SCOTT SIMON, host:
This is Weekend Edition from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. This week, 11 of President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet picks appeared before Senate committees for confirmation hearings. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama continued to press for his economic stimulus plan, saying that dramatic action is needed. And George W. Bush delivered his final presidential speech to the country. We're joined now by NPR senior news analyst Dan Schorr. Hello, Dan.
DAN SCHORR: Hi, Scott.
SIMON: And let me ask you about the confirmation hearings. Eleven Senate committees held hearings this week for nominees, and one, Senator Hillary Clinton, has already won committee approval. Do you see any real trouble for the nominees ahead?
SCHORR: No, not very much. The only possible trouble was with Eric Holden, the nominee for attorney general, and the part that he played in getting the pardon for Marc Rich during the Clinton administration. They've been over that, and they've been over it a couple of times, but it sounds as though they are satisfied to quiz him on the subject and have him say that he made a mistake, and he hopes that he learned from the mistake. That seemed to be about the only one. There is Tim Geithner, who has not yet come up...
SIMON: Secretary of the Treasury who was apparently forgetful about his income tax.
SCHORR: That's right. And he's coming up next week. But the people who know the Hill better than I do say that nobody seems to be in any serious trouble.
SIMON: Let me ask you, I guess, what we used to call a water-cooler question, maybe nowadays a latte question about Tim Geithner, the nominee to be secretary of Treasury. I think a lot of Americans are asking this week, how can they nominate somebody, who, among other things, will have the responsibility to supervise the Internal Revenue Service...
SCHORR: Right.
SIMON: When he can't remember to pay his own taxes?
SCHORR: It looks as though, yeah, you could make the point, and a lot of people are making that point, but it does not look as if somebody wants to deny Obama his secretary of the Treasury at this point.
SIMON: President-elect Obama, of course, has been busy dealing with Congress on the economic stimulus plan.
SCHORR: Yes.
SIMON: And how does that look ahead?
SCHORR: Well, there are two aspects there. First of all, the president-elect decided to ask for the release of the second big part of the big bailout money that's being held by Congress because they don't like the way it's been spent, but he finally got the Senate to give it to him, and that may be one of his first, small successes with Congress.
Another may well be that he has now unveiled his stimulus package of $800 billion or so, and that, however, looks as though it has to be negotiated in some kind of grand bargain with the Democrats or with the Republicans. The Democrats want to have more spending and less tax cutting. Some of the Republicans want to have more tax cutting and less spending. And it looks as though the first test of his ability to bring people together is going to be how soon he can get them to agree on the stimulus package.
SIMON: And meanwhile, the House approved a child health-care bill that had - I believe President Bush had vetoed twice.
SCHORR: That's correct. And it may very well be the first act that the new president will sign after Tuesday.
SIMON: President Bush delivered his farewell address to the nation on Thursday. What did you notice? What struck you? Any surprises?
SCHORR: Well, Bush remains Bush. I mean, he sees his troubles from a certain point of view. He wants it known that he meant well. He doesn't claim that everything he did was right, but he wants to be taken as somebody who has made all the decisions that he made mainly under the influence of 9/11. Apparently, that rests with him as the thing that determined what his career was. And he's aware that his ratings aren't very high, but he says he tried.
SIMON: Let's update ourselves on the situation in Gaza. There are reports that Israel and Hamas may be near a temporary cease-fire. What are the chances of that?
SCHORR: Well, the Israeli cabinet is planning to vote on a proposal by the Egyptians for what might be, in effect, a unilateral cease-fire on the part of Israelis. The cabinet is considering that. I have the impression there may be some movement there because Israel, from the very start, has indicated they really wanted to have this operation over by the time that Obama comes into office. And so I think they are toying with the idea of getting this or something close to it, and there may well be a cease-fire very soon.
SIMON: Dan, I'd like you to reflect on what's being called the miracle on the Hudson.
SCHORR: Yeah.
SIMON: The rescue of 155 people. No injuries from that jet that splash-landed, if you please, along the skyline of New York City. And of course, the man being saluted as the valiant captain, Sully Sullenberger.
SCHORR: You know, I was tremendously moved by it. I looked hour after hour on television at that story. Now, I'll tell you what moved me so. If you say Katrina is an example of not caring and incompetence, now this was the opposite. This was a case of caring along with enormous competence. You had passengers asking the other person to go first and so on - really a case of the better angels. I always remember that episode.
SIMON: Thank very much, Dan Schorr.
SCHORR: Sure.