CQ Politics' Web Picks

New York Times: Kennedy Brand Leaves Cuomo Feeling Stymied

When it became clear that the Senate seat held by Hillary Rodham Clinton would become open, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo restrained himself from overt campaigning and retreated to the background. That left the stage to Ms. Kennedy, who has marched out front and become the candidate everyone is talking about. That, friends say, has left Mr. Cuomo feeling outfoxed and frustrated.

Washington Post: Blair Is Steeped in the Ways Intelligence Works

Secret agendas have never been "Denny" Blair's style. The reserved former four-star admiral, who is widely understood to be President-elect Barack Obama's choice as director of national intelligence, is well known in Washington as an intellectual who values straightforwardness and has mastered the byzantine interagency process during his various government stints.

Daily Beast: Saddam and the Shoe-Thrower

Reports in the Arab media indicate that the Iraqi shoe thrower, Muntather al-Zaidi may have been planning his assault on President Bush for more than a year, helped by Iraqi Baathists seeking to overthrow the U.S,-backed government. One leading Arab website said the al-Zaidi's handlers may have been funded by Raghad, the eldest daughter of former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Slate: Magical History Tour

As his second term wanes, Bush is getting in touch with his inner president. At an event Thursday hosted by the American Enterprise Institute, Bush promised to "share some thoughts about the presidency--you could call it 'reflections by a guy who's headed out of town.' " He has also revisited the ups and downs of his own presidency this month in interviews with ABC and CNN and in speeches at the U.S. Army War College, Texas A&M, and West Point. If journalism is the first rough draft of history, Bush is marking it up with a big red pen.

Weekly Standard: A President-Elect's Progress - From Rev. Wright to Rev. Warren

Until last week, the most important and most famous man of the cloth with whom Barack Obama was associated was the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, his longtime pastor from Chicago's South Side. Today, that distinction belongs to the Reverend Rick Warren, best-selling evangelical author (The Purpose Driven Life) and pastor of Saddleback Church, thanks to Obama's inviting him to deliver the invocation at the Inauguration. Talk about growing in office! Obama's growing even before he assumes office.