Moreover, as he pursues the greenhouse gas limits, Obama stands to benefit from the victory last week by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) for leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Waxman ousted longtime Chairman John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), who had been viewed as an obstacle to efforts to fight global warming.
Obama did not involve himself directly in the Waxman-Dingell bout, but it was widely believed that the president-elect had a clear favorite -- particularly given that his newly hired legislative liaison is Waxman's longtime chief of staff, Phil Schiliro.
In another videotaped message last week -- to European officials, endorsing a bid by his hometown of Chicago to host the 2016 Summer Olympics -- Obama sent a broad signal about changing U.S. foreign policy. "In the coming years, my administration will bring a fresh perspective on America's role and responsibilities around the world," Obama said.
That is likely to be the message when Obama in the coming days officially announces Clinton's appointment as secretary of State and lays out the rest of his national security team.
Monday's news conference will mark his first full exchange with reporters since Nov. 7, when he took questions for about 20 minutes in a session most notable for his discussion of what type of dog to get for his daughters.
This time the need for more detail and substance is greater -- as Obama seemed to acknowledge in his Saturday address, discussing his proposal to infuse the economy with money through a major program to build roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
"The news this week has only reinforced the fact that we are facing an economic crisis of historic proportions," he said. "We now risk falling into a deflationary spiral that could increase our massive debt even further."
Panetta said he hoped that Obama would use public appearances to introduce his Cabinet officials and key advisors and to explain why each was chosen. "He's got to take advantage of at least some public interviews to convey to the American people a sense of hope that things are going to be OK," Panetta said.
Experts said that, so far, Obama seemed to be heeding lessons from past presidents' mistakes.
Historians have pointed to parallels between this year and the 1932 transition from Republican President Hoover to Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Historians believe the country's economy was further hampered by Roosevelt's refusal to cooperate with Hoover's administration on strategies to help cure a deepening depression.
