Inaugural Parade Sidewalks Freed Up

"Other than the Bush-Cheney bleachers and the tiny sidewalk, there was nowhere [to stand]," Verheyden-Hilliard said.

Brad Freeman, co-chairman of the 2005 Presidential Inaugural Committee, said he did not recall the flap. Limiting the number could drive up the price, he said. "The fewer that are available, the more valuable they will be," he said.

In his decision, Friedman did not tell the Park Service how many bleachers were too many.

Instead, he asked: "How much, if any, of the Pennsylvania Avenue sidewalks can be reserved for the exclusive use of the government and its ticketed guests on Inauguration Day, and how much must be left open for any peaceful speaker or demonstrator to have access regardless of viewpoint or message?"

For this inauguration, Barna said, "about 17 percent of the route will be bleachers, and 83 percent will be open to the public."

Some of that room will be taken up by ANSWER, which plans to keep up its protest tradition. This time, the group will draw attention to foreclosures, Becker said.

"We're bringing the human face of people who are suffering but aren't being bailed out," he said. "People will be jubilant, but we also want to send a message on that first day: Justice first, people first."