Obama's first day back at work

President-elect Obama spent his first full work day of the new year on Monday much the same way as many other Americans did: sending the kids off to school and going back to the grind.

Obama began the day by sending his daughters, Malia and Sasha, off to their new school with his wife Michelle. The kids will be attending Sidwell Friends School, a private Quaker school that Chelsea Clinton attended.

From there, it was off to Capitol Hill, where the incoming president met with his economic team, sat down with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and even found time to meet with congressional Republicans.

The Obama camp has announced an ambitious domestic agenda to launch his presidency, including a massive stimulus package that he hopes will jumpstart the economy. While much of the money in the package will be devoted to spending initiatives on infrastructure and other needs, the president-elect offered an olive branch to Republicans by providing billions of dollars in tax cuts in the plan as well.

The new president also had some drama to deal with on his first day. His designated Commerce Secretary Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination because of an ongoing investigation into a pay-to-play controversy in New Mexico. Richardson and the Obama camp spent part of the day debating who was at fault in the failed nomination process.

And Obama's new choice for CIA director, Leon Panetta, ran into opposition from his own party when senior Democrats on the congressional intelligence committees reportedly complained that they had not been consulted and would prefer a candidate who comes from the intelligence community. Panetta, a former member of Congress, served as Bill Clinton's chief of staff in the White House.

Meanwhile, back in the Senate, Obama still isn't sure just who will be occupying several seats, including his own seat from Illinois. Former Illinois attorney general Roland Burris headed to Washington to try to claim his Senate seat just as Senate Democrats vowed not to let him serve.

In Minnesota, Democrat Al Franken was officially declared the winner of the long contested race against Republican Norm Coleman, but Coleman vowed to sue and Senator Reid announced that neither Franken or Burris will be allowed to take the oath of office on Tuesday when the Senate officially reconvenes.

And finally, the much anticipated replacement to fill the seat of Hillary Clinton of New York was still up in the air, as Caroline Kennedy's name continued to be mentioned over and over again as a likely candidate. Gov. David Paterson has not yet announced who he will pick, and Senator Hillary Clinton, who is awaiting confirmation as Secretary of State, still holds the office.

All in all, it was just another day at the office for the man who will, two weeks from today, become the most powerful man on the planet.