Although Obama has mostly kept the Bush Oval Office decor, he’s removed two paintings from prominent locations — the walls on either side of the big south-facing windows behind his desk — and restored two Clinton-era paintings that hung in the same spots. Pinkpillbox compares two before-and-after photos.

In the upper right of the photos, you can see that Obama has taken down A Charge to Keep, by W.H.D. Koerner, and replaced it with a painting of Lady Liberty’s torch that looks very bright and modern. On the other side, he’s replaced Bush’s painting with The Avenue in the Rain, by Childe Hassam.

Bill Clinton had both of those paintings in the same places in his Oval Office (at least according to his official Oval Office replica). Even President Bartlett on “The West Wing” had Avenue in the Rain in the same location at one point, no doubt in tribute to Clinton.

Here is what President Obama found waiting for him in the Oval Office this morning.

It’s an envelope with a Post-It that says “44.” Inside is the traditional note from the outgoing president to the new one. (Of course, the Book of Secrets is hidden inside the desk, so Obama can learn the truth about Area 51 and the Kennedy assassination and the faked moon landing.)

After walking into the Oval Office, he spent 10 minutes alone. I wonder what he thought about. I picture him sitting at his desk, saying to himself, so it’s true — I really am the President of the United States, and this is my office, and then thinking about all that has transpired in that room.

I wonder if he said a prayer — or performed a cleansing ritual to rid the place of eight years of bad karma.

After those 10 minutes, his chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, walked in.

Here’s the President at his desk — the Resolute desk that many presidents before him have used, including his two recent predecessors as well as JFK.

For now, Obama is keeping Bush’s oval office decor, except for the paintings of Texas. Laura Bush designed the rug and Obama apparently loves it. (So does Bill Clinton.) I hope he eventually has the room redesigned, so he can put his own stamp on it. Cleansing ritual or no, it’s going to be hard to get that Cheney smell out of everything.