White House Briefing - Thursday, January 15

President Bush's farewell address to the nation tonight - his final public event until Inauguration Day - is being billed as a look back at his tenure and a look ahead at the challenges he says the United States will face.

The speech -- scheduled for 8:00 pm Eastern time -- will run 10 to 15 minutes and be delivered not from the Oval Office, but the East Room of the Executive Mansion. Bush has invited a small audience to join him, comprised, the White House says, of people chosen for their stories of personal courage.

Bush leaves office with one of the lowest approval ratings on record, and the president is now clearly focused on shaping his legacy. His farewell press conference Tuesday was a spirited defense of his handling of Hurricane Katrina, Iraq and the economy; tonight's address will undoubtedly feature more of the same.

Meantime, Republican strategist Ed Gillespie says Bush is in a good mood as the clock winds down.

"He's got a ton of energy, he's gotten winsome, I think, looking back at the last eight years," Gillespie said. "I wouldn't say he's emotional, but everyone here has gone through a lot together, and there's a great sense of appreciation for what everyone has done."

Like presidents before him, Bush plans to leave a private note in his Oval Office desk for Barack Obama. What will it say? Perino said Bush would probably write it Tuesday morning -- perhaps one of the last things he'll do as the 43d President of the United States.

Energy Policy in the transition to power

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's (USCC) Institute for 21st Century Energy today announced a "Transition Plan for Securing America's Energy Future," an energy policy roadmap with 88 concrete recommendations and detailed timelines for President-elect Barack Obama and the 111th Congress.

In order to implement a new energy strategy, the Institute recommends that President-elect Obama create a new office within the Executive Office of the President to coordinate the implementation of all aspects of energy policy, both foreign and domestic. The head of this office would have a seat on the National Economic Council and National Security Council.

According to the USCC press release, the transition plan builds on 13 fundamental pillars that the Institute released in July in an "Open Letter" to the next President and Congress that was signed by 27 national leaders and has received broad bipartisan support.

According to the Institute's plan, the 13 pillars include: aggressively promoting energy efficiency, improving environmental friendliness, increasing R&D funding, expanding domestic oil and gas exploration and production, increasing nuclear energy use, using clean coal, increasing renewable electricity sources, transforming our transportation sector, addressing the critical shortage of qualified energy professionals, reducing "burdensome regulations and opportunities for frivolous litigation, and demonstrating global leadership on energy security and climate change.

The Open Letter and Blueprint are available at www.energyxxi.org

Today at Talk Radio News

Today the Washington Bureau will be covering the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act: Examining Financial Institution Use of Funding Under the Capital Purchase Program", House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on "Treatments for an Ailing Economy: Protecting Health Care Coverage and Investing in Biomedical Research", and a DSCC press conference with Sen. Charles E. Schumer on the Minnesota recount.

The Washington Bureau will also be reporting on the Heritage Foundation's discussion on "Assessing the Impacts of the Financial Crisis on Europe's Political Architecture", the Center for U.S. Global Engagement's discussion on the presidential transition and its implications for foreign policy decision-making in the next administration, and a National Council of La Raza conference call on the impact of immigration issues on the 2008 election.