was being considered for the role of Chief-of-Staff.