Whirlwind of Activity Precedes Moving Day at the White House

WASHINGTON —  A national ideal--the orderly transfer of power--was tested Friday as two presidencies collided under a driving rain.

The capital divided into a bureaucratic split screen, as one faction worked to pull off America’s quadrennial celebration while another struggled to run the business of the country without a noticeable hitch.

On the eve of his swearing in as the 43rd president, George W. Bush rationed his coveted presence at a string of events honoring his wife, the vice president-elect, all veterans and his party’s youth.

Meanwhile, the presidency that was supposed to be winding down exploded in a blitz of business as President Clinton sealed a deal to avert an indictment, pay a $25,000 fine and surrender his law license for five years. He also lifted remaining economic sanctions against Yugoslavia and fired Linda Tripp, the saboteur of his second term.

All the while, the Senate continued to check out some of the most controversial members of the proposed Bush Cabinet, one of whom survived her questioning by pretending she was on a lake in Colorado.

And if all that wasn’t enough, snow threatened to cancel today’s parade.

“They’re playing it by ear,” an overwhelmed inaugural press aide muttered.

Rough Road to Transition Not New

It was vaguely reminiscent of transitions past. Jimmy Carter spent most of the car ride to his successor’s swearing-in on the phone, desperately trying to get Iran to free 52 American hostages. George Bush ordered a cruise missile attack on an Iraqi nuclear installation 48 hours before Bill Clinton took the oath.

But bumpy transitions are to Washington what the Santa Ana winds are to Los Angeles: They happen with regularity and few remember the mess they leave.

There were about 9,000 additional cabs brought in to ferry an army of tourists in an unrelenting rain, and that still was not enough. “Every four years we rule this town,” one cabby boasted while chauffeuring three people in two directions and jacking up the fare while he was at it.

The subways were jammed. The airport was overwhelmed by corporate jets that held at least one commercial flight on the tarmac for an hour.

The Capitol teemed with visitors, some of them picking up tickets from their congressional members for today’s swearing in. Long lines formed at metal detectors and elevators. An impatient Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), on his way to a news conference, gave up and walked the eight flights, delivering his remarks out of breath.

The streets were dotted with fur coats and cowboy hats. So high was the demand for Stetson hats--imported from Texas at $200 each--that the Ritz Carlton had to reorder five times in three days. At Washington’s Union Station, gloves sold out to tourists who underestimated the cold.

Some Bid Clinton a Not So Fond Farewell

Still nothing, not even the weather, seemed to dampen the partisan bliss as the yellow and white moving van sat at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

“The proverbial ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ is more apropos here than almost any other time. There is a great sense of enthusiasm and relief over the fact that we are going through this transition,” said Rep. David Dreier (R-San Dimas). “We are buoyed by the fact that we are going to finally bring an end to the Bill Clinton presidency.”

But by all indications, the Clinton presidency wasn’t going to waste a second of whatever power it had left to use.

After down-to-the-wire negotiations, Clinton agreed to terms that ended an independent counsel investigation into accusations that he lied under oath about his affair with Monica S. Lewinsky. “I hope my actions today will help bring closure and finality to these matters,” he said in a statement released by the White House.

Asked Friday whether he was sad to have witnessed the last events of the Clinton presidency, Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas) noted prophetically: “It may not be the last event. We still have a few hours.”

Indeed, by day’s end, the Clinton administration had fired Tripp--whose secret tape-recordings of Lewinsky led to the president’s impeachment. She had refused to resign her Pentagon job, as is customary for political appointees.

Clinton also put out open letters to the Palestinians and the Israelis, issued a statement deploring land mines and clarified U.S. policy on the protection of sunken warships. And the White House buzzed with talk of late-night pardons.

His administration similarly rushed through an outbox of final business, including: how to deal with bacterial contamination of raw oysters.

“Yup. This is our busy season,” one Food and Drug Administration official said.

Some of the Bush Cabinet nominees concluded their Senate confirmation hearings by midmorning Friday.

Gale A. Norton’s vetting for Interior secretary had promised to be a knock-down partisan battle over her pro-business views of environmental preservation but turned into two days of shadow boxing between senators who found it in their interests to appear polite.

Norton seemed relieved it was over, confessing that she survived by imagining herself at Rocky Mountain National Park’s Bear Lake, one of the treasures she has promised to preserve.

The four-day grilling of former Sen. John Ashcroft ended with expectations that he would be confirmed as attorney general. And Wisconsin Gov. Tommy G. Thompson, Bush’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, got a whirlwind education on a few of the hundreds of programs he would oversee.

But as the old administration worked furiously to wrap up, Bush watched as his two favorite partners--his wife and Dick Cheney, the vice president-elect--defined themselves to the nation.

Laura Bush gave an audience of mostly family and friends a glimpse of the first lady she intends to be: a passionate reader who hopes to inspire a nation with her love of books.

Cheney, on the other hand, chose to surround himself by veterans in a pre-inaugural salute.

It was all a prelude to the moment at noon today, when George W. Bush assumes office in the ultimate hour of political reconciliation. And in the great tradition of democracy, there no doubt will be cold weather and protests.

It remained unclear how many people planned to demonstrate. Activists claimed 20,000 and police figures ranged from 7,000 to 30,000. The forecast for today was menacing: “a nearly 100% chance of precipitation.”

It will all culminate with a bunch of boxes at the White House, where the staff will orchestrate the oddest of domestic feats: the moving of the presidential stuff.

By 12:01 p.m. EST today, Clinton’s golf clubs and Hillary Rodham Clinton’s black pantsuits go out. Bush’s baseball collection and his wife’s books go in. Buddy the dog gets booted by Barney and Spot, and Socks the cat makes way for Willie the cat.

While an elegant lunch will be served at the Capitol to the minutes-old leader of the free world, the White House staff will strip the beds and vacuum the rugs.

“It is like changing a stage set between acts of a play,” said Jim McDaniel, White House liaison for the National Park Service. “When President and Mrs. Bush come into the house in the afternoon, it will look like their house and feel like their house. It is a minor miracle.”

One of many.

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Times staff writers Marlene Cimons, Richard T. Cooper, Janet Hook and Alissa J. Rubin and Times researcher Sunny Kaplan contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

America’s Changing Face

Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953 was the last time a Republican assumed the presidency with his party also controlling the House and Senate. Here’s a look at the country, then and now.

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Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nielsen Media Research, Air Transport Assn., Office of Mangagement and Budget, Congressional Quarterly.

Compiled by Times researcher SUNNY KAPLAN

Their New Home

The White House is the official home of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton until noon EST today, when it will be turned over to George W. and Laura Bush, who will be free to refurbish the private areas to their liking. The second floor is the first family’s primary living quarters; the third floor is guest rooms and the solarium. The first and ground floors are used for public events. A look at the layout:

Compiled by SUNNY KAPLAN/Los Angeles Times

Inauguration Schedule

All times PST.

TODAY

6:30 a.m.

St. John’s Church Service:

A private service for friends and family of the president- and vice president-elect.

7:15 a.m.

White House Coffee Reception: The Clintons, Gores, Bushes and Cheneys and some members of Congress will share coffee before the inaugural ceremony at the Capitol.

11:30 a.m.

Inaugural Ceremony:

SWEARING-IN: U.S. Capitol

PRELUDE: United States Marine Band

CALL TO ORDER AND WELCOMING REMARKS: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

INVOCATION: Rev. Billy Graham

MUSICAL SELECTION: DuPont Manual High School/

Youth Performing Arts School Choir, Louisville, Ky.

VICE PRESIDENTIAL OATH: Administered to Dick Cheney by Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist

AN AMERICAN MEDLEY: United States Army Band

PRESIDENTIAL OATH: Administered to George W. Bush by Rehnquist. Bible used is the King James version, printed in 1767, which was used for George Washington’s inauguration April 30, 1789.

INAUGURAL ADDRESS: Bush

BENEDICTION: Pastor Kirbyjon H. Caldwell, Windsor Village United Methodist Church, Houston

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM: Staff Sgt. Alec T. Maly, United States Army Band

11:30 a.m.

Inaugural Parade

4 p.m.

Inaugural Balls

7 p.m.

Fiesta Americana

Inaugural Ball: Organization of American States. A celebration with guests from the Latino community

SUNDAY

5:30 a.m.

Washington National Cathedral Service

12 - 3:00 p.m.

Public White House Tours

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Today’s Television Coverage

All times PST. Schedules and times subject to change.

SAP -- Simultaneous Spanish interpretation available via the Secondary Audio Program (SAP) system.

NBC: “The Today Show” will broadcast live from Washington from 5 to 8 a.m. Live coverage follows from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. SAP

MSNBC will provide continuous coverage from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.

ABC: “Good Morning America” broadcasts live from the roof of the Department of Health and Human Services building from 4 to 7 a.m. Live coverage from 7 to 10 a.m. Parade coverage and analysis resumes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. SAP

CBS: “The Saturday Early Show” broadcasts live from Washington, 4 to 6 a.m. Live coverage follows from 6 to 10:30 a.m.

FOX NEWS will broadcast live from Washington from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.

FOX will simulcast the Fox News broadcast from 8:30 to 10 a.m.

PBS: “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” will provide live coverage from 8 to 10 a.m.

CNN will broadcast live from the Department of Labor building rooftop from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m.

C-SPAN will provide continuous coverage.

Sources: Associated Press; TV networks