Host Rachel Cherry: in this story, on this evening, on this day. Thank you, Keith. Thank you for staying with us for the next hour. You know, another day, another amazing Roland Berris press conference, and an amazing cave -- In the Senate. Tonight, Illinois politicians will join us in rejecting Rod blagoevich\'s offer to become a senator before Roland Berris accepts it. In addition, we dug new information from Australia about John Howard/Blair House/Obama --have-to-stay-in-a- The hotel was awkward. But first, two weeks before Barack Obama became the next president of the United States, citizen geeks and ordinary Americans will be ready for television recording equipment, souvenirs and photographs. Buy all the newspapers in the newspaper box, try to capture some of the very striking symbolic moments that are happening now, capture the moment of gravity, and the historical importance of the United States has been promoted to Africa for the first time in history- Become president of the United States. New historical Image exhibition today This picture is a living man who was elected president together in the Oval Office. Today\'s lunch meeting was held at the suggestion of the president. Elect is one of the first and most powerful images to remind the country and the world that, yes, it does happen in the United States. Although Obama\'s election was a bit awesome From a big picture, a historical point of view, sometimes he will be notable, what he will face as president, and what is on his plate, which may be equally awesome. President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton and President Bush certainly made good-faith proposals to Obama today. But the specific advice he can use most is not in that room at all, because none of these presidents have inherited the kind of comprehensive Super crisis that Barack Obama and the country face. When Jimmy Carter was sworn in, two years after Nixon resigned, the United States had traveled from Vietnam. George H. W. Bush took it from the very popular Ronald Reagan, and the Cold War is over, and while the economy will soon collapse, it\'s not something close to the crisis. Clinton was sworn in during the economic downturn, but it was a pleasant room compared to today\'s downturn --crash. And George W. Bush entered a period of peace with a budget surplus of $127 billion. Remember that? It\'s fine if you block it. As a result, Obama entered the presidency as an unprecedented politician, and statistically speaking, he inherited the hustle and bustle of unprecedented depth and pressing crises. Only five people alive were elected president, and only one knew what Barack Obama would look like. On this day of historic significance, Mr. John Harwood of our own As usual, Obama seems to feel more calm and united than all of us. ( Start video editing, CNBC) John Harwood, chief correspondent for CNBC Washington: tomorrow, you will be giving a speech about your economic stimulus plan. It looks like it will be on the high end of your range, about $775 billion. President Obama- This is correct. Harwood: if, as your assistant says, the danger is doing too little, not too much, that\'s right. OBAMA: Right. Why Park at $775 billion? Why not $1. 2 trillion recommended by some economists? This is because you think the political figure of $1 trillion is too expensive to overcome? Is it because you think more spending is pork than stimulus? Or do you think you have found the exact number of stimulus measures needed? Obama: First of all, I think it\'s important that every economist, conservative or liberal, agree that we have to have a substantial recovery plan that will help jump. Start the economy. That short- The term of office will be expensive, but it will be more expensive to see the economy continue to be at the tail of sustainable development. We see prices ranging from $800 billion to $1. 3 trillion. Our attitude is that given the legislative process, if we start to lower Finally, let\'s see how it develops. We are worried. Harwood: So, will it get bigger? We don\'t know yet. We will not wait until two years, and then we will start to worry about how to solve the deficit problem. We want to see if, under my observation, we can now do something to start bending the curve into a lower deficit. I don\'t think the Democratic Party has a monopoly on good ideas. I think there\'s a lot that Republicans can offer. All I have to do is listen to my Republican colleagues and learn from them. Anytime, as long as they can prove that this is something that is good for the American people, because Democrats don\'t think of it, Republicans are pushing it, and that\'s not a good reason not to do so. Sometimes we have some fights. But my main point is that I\'m not looking for a fight, I\'m looking for as much cooperation as I can. Harwood: There are a lot of similarities between you and John F. Kennedy also made history, and he came in with a young, attractive family, with a lot of Harvard brains around him as he began to govern. OBAMA: Right. Harwood: but we all learned in our 1960 s that the best and brightest people don\'t always find the right answers. Obama: You have to be careful with the guys at Harvard. They look for you every time. Harwood: How confident are you that your plan will work, and how can you avoid the danger of being too arrogant? Obama: Well, I think the approach we take is not just talking to the usual suspects, but talking to people who have traditionally disagreed with me. When we were on holiday in Hawaii, I was very reluctant to go surfing physically and it was a big test to scrape the ice. And, you know . Harwood: Well, did anyone tell you not to go out in a shirt? Obama: Well, I knew it after the first day. But, I think. Harwood: Is that right? Is this awkward for you or do you care? You have a lot of comments about it. You know what, yeah- It\'s stupid, but, you know, the job is stupid. Harwood: you have some compliments. You\'re saying that you seem to win the fight to keep your BlackBerry. Obama: I don\'t know I\'m going to win, but I\'m still trying. But I think what I\'m saying is that it\'s not just information flow. I mean, I can get someone to print the clips for me and I can read the newspaper and- What it involves is building mechanisms that allow you to interact with people outside the White House in a meaningful way. I must look for every opportunity to do so. No way to script. A way of not being controlled. You know, people are not just praising you or standing up when you enter the room. A down-to-earth approach. If I can do this in the next four years, I think it will help me to better serve the American people as I will hear them. They won\'t be suppressed because I\'m at the White House. (END VIDEO CLIP) MADDOW: now with me is John Harwood, chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times CNBC. John, congratulate you on your interview with the president. elect. Thank you for joining us. Thanks, Rachel. You interviewed at the time- Senator Obama has participated in numerous campaigns and interviews today. You see now, what\'s the difference between him as a candidate and him as president? elect? Harwood: Well, Rachel, I\'m more interested in similarities now -- You\'re talking about a very confident person. You know, I asked him about the danger of being too arrogant. He said he was humbled by the challenges he faced. But this is a very self-conscious person. The guarantee of doing this work. He seems satisfied with his ability and work attitude. He expressed more desire to reach out to each other, and sometimes you certainly hear more in the campaign than in the main part of the campaign. I think he is working very clearly to build on his openness with Republicans. You know, some amazing upbeat or positive voice from Senate Mitchell McConnell, and even House John Boehner has hinted that they can do at least a little business, when Republicans don\'t seem to want to oppose the president, in this stimulus package Who is ranked 80% in the poll. On the issue of economic policy, so many political strategies and ways to deal with the economic crisis are releasing confidence. The market wants to know that the government has a good plan, a thoughtful plan; They know what they\'re doing. Does he seem to direct the matter as a policy subject? I think he will. By the way, he said he had adapted to the market mentality. He will not try to stop or ignore it. You know, during the campaign there was talk about whether economic policy was about Wall Street or the main street. He was obviously concerned about both of them. But I think Barack Obama, Larry Summers of the National Economic Commission, Tim Geithner of the Treasury, thinks he has a way now, he talked about starting the stimulus program with about $800 billion or $775 billion, which he will outline tomorrow but is expected to grow. I think his team is confident that they have found a way to get the most out of the process. MADDOW: John, politically, when the economic crisis was first realized, it got a lot of attention when it was first diagnosed, the problem was the lack of regulation, there is a lack of proper regulation in financial markets. In terms of re-reform, this is not a hot political topic. Regulate these markets. But Obama did talk about that today. What did he say about regulating these markets? Harwood: Rachel, it\'s interesting because his transition office is at the former head office of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He said that in the next few weeks or a month or two, he will propose a substantial rewrite of financial regulation to do something about these crazy institutions, these institutions have done different things and dispersed their responsibility. He talked about the global components of this in order to attend G-April 2. Do you remember, Rachel, President Bush hosted a meeting in Washington at the end of last year, at the meeting, you were under some pressure from Europe, Angela Merkel, Nicolas Sarkozy, France. both said that we need some kind of global regulatory structure. Barack Obama says he may be more receptive to the idea than President Bush. MADDOW: John Harwood of CNBC and The New York Times- It\'s great to have you at the show tonight. Congratulate you again, John. Thanks, Rachel. MoDo: Washington has changed from \"Roland Berris is unacceptable\" to \"Roland Berris is -- Anyway, let this guy sit down in about a week. Next, we will talk to the people that Illinois governor Rod blagouevich provided to Berris before he offered the job. That\'s Senator Danny Davis. Breaking news from the Middle East tonight: Israel and Hamas may soon sit down and talk about stopping fighting. We got the latest news from Richard Engel at NBC\'s scene. next. But first, there is one more thing about the historic meeting of all the living presidents today. Bill Clinton and George H. W. As you know, Bush has become very friendly in the years since he left the White House. But you still have to ask what Bill Clinton and current President Bush will talk about if it\'s just the two of them together. Well, as a tribute to the \"Daily Show\", I\'m very excited to be on the show tonight, and today, we\'re on Rachel Mado\'s show, from the Oval Office brings you the moment of Bush/Clinton Cen. ( Start Video Editing) Clinton, former president of the United StatesS. I like this carpet. PRES. GEORGE W. Bush, America: Yes. (END VIDEO CLIP) Yes, a great carpet. Love that rug. Yellow rug. For the rest of the show tonight, I promise 98% fewer. INAUDIBLE)non sequiturs. ( Business break) MADDOW: If you see our first annual awards ceremony on New Year\'s Eve, you may remember us awarding awards in a category called \"the most memorable, previously unknown supporting role. \"The final winner was The Lady with hot hair, who told John McCain that Barack Obama was an Arab. But the lady faces fierce competition from Joe the Plumber. Harriet Christian, an extreme supporter of Hillary Clinton. Why was Harriet Christian nominated? Who can forget this? ( Start Video Editing) Harriet Christian, a supporter of Hillary Clinton: Democrats are abandoning elections. For what? Not enough black men? (END VIDEO CLIP) MADDOW: Even though Harriet Christian lost our New Year\'s Eve award to a lady with crazy hair, she called Obama an Arab and Harriet Christian has been in the public eye, obviously, the award ceremony for next year. Ms. Christian is now asking to consider filling Hillary Clinton\'s Senate seat in New York, saying she represents Democrats every day in New York better than Caroline Kennedy. Go ahead. You told her she didn\'t. Do you want to tell her? ( Business break) MADDOW: in the three hours in Gaza today, shelling, bombing and ground invasion were suspended so that humanitarian supplies could be escorted to the blocked Gaza war zone. The Israeli army has stopped fighting in Gaza, Hamas stopped firing rockets into Israel for three hours. Then everything recovered. During the 13 days of the war in Gaza, there were some reports about the progress of the peace agreement. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said today that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have accepted the terms of the truce proposed yesterday by France and Egypt. Sounds promising, right? But the details are important. When Sarkozy said he had put the PA in, it was a bit like saying you and the New York fighter had negotiations on who the New York Giants will draft next year. The Palestinian Authority is not the same as Hamas. The P. A. Control in the West Bank; Hamas is in control of Gaza. this is where the fighting is- Gaza is where the fighting is, and Hamas is firing rockets at Israel. Moreover, Israel agrees with the idea of this truce proposal that when you ride to it, the signal is at best mixed. Later today, it was reported that Egypt is looking forward to talks between Israeli and Hamas delegates tomorrow. So, we will see, we will hope. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continues to say a cease-fire should be made. But the Bush administration seems content to let others take the lead here, even though a new emerging concern is, what impact does that have on us for the benefit of the United States at home and around the world In Iraq, for example, Shiite cleric mukhtada Sadr issued a statement today that as the United States supports Israel\'s actions in Gaza, he threatened to resume attacks on US targets in Iraq. Al- Sadr\'s statement said, \"I ask the Iraqi resistance to retaliate against the United States, the biggest partner of the Zionist enemy. ” Al- Sadr also called on Iraqis to fly Palestinian flags on the roofs of buildings, mosques and churches, citing \"support for the jihadist in Gaza. NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel is now joining us from Israel, close to the Gaza border. Richard, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Richard Engel, chief foreign correspondent for NBC News: Rachel, it\'s always a pleasant thing to do. How are you? Very good. thank you. Richard, can you tell us the speed of the current military operations and the situation in Gaza? Engel: now inside Gaza, there\'s a peace of mind today, but like the clock, once those three The cease-fire has ended and Hamas has started firing rockets again. Hamas fired about 20 rockets into Israel today, and then Israel continued its military operations, mainly in the south of the Gaza Strip, destroying nine houses built in tunnels. These are smuggling tunnels that Hamas used to bring weapons into Gaza, and Hamas opened fire on Israel. However, many activities build momentum around the peace initiative. However, there are several different peace initiatives, and I was told by a senior Israeli official that 10 different international peace initiatives are being put forward. Many people just want to get involved, but what seems to be the biggest momentum is the bill proposed by Egypt and France. MADDOW: As suggested by Egypt and France, we heard from Egyptian officials today that they want Israel and Hamas to talk tomorrow Thursday. Have you heard of Israel\'s tendency to cease fire? How satisfied are they with this proposal? Engel: Israel did not accept the offer despite what Sarkozy said. Neither did Hamas. So, we‘re not— This is not a deal. This is not a turning point. Many of them come around orders. Egyptians say an immediate ceasefire should be followed by negotiations to discuss exactly what mechanisms will be put in place to prevent Hamas from launching rockets into the Gaza Strip. Israel wants the opposite way. Israel hopes to reach a comprehensive agreement before the ceasefire. This is a fundamental difference. MADDOW: Richard, one of the main factors that affect how the international community sees what\'s going on in Gaza is how many opportunities we have to get information about what\'s going on in Gaza, how many pictures we take, how close the reporter is to us. It is important to note that you are not in Gaza and you are on the Israeli border near Gaza. Have you heard whether Israel will remove the restrictions that allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza? Engel: Journalists petition the Israeli government every day for entry. I called every day and said, \"when can we come in? An Israeli official gave an interesting explanation. Now, he said, Israel does not want foreign journalists or general journalists in the Gaza Strip to cover the humanitarian situation there and cover military activities, in part for tactical reasons. They don\'t want details of the battle. This is understandable. But mainly to try and manage the image. The Israelis have timed out. The officer told me that he expected the operation to last for a few days while the negotiations were going on, after which journalists would eventually be allowed to enter. But at that stage, Israel believed that the United States would focus primarily on all the coverage of the inauguration, and that the audience did not care at all at that time. MADDOW: Wow. You won\'t consider this strategic decision when you think about military action, but I think it\'s almost as important as anything else. Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Have a good sleep. Stay safe. Thank you. I\'m very happy. MADDOW: after standing out in the cold rain yesterday to announce that he was stripped of Obama\'s Senate seat, Roland Berris today received a warm welcome from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Dick Durbin. Is the storm over? Which road did more wind blow? Junior Senator from Illinoisahead. ( Business break) MADDOW: later on the show, which was the first Australian guest ever on the show, to join us in providing exclusive news within Australia on why the Obama family had to stay at the hotel, the former prime minister of his country will stay at our president\'s hostel. First of all, however, it is time to cover some of the underreported sacred mackerel fish stories in today\'s news. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made headlines today and met with Roland Berris, Illinois, who may eventually become a senator. But in the middle of blagoevich, Reid also showed moral enthusiasts funhouse mirror, down up, \"Alice in Wonderland,\" Detroit wins the Super Bowl \", this is the moral standard of the US Senate. The politician asked Senator Reid. Com is set to sentence his old friend, former Alaska senator Ted Stevens next month, who has been sentenced to seven felony offences for failing to disclose a $250,000 gift from an Alaska energy company. Stevens will spend five years at the crowbar hotel for each of the seven felony crimes. According to politics. Senator Reid, who thinks Ted Stevens should not go to jail at all, said, \"I don\'t know what the benefits would be. He\'s a real war hero, you know. He\'s been punished enough. Reid explained that members of Congress did not disclose gifts in the past. He said 85-year- \"We live in a different world and Stevens doesn\'t understand that. \"In fact, it\'s embarrassing that Ted Stevens may be 85 years old, but there\'s direct evidence on the tape that he knows what he\'s doing might put him in jail. Two years ago, when Senator Stevens told the head of the oil company involved in his fall, the FBI was listening and recording a phone call, citing, \"they wouldn\'t shoot us. It‘s not Iraq. We may have the worst situation and we may have to pay a fine and serve a sentence for some time . \" Ted Stevens may be a real old man, he may have been in the Senate for a long time, he may have served in light of the second world war, but, you know, the man was also found guilty of seven serious crimes of corruption while serving as a U. S. senator. The FBI recorded him and said he knew what he was doing would put him in jail. Only in the US Senate can this record give you 56- Your colleague and the leader of that August agency applauded for the second time and told reporters that you should not go to jail. Technically, these guys work for us. We pay them. Maybe we can pay extra for them to form a committee or search group or something, trying to find the dignity that should be in their office. In order to complete our moral code today, a little bit of follow Latest report on outgoing interior minister Dirk Kempthorne. Dick Kempthorne this week spent $236,000 on taxpayer money renovating his office bathroom-$236,000, office bathroom. R-in-progress since we reported the renovation of the office bathroom worth $236,000- He was rated as a moral legend in the interior ministry. First of all, the interior minister, the man with an incredibly expensive office bathroom, gave a speech in Idaho, his last speech as department head, about how well he did on ethical issuesMr. Kempthorne describes hiring a new ethics officer to get people to write things down in the Ethics log, and it is vital to produce a moral DVD for new employees that needs to be watched. Yes, this is the same Interior Ministry, where the inspector general found that its staff had sex with the employees of the oil company and had a large drug deal with the employees of the oil company that the department was supposed to regulate. But—you hear that— Need to watch the moral DVD- Demanding-very tough. Other developments in the Ministry of Interior since our last report; We called the Home Office today to see if they have any comments on the office bathroom renovation that Interior Minister Dirk Kempthorne is worth $236,000. The Interior Ministry has not questioned the Washington Post report on the overall cost of the bathroom, siding, and refrigerator --in a bathroom—the shower. But they do want us to tell you that the new towels in this bathroom are definitely not in the alphabetical mix. So that\'s it. The towel in the executive bathroom, which was remodeled for $236,000, was letter-free. Taxpayers, sleep well. ( Business break) MADDOW: So we have now officially arrived at the point where we like to sit down, relax and think about the day and Roland Berris on the show. The former Illinois attorney general now appears to be on the verge of challenging difficulties and actually becomes the next junior senator in the great state of blagoevich. On Roland Berris today. Be senator met secretly with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and took a step toward calling Reid his distinguished colleague from Nevada. Before flying back to Chicago tomorrow to date his appointee\'s impeachment team Burris held a somewhat surreal press conference he\'s used to now, warm and impromptu a little cute. Please enjoy. ( Start Video Editing)Berris ,(D) Junior Senator appointed in Illinois: right here. Yes, please. Oh, I\'m sorry. there\'s a gentleman. I just saw him. This gentleman is from Somerset. Dick Barber (ph)stand up— He\'s from Somerset, New Jersey. How many people did you send? Emails across the country say Burris should be a senator? Dick Barber: about 100, I sent it to the media including Chicago, New York, Los AngelesA. I have known Roland for 30 years. Thank you, Dick. Sorry, go ahead. (END VIDEO CLIP) He found a friend. This is one of the tricks you \'ve seen before, but it works every time. You\'re probably wondering why I\'m wearing this ridiculous hat. Maybe you don\'t, but in case, the reason is to explore how we got the Senate from Roland Berris, there is no way, there is no way, I solemnly swear to Roland Berris, you have to be a spelunker expert. So the miner\'s hat. Why are we talking here? Because almost everyone involved in the process has now officially given in. Regardless of whether there is a good reason for their original position or how blagoevich picks the next senator from Illinois. No matter why they hold the original position, no one holds it again. Before giving in, for example, the Illinois State Council threatened to deny governor blagoevich the power to appoint a new senator. They will hold a special election. Remember that? Blagouevich picked Berris after that. Another example. Prior to release, Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White\'s position was that the candidate for Governor Blagojevich was contaminated and, in principle, he refused to accept the governor\'s application or sign proof of Burris\'s appointment. Secretary White said he wanted Berris to be the next senator from Illinois who should sit down, and White said his own signature on the document was purely a ritual. Give another example; How\'s the president-elect Obama? He issued a statement saying that while he respected Burris, \"Senate Democrats made it clear a few weeks ago that they could not accept the appointment of Governor Blagojevich. I agree with their decision. The people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions without stains and disputes. It was before school. After caving—( Start Video Editing) President Obama- I think he is a good civil servant. If he sits down, then I will be working with Roland Berris, just as I am working with all the other senators. (END VIDEO CLIP) Now you see why I need the cave exploration cap. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is probably the deepest man in the cave. Before giving in, Reid said very openly on his heel, quoting Burris, \"we respect his public service for many years, but in this case, no one appointed by Governor Blagojevich can be a valid representative of the Illinois people, as we have already said, One of Senator Reid\'s companies is \"out of my sight \". That\'s before school. After caving—SEN. HARRY REID, (D) Senate Majority Leader: I think this is an easy obstacle to overcome. This senator from Illinois not only wants to satisfy us, but also to satisfy people from Illinois. this is a fair deal. this is what we are working on now. MADDOW: So basically, the rest is the oath. Within 24 hours, Roland Berris was banned from the Senate, kicked out in the rain, with a little warm hug and photo -- Work with Harry Reid, who said a week ago he didn\'t sit down. How did we get here? Blagoevich won here, didn\'t he? I will take off my hat to welcome Danny Davis, the current Illinois congressman, who was given a Senate seat by Governor blagoevich before Roland Berris. Member Davis, thank you very much for joining us tonight. REP. DANNY DAVIS, (D) Well, thank you very much. It is a pleasure. MADDOW: Congressman, when Governor Blagojevich presented you with the Senate nomination last month, you rejected him, am I right? DAVIS: That\'s right. In fact, an emissary of the governor came to my office. We talked. He indicated that the governor wanted to appoint me to this position. I said think about it for a day. After thinking for a day, I said thank you, but I have to refuse now due to all the circumstances around me. MADDOW: did you think at the time that even if you promised the senator\'s request, you didn\'t have the opportunity to actually sit in the senator\'s seat? DAVIS: No. I don\'t think there is a chance. However, I do think it may take longer than it seems now. On top of that, I think about what will happen in the next two years, as I will decide to run, whether or not the environment is good for me to be elected. MADDOW: Are you surprised by the way the past few weeks have developed? It looks like Roland Berris might sit down now. I ask you, do you regret not accepting the offer yourself? DAVIS: Oh, no. I don\'t regret it at all. Because I feel like I have a lot of other things to do, so I\'m worried that I don\'t want to spend too much time responding to the reporter\'s inquiry about why I was interviewed, what kind of agreement I and the state have become and all these things. So I decided that it is not in my best interest to take the position I want to take now, nor in my political interest. MADDOW: do you think there is a moral problem now surrounding the decision to have Roland Berris sit down? Of course, a legal discussion is needed. There will also be a moral and patriotic discussion. DAVIS: Well, I think the discussion about the governor will continue. As I have said from the beginning, Roland Berris has an impeccable public utility; Elected officials across the state for 20 years There has never been any misconduct, scandal or any sign of approaching it. There is no reason why Roland Berris is not confirmed at all. MADDOW: However, when you look at the difference between the way you approach Governor Blagojevich\'s proposal and the way Roland Berris treats the proposal, you decide for him Do you think he made the right choice? Do you think even if there is no stain on his long public service career, do you think this is a poor reflection for him? He is moving forward and he will --looks like— Appointed by Blagojevich in this case? Davis: I really don\'t think so. The difference between Roland\'s position and mine is that we are in a different environment. Roland retired. I think he is practicing the law and doing something else. But he didn\'t hold a public position, so in my case it wouldn\'t interfere with that part of his life. I will also be intimidated by other things. Frankly, I think it would be good for Roland because he wants to make sure that the best representation is put forward to deal with the current situation, and that happens to be the same, in fact, an African America, this will ensure Africa- Representative of the United States in the Senate. MADDOW: member Davis, the last question is that your political life in Illinois has been a long time and you know all the participants here very well. Those of us who are concerned about this situation outside Illinois are beginning to conclude that Governor blagouevich\'s political acumen, his simple skills as a politician should not be played. Do you think this is just a real statement of his political skills? DAVIS: Well, I think it\'s a reflection of his political talent. But he has also always believed that he is innocent, and many others think that you are innocent until proven guilty. So far he has not been prosecuted and has not been proved guilty of any crimes. Democratic representative of Illinois, Mr. Danny Davis, we would like to thank you very much for your time tonight. Thank you for joining us. Davis: Thank you. MADDOW: the current president has actually brushed the welcome pad from the front door of the presidential hostel, forcing the president The president-elect and his family stayed at the hotel before the inauguration. Our president has obviously extended it. Kind-hearted Americans welcome Australia\'s very unpopular former prime minister at the expense of our next US president. I must have been fascinated. More of a moment at this point. ( Business break) MADDOW: the lame duck watch is coming tonight, but I can\'t help but mention this new major issue for the president. Less than two weeks before Bush\'s presidency, President Bush yesterday appointed 45 people for a long job in Washington, ensuring the influence of George w. Bush. President Bush\'s first term will be extended, perhaps even. Five appointments. Justice Minister Michael mukassi, homeland security minister Michael Chertov and White House chief of staff Josh Bolton\'s annual tenure as Holocaust Memorial lawyer. White House lawyer Fred Fielding is also the winner. He grabbed a six. One-year term as a member of the Center for International Investment dispute resolution. Because the White House is good at this? Bush also presented a performance for lawyer and figure skater Michelle Guan, who represented Dick Cheney in the Valerie pram Wilson case, before Obama took over, it is very important to secretly participate in Guan Yingshan\'s appointment. ( Business break) MADDOW: as an American, I admit I feel guilty now. Feeling guilty, the president, his salary, I helped play, was rude, so impolite, that forced the president- Choose the salary I will also help pay to stay in D for the time being. C. Hotel rooms with family, not the presidential residence in Blair House. So I decided to ease my guilt by having myself read through the signature cocktail menu at the hotel bar where the Obama couple stayed; This is a hotel called Hay. Adams. Mr. President- I heard you like martini. As a confession of the National fault you had to stay at the hotel, please allow me to suggest you try the hay -- Special edition of President Adams Martini Just ask them to replace vodka with gin and make some olives without cheese. Pure olives, cheese should never be in a drink. Okay? I hope this is helpful. Meanwhile, while there are still 12 days left for President Bush\'s term, please enjoy the Rachel duck lame watch because someone has to do so. After a few days of rigorous research and coverage from this show and our beloved audience, we now know that the Obamas have to wait another week before they can stay in Blair House, so that in addition to John Howard, the widely watched former Australian prime minister could spend the night with his wife at Blair\'s house on January 12. The next day, Howard will receive his Presidential Medal of Freedom from Washington. That‘s right. John Howard will receive the highest honor from the United States for civilians. And why not? Howard supported the war in Iraq. He said the terrorists wanted Obama to win the election and he opposed the Kyoto Protocol\'s provisions on climate change. That\'s the Bush-era Medal of Freedom, right? We called John Howard\'s office in Sydney today to talk to his spokesperson, who said:\" Howard will stay at Blair House for one night, according to the invitation. No entourage was reported. Only him and his wife. When he accepted it, it was extremely impossible for him to know the situation. \"Let\'s say he doesn\'t, let\'s say John Howard can\'t stay in the hotel. Maybe he doesn\'t have a credit card to pay for the incidentals. Does he and his wife really need all 70,000 square feet of space? All four connected town houses have 110 rooms and 35 bathrooms in Blair House. How can\'t you just use the 33 bathrooms so the Obama couple can brush their teeth in the morning? We\'re the first to join us now. Guest from the \"Rachel Mado Show\" in Australia, Jeff Elliott, a reporter from The Australian newspaper in Washington. Mr. Elliot, thank you for the show tonight. Jeff Elliott, Australian journalist: Thank you Rachel, and thank you. 2009 is really the first year. I am honored to be your first Australian guest. We are honored to have you. How does Australia react to the reason John Howard is the Obama couple having to stay at the hotel? Elliot: I think people are a little confused about all this. I think this response may be in line with Obama\'s popularity in Australia, which is in line with what you see around the world, and about 65% of Australians really want Obama to win this election. So I think you might guess that about 65% of Australians, if they are not confused by this small bilateral spat. Would you say John Howard is very popular in Australia? People are excited? They think he deserves the Medal of Freedom? Elliot: you don\'t want to devalue your medal of freedom here. This is a good organization. started by JFK. But I don\'t think we can move on. The general feeling is true. What does this remind people- I think, people want to change the last eight years. You know, Howard is obviously close to George W. Bush for the past eight years I think that\'s one of the reasons he won the medal. The two men are very close. But I think it was a week before the brand went public. I think it\'s a new beginning for the US and the world, and people just want to focus on that. Did John Howard\'s relationship with George Bush hurt him in the Australian election? Elliot: I think it has something to do with the domestic economy. But the war in Iraq is also very unpopular in Australia. In fact, he was defeated in the election on 2007. In fact, he lost his seat in parliament. Our system is different from yours, but he actually lost his seat as well; This is the second time in Australian history. I can add that Rachel, who lost to a very smart TV guy, continues to do something great. Food for thinking. I refuse to consider this issue. But thank you for your advice. Last question, do you think John Howard knew he was going to kick Obama out of Blair House? We can laugh at him and Bush? Elliot: It looks like this. I doubt it. I think the president apparently made this request to Howard some time ago and he accepted it. To be fair, I think the Obama couple would like to move in early. But I think the Giants are grandparents. I think this is a great opportunity to miss in bilateral relations. They could have helped buy a house, make sandwiches, and pack up Sasha and Maria for school. This could be a great opportunity. Jeff Elliott, a Washington correspondent for Australian newspapers. We will always look for excuses in Australian newspapers to get you back. Thank you for joining us tonight. Elliot: Thank you. Thank you very much. MADDOW: is about to enter the \"Countdown\", which is clear evidence that the economy is in serious trouble. The latest business to seek government assistance is sex. Mike will join Keith. Next on this show, I got enough pop culture from my friend Kent Jones. The Bush family is packing up their things. No, there\'s no place to sign up to help them. We checked. ( Business break) MADDOW: it\'s time to be \"enough\" with my friend Kent Jones. Hi Kent, what do you have? Kent Jones, pop culture: Good evening, Rachel. How is this a priority check? Republican Congressman Cliff Stearns from Ocalo, Florida wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to reschedule her vote in the House this week. So what\'s urgent? Why? So he can go to Florida. Of course, there will be the Thunder national football championship tomorrow night. Quote this sentence, \"We ask you to move these tickets to Wednesday and/or Thursday morning for members to participate in this historic contest. Said Pelosi, pfft. no. What happens when one of our elected leaders asks his boss to reschedule State affairs so that he and his friends can go to the football match? It says, we will be fine. Go, gators. Come on. Next— Here are some words that many Americans are eager to hear. Coach is packing up. In fact, George and Laura are now preparing to leave the White House. Dana Perino is here. ( Start Video Editing) White House press secretary dana perino: he and his wife. Bush has been trying to clean up. They didn\'t bring a lot of things. There is not much furniture here. So the main thing they have is books. Obviously, their clothes, and then some of the things they picked up on the way to the trip. (END VIDEO CLIP) Jones: What they picked up on the road. How did you put the hostility on hold? How do you pack peanuts in contempt of court? Tell me that. Finally, have you been named on the school playground? Four eyes, bubble ass, pizza face, you know. A psychologist says this smack mouth is actually good for children rather than leaving scars on them for life. Irene Hailey of Bangor University in northern Wales. Quote \"teasing helps children discover the nuances of how to use their bodies, sounds, and faces to convey meaning. \"Oh yes, I can detect these nuances when I am pushed into the locker and called red -- Rachel, help me grow. So it did. I\'m sorry, Kent. I am now sorry for those who do so. But you\'re doing a show right now, and people do such stupid things to get attention. Oh, great. I want to wear this hat. Thank you for watching tonight. Do you want to wear a hat? Yes, I know. Hey: here you are. We will meet here tomorrow night. Before that, you can see Kent in your hat, and you can also hear me at 6: 00. m. S. Air Station from the East Coast to the west coast. Keith Olbermann\'s \"Countdown\" is now on. Good night. This is a report card in a hurry. This copy may not be in final form and may be updated. 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