CQ Politics' Web Picks

Politico: Palin Unloads on the Press

Gov. Sarah Palin believes Caroline Kennedy is getting softer press treatment in her pursuit of the New York Senate seat than Palin did as the GOP vice presidential nominee because of Kennedy's social class. She observed that Katie Couric and Tina Fey have been "capitalizing on" and "exploiting" her. The Alaska governor said that when she sees some of the coverage of her daughter Bristol especially "the momma grizzly rises up in me."

New York Times: NBC's Matthews Won't Run for Senate

Chris Matthews, the host of the MSNBC program "Hardball," told his staff on Wednesday night that he would not run for the Senate in 2010 from Pennsylvania.

Smoking Gun: Prosecutor Fitzgerald Screws Up

In a remarkable screw-up, a Department of Justice official accidentally distributed to the media a document containing the names of nearly 20 confidential witnesses interviewed during a federal probe targeting the operators of a fraudulent investment scheme.

Chicago Tribune: Lawmakers Weighing Impeachment Seem Low on Patience for Blagojevich

Angry lawmakers debating Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment blasted him Wednesday after the disclosure of a secret report revealing allegations of how his office aggressively pushed to skirt state hiring laws. The confidential report, disclosed by the Tribune during Blagojevich's 2006 re-election campaign, said Blagojevich's office sought to circumvent hiring laws for veterans, falsify hiring records, hire unqualified employees and boost vacation time and pay by faking the background and experience of workers. Zaldwaynaka Scott, then the inspector general, said the administration's hiring strategy "reflects not merely an ignorance of the law, but complete and utter contempt for the law."

Washington Post: Influential Advisers May Compete With Cabinet

President-elect Barack Obama is assembling a new and influential cadre of counselors just steps from the Oval Office whose power to direct domestic policy will rival, if not exceed, the authority of his Cabinet.

Knowledge at Wharton: Can Obama's Huge Infrastructure Program Really Work?

Anyone looking for an indication of how dramatically the American political landscape has changed since September 2008 should consider this: The proposal floated recently by President-elect Barack Obama to spend at least $675 billion over just two years to stimulate the moribund economy ­-- with the largest share of the money slated for infrastructure projects aimed at repairing crumbling roads, bridges, sewers and the like -- is drawing no serious political opposition, even from conservatives who not long ago would have railed against such a massive spending increase.

Wall Street Journal: Rove Says Media, Democrats Have Story Wrong

Mythmaking is in full swing as the Bush administration prepares to leave town. Among the more prominent is the assertion that the housing meltdown resulted from unbridled capitalism under a president opposed to all regulation, writes Karl Rove.

Talking Points Memo: Lawsuit Says This Whole Election Stinks -- And I Won

Deconstructing Norm Coleman's lawsuit in Minnesota, TPM concludes that the complaint ignores the existence of counter-evidence, employs one maneuver when it is self-benefiting and opposes the same maneuver when it goes against them, attacks not just the recount but votes that were counted for Franken all along, and overall throws everything against the wall to see what sticks.

New York Times: Hard Times Find Replica of White House for Sale

For the last seven years, almost as long as President Bush has been in Washington, Mr. Milani, an Iranian-American home developer, has lived in a scaled-down version of the presidential mansion in Atlanta. A private Xanadu for Mr. Milani, a headache for neighbors and a destination for camera-wielding gawkers, the 16,500-square-foot home has become a kooky symbol of this boom-boom city's ever-growing residential skyline. But now, like the current occupant of the real White House, Mr. Milani is planning to leave his home.

Salon: Top Doc Gupta

At the end of a long day seeing patients, when we should have been exhaused, one of my colleagues and I, both of us Indian, couldn't stop talking about the news that Sanjay Gupta appears to be President-Elect Obama's choice to be Surgeon General. Does being a high profile physician-journalist qualify you to be Surgeon General? Maybe. But Gupta has at least some political and policy experience--he served in the Clinton adminstration as a White House Fellow, working under Hillary during his tenure there.

C-Net: Obama's Choice is Recording Industry Darling

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama won applause from legal adversaries of the recording industry. Stanford law professor Larry Lessig, the doyen of the "free culture" movement, endorsed the Illinois senator, as did Google CEO Eric Schmidt and even the Pirate Party. That was then. As president-elect, one of Obama's first tech-related decisions has been to select the Recording Industry Association of America's favorite lawyer to be the third in command at the Justice Department. And Obama's pick as deputy attorney general, the second most senior position, is the lawyer who oversaw the defense of the Copyright Term Extension Act--the same law that Lessig and his allies unsuccessfully sued to overturn.

Washington Post: An Amazing Event Not to Be Here For

Amid dire predictions of vast crowds in the District and the less-than-enjoyable happenings that could go with such a throng, some area residents have decided they would rather be elsewhere Jan. 20. Perhaps Florida. Or New York. Or . . . "anywhere but here," as a Fairfax county woman put it.

Mother Jones: Bush Goes Out on a Green Note

Coral reefs worldwide are in peril. Marine species, protected by ineffective regulations, are being fished to extinction. Ocean pollution has our seas nearing cataclysm. Fortunately, there's one group that's doing something about it. The Bush Administration.

Washington Times: Donor in Richardson Probe Also Gave to Obama

The political donor at the center of a corruption investigation that scuttled Bill Richardson's Cabinet nomination gave $28,500 to President-elect Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in September, one month after the existence of the investigation was already public, records show.

National Review: Invest in Abortion

On the way out the door, President Bush has delivered a bailout of the domestic automotive industry, which under its current business practices could not possibly survive in a free market. President Obama, on the other hand, may see as his first task a bailout of the abortion industry.

Politico: Biden's Asia Trip Raises Concerns

Joe Biden has always had a flair for doing things differently - but his upcoming trip to South Asia may set a new standard. The vice president-elect will be traveling to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But he won't really be traveling as the vice president-elect - he'll be traveling as the chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Only he'll be resigning from the Senate in a few weeks. Even though he was sworn in Tuesday for his seventh term. Got that?

Wall Street Journal: Republicans See Template for Rebound in Fortuno

Republicans' focus on recovering after sharp blows in the past two elections has put a spotlight on an unlikely star: Puerto Rico's new governor, Luis Fortuno.

Wilmington News Journal: No, Joe, You Can't Go to the Show

Employees at the Regal Brandywine Cinemas say the vice president-elect and his wife, Jill, tried to attend the 7:45 showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" at the theater on Concord Pike but left after they were told the movie was sold out.

Wired: Britney, Obama Twitter Feeds Hijacked Following Phishing Attack

Official Twitter feeds belonging to Barack Obama's campaign, Fox News and Britney Spears were hijacked to send out fake messages on Monday, two days after a password-stealing phishing attack targeted the microblogging service. A fake message sent to followers of the Fox News Twitter feed announced that Fox host Bill O'Reilly "is gay," while a message from Britney Spears' feed made lewd comments about the singer. A tweet sent out from the Barack Obama account asked users to click on a link to take a survey about Obama and be eligible to win $500 in gasoline.

New Yorker: Correcting Caroline

Caroline Kennedy met with a couple of Times reporters recently and said "you know" a hundred and thirty-eight times. Speaking to the News, and on NY1, she broke two hundred. The effect, however, was not to suggest a shared world view but to recall what some commentators refer to as the "Roger Mudd moment"--a reference to the CBS correspondent who flummoxed Caroline's uncle, Ted Kennedy, in 1979, with questions about his desire to run for President:

Los Angeles Times: Obama's Election is Changing the Politics of Race

The Roland Burris episode has unexpectedly become the first example of how racial politics have changed with the election of Barack Obama to the White House. Many black leaders, including Obama, have declined to back Burris. Some view his appointment by Illinois' embattled governor as an odd playing of the race card. Others are renouncing the style of politics that highlights racial grievances and inequality, saying it can no longer work now that the nation has elected its first black president.

Mental Floss: Famous, Infamous and Ridiculous Executive Orders

Critics call them "legislation by other means." Supporters defend them as a necessary tool for leading the country - especially in the face of a Congress unwilling or unable to make tough choices. Whatever your position, the Executive Order has been used by presidents for good, for ill, and sometimes for just plain odd reasons.

Foreign Policy: Operation Back from the Brink

Two years ago, a controversial military manual rewrote U.S. strategy in Iraq. Now, the doctrine's simple, powerful--even radical--tenets must be applied to the far different and neglected conflict in Afghanistan. Plus, David Petraeus talks to FP about how to win a losing war.

National Review Online: Trillion Dollar Standard

The Obama team wants to keep its two-year stimulus plan (just) beneath a trillion dollars, sensing that 13 figures is the price point when the public might balk at the fiscal bacchanal. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill have dropped their madcap scheme to have the bill ready for Barack Obama's signature right after his inauguration, which would have required spending more than the entire Pentagon budget ($500 billion) in a matter of weeks.

The Nation: Is Kaine the Right Choice to Lead Party?

Howard Dean will soon be out as chairman of the Democratic Party and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine will soon be in. Here's a look at the pros and cons of that pick.

Chicago Tribune: Obama Makes Himself at Home in Presidential Role

Barack Obama insists America has only one president at a time. But for the next two weeks, this city shows all signs of hosting two -- working a mile apart along Pennsylvania Avenue.

New Yorker: Homelands

As President, Obama will have to address another dream of homeland--the unrealized dream of the Palestinians. In the West Bank, he will be dealing with a leadership that, while imperfect, supports the overdue justice of a two-state resolution. The same is true in Israel, at least with those politicians to the left of Benjamin Netanyahu. But in Gaza Obama will be dealing, directly or not, with political actors who, with Iranian support, seek ceaseless battle with Israel, and may even hope to destabilize Egypt.

Chicago Tribune: Obama's Silence on Gaza bombings is Galling to Arabs

President-elect Barack Obama's silence on the offensive in Gaza is drawing criticism among Arabs who have grown skeptical about hopes that his administration will break with the Mideast policies of the Bush era. "If he does not want to talk politics yet, at least he could address the humanitarian suffering taking place," said Jordanian analyst Labib Kamhawi. "He did not even send one signal to the people of this region that he is not happy with what is happening."

New York Times: Emotional Trip on Plane Bound for the Presidency

A sentimental Barack Obama locked up his Chicago home and arrived here on Sunday night to await his inauguration on Jan. 20, flying for the first time as president-elect on one of the Air Force planes used to ferry presidents and top government officials.

Politico: Obama Team Pressed Richardson, Got Nothing

Some Democrats are questioning Obama's vetting process --- and asking whether Obama's team went far enough in pushing the New Mexico governor for information in face of the federal grand jury probe that has been public since August.

Daily Beast: Al Franken Is a Big Fat Target

Comedian Al Franken is on the verge of claiming Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat from Norm Coleman after weeks of legal wrangling. With the usual hapless Democrats failing to generate much outrage, Franken is in line for an even more prestigious honor: the right wing's favorite punching bag. "It's similar to Joe Biden--we hope that Al Franken is the gift that keeps on giving, " says Republican strategist Brad Blakeman.

Slate: Yes, the Senate Can Reject Burris

A simple majority of the Senate would suffice to exclude Burris. Majority rule is the general default principle established by the Constitution, except where text, structure, or tradition indicates otherwise. When the Senate tries to expel a member who has already been seated, the rule is two-thirds (as it is when the Senate sits as an impeachment court). But the framers clearly understood that majority rule would apply when the Senate was judging the accuracy and fairness of elections or appointments.

Bloomberg News: Engines of Recovery Flame Out as Economy Seeks Obama-Fed Rescue

The engines that have lifted the U.S. economy out of every recession since World War II will be of little help this time around. Inventory rebuilding, household spending, home construction and payroll growth -- the forces that powered, to a greater or lesser extent, each recovery since 1945 -- may remain missing for much of 2009. A glut of unsold properties may keep housing depressed, while shriveled savings will discourage consumers. Companies may be reluctant to restock and rehire while their profits are squeezed.

Chicago Sun-Times: Reid Pressured Blagojevich Not to appoint Jackson Jr.

Days before Gov. Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid made it clear who he didn't want in the post: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis or Emil Jones. Rather, Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Washington Post: Officials Brace for the Inaugurationn

Security officials are bracing not just for the ceremony and parade Jan. 20 but also for at least 70 concerts, balls and other events surrounding the inauguration. Those include the welcome celebration featuring Obama on Jan. 18 at the Lincoln Memorial, which could draw 500,000 people, according to the D.C. mayor's office.

Daily Beast: Inaugural Hell

Message to you out-of-towners heading to Washington, D.C. for your first presidential inauguration: You will be miserable.

Los Angeles Times: Why Obama's Green Jobs Plan Might Work

Skeptics fear that the president-elect's Green New Deal will do little but waste taxpayers' money. But some states -- including Michigan -- already see renewable energy as their future: It's the only sector that appears to be making room for more employees despite the recession.

Boston Globe: Graying of the Presidents

Presidents of the United States, it seems, age right before our eyes. Their faces, creased and drawn, are road maps of wars and natural disasters and economic calamity. Tufts of gray hair bear testament to a job framed by unremitting pressure and unrelenting criticism. Some researchers believe Oval Office stress accelerates aging process. Watch them age.

New York Times: Developer Helped by Sen. Clinton Gives to President Clinton's Foundation

An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton's foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman's mall project.

Fox News: Next Federal Bailout May Go to States

Governors from Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio are seeking funds to deal with unprecedented state budget shortfalls in 41 states and Washington, D.C.

London Times: Jimmy Carter's Charity Homes In Los Angeles Start to Crumble

A model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, is falling apart. Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day "blitz" organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity. Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

Cox News Service: Historians Hope Obama will Undo Records Order

Historians and open-records advocates are counting on President-elect Barack Obama to undo a 2001 executive order by President George W. Bush giving ex-presidents and their heirs unprecedented control over the release of White House records.

New York Times: In Obama's Team, Two Camps on Climate

As Mr. Obama seeks to find the right balance between his environmental goals and his plans to revive the economy, he may have to resolve conflicting views among some of his top advisers.

Wall Street Journal: If Roland Burris isn't fit for the Senate, how is Chris Dodd?

Nowhere in the Constitution is there a "qualification" saying that a Senator must not have been appointed by an embarrassing Illinois Governor.

Daily Beast: When Is It Sexism? In Sarah Palin's case, it was (sorta). In Caroline Kennedy's case, it isn't. Here's the difference.

Salon: Will Obama End the War on Civil Liberties?

The most intensely fought civil liberties battle of 2008 -- the one waged over FISA and telecom immunity -- ended the way most similar battles of the last eight years have: with total defeat for civil libertarians. The good news is that it's clear what the Obama administration must do to end the decade-long war on the Constitution.

Boston Globe: For Inaugural Zeal, LBJ '65 May Be the Precedent

The 1.2 million spectators who mobbed Lyndon Johnson's inauguration - still a record - are remembered today as little more than a trivia question. But as Barack Obama prepares to be sworn in Jan. 20 on Abraham Lincoln's Bible to inherit Franklin D. Roosevelt's economy, the 1965 event has begun to look like its own precedent: The only inaugural to compare to this one for sheer enthusiasm and participation by often-disaffected citizens. Then, as now, triumphant Democrats - especially African-Americans who played crucial roles in both sweeping victories - came to Washington both to welcome a new president and to enshrine a new coalition.

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Phyllis Schlafly Endorses Ken Blackwell for RNC Chairman

Former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's bid for Republican National Committee chairman was endorsed this morning by longtime conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.

Washington Times: Obama Faces Mexican Drug War

Add another pressing challenge to President-elect Barack Obama's growing to-do list - tamping down a dramatic rise in violence and corruption that has overwhelmed the U.S.-Mexico border and spread an escalating turf fight between warring drug cartels into the United States.

Daily Beast: The Biggest Political Gaffes in 2008

The most media-saturated election in history amplified every campaign trail blooper- and there were plenty. Surprisingly, only some of them involved Joe Biden. From Sarah Palin's stumbles to John McCain's loss for words, here are six videos of our favorite political gaffes of the year.

The New Republic: Bigoted Past of Ron Paul

Newsletters reveal decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays. In short, they suggest that Ron Paul is not the plain-speaking antiwar activist his supporters believe they are backing--but rather a member in good standing of some of the oldest and ugliest traditions in American politics.

Salon: The Year the Economy Crumbled

Of all the economic earthquakes that racked the global economy in 2008, one temblor ranks supreme. Alan Greenspan's declaration to Congress on Oct. 23: "I made a mistake." In those four words can be heard the crumbling of at least three decades of ideological dominance. After all the carnage on Wall Street in 2008, the conclusion, even to Greenspan, was inescapable: High finance's best and brightest had proved incapable of understanding their own business.

Washington Post: Two Advisers Reflect on Eight Years With Bush

Few officials have had a closer view of the Bush presidency over the past eight years than Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten (l) and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley (r), who are among the handful of senior staffers who entered the White House with Bush in 2001 and will exit with him Jan. 20.Last week, in lengthy interviews in the spacious chief of staff's office in the West Wing, Bolten and Hadley reflected on their White House years. They voiced frustration over their inability to improve Bush's popularity but also rebutted what they consider common misconceptions of the George W. Bush era.

Washington Times: Banking on Obama

Apart from allowing the city's saloons to serve booze until 5 a.m. inaugural week, city fathers in Washington, D.C. have just designated "more than 700 sites" near the inaugural parade route as "Special Inaugural Vending Zones." The sites will be distributed through three lotteries, with winners to be announced Tuesday. As for the non-winners who wanted to cash in on the unprecedented masses expected for Inauguration Day, the D.C. government will establish "more than 1,000 overflow vending locations" near the city's major transportation hubs.

Christian Science Monitor: Was Economy Worse in Battleground Sates?

It shouldn't be assumed that because a particular location was hit hard by economic calamity, there would be a massive political shift toward the party out of power. Moreover, even if locales experienced only a modest downturn, there could still be a substantial change in political support.

Wall Street Journal: Treasury to Ford -- Drop Dead

When the Bush Treasury decided to bail out Detroit, GM and Chrysler quickly said yes to the taxpayer cash, but Ford Motor Co. said it didn't need the money and declined. Ford's reward for this show of self-reliance? Treasury is now helping GM again by giving it a credit pricing advantage against Ford in the marketplace.

Stateline.org: New Laws Target Driving, Crime, Politicians

When the clock struck12 on New Year's Day, a variety of new laws across the country took effect, including some that warrant immediate notice. For example, if you were text-messaging while driving in California at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, you better have hit the send button fast. Or if you were in an Oregon bar enjoying a smoke, we hope you snuffed it out in a hurry.

Chicago Sun Times: Burris Says he's Going to D.C.

Roland Burris is planning on traveling to Washington, D.C., for next week's swearing-in ceremony for incoming U.S. senators. Burris, the surprise Senate appointee by embattled Gov. Blagojevich, said he hasn't had time to think about details big and small like a new staff or U.S. Capitol office decor.

New York Post: Bam Stirs Fear in Israel

As world leaders and international organizations rush to rescue Hamas, Israel faces complex bat tlefield challenges -- while fearing a stab in the back from the incoming Obama administration.

Associated Press: Bill, Mario Touted for Senate

Sen. Bill Clinton? Sen. Mario Cuomo? Don't completely rule it out. The former president and the former New York governor are among several boldface names being touted as possible "caretakers" for New York's Senate seat -- people who would serve until the 2010 elections but wouldn't be interested in running to keep the job.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Plans to Campaign for Stimulus Package

President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to lead a full-scale marketing blitz to pass the massive new stimulus package that he says is needed to revive the slumping economy and put the nation on the course he laid out during his campaign.

The Nation: Most Valuable Progressives of 2008

Progressives had more to celebrate in 2008 than in any year since the Supreme Court got into the business of stealing elections. The jubilant mood is dampened, of course, by the fact of a country is stuck in two military quagmires, ravaged by the most fearsome economic downturn in at least a half century and suffering from a serious case of Constitutional degeneration. Perhaps we have not yet reached an ideal champagne moment. But there is still good reason to toast the year's MVPs - Most Valuable Progressives.

Anchorage Daily News: Palin Says Grandson's Father Has Job, Takes Correspondence Classes

Gov. Sarah Palin spent part of Wednesday countering what she considers inaccurate descriptions of how much education her daughter's fiance has, an effort culminating at the end of the day with her first public statement about her new grandson.

Wall Street Journal: Wall Street's Collapse, Told in Rhymes

This year, things fell apart. Mere anarchy was loosed upon the world of investment banks, markets, homeowners and workers. And people wrote a lot of derivative poems about it.

Virginia Lawyers Weekly: D.C. Lobbyist Sues Times over McCain Affair Story

Lawyers for Washington lobbyist Vicki L. Iseman have filed a $27 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times for a February article about Iseman and her relationship with Sen. John McCain. The suit, filed Dec. 30 in U.S. District Court in Richmond, also names as defendants the executive editor of the Times, its Washington bureau chief and four reporters who wrote the story. The suit alleges the article falsely communicated that Iseman and McCain had an illicit "romantic" relationship in 1999 when he was chair of the Senate Commerce Committee and she was a lobbyist representing clients before Congress.

New York Post: Bloomberg Takes 'Um'brage at Caroline's Critics

New York City Mayor Bloomberg yesterday defended Caroline Kennedy from attacks over recent interviews in which she punctuated her remarks with a stream of "ums" and "you knows." "Caroline Kennedy isn't just your average person, so people may be a little more critical," said Bloomberg, who has repeatedly praised Kennedy since she threw her name into the hat to replace Hillary Rodham, Clinton in the Senate.

Daily Beast: How the Palin Family Chooses Those Names

Much fun has been made of the Palin baby names: The Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator spits out choices like Wrench, Camp, and Trout. But though the world isn't likely to rush to name their sons Track or Trig or Tripp, the truth is, the Palins are world-class name deciders on the order of Angelina and Brad, who've set similar family traditions with their sons' x-ending names and their secret nods to significant people and places.

Huffington Post: Powell Aide Calls Bush 'Sarah Palin-Like President'

In its "Oral History of the Bush White House," Vanity Fair hears from Lawrence Wilkerson. The former top aide to Colin Powell compares our current president to none other than Sarah Palin.

News 8 Austin: Quiet Crawford

Soon, Bush will leave the Oval Office and so might the business and traffic in Crawford, Texas. "Some of the gift shops are closing down now due to lack of business," said resident Marilyn Judy.

Washington Times: Suit Challenges National Park Gun Rule

Making good on a promise to fight what it called "the Bush administration's parting gift for the gun lobby," an anti-gun group filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to overturn new regulations that allow people to carry concealed weapons in virtually every national park and wildlife refuge

Daily Beast: Hillary's Gaza Problem

There is a real danger that the Mideast peace process, already in a coma in the last days of George W. Bush's presidency, could be killed off by renewed violence.

National Review: Bush Loyalty Test

The people who have worked with George W. Bush in the White House for many of these past eight years have seen a different man from the one reflected in so much negative press coverage. And as they prepare to leave on January 20, their feelings for him are, if anything, stronger than when they arrived.

New York Times: Blagojevich Prosecutors Seek Ruling on Tapes

Federal prosecutors who recorded the telephone conversations of Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich as part of a criminal investigation are asking a judge whether they may turn over four recordings to state lawmakers who are conducting an impeachment inquiry against him.

Politico: 'Magic Negro' Flap Might Help Saltsman

The controversy surrounding a comedy CD distributed by Republican National Committee chair candidate Chip Saltsman has not torpedoed his bid and might have inadvertently helped it.

People Magazine: Bristol Palin Welcomes a Son

Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth on Saturday to a healthy 7 lb., 7 oz., baby boy in Palmer, Alaska. "We think it's wonderful," said Colleen Jones, the sister of Bristol's grandmother Sally Heath, who confirmed the news. "The baby is fine and Bristol is doing well. Everyone is excited." The baby's name is Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston and he was born at 5:30 a.m., according to Jones.

Wall Street Journal: New Jersey the Perfect Bad Example

When Barack Obama makes his New Year's resolutions, at the top of his list ought to be the following: "I will not allow America to become New Jersey." Think of it as our gift to the nation. Other states offer promising experiments in areas such as Medicaid, taxes, education and regulatory reform. In contrast, the People's Republic of New Jersey offers America something truly unique: the perfect bad example, writes columnist William McGurn.