Day 44
March 4, 2009
"They ran right for it. They were really, really excited. All four of them."
—Katie McCormick Lelyveld, spokeswoman for First Lady Michelle Obama, on the Obamas' new swing set on the South Lawn.
In an attempt to make the White House feel more like home for the girls, the First Family installs within eyesight of the Oval Office a wooden swing set made by a South Dakota company. The Obamas aren't the first to tailor the South Lawn to their liking — Bill Clinton put in a designer putting green, while the Bushes laid down a rubberized walking path.
The child's play only lasts so long. The economy is once again the focus for the Administration as Obama announces a change in how contracts are awarded and the Treasury Department releases lending guidelines meant to help 9 million loan borrowers stay in their homes. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner spends another day testifying before lawmakers, once again backing Obama's budget, insisting that the proposed tax increases for the wealthy are needed to help slash the deficit.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown wraps up his U.S. trip with an address to Congress — only the fifth British Prime Minister to do so.