Washington Post: GOP Looks to Jindal

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is, above all else, a political meteor, sharing Obama's precocious skills for reaching the firmament in a hurry. It was just four years ago, after losing a gubernatorial election, that he won election to Congress, and only this year that he became Louisiana's governor, the first nonwhite to hold the office since Reconstruction. And now, 10 months into his first term, the talk of a presidential bid is getting louder among his boosters.

New York Times: Never Let Them See You Sweat

The economy jolts and stumbles, wars slog on in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the horrors of a new terrorist attack blanket the news. Perhaps it is no coincidence, then, that to lead us in crisis, Americans elected a man repeatedly recognized for his uncommon calmness. We even elevate such equilibrium to the superhuman: calm, as applied to No Drama Obama, often comes linked to the modifier "preternatural."

Salon: In Barack We Trust?

Judging by the proliferation of capital letters in the e-mail correspondence I receive, many seem worried that Barack Obama may not deliver the promised "change we can believe in." First, I counsel not fretting too much yet. Second, I tell e-mailers they are right to be somewhat distressed, right to ignore Obama loyalists who want them to shut up, and right to speak out. Finally, I ask my pen pals if they really are shocked.

American Conservative: Planet Obama

Like it or not, the election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States has done an immense amount to restore American prestige in the world. Not since the destruction of the Twin Towers has there been dancing in the streets anywhere on the planet to celebrate events in America. It is to be hoped, of course, that it is not the same people doing the dancing.

Newsweek: Wanted - A New Grand Global Strategy

We must hope that as president, Obama does more than select a good team, delegate well and react intelligently to the problems that he will confront. He must have his administration build a broader framework through which to view the world and America's relations with it-- a grand strategy. At this moment, the United States has a unique opportunity to push forward a vision that aligns its interests and ideals. But it is a fleeting opportunity.

Los Angeles Times: Obama's Strong-Willed National Security Team

President-elect Barack Obama says he wants to lead an administration where strong-willed senior officials are ready to argue forcefully for differing points of view. It appears that in two months, he'll get his wish, and then some. Obama's new national security team is led by three veteran officials who have differed with each other -- and with the president-elect -- on the full menu of security issues.

Salon: In Barack We Trust?

Judging by the proliferation of capital letters in the e-mail correspondence I receive, many seem worried that Barack Obama may not deliver the promised "change we can believe in." First, I counsel not fretting too much yet. Second, I tell e-mailers they are right to be somewhat distressed, right to ignore Obama loyalists who want them to shut up, and right to speak out. Finally, I ask my pen pals if they really are shocked.

Chicago Tribune: Scenes from Obamas' Love Story

The Obamas' unabashed affection for each other suggests they could become the one of the most engaging sets of lovebirds in White House history. Though the home has known many deeply committed couples (as well as some infamously uncommitted), few were as young, attractive or willing to put their passion on public display.

Boston Globe: For Obama, A Chance to Push Big Changes

Amid the almost surreal numbers that describe the nation's financial crisis, President-elect Barack Obama and his incoming team are positioned to take advantage of a changed political environment and push for programs and reforms that only a few months ago might have been unimaginable.

The Daily Beast: How Scientists Thwarted Bush On Stem Cell Research

The president did everything he could to stop embryonic stem cell research, but the states, the universities, and the global scientific community worked tirelessly to render Bush's prohibitions all but moot.

New York Times: National Security Pick - From a Marine to a Mediator

A 6-foot-5 Marine Corps commandant with the looks of John Wayne, General Jones is not given to talking about his political bent, be it Republican or Democrat. And yet, he is Mr. Obama's choice for national security adviser, a job that will make him the main foreign policy sounding board and sage to a president with relatively little foreign policy experience.

Wall Street Journal: Hillary of State

One rule of employee relations? Never hire someone you can't afford to fire. Barack Obama's offer to let Hillary Clinton be secretary of state has already been marked down as a brilliant co-option of his former rival. But nothing comes for free, and the question is just how big a price Mr. Obama will pay in the end.

Los Angeles Times: Liberal Groups See Welcome Mat in Washington

For years, progressive groups and their causes have been in the political wilderness. Now, with Barack Obama preparing to take the White House and Democrats tightening their hold on Congress, the party's liberal constituencies can see their way to a promised land.

Daily Beast: Grandma-in-Chief

Marian Robinson, Michelle Obama's 71-year-old mother, is moving to Washington to help make the transition smoother for her grandchildren. The timing seems right for an iconic American family that depends on a granny rather than a nanny. In the last few years of exhaustion and economic downturn, there has been a shift away from thinking that floors will mop themselves or that moms can really effortlessly whip up 30-minute gourmet meals after a long day at the office.

Harrisburg Patriot -News: 'Hardball' Host Still Testing Waters for 2010 Senate Run

Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC's "Hardball," isn't ready to say he's running for the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, but he continues to talk with top Democrats about the possibility.

Chicago Tribune: Some See God's Will in Obama Win

The mere fact that he won the presidency against the odds has caused some Christians, particularly African-Americans, to see the hand of God in his victory after so many years of struggle. The civil rights movement, born in the churches, was disrupted with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. Many have found a spiritual cause in Obama. In their view, he is a unifying figure who will further King's dream by uniting the world and restoring economic security during a time of financial distress.

New Republic: Barack H.W. Obama

In electing Barack Obama, the country traded the foreign policy of the second President Bush for the foreign policy of the first President Bush.

Weekly Standard: The Obama Jolt - Is He a Secret Centrist?

It's not that Obama, despite his unswervingly liberal record in the Senate, turns out to be a pragmatist. The point is he's pragmatic (so far) in one direction-rightward. Who knew?

New York Times: Got a Room? Inauguration Is a Windfall

It's the capital's newest parlor game, literally: How much is your parlor worth? More precisely, how much is it worth to someone who is coming to town for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in January and needs a place to stay?

Washington Post: Obama Memorabilia, Keeping Sales Aloft

In most election years, the candidate T-shirt and button market pretty much disappears after the ballots are counted. Not this time. Our next president has become a living, breathing stimulus package for a modest-size group of entrepreneurs who are slapping Obama's image on any surface it'll stick to.

Daily Beast: Irrational Obama Exuberance

This Camelot moment won't last . There will be mistakes, scandals, and missteps. But if you're feeling a dash of irrational exuberance you're not alone--and there are in fact real reasons to feel renewed optimism about the USA at the dawn of the age of Obama.

Los Angeles Times: Multiracial Families See Barack Obama as 'Other' Like Them

Some consider the president-elect's rise as a form of vindication in a society that hasn't always been kind to those who aren't easily defined by race.

Wall Street Journal: Deteriorating Economy Adds to Urgency for Obama

The accelerating U.S. downturn is increasing pressure on the coming administration to launch a massive effort aimed at containing the damage.

NPR: For Obama, Tight Deadline on Climate Change

The problems Obama will inherit are huge. Scientists say the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions rapidly over the coming decades. That means shifting from cheap energy like coal to cleaner, but more expensive, alternatives. And nations around the world must act together.

National Review: Thanksgiving, 1777

The first national Thanksgiving was observed by Congressional decree on December 18, 1777. But this celebration was not tied to the tradition of the Pilgrims at Plymouth; it arose from the politics of the American Revolution, and in particular was the result of congressional intrigue against General George Washington.

New York Times: Common Ground for Defense Chief and Obama

While Mr. Obama campaigned on a promise to withdraw all American combat brigades from Iraq within 16 months, or by May 2010, Mr. Gates has spent his time at the Pentagon arguing a Bush administration position that has opposed setting strict timetables for withdrawal. While that statement would appear to set Mr. Gates on a collision course with the president-elect, there have also been signs of a possible emerging consensus.

Slate: Keeping Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense is a Great Idea

It's a good bet that President Barack Obama will be more receptive to Gates' agenda than President George W. Bush ever was. First, Obama is open to new ideas generally. Second, at his Nov. 25 press conference, Obama said he would direct his new budget director to go over every program, every line item, with an eye toward eliminating those that don't work or aren't needed--and he pointedly included the Department of Defense among the agencies to be audited.

Daily Beast: Will Karl Rove Get a Pardon?

One of the hottest topics in Washington these days is whether Karl Rove will get a pardon. At present, Rove, who withstood five grand jury appearances in the case concerning the illegal outing of covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, has not been charged with a crime. But he has been linked to the case involving Justice Department firings of U.S. Attorneys which is still under investigation. He also could face legal exposure on a number of other incidents.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Has a Headstart in Working with Congress

The president-elect's team expands on already close ties to gather facts and seek support for his agenda -- a stark contrast to the approaches of his Democratic predecessors. That effort could produce a remarkable result: Democrats may try to pass an economic stimulus bill before Obama takes office Jan. 20, and have it on his desk to sign immediately.

Newsweek: The Turf Wars Ahead

Turf wars at high levels are an almost inevitable consequence of crisis management in Washington. And there is reason to think that Lawrence Summers--passed over for the Treasury secretary job he had wanted to reclaim in favor of his onetime subordinate, Timothy Geithner--is not going to be shy about seeking to dominate the new administration's economic policy, including the Treasury Department.

Stateline.org: States Ask Feds for Health Care Help

As the economy worsens, states are seeing boosts in enrollment in Medicaid and SCHIP while they struggle with their own fiscal problems. They're asking for relief from the federal government to prevent cutting benefits and people from these programs.

Daily Beast: Five Ways Obama Has Already Changed Washington

In a few short weeks, he has ended the score settling tradition, eased Congress' inferiority complex--and made Stephen Colbert welcome again.

Salon: Is Obama President Yet?

At this point in the Bush era, the number of people who wish Obama could simply take over already -- even suggesting, in the paper of record, that Bush just up and quit -- is growing faster than the number of Fortune 500 companies applying for federal bailouts.

Weekly Standard: Obama's Debt of Gratitude to George Bush

As the transition progresses and Barack Obama's inauguration draws closer, it's a good moment to mull the gifts George W. Bush has left for the incoming president. Bush has made the world a better place, and if Obama wants to do the same, he will take the good things Bush has done and move forward with them.

Foreign Policy: Decoding al Qaeda's Attack on Obama

Last week, al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, released a provocative video commenting on the election of Barack Obama. "You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims." To decode Zawahiri's words, Foreign Policy's Blake Hounshell spoke with French scholar Gilles Kepel, chair of Middle East studies at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris.

Slate: Put a Sock in It, Uncle Fred

It happens every year, and this Thanksgiving will be no exception. Someone in the family will start talking politics. If you can't shake free of a political debate, you may find yourself embracing Loudon Wainwright's Thanksgiving prayer: "If I argue with a loved one, Lord, please make me the winner."

Mental Floss: Why Do the Lions and Cowboys Always Play on Thanksgiving?

You hear the same phrases every Thanksgiving. "Please pass the gravy." "Actually, can I have the gravy again? I missed a spot." And "Ugh, why do we have to watch the Lions play again this year?" And what about the other Thanksgiving NFL stalwart, the Dallas Cowboys?

New York Times: For Lobbyists, No Downturn, Just a Turnover

After eight years of the so-called K Street Project -- the effort by Republican lawmakers and operatives to pressure companies, trade associations and lobbying firms to hire their fellow Republicans -- the tasseled loafer is on the other foot. Companies and interest groups are competing to snap up Democrats. And scarcity has added to their value because so many well-connected Democrats are angling for jobs in the Obama administration and recently passed Congressional ethics rules restrict the ability of departing Congressional staff members to lobby as well.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Assigns Centrists to Make Radical Moves

The economic team that President-elect Barack Obama unveiled Monday comprises widely respected, centrist economists who until recently advocated cautious, sensible-shoe policies. But the assignment that Obama has given them is anything but cautious and sensible-shoe. "These are not moderate, centrist times, so economists who in normal times are moderate and centrist aren't going to act that way now," said J. Bradford DeLong, a UC Berkeley economic historian.

Washington Post: In Any Guise, Podesta a Smooth Master of the Transition Game

To fully understand how John Podesta is managing the complex Democratic takeover of the federal government, you have to be familiar with Skippy, the evil twin. Anyone who has worked for Podesta in the past decade knows Skippy, who first appeared during Podesta's eventful years as chief of staff in the Clinton White House. As scandal rocked the end of that presidency, staffers knew they had better come prepared to meetings. Otherwise, nurturing mentor John would be replaced by Skippy -- Podesta's quick-tempered, edgy and sarcastic alter ego.

Slate: Serving the Clintonian Interest

The last thing we need is a Clinton in charge of foreign policy.

National Review: Obama's New Clinton Administration

Barack Obama has succeeded where Hillary Clinton failed. She hoped to win a third Clinton term, but it is her vanquisher who is reconstituting the Clinton administration.

The Nation: Past and Future

William Greider writes: "A year ago, when Barack Obama said it was time to turn the page, his campaign declaration seemed to promise a fresh start for Washington. I, for one, failed to foresee Obama would turn the page backward. The president-elect's lineup for key governing positions has opted for continuity, not change. Virtually all of his leading appointments are restoring the Clinton presidency, only without Mr. Bill.

Wall Street Journal: Obama's Promise on Stem Cells Doesn't Ensure New War on Disease

Some 37 years ago, President Richard Nixon launched a massive, government-led crusade against cancer. Many U.S. scientists are hoping Barack Obama's new administration will similarly jump-start the nascent but controversial field of human-embryo research to develop treatments for deadly diseases.

Stateline.org: States Eye Their Share of the Federal Bailout

With President-elect Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress pledging quick action on a proposed multi-billion dollar fiscal package to boost the U.S. economy, states are banking they will get a cut of any federal rescue plan to help rebuild roads and bridges and cover growing health care costs as more people lose their jobs and private health insurance.

Washington Post: Much to His Chagrin, ‘Plain Old Barack Is Gone’

Obama’s home in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood has become a compound guarded ever more closely by bomb-sniffing dogs and Secret Service agents who peer through binoculars at neighboring rooftops. When he travels around the city, it is in an armored limousine and 20-car motorcade, so he has mainly stayed bunkered at home or a downtown transition office. Last week, Obama told one friend that he felt “a little boxed in.”

New York Times: An Old Hometown Mentor, Still at Obama’s Side

If someone were to rank the long list of people who helped Barack and Michelle Obama get where they are today, Ms. Jarrett would be close to the top. Nearly two decades ago, Valerie Jarrett swept the young lawyers under her wing, introduced them to a wealthier and better-connected Chicago than their own, and eventually secured contacts and money essential to Mr. Obama’s long-shot Senate victory.

Daily Beast: Obama Gives Wall Street the Cold Shoulder

By tapping Geithner and Summers to drive economic policy, Obama breaks a long chain of Wall Street bankers running government. This surely drives home the point that one of Obama’s definitions of change is to not allow Wall Street its traditional role in running things.

Wall Street Journal: Duo Has Proved More Pragmatic Than Ideological

President-elect Barack Obama, in choosing Timothy Geithner and Lawrence Summers to lead his economic team, is betting on a student-and-mentor pair who forged a partnership while battling the world’s last serious financial crisis when collapse of the Thai currency roiled Asian markets. The records of Messrs. Geithner and Summers suggest views more pragmatic than ideological, on a range of issues that they will likely confront after Mr. Obama takes office in January.

Stateline.org: Depressed Economy Wallops States

Staggered by turbulent financial markets and anxious about a rapidly slumping economy, many state governments are slashing their budgets, frantically trying to stay afloat.

Slate: Why Obama Should Keep his BlackBerry

Now, you’re preparing to enter the White House, and your BlackBerry is about to be ripped from your clutches because of privacy and security concerns. Savor the irony: You captured the Oval Office by making technological history, only to find that you’re now required to govern like in the 19th century. Echoes of Lincoln, indeed.

New Yorker: What Mike Huckabee Thought of the Elections

Lately he has been morphing from nice guy to Party meanie. In “Do the Right Thing,” he takes a poke at Mitt Romney. Neither was he quite so unperturbed by the Palin pick: “I was scratching my head, saying, ‘Hey, wait a minute. She’s wonderful, but the only difference was she looks better in stilettos than I do, and she has better hair.’” It wasn’t that the fuzzy, affable Huckabee had vanished; there was just a little more mustard on his honey-oat bread.

American Conservative: Clinton Cabinet

So ascendant are the Clintonistas that it’s hard to believe Hillary lost. Far from generating a panic, however, their restoration has drawn sighs of relief from certain quarters. The new commander in chief—at least for now—seems more interested in massaging the status quo than in remaking the town in his own, still murky image.

Los Angeles Times: Clinton’s Potential Pitfalls Seen in FDR’s Secretary of State

Cordell Hull was a veteran lawmaker with a worldwide reputation when Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him secretary of State in 1933, in part to win needed support from Hull’s army of Democratic admirers. But the dignified Tennessean was never close to FDR. As time passed, he was “muscled out by others in the administration,” said Michael Hunt, a diplomatic historian at the University of North Carolina.

Chicago Tribune: America’s Secret War in Somalia

It is a standoff war in which the Pentagon lobs million-dollar cruise missiles into a famine-haunted African wasteland the size of Texas, hoping to kill lone terror suspects who might be dozing in candlelit huts. It is a covert war in which the CIA has recruited gangs of unsavory warlords to hunt down and kidnap Islamic militants. Mostly, though, it is a policy time bomb that will be inherited by the incoming Obama administration.

New York Times: A Rewired Bully Pulpit - Big, Bold and Unproven

After a campaign that Facebooked, Twittered, texted and YouTubed its way to victory, it is now fashionable in Washington to talk about how Mr. Obama will transfer his technological tricks from the campaign trail to the White House, and use his impressive social networking skills to rally support for an ambitious agenda.

Chicago Tribune: Will Clinton Be Obama's Frenemy of State?

From all outward appearances, Clinton and Obama have made peace. Yet they were rivals in the most protracted presidential primary in history, and that battle is certain to tint her arrival in the administration.

Slate: The Underminer?

By picking Clinton, Obama may be making some kind of special political play, removing one of his rivals to protect himself from political harm, but I think he's more serious than that. There's been no evidence over the last two years that he engages in this kind of overly clever bank shot. It's more likely he's picked Clinton because she's smart and because he wants to surround himself with people who will challenge him.

Washington Post: Some in Arab World Wary of Clinton

Arabs, particularly Palestinians, are nervous that Obama seems prepared to give the job of top diplomat to a senator from New York who has spent eight years cultivating her pro-Israel constituency and would continue, they think, a lack of U.S. evenhandedness in refereeing the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

Daily Beast: Circular Firing Squad - the Republican Suicide Watch

The GOP is wounded, perhaps mortally so. Then why did it reelect John Boehner, who has no future worth debating, as House minority leader?

National Review: What Went Wrong?

My sense is that most people -- who, after all, get a job, eventually buy a house and have to maintain it, have children, and respect the traditions of their families' past -- end up by necessity more conservative than liberal. The challenge is not to water down the conservative message, but to beef it up, even while making it more persuasive to those who are skeptical.

Newsweek: What Michelle Means to Us

At 44, Michelle Obama will be the youngest First Lady since Jacqueline Kennedy. And many are expecting her to usher in a similarly glamorous era in Washington. ("Bamelot," as some are already calling it.) But Michelle's influence could go far beyond the superficial. When her husband raises his hand to take the oath of office, Michelle will become the world's most visible African-American woman.

Los Angeles Times: White Extremists Lash Out Over Election of First Black President

Barely three weeks since America elected its first black president, noose hangings, racist graffiti and death threats have struck dozens of towns across the country. More than 200 such incidents -- including cross burnings, assassination betting pools and effigies of President-elect Barack Obama -- have been reported, according to law enforcement authorities and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.

NPR: How Will an Urban President Handle Farm Policy?

President-elect Barack Obama's past as an urban community organizer in Chicago makes some wonder how he could relate to farmers, ranchers and other rural people. But as a senator, Obama represented Illinois, which has farm and rural regions, and his journey to the presidency began with a win in the Iowa Democratic caucus. And it was during a campaign stop in Iowa that Obama released a farm and rural platform in October 2007.

Daily Beast: Republicans for Hillary!

Neocons, right-wing scribes, and impeachment managers are in rare agreement with Obama --Clinton is a great choice for Secretary of State. How to explain the generally positive take Republicans have on Clinton's nomination? Her willingness to veer right in international policy.

Wall Street Journal: Clinton Faces a Familiar List of Overseas Problems

As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton would seek diplomatic solutions to problems her husband and President George W. Bush largely failed to solve, from North Korea's nuclear program to the Arab-Israeli conflict and the U.S. standoff with Iran.

Slate: Geithner is the Anti-Paulson

Our next treasury secretary won't be a guy who made a fortune on Wall Street (like Robert Rubin or Henry Paulson), or who served as CEO of a Fortune 500 company (like Paul O'Neill or John Snow), or who's been a distinguished economist (like Larry Summers), or who held high elective office (like Lloyd Bentsen). Rather, Geithner has been an extremely effective meritocratic bureaucrat for 20 years--a sort of community organizer for the financial world.

Washington Post: Ex-Marine Commander May Be Obama's NSC Choice

During 40 years in the Marine Corps, James L. Jones, 64, rose from being a platoon and company commander in Vietnam to Marine commandant. In the international realm, he has served as supreme allied commander of NATO and as a special envoy for Middle East security. In the public policy arena, he has chaired the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, a congressionally appointed panel that assessed the readiness of Iraqi troops

New York Times: Obama Tilts to Center, Inviting a Clash of Ideas

President-elect Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination with the enthusiastic support of the left wing of his party. Now, his reported selections for two of the major positions in his cabinet -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state and Timothy F. Geithner as secretary of the Treasury -- suggest that Mr. Obama is planning to govern from the center-right of his party, surrounding himself with pragmatists rather than ideologues.

Boston Globe: Will Lincoln's "Team of Rivals" Play Today?

The president-elect is emulating his role model, Abraham Lincoln, who boldly put political adversaries in his Cabinet, hoping to forge a strong presidency through the heat of conflicting ideas. But historians argue that Lincoln's model, described in the best-selling book "Team of Rivals," by Doris Kearns Goodwin, is a high-risk strategy for Obama, one that could alienate his allies and sow dysfunction inside the White House.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Happy as 9-to-5 Temp

During the transition period, the president-elect is glad to be able to sleep in his own bed and spend time with family. He wakes up in his own bed, works out in the same fitness center each morning, goes into the office, comes home and has dinner with his family -- a far cry from the frenzied campaign life of the previous 21 months.

New York Times: An Option for Clinton - Enhanced Senate Role

Democratic leaders in the Senate are prepared to give Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton a still-undefined leadership role there if she does not become Barack Obama's secretary of state. Mrs. Clinton is wrestling with whether to abandon her independence to become the nation's top diplomat or remain in a chamber where lack of seniority limits her influence.

Slate: I Beg Your Pardon

Attention, convicts: Time is running out to get applications to the pardon attorney at the Justice Department if you're hoping President Bush will be your decider. Few of you should get your hopes up--Bush has rejected a record number of requests for pardons and commutations. But you don't have to give up entirely: More are expected in the coming months, most notably for Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Foreign Policy: Five Physics Lessons for Obama

Everyone expects the U.S. president to know the difference between Sunni and Shiite, or understand the causes of the financial meltdown. But in today's high-tech world, many critical issues have more to do with electrons than economics. Here are five short physics lessons for President-elect Obama from the author of Physics for Future Presidents.

Wall Street Journal: In Crisis, Opportunity for Obama

As the economic signs grow ever more grim, so do the problems facing the incoming Obama administration. That's one way of looking at things. Here's another: As the economic signs grow ever more grim, the opportunities for the Obama administration to drive through its agenda actually are getting better.

Newsbusters: Is Obama Giving Raspberry to Progressives With Cabinet/Staff Picks?

DailyKos and DemocraticUndergroud types are starting to get a bit miffed at their messiah. So far, no one from their ranks has been given the nod to take a spot on Obama's staff or to fill his cabinet openings. The "progressives" are noticing, too, that far from bringing a "new" wave of politics to Washington, so far Obama is bringing back the age of Clinton.

Economist: End of an Aura

With Jimmy Carter it was the teeth, big, straight and white as a set of country palings. With Richard Nixon it was the eyebrows, surely brooding on Hell. Abe Lincoln had the ears (and the beard, and the stove-pipe hat); Bill Clinton had a nose that glowed red, almost to luminousness, as his allergies assailed him. But George Bush's most extraordinary feature was his nostrils, and they will be missed.

New Yorker: Bringing the Family to the White House

Michelle Obama discussed with Laura Bush which bedrooms at the White House would be good for Malia and Sasha. The Obamas announced that they would be joined in Washington by Michelle's mother, Marian Robinson, who immediately became known as the First Granny. One could imagine the clan as a Presidential version of the Griswolds, loading up the Prius, pilin' in the relations, and roadtripping it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with the new family mutt.

Weekly Standard: Light at the End of the Recession

In my conversations with economists who have been worth listening to in the past I detect some skepticism about the consensus that we are in deep trouble, headed for still more, and that we are in a tunnel in which no light is discernible. They sense unreasoned panic among consumers, related more to media fixation on share prices than to an appraisal of their own economic circumstances.

Washington Post: Obama Team Springs Leaks

Barack Obama was famously able to impose discipline and control over his presidential campaign, but it didn't take long for him to discover that running a transition is something quite different. Top aides to the president-elect had hoped to take a methodical approach to selecting and unveiling their new team, starting with the announcements of top national security and economic players shortly after Thanksgiving. But leaks and rumors have disrupted that plan.

Boston Globe: Iranians Welcome Obama Election, Hope for Thaw

Iranians appear to be putting as much stock in President-elect Barack Obama's slogan of "change" as Americans voters, seeing his victory as an opening for possible renewed relations between the two countries, which have been cut off for nearly thirty years.

Salon: Bauer Power

Insurgents! Hand grenades! Torture! Fox's two-hour special "24: Redemption" offers a quick fix of Jack to hold us until the show's January premiere.

New York Times: Al Qaeda Coldly Acknowledges Obama Victory

In a propaganda salvo by Al Qaeda aimed at undercutting the enthusiasm of Muslims worldwide about the American election, Osama bin Laden's top deputy condemned President-elect Barack Obama as a "house Negro" who would continue a campaign against Islam that Al Qaeda's leaders said was begun by President Bush.

Daily Beast: Restoring the Rule of Law to the White House

Obama's two top new legal men must end the Bush legacy of an administration that feels free to circumvent the law when it pleases.

Harvard Law Record: Whom Will Obama Choose? Harvard Candidates for the Cabinet

Last week, the Record profiled the many HLS affiliates on the advisory board and senior staff of Barack Obama '91's presidential transition team, the numbers being no surprise given that Obama was a graduate. In this edition, the Record delves into the rumors about the President-elect's cabinet selections to speculate on which alums might make the cut.

Slate: Obama's White House, Clinton's Team

Who's (loyal to) who in the Obama administration: an interactive chart.

Nation: A Clinton Administration?

Looking at lists of early appointees for the transition period and the administration to come, from Rahm Emanuel on down, you might be forgiven for concluding that Hillary had been elected president in 2008. Clintonistas are just piling up in the prospective corridors of power.

Salon: The GOP's Problem? It's Not Right-Wing Enough

The House GOP is getting back to basics. (Think 1994.) The conservatives who dominate what's left of the GOP caucus -- mostly from the South or the West -- think the real reason Republicans have been losing the last few years is because the party wasn't conservative enough.

National Review: Doc Daschle

Daschle is apparently eager to take the assignment not so much because he relishes the challenge of managing the vast HHS enterprise but because, like many of his former colleagues in Congress, he wants to cap his career by being closely associated with passage of a nationalized-health-care plan. And he senses, as others do, that the moment may have arrived.

Wall Street Journal: This Time Around, Health-Care Revamp Has Wings

The effort to overhaul the nation's health system will begin next year with one clear advantage over previous attempts: A wide variety of interest groups are rooting for it to succeed rather than plotting to kill it. In addition, Barack Obama's choice of Tom Daschle, a former Senate Majority Leader, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, puts a skilled navigator of Capitol Hill in charge of the president-elect's bid to establish universal health care, which he has made a top priority.

Power Line: Why Not the Worst?

In a preview of what Eric Holder is likely to face in confirmation hearings if nominated for Attorney General, the conservativbe Power Line blog rolls out a video of Holder's testimony before the Senate Judiciary on former President Clinton's pardons.

Los Angeles Times: Antiwar Groups Fear Obama May Create Hawkish Cabinet

Antiwar groups and other liberal activists are increasingly concerned at signs that Barack Obama's national security team will be dominated by appointees who favored the Iraq invasion and hold hawkish views on other important foreign policy issues.

New York Magazine: Obama's Really Important Decisions

Yesterday Michelle Obama took daughters Malia and Sasha to see their future home in the White House; they also visited a couple of private schools. The trip highlighted some profound, troubling, and potentially explosive decisions that the Obamas are going to have to make very soon. That's right, we're talking about private family decisions. So the Obama's choices about church, pets, school, food, and sports will be scrutinized almost as much as his pick for Secretary of State.

Mother Jones: The GOP's Internet Insurgents

With the GOP in tatters after heavy electoral losses, a handful of tech-savvy Republicans are saying that the real problem isn't principle or politics; it's hardware. The GOP, they complain, is a complete dud when it comes to the Internet and using the tools of a 21st-century campaign.

New York Times: Clinton Said to Be Unsure About Cabinet Job

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York has reservations about accepting an appointment as secretary of state in the Obama administration, an adviser to Mrs. Clinton who is familiar with her thinking said on Tuesday. Mrs. Clinton likes being her own boss and is reluctant to give up the independence that comes with that, said the adviser.

Washington Post: Naming National Security Team Will Be a Priority for Obama

If President-elect Barack Obama follows the pattern of most of his modern predecessors, one of the first documents to bear his signature after he takes office will be a directive laying out his administration's national security structure. Bill Clinton signed one his first day in office; George W. Bush during his first month.

Salon: Ten Picks for Obama's Supreme Court

So will an Obama presidency usher in a new liberal era on the court? The short answer: probably not (and not just because the president-elect's apparent choice for attorney general, Eric Holder, is one more sign that he fears neither Clintonism nor signs of centrism). Since the justices most likely to retire are from the court's liberal wing, Obama will have less of an opportunity to tilt the court's ideological orientation.

Weekly Standard: The Great Right Hope

How did the feminist wife of Bill Clinton, demonized as a fiend during much of his tenure, end up as the Great Right Hope of the party they bested? The race changed her, and it, beyond all expectations. It was all the campaign.

Foreign Policy: How to Close Gitmo

As soon as Barack Obama was elected president two weeks ago, the calls starting piling in: Close the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay. But shutting down Guantánamo will be no easy task. Of the prison's 255 remaining detainees, 23 are still facing various charges. Relocating any or all of the prisoners to U.S. soil could prove contentious and legally complicated.

Daily Beast: Obama's Afghanistan Surprise

Many who voted for him have cheered Obama's plan to withdraw from Iraq, but they may be dismayed to learn just how long and deep a commitment he's considering for Afghanistan.

Anchorage Daily News: The Rise and Fall of Ted Stevens

For years, Alaskans spoke with trepidation of the day when "Uncle Ted" would leave the U.S. Senate, cutting off the flow of federal "Stevens money" that helped sustain Alaska's economy. Nobody imagined that when the day finally came, it would be because Alaskans themselves voted their "senator for life" out of the Senate.

New Republic: Debt Man Walking

As Barack Obama prepares to take office, one particularly frightening problem has escaped public notice; indeed, it may not even make the agenda of the global summit being held this weekend, dubbed "Bretton Woods II" after the postwar system of currency controls. The international monetary system is in big trouble.

Slate: E-Mails Obama Will Wish I Never Sent

Question No. 13 on Barack Obama's extensive questionnaire for potential members of his administration: "If you have ever sent an electronic communication, including but not limited to an e-mail, text message or instant message, that could suggest a conflict of interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect if it were made public, please describe."

New York Times: Early Test for Obama on Domestic Spying Views

When he takes office, Mr. Obama will inherit greater power in domestic spying power than any other new president in more than 30 years, but he may find himself in an awkward position as he weighs how to wield it.

Washington Post: Can Mall Be Filled For an Inauguration? 4 Million May Try It.

District and federal officials are preparing for as many as 4 million people for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, a crowd that would be three or four times larger than previous big events on the Mall. Only a fraction of those people will be close enough to get a good look at the action. But officials are planning extra JumboTrons at the Mall and along the inaugural parade route so that spectators can feel a part of the historic day.

Boston Globe: Obama May Give Clinton Purview in Area Where They Differed Most

If President-elect Barack Obama taps Senator Hillary Clinton to be his secretary of state, he would be giving her oversight of an area where the two former rivals diverged sharply during their prolonged primary battle: foreign policy.

Daily Beast: FDR Would Never Have Passed Obama's Vetting Test

If Franklin Delano Roosevelt were alive now, he might have a lot of advice for President-Elect Barack Obama about how to lead in a time of economic crisis, but he probably would not be able to get a job in the administration. The Obama team has imposed some of the toughest disclosure standards for anyone who wants to obtain a high-ranking position in his administration.

Huffington Post: Richardson Would be the Best State Choice for Obama

Each of the candidates brings great strengths to the position. Hillary Clinton would bring unrivaled superstar status to the position, and provide unmatched energy and focus to push ahead the Obama foreign policy agenda. Chuck Hagel is a serious student of foreign policy and military affairs, with a deeply grounded understanding of the international world. But in Bill Richardson, President-elect Obama can choose a seasoned international diplomat and negotiator who truly embraces the core of Obama's worldview.

National Review: Congress Will Soon Try to Pave Our Way to Economic Redemption

Democrats see the road to economic recovery, and it has been bulldozed, flattened out by a road grader and covered with pavement. They are enjoying a New Deal reverie wherein a Democratic president solves an economic crisis with public-works projects.

Los Angeles Times: Political Temperature May be Just Right for Healthcare Overhaul

When Barack Obama steps into the Oval Office in January, healthcare reform will join a list of priorities crowded with two wars, a ballooning budget deficit and an economy mired in one of the worst slowdowns since the Great Depression. But the bleak environment may paradoxically spur the kind of costly, sweeping overhaul of the nation's healthcare system that has eluded policymakers in Washington for decades, many political strategists, industry leaders and economists say.

NPR: How Will Obama Help College Costs?

While there is agreement that more aid is needed for low-income students, finding that money is a major challenge the next administration will have to address. And figuring out how to simplify the aid process, so first-time college students can access the money, may be even more complicated.

New Yorker: Midnight Hour

When President Jimmy Carter lost his bid for reëlection, in November, 1980, he had lots of unfinished business that he did not intend to leave that way. Carter's Administration spent the next several weeks generating regulations at an unprecedented rate. They became known as "midnight regulations," after the "midnight judges" appointed by John Adams in the final hours of his Presidency. Now, of course, George Bush has entered into his own midnight period, and it promises to be a dark time indeed.

Washington Post: Obama Wrote Federal Staffers About His Goals

In wooing federal employee votes on the eve of the election, Barack Obama wrote a series of letters to workers that offer detailed descriptions of how he intends to add muscle to specific government programs, give new power to bureaucrats and roll back some Bush administration policies.

Slate: The Fake Transparency of the Obama Presidency

I read some of the copious coverage about how Obama is going to use his campaign's technological prowess as a governing tool. And I thought, especially since we're all still getting to know each other in this new administration, it was worth asking how much this "innovation" will increase transparency. My answer: not much.

Wall Street Journal: Obama Dips Into Think Tank for Talent

The Center for a New American Security, a small think tank here with generally middle-of-the-road policy views, is rapidly emerging as a top farm team for the incoming Obama administration. Although most of the center's staffers are Democrats, its boards include prominent Republicans, and its policy proposals have largely sought to find a middle ground between standard Democratic and Republican positions.

New York Times: Clinton Vetting Includes Look at Mr. Clinton

President-elect Barack Obama's advisers have begun reviewing former President Bill Clinton's finances and activities to see whether they would preclude the appointment of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, as secretary of state, Democrats close to the situation said.

Los Angeles Times: Who Would Obama Pick for the Supreme Court?

Liberals hope the president-elect would name someone who could counter the court's conservative justices. But Obama has hinted that he favors a more moderate choice.

Boston Globe: Obama Faces Pressure on Immigration Reform

From Cape Cod to California, activists on both sides of the volatile issue are girding for battle. Supporters of the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants - most of whom are Latino - want Obama to press for a path to legal residency for them. Opponents say reform is impossible at a time when unemployment is soaring, and instead want tougher border security and less immigration to preserve Americans' jobs.

Chicago Tribune: Petition Drive Aims to Make Immigration a Priority for Obama

Frustrated by the scant mentions of the problem during Obama's presidential campaign, Immigration advocates vowed to keep pushing the issue. Activists in several cities are planning a January march in Washington, and strategists wonder how else to make Immigration reform a higher priority in light of the nation's sputtering economy.

Salon: Bill Ayers Talks Back

Sarah Palin called him a terrorist, Barack Obama called him an acquaintance. A Salon editor who knew Ayers back when talks to the ex-Weather Underground member turned Republican talking point.

Huffington Post: Obama Inauguration Speech -- A Draft

On January 20th, Barack Obama will stand in front of the American People, and be sworn in as the 44th President Of The United States. He will have the Nation's attention. He'll have a rare opportunity to use the Inauguration as far more than a symbolic event. It will be his first State Of The Union message and moment where he'll have the moral authority to set an urgent and clear direction for the nation.

Washington Post: 5 Myths About an Election of Mythic Proportions

The 2008 presidential election ended less than two weeks ago, but the mythmaking machine has already begun to churn. President-elect Barack Obama transformed the face of the electorate! The Republican Party will be a miserable minority in Congress for the next century! Cats and dogs are now living together! Below we explode the five biggest myths that have already sprung up around the election that was.

New York Times: Lose the Blackberry? Yes He Can, Maybe

For years, like legions of other professionals, Mr. Obama has been all but addicted to his BlackBerry. But before he arrives at the White House, he will probably be forced to sign off. In addition to concerns about e-mail security, he faces the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review, and the threat of subpoenas.

Los Angeles Times: Barack Obama, In Search of Identity

His father was from Kenya and his mother from Kansas. But it's more complicated than that. Abandoned by his father, separated for long periods from his mother, Obama searched for many years to find his identity. He eventually learned to navigate between black and white worlds. He earned a reputation as a pragmatist and a consensus builder, and along the way raised the bridges that would sustain his ambition. Race has been the steady undertow of his political career -- and of his life.

Chicago Tribune: They knew him when - First impressions of Barack Obama

After the man with the big ears and the funny name became president-elect of the United States, Chicagoans were happy to tell their stories, boasting to anyone who'd listen about that time they met Barack Obama. Some recalled Obama's confidence; others were struck by his movie-star smile. Illinois Senate President Emil Jones remembered that Obama seemed "a little pushy." In some cases, the only extraordinary thing about bumping into the now president-elect was that Obama appeared completely ordinary.

Daily Beast: Finding the Lincoln in Obama

In most gatherings, Lincoln was the smartest man in the room. So is Obama. But both men proved too smart to show that. This is not so much a matter of humility as the recognition that displaying superior intellect is foolish. Brains can be a disability, not only because they provoke envy and resentment, but because they can cut off needed help, correction, and the interaction of people that leads to success in politics

Slate: The Genius Cabinet

Here's a radical suggestion: Barack Obama should pick the smartest people he can find for his Cabinet. Brilliance has sometimes been a criterion in presidential appointments, of course, but seldom the major one. It usually takes a back seat to rewarding friends and backers, playing congressional politics, seeking diversity, and appeasing industry and interest groups. But Obama should surround himself with brilliant--albeit prickly, semi-autistic, and egomaniacal--thinkers.

FiveThirtyEight: What's Holding Up Missouri?

Unofficial results in Missouri show McCain winning by about 4,900 votes. There are about 6,300 provisional ballots statewide that county officials are still reviewing. Counties must send final results to the state by Nov. 18. Even if Obama were to win 80 percent of the provisionals, however -- which seems exceptionally optimistic -- he still would net only 3,780 votes, leaving him about 1,000 shy of McCain.

Washington Post: Clinton Among Top Picks For State

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is among the top contenders to become secretary of state in Barack Obama's administration, officials familiar with the selection process said, part of what appears to be an effort by the incoming president to reach out to former rivals and consider unexpected moves as he assembles his Cabinet.

New York Times: Obama's Talk With Clinton Starts Buzz

Advisers to the onetime rivals for the Democratic nomination confirmed Friday that President-elect Barack Obama had met with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday afternoon at Mr. Obama's transition office in Chicago and discussed the secretary of state job.

Daily Beast: Don't Do It, Hillary!

Why on earth would she want to be secretary of state? First of all, the job is an awful launching pad for the White House. To find a former secretary of state who actually won you have to go back 150 years, to James Buchanan. There are reasons for this. The job of secretary of state offers little opportunity to till the fields of American politics.

Wall Street Journal: Obama Faces Political Minefield

Amid two wars and an economic crisis, Mr. Obama must cement support in Red States he flipped and Blue States he struggled in, placate liberal activists and minority groups whose electoral boost was crucial, and form a government that looks like the change he promised.

Huffington Post: Ten Chumps Who Helped Elect Obama

With the post-election analysis season almost over, it's worth taking one final look at some of the characters who ensured President-elect Obama would make it to the White House. With the post-election analysis season almost over, it's worth taking one final look at some of the characters who ensured President-elect Obama would make it to the White House. This list is devoted to a special breed, seasoned political players and 15-minutes of famers alike, who did everything they could to stop Obama, only to see their efforts backfire. It's a bipartisan honor, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

Weekly Standard: Slouching Towards Washington

Here is my theory: When a Democrat is succeeded by a Republican in the White House, it is seen as a civic regression, the triumph of dirty politics over clean statesmanship (see Willie Horton, the October Surprise, Lee Atwater, etc.). But when a Democrat replaces a Republican, it's a national rebirth, a celebration of renewal and the natural order of things.

Slate: A Dog We Can Believe In

At President-elect Barack Obama's first postelection press conference he was asked to describe his ideal candidate for a particularly prominent and sensitive White House position: first dog. Obama was noncommittal. His answer set off a round of speculation that will not abate until the new dog becomes part of the family--and then President Obama will have a whole new set of issues to deal with. Even the family dog is not immune from presidential politics. (That's President Bush's dog Barney to the right. Check out his video farewell to the White House).

New York Times: For Obama and Family, a Personal Transition

Life for the newly chosen president and his family has changed forever. Even the constraints and security of the campaign trail do not compare to the bubble that has enveloped him in the 10 days since his election. Renegade, as the Secret Service calls him, now lives within the strict limits that come with the most powerful office on the planet.

Huffington Post: Obama's Team of Rivals

If Barack Obama asks Hillary Clinton to become Secretary of State, it would be a brilliantly audacious political move. But would it be good for American foreign policy? Would it be consistent with the kind of change Obama promised on the campaign trail? Clinton's record is markedly different than Obama's. Clinton represents, or has represented, what I would call the Lieberman wing of the party -- Democratic neocons.

Washington Post: Obama's Wide Range of Economic Advisers

They include free traders and "fair traders," deficit hawks, Wall Street executives, corporate moguls and labor advocates. Together, they represent the broad range of thinking that Obama promised to tap to combat the deepening economic slump and fix an economy in which wages have stagnated for most workers. But they also are emblematic of the sharp differences in economic policy that have divided the Democratic Party in years past.

Los Angeles Times: Vast Obama Network Becomes a Political Football

Some Obama advisors want to blend his campaign operation with the Democratic National Committee. Others worry that such a move could cause the grass-roots organization to unravel.

Foreign Policy: The Dark Art of Cyberwar

Earlier this summer, the two U.S. presidential candidates--by then accustomed to jousting their opponents--took another kind of hit. The FBI and the Secret Service told the Obama and McCain campaigns that hackers had tapped into their networks, looking for clues about likely future policies. The attacks probably originated in China. When does a cyberattack become a declaration of war, rather than just a nuisance?

Salon: Can Republicans Come Back from their "Thumpin'"?

Salon asked three experts with a vested interest in the future of the party, two Republican strategists and one conservative intellectual, for their take on where the GOP goes from here. Alex Castellanos, Ron Christie and Reihan Salam offered their thoughts about whether the Republican Party's core principles remain intact, whether Reaganism applies to the 21st century, and who the front-runners might be for the GOP's 2012 presidential nomination.

Wall Street Journal: If Obama Doesn't Connect, More Than the Game is Lost

A week and a half after the election, the idea has settled in that America just threw long. People hadn't heard of Mr. Obama two years ago, they know they don't really know him now, and they just gave him the presidency. America threw long, and America is praying for a dazzling reception. People want him to catch the ball.

New Republic: Why the Auto Industry Deserves to be Rescued

GM, Ford, and Chrysler are taking precisely the sorts of steps everybody says are necessary--or, at least, they were taking those steps until an unexpected trifecta of high gas prices, vanishing credit, and a deep recession hit. Rescuing the auto industry is not, as so many people suppose, a question of giving Detroit one extra shot at transformation. It's a question of giving Detroit a chance to finish a transformation that was already underway.

Reason: The Schnorrer State

The accomplishments Ted Stevens brags about are worse than the crimes he denies.

Weekly Standard: Barack Obama Won't Need Special Effects to Walk on Water

In Hollywood, not only is Obama already a figure of worship, he easily fits an already established Hollywood model: the calm and benevolent black governmental authority figure. Over the past 20 years there has hardly been a courtroom scene in which an African American is not the wise presiding judge. Never have fictional presidents been given such glowing treatment as Morgan Freeman's in the asteroid movie Deep Impact and Dennis Haysbert's on the television series 24.

Washington Post: Facing Obama, Iran Suddenly Hedges on Talks

Since 2006, Iran's leaders have called for direct, unconditional talks with the United States to resolve international concerns over their nuclear program. But as an American administration open to such negotiations prepares to take power, Iran's political and military leaders are sounding suddenly wary of President-elect Barack Obama.

Slate: So When Will a Muslim Be President?

Which historically oppressed group will see one of its own take the oath of the presidency on a Bible/Quran/Analects/etc. next? We must admit that some groups are too small to have much of a chance--met any Zoroastrians lately?--and others seem too exotic. But plenty of others are in the running. Here, then, is a guide to which minority group will next see one of its own in the White House, in descending order of probability, and with possible candidates included.

New York Times: For a Washington Job, Be Prepared to Tell All

A seven-page questionnaire being sent by the office of President-elect Barack Obama to those seeking cabinet and other high-ranking posts may be the most extensive -- some say invasive -- application ever. The questionnaire includes 63 requests for personal and professional records, some covering applicants' spouses and grown children as well, that are forcing job-seekers to rummage from basements to attics, in shoe boxes, diaries and computer archives to document both their achievements and missteps.

Wall Street Journal: Obama Team Sheds Light on New Administration

The Obama transition team released the names of 13 people on Wednesday who will direct a top-to-bottom review of federal agencies and another six who will lead teams that will review Treasury, State and Defense department policy, budget and personnel issues. The group is filled with second-tier veterans of the Clinton administration and workers in the technology and financial sectors. It includes four former lobbyists, three top campaign fund-raisers and two former employees of troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae, with some overlap among them.

Knowledge at Wharton: Dear President-elect Obama - Here's How to Get the Economy out of the Ditch

Wharton finance professor Jeremy Siegel, author of the book The Future for Investors, advises the Obama administration to move quickly on a large, one-time tax cut or rebate check program for low- and middle-income Americans as a way to keep the just-starting recession from worsening.

Salon: Obama's Plans for Probing Bush Torture

With growing talk in Washington that President Bush may be considering an unprecedented "blanket pardon" for people involved in his administration's brutal interrogation policies, advisors to Barack Obama are pressing ahead with plans for a nonpartisan commission to investigate alleged abuses under Bush.

National Review: Obama & Gitmo

For the American community, Gitmo was never the problem, and closing it will not solve anything. Candidate Obama called for a return of pre-9/11 counterterrorism thinking, meaning full-blown civilian trials for all captured terrorists. Come January 20, though, President Obama's principal task will be to protect the national security of the United States, not to secure the admiration of Human Rights Watch.

Of Arms and the Law: Keene - Obama Will Overreach

Dave Keene, president of the American Conservative Union, says, "Winners always misread the reason for their victory. Winners always assume that voters voted for them for the reasons they wanted them to vote for them. They always assume that the voters were saying: Do what you want to do... Clinton overreached, Gingrich overreached. And it's one of the reasons why the pendulum starts to swing pretty quickly."

Los Angeles Times: Political Junkies Struggle with Election Withdrawal

Across the country, election addicts are coping with withdrawal pangs. The 2008 race -- with its high stakes, dramatic twists and lightning-fast news cycles -- enthralled and exhausted news consumers. Now, hoping for strong interest in the new administration, media outlets are now serving up details about President-elect Barack Obama's transition and mapping out coverage beyond the White House.

MSNBC: Former Rep. Mark Foley Breaks Silence on Sex Scandal

New York Times: Lobbyists Swarm the Treasury for Piece of Bailout Pie

Of the $700 billion in bailout money contained in the law that passed last month, the Treasury Department has committed all but $60 billion. The shrinking pie -- and the growing uncertainty over who qualifies -- has thrown Washington's legal and lobbying establishment into a mad scramble.

Wall Street Journal: How Obama Can Fix the Economy

James B. Stewart writes: "I'm mystified by all the hand-wringing about what a terrible time it is to be a new U.S. president. Think of the presidents who have been judged by history to be truly great -- Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington -- and they've all served in times of crisis. But imagine what it would be like to be president when the crisis first unfolds, such as Herbert Hoover or now George Bush.

Los Angeles Times: Obama's Election - A Turning Point in the Perception of Blacks?

Even as millions of black Americans revel in Barack Obama's victory and plan trips to his inauguration that are turning into pilgrimages, many still wonder if this transformative moment in American politics will truly transform perceptions of black men. How much, if at all, they ask, will Obama's victory shatter that glass ceiling?

Politico: Obama Faces Less Pressure for Diverse Cabinet

Does our first African-American president, elected with a rainbow coalition, have more of an imperative to appoint an administration that includes minorities in high-ranking positions? Not really, is the answer supplied by a group of prominent African-Americans.

Weekly Standard: Apathetics Anonymous

After examining my conscience, determining that I did indeed have one, I decided not to cast a vote for president. I was not unengaged or undecided, but, rather, made a very conscious decision that I wasn't buying what either candidate was selling. I could've perhaps supported Barack Obama's call to serve a cause larger than myself, if after two years of discharging gassy effluvia, he'd successfully named a cause larger than himself. My disillusionment with Republicans is even more complete.

New Republic: ¿Si Se Puede?

On the Hispanic experience in the age of Obama

Washington Post: A Spokesman So Close, He's the 'Barack Whisperer'

Robert Gibbs is "the last person Barack talks to when he's thinking about how to handle reporters' questions," says Linda Douglass, a campaign spokeswoman. "We call him the Barack Whisperer. He completely understands his thinking and knows how Barack wants to come across."

Chicago Tribune: Obama Win Triggers Runs on Guns

A week after the election of Barack Obama, gun buyers across the country are voting with their feet, flocking to gun stores to stock up on assault rifles, handguns and ammunition. Some say they are worried that the incoming Obama administration will attempt to reimpose the ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004. Others fear the loss of their right to own handguns. A few say they are preparing to protect themselves in the event of a race war.

Daily Beast: Plotting Sarah Palin's Path to the White House

John McCain's former campaign manager has advice for Sarah Palin that could lead to the Republican nomination in 2012.

Slate: Why Is Barack Obama Still Asking me for Money?

Imagine my dismay yesterday when I opened my inbox to discover an e-mail entitled "Your Victory T-Shirt." Instead of a free victory T-shirt, I was being offered the chance to send yet another $100 to the DNC (in exchange for which I would, in all fairness, receive a free "victory T-shirt"). It's hard to explain why it's so galling to be asked to donate yet more money to a campaign after the election has been decided.

Foreign Policy: Five Real Missions for 007

James Bond is out for revenge in the new film, Quantum of Solace, opening in the United States on Nov. 14. But here in the real world, the intelligence community is badly in need of a superspy to solve some of its biggest conundrums. Here are five missions we'd love Agent 007 to tackle.

New York Times: Sparring Starts as Republicans Ponder Future

One week after the Republicans were routed in the presidential election, the fight is on over who will be the new leaders of the party. Republicans are debating how to position themselves ideologically and how aggressively to take on President-elect Barack Obama.

Wall Street Journal: McCain Owes Sarah Some Straight Talk

Where's John McCain's honor when we need it? We'll find out tonight, when the Arizona Republican appears on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. In the week since the election, Mr. McCain's campaign team has leaked some nasty stuff about Sarah Palin. So it will be telling if Mr. McCain stands up for his partner and says how offended he has been by what some of his staffers have done to her.

New Yorker: The New Liberalism

Obama will enter the White House at a moment of economic crisis worse than anything the nation has seen since the Great Depression. But what philosophy of government will characterize it? The answer was given three days before the election by a soldier and memoirist of the Reagan revolution, Peggy Noonan, who wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "Something new is happening in America. It is the imminent arrival of a new liberal moment."

Slate: Barack to Reality

Cristopher Hitchins writes that "those who think that they have just voted to legalize Utopia are preparing for a disillusionment that I very much doubt they will blame on themselves. The national Treasury is an echoing, empty vault; our Russian and Iranian enemies are acting even more wolfishly even as they sense a repudiation of Bush-Cheney; the lines of jobless and evicted are going to lengthen, and I don't think a diet of hope is going to cover it.

The Daily Beast: The New Civility

Bush adviser Mark McKinnon says the president is making an exceptionally graceful exit--and was actually excited to spend time yesterday with the man taking his job.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: The Count Goes on in Missouri

Republican John McCain's statewide lead has shrunk to fewer than 5,000 votes, as various counties have recounted and revised their totals from last Tuesday's election. Yet to be counted: an estimated 7,000 provisional ballots -- most cast in Obama-leaning areas -- that are just now being examined to determine which ones were cast by properly registered voters in the correct polling place. Counties have another week to verify and certify their official counts.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Urged to Overhaul Health Care

Four leading advocacy groups representing business, labor and retirees are starting a campaign today to press Barack Obama to enact comprehensive healthcare reform, upping the pressure on the president-elect to tackle the issue quickly after he takes office.

Boston Globe: Archbishop Heartened by Election but Worried by Obama on Abortion

As much of the nation celebrates the first election of an African-American as president, Cardinal-Archbishop Sean O'Malley of Boston is visibly moved by the moment, but also horrified by what he sees as Barack Obama's "deplorable" record on abortion rights.

New York Review of Books: The Co-President at Work

Cheney's ruling passion appears to be a love of presidential power. Go under the surface a little and this reveals itself as something more mysterious: a ceaseless desire of power after power. It is a quality of the will that seems accidentally tied to an office, a country, or a given system of political arrangements.

Foreign Policy: The Obama Fantasy

On November 4 in Kenya, one might mistakenly conclude that Obama was running for president here and not in the United States. There is undeniably an over-the-top quality about Kenya's embrace of Obama. The government declared a national holiday to celebrate the Illinois senator's victory over John McCain. The National Theater is staging "Obama: The Musical."

Wall Street Journal Law Blog: Executive Orders 101

All weekend long, we read and heard references to "executive orders" -- chiefly, that through the use of such mechanisms, President-elect Obama planned to overturn Bush Administration policies. Just what types of things can a president "order"? Why don't they need to be approved by Congress? How and why are they constitutional?

Anchorage Daily News: Palin Reflects on Her Run

Gov. Sarah Palin blames the Bush administration for the failure of the McCain-Palin ticket, thinks people need to move on from the so-called "Troopergate" controversy and has no regrets about state per diem for time spent at her home in Wasilla or state-funded travel for her children.

New Yorker: Obama and America

Barack Obama could not run his campaign for the Presidency based on political accomplishment or on the heroic service of his youth. His record was too slight. He ran largely on language, on the expression of a country's potential and the self-expression of a complicated man who could reflect and lead that country. And a powerful thematic undercurrent of his oratory and prose was race. Obama made his biracial ancestry a metaphor for his ambition to create a broad coalition of support, to rally Americans behind a narrative of moral and political progress.

Wall Street Journal: Juan Williams on What Obama's Victory Means for Racial Politics

The idea of black politics now tilts away from leadership based on voicing grievance, and identity politics based on victimization and anger. In its place is an era in which it is assumed that talented, tough people of any background will find a way to their rightful seat of power in mainstream political life.

National Review: Post-Racial Preference America

Everyone should celebrate that quota schemes of any variety are clearly not needed in America. The fact that an African-American has been elected commander-in-chief of this country and will be the leader of the free world shows that race is not an insurmountable obstacle to success in today's America.

New York Times: After the Imperial Presidency

The assertion and expansion of presidential power is arguably the defining feature of the Bush years. Come January, the current administration will pass on to its successor a vast infrastructure for electronic surveillance, secret sites for detention and interrogation and a sheaf of legal opinions empowering the executive to do whatever he feels necessary to protect the country. Thanks to the recent economic bailout, Bush's successor will inherit control over much of the banking industry.

Daily Beast: Christopher Buckley on "Sarah Palin, The Sequel"

In the wreckage of their election blowout, conservatives gather to plot Sarah Palin's next career move. "The Education of Sarah Palin" script is--perhaps--already in development at Neo-Con Studios, helmed by the able team of William Kristol and Fred Barnes.

Salon: How did that realignment work out for you, Republicans?

Five years ago the Republican Party and the conservative movement thought they were poised to monopolize power in America well beyond the political horizon. But election maps and exit poll data both suggest that this year's Democratic victories were grounded in a coalition encompassing young people, women, ethnic minorities and professional workers. The Republican coalition, if it still deserves that description, is increasingly constricted, with little space for growth. Not only is the GOP's power largely confined to the South, but the party's complexion displays an unhealthy pallor.

Washington Post: Big Political Donors Just Looking for Favors? Apparently Not.

The Center for Responsive Politics recently estimated that it cost $5.8 billion to finance the 2008 general elections. But a good chunk of the $5.8 billion, moreover, was raised through small contributions from citizens unlikely to think that their $50 check would buy them special favors. Another portion came from interest groups who may give money less because they want specific paybacks and more because they want friendly politicians to stay in office, and unfriendly politicians to stay out.

Mental Floss: 7 Post-election Day Newspapers that Buried the Lede

I've been trying to order The New York Times Nov 5th edition for a few days now. Each time I hit the site's store, there's so much traffic, they can't complete my order. Maybe I should consider buying these 7 newspapers, which would undoubtedly be a helluva lot easier to score. As you'll see in the screenshots, the announcement of Obama's victory is either buried beneath the fold of the paper, or otherwise marginalized at the header.

Los Angeles Times: Race for California Governor Gets Underway

The long campaign is over. And so a new one begins: the race to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California. The wild card is Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 75, widely considered to be the state's most prominent Democrat, who friends say is debating whether to enter the race or remain an influential figure in Washington.

Stateline: States Made History Nov. 4 Too

New Hampshire became the first state in U.S. history to give women the majority in a legislative chamber. Meanwhile, the South Carolina Senate went the opposite direction and will become the only state legislative chamber in the country without any female members.

Washington Post: Obama Positioned to Quickly Reverse Bush Actions

Transition advisers to President-elect Barack Obama have compiled a list of about 200 Bush administration actions and executive orders that could be swiftly undone to reverse White House policies on climate change, stem cell research, reproductive rights and other issues, according to congressional Democrats, campaign aides and experts working with the transition team.

Newsweek: Holding Pattern

Incoming presidents making big decisions in a hurry is a surefire recipe for error. Think JFK and the Bay of Pigs. More recently, George W. Bush's reflexive ditching of the Clinton administration's strategy on North Korea was an misstep it has taken years to retrieve. Incoming presidents making big decisions in a hurry is a surefire recipe for error. Think JFK and the Bay of Pigs. More recently, George W. Bush's reflexive ditching of the Clinton administration's strategy on North Korea was an misstep it has taken years to retrieve.

Boston Globe: Wish Lists Piling up for Obama

Interest groups are furiously drawing up wish lists for the incoming Obama administration, many of them hoping to cash in on the investments they made - in volunteers, political support, and campaign contributions - in Obama's commanding win.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Relies on a Close-Knit Inner Circle

The 'Friends of Barack' are neighbors, classmates and pickup basketball teammates. Some may follow him to Washington.

Wall Street Journal: 'Do What You Got Elected to Do'

Asked what Barack Obama was elected to do, and what legislation he's likely to find on his Oval Office desk soonest, Mr. Emanuel didn't hesitate. "Bucket one would have children's health care, Schip," he said. Second would be [ending current restrictions on federally funded] stem-cell research. And third would be an economic recovery package focused on the two principles of job creation and tax relief for middle-class families."

Time: The Once and Future Hillary Clinton

While she didn't achieve the Clinton Restoration, Hillary emerged from that race as the symbol of a movement that has come to represent the hopes and frustrations of millions of working-class Democrats.

Economist: A Painful Job To Do

As unemployment surges Barack Obama will have to take some awkward economic decisions.

Stateline: What Obama Could Do for States

Barack Obama will take over as president at a tumultuous time for state governments, many of which have been jolted by an economic downturn that analysts say could last into 2010.

Weekly Standard: The Republican Challenge

Republicans have a big problem. Nope, it's not figuring out how to rebuild their party after consecutive defeats in national elections (that's easy). Nor is it finding new leaders in Congress (also easy) or latching onto fresh ideas that might improve the Republican brand (easiest of all). The problem is simpler--but also more difficult--than those. It's the tricky business of dealing with President Barack Obama.

New York Times: Stinging Talk About Obama? Never Mind Now

That whole anti-American, friend-to-the-terrorists thing about President-elect Barack Obama? Never mind. There is a great tradition of paint-peeling political hyperbole during presidential campaign years. And there is an equally great tradition of backing off from it all afterward, though with varying degrees of deftness.

Washington Post: Obama to Face Big Policy Decisions on Iran, N. Korea and Mideast

During the campaign, Obama issued a series of foreign policy pronouncements that often appeared designed not to box himself in. One prominent exception was a pledge to remove most U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of his inauguration. But in many cases, Obama appears to have left himself wiggle room on many issues that will confront him.

Business Week: The Changes Business Wants from Obama

Many in business, though, still view the President-elect with a wary eye. Indeed, if a recent survey by Chief Executive magazine is any indication, Obama has his work cut out for him in wooing America's executives. In a survey of 751 CEOs published in October, the magazine found that 74% feared the consequences of an Obama Presidency.

Salon: Obama's Designated A--hole

By putting Rahm Emanuel in charge of his administration's day-to-day operations, Obama could be getting the best of both worlds: The new White House will still be a place filled with hope, change and all the other idealistic slogans and animating principles that helped him win the election. But lurking inside the West Wing, the new president will have a hatchet man ready to destroy anyone who gets in the way (and enjoy doing it).

Daily Beast: McCain Campaign Autopsy

Chief strategist Steve Schmidt talks about the moment--back in September--when he knew McCain was doomed. Plus, his surprising view on gay marriage, and more scoop on leaks.

Weekly Standard: The Unity Fantasy

Our infatuation with "unity" is a recurring delusion of American politics. Unity is a phantasm raising hopes for something that can't be delivered --or that, once delivered, would be so un-American it would scare us half to death. Yet unity was Obama's theme. The sales pitch was a proposition that seemed self-evident: The only way "to get things done" and "move this country forward" was to "bring us together," just as we believe Reagan did even though he didn't.

New Republic: Slow Learners

Among the intelligentsia, a handful of thinkers have started to argue that the failure of the Bush administration calls for a rethinking of conservatism. But the most powerful institutions of the right--Fox News, talk radio, National Review, The Weekly Standard, the Wall Street Journal editorial page, and the major right-wing think tanks--remain firmly in the hands of conservatives who see the events of the last eight years as a vindication of their ideology.

NPR: Campaign Cyberattacks Prompt Swift Transition

Both the Obama and McCain campaign computer systems came under cyberattack earlier this year. The attacks were serious enough to prompt an FBI investigation.

Slate: Emanuel Is Ruthless - and Just What Obama Needs

In interviews and debates and even in his books, Obama comes off as the Vishnu of decision-making--on the one hand, on the other hand, on the other hand, etc. Emanuel is unlikely to take "maybe" for an answer.

Washington Post: Rahm Emanuel Is The Hot to His New Boss's Cool

Emanuel's flair for the well-timed verbal hand grenade -- or epithet or insult or, in one case, an actual dead fish -- has grown legendary during his 16-year career in politics. His explosive style, and midnight work habits, have fueled a noisy migration up Pennsylvania Avenue, from White House fixer under Bill Clinton to a House leadership position on Capitol Hill.

Nation: Obama's Disappointing First Choice

Republican insiders are griping about President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel to serve as White House chief of staff. Emanuel, they complain, is too partisan. If only that were the case. Partisan true believers stand strong for the ideals and principles of a party. That's not a description of Rahm Emanuel.

New York Times: Obama, Assembling Team, Turns to the Economy

With the global economy on a knife's edge, and labor figures on Friday very likely to show mounting American job losses, the financial markets, foreign leaders and even the Bush administration are looking to Mr. Obama for signs of how he will manage the crisis.

Boston Globe: In Search for Expertise, Harvard Looms Large

Now, as President-elect Obama begins putting together his administration, his Harvard brain trust is hoping to fill prominent positions in Washington - as top White House advisers, senior political appointees, Cabinet chiefs, or judicial nominees.

NPR: Obama Transition Team Limits Lobbyists' Roles

The campaign barred registered lobbyists from making contributions, and now the transition team is limiting how deeply lobbyists may be involved in laying the groundwork for the new administration and serving in it afterward.

Wall Street Journal: Does Green Energy Add 5 Million Jobs?

President-elect Barack Obama and his energy advisers have been making the case that a multibillion-dollar government investment in everything from wind turbines to a "smart" electrical grid is just what's needed to help revive the economy. The lure is millions of government-subsidized "green jobs." Potent Pitch, but Numbers Are Squishy.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Faces Difficult Choice for Treasury Secretary

As President-elect Obama considers his choice for Treasury secretary, Lawrence Summers' name is again front and center. But this time, the decision is not so clear. Obama faces conflicting advice from his close advisors, from Capitol Hill and from important Democratic constituencies.

Salon: Obama and the Dawn of the Fourth Republic

To date there have been three American republics, each lasting 72 years (give or take a few years). The First Republic assembled following the American Revolution, lasted from 1788 to 1860. The Second Republic, assembled following the Civil War and Reconstruction lasted from 1860 to 1932. And the Third American Republic, assembled during the New Deal and the civil rights eras (the Third American Revolution), lasted from 1932 until 2004. Historians are likely to identify the first president of the Fourth Republic of the United States as Barack Obama

Right Wing News: The Top 7 Reasons Why The GOP Can't Build A Political Party Around Moderates

This time around, even rightward leaning moderates like Colin Powell, Christopher Buckley, & Ann Althouse defected over to the Obama campaign rather than vote for the most moderate GOP candidate since Richard Nixon. That's why trying to build a coalition around moderates is like trying to build a castle on sand.

Daily Beast: Obama's Hidden Talent: He's a Top-Notch Poker Player

Throughout the campaign, Obama's media minders have been far from keen for you to know this. Asked early on by the Press Association to name a "hidden talent," Obama rashly revealed that he considers himself "a pretty good poker-player." Not since Richard Nixon has the United States had a dedicated player of its historic national game in the Oval Office.

New York Times: Obama's First Decision Has Capital Asking: Politics as Usual, or Fresh Start?

After President-elect Barack Obama ran a nearly flawless 21-month campaign, Democrats are second-guessing one of his first and most important postelection decisions: Why is he asking Representative Rahm Emanuel -- "Rahmbo," one of the capital's most in-your-face partisan actors -- to be his chief of staff?

OpenSecrets.org: Obama's Pick for Chief of Staff Tops Recipients of Wall Street Money

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman who was an aide in the Clinton White House, was the top House recipient in the 2008 election cycle of contributions from hedge funds, private equity firms and the larger securities/investment industry--not the most popular of industries in the current economy.

Wall Street Journal: Black Power Brokers Ready to Rise In Tandem With New President

For more than a decade, Mr. Obama has cultivated ties with a growing circle of black power brokers who are poised -- and eager -- to wield greater national influence. Some of these insiders stand to gain new status in an Obama administration, and many more in law firms, big corporations and on Wall Street. They believe that their proximity to the president-elect will burnish their reputations, much in the way that white elites always have leveraged connections in business and politics.

Washington Post: Campaign Gives Some Clues to How Obama Will Govern

The analogy between campaigning and governing is imperfect, but with the techniques of the permanent campaign increasingly shaping the modern presidency, the gap is far less than it was a generation ago. Some presidential scholars, political strategists and Obama advisers say his disciplined, cohesive, technology-based and well-oiled campaign may prove a model for the kind of presidency he hopes to have.

The Daily Beast: Obama's JFK Playbook

One important similarity between Obama and Kennedy has gone unnoticed: the fact that both have understood the organic connection between a campaign and the presidency that follows it, recognizing that it is difficult, if not impossible, to follow an immoral, deceitful, and divisive campaign with a high-minded, transformational, and inspirational presidency.

Huffington Post: To Bring Change, You Have to Create a Movement

Barack Obama's victory would not have been possible had he simply created a traditional campaign organization. To win, Obama needed a movement. The same will be true in order to enact Obama's agenda for change in the months ahead.

Slate: A Foreign-Policy Repair Manual

The very fact of a black president revivifies America as a beacon of democracy--not through thumping arrogance and brimstone but, more elegantly and potently, by sheer example. But President Obama will enjoy this gush of hope and favor for six months at most. After that, he'll have to earn it through his actions and policies.

Foreign Policy: The Global Grand Bargain

Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once advised, "If a problem cannot be solved, enlarge it." It is a way of bringing more politically relevant clout to bear and creating opportunities for constructive trade-offs. Most of the challenges we face are interconnected, and the only way for the new administration to tackle them is as part of a coherent overall strategy, a Global Grand Bargain.

Newsweek: Hey, Mr. President-Elect, Got a Minute ... or 10?

Barack Obama likes to listen. But as President, there will be a limit to how much time he can devote to it. Who has his ear? Here's a survey of Obama's inner circles (that's plural).

New Republic: Obama's Treasury Choice

Friends say Larry Summers wants the job he held for the last year and a half of the Clinton administration. Obama aides--who rave that, along with Rubin and former Fed chairman Paul Volcker, Summers was indispensable to the campaign--say they, too, sense he'd like another crack at Treasury.

Time: Easing In Obama as Commander-in-Chief

Obama will start filling the senior national-security posts in the new Administration. Candidates for secretary of state are believed to include former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke and Chuck Hagel, a GOP senator from Nebraska who has been critical of the war in Iraq. A spokeswoman for John Kerry denied rumors that the Massachusetts senator was also seeking the job. In the running to serve as Obama's national security adviser are James Steinberg, who served as Clinton's deputy national security adviser, and James Jones, a retired Marine commandant and former top NATO commander who has been highly critical of the Bush Administration's Afghan policy.

New York Times: A Time to Reap for Foot Soldiers of Civil Rights

As they exited the voting booths, some in wheelchairs, others with canes, these foot soldiers of the civil rights movement could not suppress either their jubilation or their astonishment at having voted for an African-American for president of the United States.

Washington Post: America's History Gives Way to Its Future

Across America, the revelry looked like a rolling collage of World Series celebrations. In the nation's capital, Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House became the symbolic location for exultation. What began as a spontaneous gathering of 100 just past 11 p.m. soon mushroomed into thousands by 1 a.m., people chanting in the rain oChicago Tribuneutside the home of George W. Bush.

Chicago Tribune: The Grant Park Rally in Photos

An estimated 125,000 people turned out on an unusually warm November night to hear Barack Obama claim victory at Grant Park, often called Chicago's "front yard." Page through the Tribune's 117 photos from last night's rally.

Ebony: A Solemn and Decisive Victory

The crowd in Grant Park mirrored the mood of the man they came to see. It was if everyone, collectively, knew that this moment was borne of a troubled time. Hope propelled us here, but deeply tough times was the platform that built it.

Slate: The Coming Obama-Press War

Those who predict a three-month honeymoon between journalists and the incoming President Obama have not been reading their daily newspaper. These are not normal times. The economy has fallen into an abyss, Afghanistan appears lost, and Obama's own party will turn on him if he doesn't transform the country into Sweden overnight. No matter how well he prepares, every new president faces a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't template.

Anchorage Daily News: Can Sarah Palin Go Home Again?

In the 68 days since Alaska's governor began her run for vice president, things have changed on the home front. Some of her former allies are fuming, and former enemies are lying in wait. Public perceptions of the governor have also changed. Has the governor changed as well?

Salon: I Watched Fox News for Five Hours Last Night

I'm not here to kick sand in the face of the Fox News Channel. For the first time in its existence, Fox on Election Night 2008 seemed a weak and piteous thing, trying to cover its nakedness with shreds of dignity, and staring mortality right in the face.

New York Observer: Can President Obama Avoid President Clinton's Early Mistakes?

As he transitions from campaigning to governing, Mr. Obama would be very wise to consider very carefully the example of Mr. Clinton - and to make sure he doesn't emulate it, at least not in the early days of his administration.

Foreign Policy: What McCain and Obama Didn't Talk About

Some of the most pressing international issues the next president will face were barely discussed during the 2008 campaign. How will McCain or Obama handle them? We'll just have to wait and see.

Financial Times: World Welcomes Obama Victory

FT correspondents report on the international reaction to Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential election.

National Review: The Possibilities of President Obama

On a night of glorious triumph for him and his ravenous supporters, the message could easily have been: Time for you bitter clingers to get with the program. It wasn't. Instead, the new president spoke humbly to those whose votes he said he had not yet "earned." Does he mean it? Here's hoping so.

New Republic: America, the Liberal

In a cover story labeled "America the Conservative," Newsweek editor Jon Meacham warned that, "[s]hould Obama win, he will have to govern a nation that is more instinctively conservative than it is liberal." These guys--and the others who are counseling Barack Obama and the Democrats to "go slow"--couldn't be more wrong.

Power Line: No Landslide

Barack Obama's victory last night was no doubt historic, and the Democrats, as expected, extended their leads in the House and the Senate. But their victory was no landslide, despite what appeared to be overwhelming advantages.

Wired: Nanobama - The World's Tiniest Candidate Portrait

Sculpted using nanolithography by University of Michigan mechanical engineer, John Hart, each Obama face is composed of 150 million carbon nanotubes and measures half a millimeter across.

New York Times: A Sea Change, for Politics as We Know It

The 2008 race for the White House has rewritten the rules on how to reach voters, raise money, organize supporters, manage the news media, track and mold public opinion, and wage -- and withstand -- political attacks, including many carried by blogs that did not exist four years ago. It has challenged the consensus view of the American electoral battleground, suggesting that Democrats can at a minimum be competitive in states and regions that had long been Republican strongholds.

Washington Post: At the End of an Extraordinary Ride

The candidates put on a remarkable show for the voters. No one has ever seen a Democratic nomination battle like the one Obama waged against Hillary Clinton. No one could have seen the grit and determination that brought John McCain from dead man walking in the late summer of 2007 to Republican nominee by February 2008. No one had a script for the arrival of Sarah Palin onto the national stage. She revived both the Republican base and "Saturday Night Live." Who else could have done that?

Weekly Standard: The Best Presidential Campaign Ever? Not by a Long Shot

The positive parts of the campaign pale compared with the negative ones. Start with the three presidential debates. Broder called them "lackluster" but that's putting it mildly. Then there was the breathtaking media bias--liberal bias--in favor of Obama and against McCain.

Slate: Obama's Wistful Last Day

Madelyn Dunham's grandson may be elected president Tuesday, which makes her death so poignant. A chapter in Barack Obama's life is closing in a definitive and complete way. She was one of the "quiet heroes," he said, moving her story into his stump speechin Charlotte, N.C. . "Not famous names, not in the newspapers, and each day they work hard. They aren't seeking the limelight. In this crowd there are a lot of quiet heroes like that. The satisfaction they get is seeing that their children and grandchildren get a better life."

New Yorker: Bullwinkle's Revenge

Roy Forbes fell in love with moose paddles (what most people call antlers). After selecting seventy-seven pounds of the most aesthetically pleasing specimens during a trip to Montana, Forbes shipped them back to San Francisco, waiting for inspiration to strike. In mid-August, it did. Forbes recalled, "I opened a newspaper and it was filled with all this moose stuff about Sarah Palin and I was like, 'You gotta be kidding me!'" Forbes, an Obama supporter, decided to donate his private stash of moose paddles for a one-of-a-kind Democratic fund-raiser.

Daily Beast: Reporters Share Their Best Moments from the Campaign Trail

From Steve Schmidt's bad karaoke performance to Dennis Kucinich's nut thievery, campaign reporters share their best--and most hilarious--memories from the trail.

New York Times: Campaigns in a Web 2.0 World

For many viewers, the 2008 election has become a kind of hybrid in which the dividing line between online and off, broadcast and cable, pop culture and civic culture, has been all but obliterated. Many of the media outlets influencing the 2008 election simply were not around in 2004. YouTube did not exist, and Facebook barely reached beyond the Ivy League. There was no Huffington Post to encourage citizen reporters.

New Yorker: The Test - What Makes a President Great?

The next Presidency has within its reach at least two generation-spanning causes: the need to jump-start a new energy economy, and, in so doing, help to contain climate change; and the need to enact a plan to provide quality health care to all Americans, and, in so doing, complete the project of social insurance that Roosevelt described in 1935.

Los Angeles Times: For Some White Voters, Obama's Race is Seen as a Bonus

Some regard casting a ballot for Barack Obama as a victory for diversity, an atonement for past sins and a catalyst for racial healing. But they say race is one of many reasons for their preference.

Wall Street Journal: Gauging the Impact of Obama's Race

Figuring out which and how many white voters will be reluctant or flatly unwilling to pull the lever for the African-American candidate, Sen. Barack Obama, is impossible to determine from either polling data or experience.

Stateline: Election '08 - Could Dems Sweep?

At the state level, Democrats head into Election Day already sporting a 28-22 advantage over Republicans in governorships and controlling 57 of the 98 legislative chambers in 49 states. With the Republican Party feeling the drag of an unpopular president and a Wall Street crisis - and this an off-peak year with fewer state races on the ballot - the best the GOP can hope for at the state level is to chip away at some of state Democrats' watershed gains from 2006.

Chicago Tribune: With All This, Why Be President?

It's really the most difficult transition since Abraham Lincoln, to be honest with you," said Paul Light, professor of public service at New York University and an expert in presidential transitions. "Lincoln, between the time he was elected and inaugurated, witnessed seven states secede from the union."

Politico: What if Wright Played a Bigger Role in the Campaign?

It was the dog that didn't bark -- or at least did little more than whimper. What would have happened had John McCain and the Republican Party been willing to aggressively use Wright's incendiary comments against Obama, holding up his relationship with his former pastor to question the Democratic nominee's judgment?

Daily Beast: November Surprises

In a desperate bid to close the gap, our satire columnist says the McCain camp--whoops, unnamed sources!--are leaking some of their most lurid smears yet. Michelle Obama and William Ayers were romantically linked in the 1960s... Barack Obama provided pro bono legal advice to Medellin cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar...

Slate: If Obama Loses, Who Gets Blamed?

An Obama loss would mean the majority of pundits, reporters, and analysts were wrong. Pollsters would have to find a new line of work, since Obama has been ahead in all 159 polls taken in the last six weeks. This collective failure of elites would provide such a blast of schadenfreude that Republicans like Rush Limbaugh would be struck speechless (another historic first).

Washington Post: The State of the Races

Barack Obama and the Democrats hold a commanding position two days before Tuesday's election, with Obama leading in states whose electoral votes total nearly 300 electoral votes and with his party counting on significantly expanded majorities in Congress. Two factors cloud the final projections. The first is how voters ultimately respond to the prospect of the first African American president in U.S. history. The other is whether Obama can expand the electorate to give him a cushion in battleground states.

New York Times: The Undecided - Sheepish, Proud or Set to Flip a Coin

With only days left until Election Day, a small cluster of holdouts -- 4 percent, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll -- are still wrestling with the "Who are you voting for?" question. Which raises a follow-up: What is up with these people?

Salon: Overcoming in Ohio

In bellwether Perry County, the Ku Klux Klan once thrived. Now, Republican truckers and coal miners are backing Barack Obama.

Los Angeles Times: Four Big Questions of the Presidential Election

Who wins, and where, will give clues about the nation's feelings on race, the role of government and the hold of partisanship.

Boston Globe: Five Questions About America This Election May Answer

While Barack Obama enters the final days of the presidential campaign with a clear lead in the polls - but not so big as to rule out a surprise victory for John McCain - the impact of the 2008 presidential campaign will depend not only on who wins but also on whether the results signify a deeper realignment in American politics.

New York Post: Obama 2012 - A Look Back at His Presidency

It's hard to believe that just four years ago, some were talking about Barack Obama as a national savior, a secular redeemer, a "light worker." Even more shocking, President Obama lost the nomination of his own party to none other than Hillary Clinton. How did we get here?

Weekly Standard: Meet the Fastidiocons

For the past 20 years, it has been a given that many conservatives are deeply embedded in Reagan Nostalgia, longing for a return in new guise of their erstwhile leader, the unassailable image of noble perfection, against whom all other men must fall short. But the revolt of a coterie on the right against Sarah Palin--who has the audacity to wink, to hunt moose, and to come from Alaska--suggests that these conservatives at least have a whole other model in mind.

New York Observer: For Palin and Her Fans, the Election's Going Just Fine

While her mentions of her wardrobe or her assertion that "I'm not doing this for naught" make Republican leaders wince, she continues to delight the hard-core Republican supporters who could potentially serve as her base.

Newsweek: The Change Agent

Our politics are rooted in the grand, complicated presidency of Andrew Jackson, a kind of forgotten father of his country. In Jackson we can see the best of us and the worst of us, a style of presidential leadership that is at once inspiring and cautionary, for his fights remain our fights, his strengths our strengths and his weaknesses our weaknesses.

New Republic: Hear Me, Obama Supporters! Here's How to Stay Sane

Is the election driving you crazy? Are you losing sleep over the fact that the awesomest guy ever might lose the presidency to a grumpy old jerk? Well, the waiting is the hardest part, and you only have to wait four more days. A writer for The Simpsons tells how to make it through the homestretch without losing your mind.

Huffington Post: Obama vs. McCain - the Boxing Match (Click the headline).

New York Times: Obama Seeking Votes in Republican-Rich Soil

On Saturday, Mr. Obama is not only returning to Missouri, he is headed to one of the state's most conservative bastions. Of all the cities that he will pass through in the closing stages of the race, Springfield, Mo., is one of the most reliably Republican. Unlike four years ago, when Senator John Kerry pulled out of Missouri with three weeks to go, Mr. Obama is engaged in a vigorous chase for the state's 11 electoral votes.

Wall Street Journal: Election Battle Shifts to Republican Turf

The campaign's final days are playing out largely on territory won by President George W. Bush in 2004, as his unpopularity, combined with a struggling economy and shifting demographics, have helped Democrats gain traction in what have been reliably Republican states.

Washington Post: True Believers in McCain Flock to Pennsylvania

During the last two weeks, thousands of volunteers have flocked to Pennsylvania -- the land of last resort for McCain's campaign. Among staffers and volunteers working frantically in this state, the typical line of thought goes like this: If McCain can somehow score an upset in Pennsylvania, he will earn 21 electoral votes, compensate for potential losses in some traditionally Republican states and narrowly defeat Sen. Barack Obama for the presidency.

Scranton Times: McCain, Obama Supporters Step Up Final Efforts in Pennsylvania

The Obama campaign is appealing to voters with a vast network of volunteers -- they have more than 100,000 in the state -- as well as an array of internet tools. At the local McCain headquarters on Lackawanna Avenue on Thursday, volunteers also courted voters by phone. Although they are outpaced by the Obama campaign in terms of numbers of volunteers, they tout the high-tech tools that make their get-out-the-vote operation more efficient.

Los Angeles Times: McCain Is Feeling the Heat in Arizona

John McCain has easily won every political race he has run in Arizona. But that was before the economy tanked and foreclosure signs sprouted like saguaro in the desert. It was before the registration of Democrats and independents outpaced Republicans; before presidential polls showed a shrinking, single-digit advantage for McCain over Barack Obama, his Democratic rival.

Boston Globe: Obama Makes Final Iowa Push

For all of Barack Obama's wistful talk about launching his presidential bid on a cold day in Springfield, Ill., 21 months ago, the true center of gravity for his candidacy is this politics-crazed city and state, which first vaulted him into the front-runner status he still enjoys.

Charlotte Observer: In N.C., Issue of Race Cannot be Ignored

The town of Salisbury is one example of how Obama's bid to win North Carolina has revealed a tension between some blacks and whites.

Indianapolis Star: McCain Rally Monday Will Cap the Battle for Indiana

Republican Sen. John McCain will make his first Indiana campaign stop in more than four months. A poll earlier this week showed McCain and his opponent, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, in a statistical dead heat in the state, which hasn't backed a Democratic presidential nominee since 1964. The visit will be the third time McCain has campaigned in Indiana this year. Obama has made 48 campaign stops this year.

Miami Herald: In Florida, Focus Falls on Turnout, Hispanic Vote

In the final stretch of the campaign, John McCain is trying to hold on to Florida's Hispanic voters, while Barack Obama is focused on getting Democrats to the polls.

Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesotans Warned on Calls About Voting Practices

Minnesotans should beware intimidating phone calls about their voting practices from people purporting to be with his office, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said. The calls in question apparently are being made by the conservative nonprofit Minnesota Majority as part of an effort to uncover voting irregularities.

Des Moines Register: Obama Reaps Payoff from His Attention to Sporadic Voters in Iowa

There is evidence Barack Obama's success in attracting previously inactive voters to the Iowa caucuses is reaping benefits. Obama's goal by focusing on previously inactive voters, including independents and Republicans, is to set the stage not only for victory, but a mandate, some strategists say.