President-elect Barack Obama officially resigned from the Senate on Sunday, removing himself from any official role in the lame-duck session of Congress that will convene this week. He also laid more groundwork for the start of his administration by deciding on additional members of his senior staff, including a White House counsel, and preparing to meet with another onetime political rival.
Obama is scheduled to meet today with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whom he defeated in the Nov. 4 presidential election, at his transition offices in downtown Chicago. The meeting comes days after the president-elect sat down separately with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, both of whom opposed him in the Democratic primary.
The president-elect announced his resignation from the Senate in a letter published in Illinois newspapers, telling his constituents, "I will never forget, and will forever be grateful, to the men and women of this great state who made my life in public service possible."
The action means Obama will not be part of the congressional debate this week about a possible stimulus package to jump-start the nation's struggling economy.
While Congress debates how best to help the economy, Obama is expected to continue building his governing team.
Washington lawyer Gregory Craig will be White House counsel, an individual involved in the transition said Sunday, and Obama's Senate chief of staff Peter Rouse, 62, was officially announced as a senior White House adviser. Two deputy chiefs of staff were also announced: Jim Messina and Mona Sutphen.
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