It’s true, President Bush sounded alarms about Barack Obama during the campaign season. On Tuesday, Mr. Bush went one step further: He declared Mr. Obama’s inauguration an actual emergency.

The declaration, though, was not a political statement about Republicans being run out of town. Rather, it was a bureaucratic move intended to provide additional federal money to help the District of Columbia cope with the massive crowds that are expected to turn out for the swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20 that will make Mr. Obama the nation’s first black president.

The government has already set aside $15 million to help the District pay for security and medical personnel. But the District’s mayor, Adrian M. Fenty, asked for more money on January 7, citing possible crowds of 1.5 million to 2 million and “the associated stresses that would place on the city’s capabilities, particularly the medical community,” said Scott Stanzel, a spokesman for Mr. Bush.

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