CQ Politics' Web Picks

New York Times: Bush Prepares Crisis Briefings to Aid Obama

The White House has prepared more than a dozen contingency plans to help guide President-elect Barack Obama if an international crisis erupts in the opening days of his administration, part of an elaborate operation devised to smooth the first transition of power since Sept. 11, 2001.

ABC News: Cheney's Exit Interview

The vice president was unapologetic in his defense of the Bush administration's anti-terror policies, including the use of waterboarding, and said the prison at Guantanamo Bay should remain open as long as there's a war on terror. Cheney said waterboarding was an appropriate means of getting information from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Here's the video.

Slate: Lawyers Aren't Special

Why it's legitimate to investigate the Bush lawyers who may have approved war crimes.

National Review: Could the Blago Scandal Ensnare Team Obama? You Betcha.

The probe is being conducted by U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the man who prosecuted one of the most intensely investigated and politically charged perjury-and-false-statements cases in the Plame affair, no one was charged with any underlying crime, yet several Bush administration officials went through repeated sessions before a grand jury, plus interviews with investigators. You don't think the Blagojevich matter could cause trouble for Obama? Then you haven't looked closely enough at the Plame affair.

Wall Street Journal: Bush-Era Abortion Rules Face Possible Reversal

There are a swath of abortion and other reproductive-health issues under review by the Obama team, which is preparing to reverse a variety of Bush measures, according to officials close to the transition. The review is part of a sweeping scrutiny of Bush-era legislation and regulation on issues across the federal government, from environmental and labor rules to defense spending.