Traffic Jam? Blame Bush.

On his way out the door, President Bush has unwittingly delivered one last parting shot to a city that never cared much for him: massive gridlock. Back in December, President-elect Barack Obama requested an early check-in at Blair House, the president's guest residence, ahead of the traditional five days prior to Inauguration so that his daughters could be settled in for their first day of school. But Bush turned him down, citing a previously booked guest. (The mystery man turned out to be former Australian prime minister John Howard.) So instead, the Obama family has been holed up at the stately Hay-Adams Hotel. Both places are close to the White House, but Blair House is on a pedestrian mall, so it can be secured without disrupting traffic. The Hay-Adams, however, is located at a key downtown intersection, forcing Obama's Secret Service detail to close multiple streets and create a traffic nightmare.

Local commuters are, to put it mildly, displeased. Ed Murphy, who works in the vicinity, was staggered that a 10-minute, three-mile stretch of his commute took 90 minutes last week. Another driver reported advancing one block in 25 minutes. In a town with a reputation for political gridlock, there is some good news: this particular jam should be cleared up by the end of the week.