CQ Politics' Web Picks

Chicago Tribune: Obama Sworn in, Blagojevich Fingerprinted

On a day when President Barack Obama raised his hand to take the oath of office, Gov. Rod Blagojevich was back at the federal courthouse putting his hand down for another set of fingerprints.

Washington Post: All Hail the Leader of the Fashionable World

Few first ladies have caused as much breathless anticipation for their Inauguration Day wardrobes as Michelle Obama. But soon after she stepped onto the national stage as the candidate's wife, Obama was elevated to a fashion star whose tastes ran from high-end designers to mass marketer H&M. She had the impressive height of a runway model, the figure of a real woman -- a size 12 according to one fashion publicist -- and took an admitted delight in looking "pretty."

New York Times: Radical in the White House

Columnist Thomas L. Friedman writes: I hope Obama really has been palling around all these years with that old Chicago radical Bill Ayers. I hope Obama really is a closet radical. Not radical left or right, just a radical, because this is a radical moment. It is a moment for radical departures from business as usual in so many areas. We can't thrive as a country any longer by coasting on our reputation, by postponing solutions to every big problem that might involve some pain and by telling ourselves that dramatic new initiatives -- like a gasoline tax, national health care or banking reform -- are too hard or "off the table." So my most fervent hope about President Obama is that he will be as radical as this moment -- that he will put everything on the table.

National Review: What Obama Brings to Conservatives

Opponents of racial quotas and other champions of colorblindness on the right should be popping champagne nearly as much as racial liberals are. Yes, yes, Obama's a passionate defender of affirmative action and the like, but the symbolism of his presidency cannot be contained within narrow liberal agendas.

ABC News blog: Carter Appears to Snub Clinton

Former Democratic President Jimmy Carter appeared to greet former Republican President George H.W. Bush and his wife warmly, kissing Barbara Bush on the cheek. But as Carter passed fellow Democrats Bill and Hillary Clinton, the two men did not appear to acknowledge each others presence at all.

Waco Tribune: Advice for Obama from Bush Country

After a grueling, hard-fought campaign, you and your supporters won the right to celebrate last night. We just hope you were at the office all the earlier this morning.

Jerusalem Post: Iran Renews Efforts to Supply Hamas

Iran has renewed efforts to supply advanced weaponry to Hamas and according to the latest intelligence assessments, Iran, which was responsible for writing Hamas's military doctrine, has already launched an internal probe to determine how the plan it had created for Hamas failed to cause more casualties.

Financial Times: Lloyds and Barclays Suffer Further Losses

European banking stocks continue to slide.