Day 34: presidential lunch date
Updated on 18 December 2008
Wednesday 17 December 2008: Barack Obama extends his cabinet and is offered a date with his predecessors.
The US president-elect Barack Obama names former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack to head the agriculture department and Colorado Senator Ken Salazar to become interior secretary, saying they would help further his goal of energy independence for the country.
Calling the two "guardians of the American landscape," Obama tells a news conference they would help spearhead efforts to use less imported oil while expanding use of renewable energy such as biofuels.
Press conference: 17 December 2008
The selections move Obama closer to his goal of completing most of his cabinet selections before he leaves on Saturday for a vacation in Hawaii, where he grew up.
Meanwhile, President Bush announces he will host a lunch on 7 January for the president-elect to meet all the living former US presidents.
Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush have all been invited to share their experiences at the gathering.
"The president wanted to take an opportunity to have the next president to lunch and to meet with all the living former presidents," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
"It will be a chance for them to discuss all matter of issues -- life in the White House, politics, and domestic and world affairs," she said. "These men share experiences that no one else can imagine -- it will be fabulous to have them all here together."
