At Oprah Taping, Obama Praises Mayor Daley's Service
UPDATED 04/28/11 12:48 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama came back home Wednesday to tape an episode of The Oprah Winfrey show on the Near West Side, and the president had plenty of praise for the outgoing mayor. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole has the story.
Mayor Richard Daley greeted the Obamas at O'Hare Airport and was seated in the front row at the Winfrey taping.
Backstage after the taping, Obama presented Daley with an 1834 surveyor's map of the city of Chicago from the National Archives records center. It was framed with a note that said, "Mayor Richard Daley, Thank you for making a great American city a great world city."
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Daley's son, Patrick, and his daughters, Nora and Elizabeth, stood near him. His brother, Bill, Obama's chief of staff, stood off in the background.
"Thanks for training Bill properly — he's doing a good job," Obama quipped.
"This is going to be the last time I am in town while Mayor Daley is still mayor," the president said. … "Thank you. You have done an extraordinary job and this city has been transformed because of your leadership."
The mayor rode on the president's helicopter coming from O'Hare to downtown. Obama said that Daley wasn't resting even though his term is about to end.
"On the helicopter ride over here, he was still generating about 30 ideas for everything from how to get rid of rats to how to start beehives to making sure that we have bikes for every kid in the schools, so I'm skeptical he's going to be taking a lot of time off,'' Obama said. "I know he's going to be spending some time with Maggie and the family."
Obama's former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, will be sworn in May 16 to replace Daley.
"Make sure if Rahm starts messing up, you give him some tips," Obama told Daley.
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After the taping, members of the studio audience said they were thrilled to be part of show, including some fans from Norfolk, Va.
"It was overwhelming." Margaret Jenkins told Newsradio 780's Lisa Fielding. "People had tears in their eyes."
