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

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

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

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

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

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

Daily Beast: How the Palin Family Chooses Those Names

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

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

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

News 8 Austin: Quiet Crawford

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

Washington Times: Suit Challenges National Park Gun Rule

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

Daily Beast: Hillary's Gaza Problem

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

National Review: Bush Loyalty Test

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

New York Times: Blagojevich Prosecutors Seek Ruling on Tapes

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

Politico: 'Magic Negro' Flap Might Help Saltsman

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

People Magazine: Bristol Palin Welcomes a Son

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

Wall Street Journal: New Jersey the Perfect Bad Example

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

Boston Globe: Holder's Hearing Might be Rocky

The confirmation hearing for Eric Holder, Obama's pick for attorney general, promises to be bruising, with Republicans determined to explore Holder's role in controversial pardons under President Clinton, his views on gun rights, and his involvement in the case of Elian Gonzalez, the 6-year-old Cuban boy returned to his homeland by Clinton's Justice Department.

Wall Street Journal: Obama's Mideast Plans Face New Complications

President-elect Barack Obama's pledge to mediate the Arab-Israeli conflict aggressively from "day one" could be significantly complicated by Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, current and former Western diplomats said.

Lakeland, Fla. Ledger: Guess Who Gets a Raise?

If members of Congress do nothing when they reassemble in January - and they seem to be able to do nothing quiet well lately - they will automatically receive a pay increase of 2.8 percent over their current $169,300 salary. That's a raise of $4,700 a year - nearly $13 more a day. The raise is based on the Employment Cost Index, and while it's automatic, Congress can reduce the amount of the increase or reject it altogether. There are plenty of reasons to reject it this year ranging from economic policies to failure to police the behavior of its members.

The Daily Beast:  The President-elect's New Poet-elect is the Right Woman for the Job

This is excellent good news that there will be an inaugural poem on January 20. The peaceful handing over of power every four (or eight) years is a miracle that really ought to be celebrated in verse. The trick, of course, is getting verse that rises to the occasion, writes Christopher Buckley. The poet of the moment will be Elizabeth Alexander of Yale (Boola, boola! Sorry, couldn't resist). She is an appealing, unaffected and altogether becoming lady of 46, a professor, mother of two, an intimate friend of the P.E. (president-elect) and F.L.E (first lady-elect), and a one-woman Who's Who of the African-American establishment.

New Yorker: The Whistle Blower

Pamela Davis, blond suburban mother of three, was told that her bra would be the best place to wear the wire that kick-started a long investigation into Chicago graft and that ultimately caught the governor of Illinois trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat.

Chicago Sun-Times: Grading the Transition

The Obama team, pledging the ''most open and transparent transition in history,'' gets and ''A'' for disclosing donors to the Jan. 20 inauguration and a ''F'' when it comes to revealing transition meetings with groups, writes columnist Lynn Sweet.

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Witness in Jefferson Case Became Pals with Ney

One of the likely witnesses in the upcoming trial of Rep. William J. Jefferson, D-La., became friends with ex-Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, while both were serving time in the same federal prison, says David Harper, lawyer for Vernon Jackson, who expects to be testifying in the Jefferson case. (Second item in "On the Hill.)

New York Post: Caroline’s Kids and Hubby All Aboard Run for Senate, Obama’s ‘Encouraging’

Q&A With Caroline Kennedy: In a sit-down with The Post, President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, who has spent years guarding her family’s privacy, said her three children - Rose, 20, Tatiana, 18, and John, 15 - and husband Edwin Schlossberg completely back her effort to be appointed to the Senate seat of Secretary of State nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, although they realize it will mean a family adjustment.

New York Daily News: How JFK’s Daughter Flubbed the Audition to Become the Next Senator Kennedy

A strange thing is happening on the way to the coronation. The wheels of the bandwagon are coming off. Fantasy is giving way to inescapable truth. That truth is that Kennedy is not ready for the job and doesn’t deserve it. Somebody who loves her should tell her. Her quest is becoming a cringe-inducing experience, as painful to watch as it must be to endure.

Washington Post: Families Ask Bush to Seize Land Parcel for 9/11 Memorial

Efforts to buy property for a national Flight 93 memorial have bogged down in federal red tape and a protracted land dispute, angering family members and risking plans to hold a dedication ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The delays have prompted an advocacy group, Families of Flight 93, to ask President Bush to personally intervene during his final weeks in office to allow the federal government to seize the land needed for the memorial and to allocate part of the money for the project.

Associated Press: GOP Official Blasted for Distributing Obama ‘Magic Negro’ CD

The chairman of the Republican National Committee said Saturday he was “shocked and appalled” that one of his potential successors had sent committee members a CD this Christmas featuring a 2007 parody song called “Barack the Magic Negro.”

Weekly Standard: Don’t Know Much About Economics

Barack Obama is an awfully good politician but not much of an economist. His model for lifting America out of its economic slump is President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. The trouble with FDR’s policy, however, is that it didn’t come close to reviving the economy and restoring it to pre-Depression vigor. But FDR did use the New Deal quite successfully in another regard: to build a coalition that kept Democrats in the majority for a half century.

Politico: Obama Bristles as the Bubble Closes In on Him

The president-elect appears increasingly conscious of the confines of his new position, bristling at the routine demands of press coverage and beginning to chafe at boundaries that are only going to get smaller.

Indianapolis Star: Q and A with Ron Klain

Although he’s been in the private sector for most of the past decade, Ron Klain ran debate preparations for the Obama-Biden campaign and was an advocate for the campaign’s decision to contest Indiana.Klain spoke with The Indianapolis Star about why he’s heading back to government and how he hopes to avoid being portrayed in any more HBO movies.

Washington Examiner: Rahm the Enforcer

In Washington, where big personalities create even bigger legends, Democrat Rahm Emanuel has achieved mythic status. He throws cells phones. He once sent a dead fish to a pollster who displeased him. At a dinner to celebrate Bill Clinton’s 1992 election, Emanuel repeatedly stabbed the table with a steak knife, shouting the names of his political enemies. Journalists have trouble quoting him, because his routine utterances are replete with profanity.

Los Angeles Times: A child soldier or just a child?

Omar Khadr was 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan in 2002. His Guantanamo trial raises ethical questions.

Wall Street Journal: Sen. Reid Hits the Ground Running in Uphill Re-Election Bid

Sen. Harry Reid will command the biggest party majority of any Senate leader in a quarter century when the new Congress convenes in January. But the Nevada Democrat is already worried about his own re-election fight in 2010.

The Weekly Standard: Conservative Successes

It’s true that the Bush administration has seen its share of incompetence, negligence, and cupidity. And back when Republicans ran Capitol Hill, it sometimes seemed as though GOP congressmen were competing for the annual Jack Abramoff Award for Excellence in Corruption. But linking these foibles to conservatism is silly. The fact is that conservatives govern successfully when they have the right mix of policy and personnel.

Huffington Post: Bush Flack Spouts Nonsense While Touting Success of Presidency

Last Monday, RealClearPolitics provided a forum for Bush White House Counselor Ed Gillespie to dissemble on “Myths and Facts About the Real Bush Record.” This document should serve political science instructors well in the future as the epitome of dead end political propaganda.

Slate: The Pundit Divas

On TV talk and interview shows, there are some guests who simply refuse to go on the air with other particular people or with anyone at all. It’s rarely discussed, because the bookers who mediate these ego wars are bound by contract to keep quiet. The biggest offenders are usually the ones whose egos are too big to accommodate any company such as Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, or Alexander Haig. The food chain continues. Senators don’t go on with members of the House, who in turn won’t appear with anyone other than elected officials of their rank or higher.

Washington Times: Obama’s Online Community Expands

President-elect Barack Obama’s supporters are eager to take the former community organizer up on his challenge to get to work for the nation, and many are even considering a run for public office. The 13 million-strong Obama e-mail list has been activated to help wildfire victims in California, to host thousands of parties to discuss the incoming administration, and at least 55,000 people told the campaign in an online survey that Mr. Obama has inspired them to consider political careers on the state or local level.

The Hill: New Rule Prompts Fears of Guns at Inauguration

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and gun control groups are concerned that some visitors attending President-elect Obama’s inauguration may try to pack heat because of a rule allowing concealed weapons in national parks.

Time: War on Terror Even Costlier Than Expected

A trio of recent reports — none by the Bush Administration — suggests that sometime early in the Obama presidency, spending on the wars started since 9/11 will pass the trillion-dollar mark. Even after adjusting for inflation, that’s four times more than America spent fighting World War I, and more than 10 times the cost of 1991’s Persian Gulf War (90 percent of which was paid for by U.S. allies).

Chicago Tribune:Lack of Christmas Service Shows Obama’s Church Dilemma

As his fellow Christians around the world attended Christmas services on Wednesday and Thursday, the president-elect and his family remained sequestered at their vacation compound on the windward coast of Oahu. His lack of attendance at formal religious services showcased a dilemma faced by Barack Obama, who is between churches and often expresses concern about bringing the disruption of his security detail into the lives of others.

Huffington Post: Intriguing Death Of Top GOP Consultant Michael Connell

The death in a plane crash of Republican Internet consultant Michael Connell raises a question: How much will Connell’s death, even if the accident was entirely without malfeasance, impede congressional committee investigations into the more controversial activities of the Bush administration over the past eight years - including the ongoing investigation into thousands of missing White House-RNC emails sent and received by some 22 White House political aides, including Karl Rove.

Washington Times: ‘Level playing field’ sought by RNC Hopefuls

A power struggle that will determine the future leadership of the Republican Party has broken into the open as dissatisfied Republican leaders pushed for a meeting early next month that they hope will be the first step toward ending Washington-based control of the party.

Washington Post: Little Blue Pills Among the Ways CIA Wins Friends in Afghanistan

In their efforts to win over notoriously fickle warlords and chieftains in Afghanisatan the CIA’s operatives have used a variety of personal services. These include pocketknives and tools, medicine or surgeries for ailing family members, toys and school equipment, tooth extractions, travel visas, and, occasionally, pharmaceutical enhancements for aging patriarchs with slumping libidos.

Los Angeles Times: Food Safety Reform Waits on Back Burner

Some of the leading champions of rebuilding the FDA and the food safety system acknowledge that the faltering economy, healthcare, global warming and other issues will make it tough to allocate more money for food safety, despite years of scandals involving food poisoning and tainted imports.

WSJ.com: Lessons From ‘92 Offer Hope to GOP

Tattered as Republicans look today, it’s easy to forget that they’ve been here before, and not so long ago, and recovered fairly quickly. One who remembers it well is Haley Barbour, the current governor of Mississippi, who had either the great fortune or misfortune (it wasn’t clear at the time which it was) of taking over as Republican National Committee chairman at the dawn of the Clinton presidency. Having seen this play before, Gov. Barbour knows it needn’t have an unhappy ending for his party. The script he followed at the time, in fact, may be illuminating for his party today.

Stateline.org: Economy Trims Some Govs’ Inauguration Plans

Some governors who were elected or re-elected in November are skipping the typical inaugural balls and toning down the glitz at their swearing-in ceremonies to cut costs. One new governor canceled his ball — a first for the state — and another first-time governor has called for a potluck dinner.

New York Times: Resistance to Kennedy Grows Among Democrats

Resistance is emerging among Democratic officials against Caroline Kennedy as she pursues Hillary Rodham Clinton's seat in the United States Senate, with Gov. David A. Paterson bristling over suggestions that her selection is inevitable, according to his advisers, and other leading Democrats concerned that she is too beholden to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Slate: Cheney Fought the Law. Cheney Won.

In an ever-escalating game of chicken between the executive branch and the rest of the world, Vice President Dick Cheney wants you to understand that he has done nothing wrong over the past eight years. The vice president's greatest rhetorical sleight of hand may be that he has completely inverted settled and open legal questions. As he snarks his way through his final exit interviews, he takes the position that the thorniest legal questions are the easy ones and the settled ones are still open.

Daily Beast: How My Party Found God

Former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry observes that liberals have practiced secular politics since the 1960s, but with the ascent of Barack Obama, the left discovered it can actually keep the faith.

Washington Post: As Duties Weigh Obama Down, His Faith in Fitness Only

Being elected president forces a man to take inventory of his life, so Barack Obama has trimmed his schedule to the bare essentials. But one habit endures: Obama has gone to the gym, for about 90 minutes a day, for at least 48 days in a row. He always has treated exercise less as recreation than requirement, but his devotion has intensified during the past few months.

Los Angeles Times: Planning for Obama's Inaugural Bash is No Party

Officials expect to meet their budget and underwrite a colossal celebration that they say will be open to more people than ever. With less than a month to go, organizers are adding elements to the master calendar. They've told some supporters that they might not get all the goodies they'd expected in exchange for big donations. And they've scrambled to think up new ways to deal with the insatiable appetite of wealthy supporters not just to attend, but also to buy themselves VIP status.

Politico: Jindal in 2012?

Even as he basks in the media glow from his maiden foray to Iowa last month, Jindal is far from a sure thing in 2012. "He doesn't want to run against Obama unless Obama is an unmitigated disaster," observed John Maginnis, a longtime watcher of Louisiana politics and publisher of the LaPolitics Weekly. "In 2016, it will be an open seat with no vice president running."

Wall Street Journal: Blunt Talk by Health-Care Leader

Rep. Pete Stark, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's health panel, will be an important player as Washington tackles health care next year. But his blunt criticism of opponents and his positions to the left of many other Democrats promise to make the process bumpier. His longtime vision for revamping health care remains somewhat to the left of President-elect Barack Obama, but in the new Congress, Rep. Stark said, he will wait for Mr. Obama to spell out his priorities, so lawmakers can get to work and "accomplish his goals."

Chicago Sun-Times: Emanuel Wanted to Keep His Seat ‘Warm’

In addition to talking with Gov. Blagojevich about who would fill President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate seat, Obama’s newly minted chief of staff had something else on his mind: his own congressional seat. An Obama transition team report released Tuesday indicates Emanuel talked with the governor days after the election. Sources said Emanuel broached with Blagojevich the subject of finding a candidate to temporarily fill the seat. But Emanuel isn’t accused of promising something in return.

NPR: Is Bush Planning Pardons For His Administration?

When it comes to clemency, presidents have absolute power; Congress and the courts cannot overrule them. President Bush issued more pardons Tuesday, and now there’s intense speculation that he might issue last-minute pardons to officials of his own administration.

Wall Street Journal: Biden Says Stimulus Won’t Include Earmarks

Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Lawrence Summers, who is slated to head the National Economic Council, say the Obama stimulus plan would have measures to track spending on the Internet and ensure funds are spent effectively. “There will be no earmarks in this economic recovery plan,” Mr. Biden said, referring to pet projects that are often slipped into spending measures by members of Congress. “I know it’s the Christmas season, but President-elect Obama and I are absolutely determined that this economic recovery package will not become a Christmas tree.”

Dallas Morning News: Tuskegee Airmen Invited Onstage at Inauguration

Tuskegee Airmen healthy enough to make the trip will be sitting on the stage next to members of Congress when Barack Obama takes the oath of office. The barrier-busting black pilots who flew to victories over Germany in World War II will receive two nontransferable tickets for on-stage seats. “To a certain extent, we Tuskegee Airmen opened up the doors for some of these improvements in integration and opportunities for black folk,” said Robert McDaniel, 85, a retired elementary school principal from Fort Worth and a member of the famed fliers. “So they are riding on the shoulders of the Tuskegee Airmen.”

New York Times: Resistance to Kennedy Grows Among Democrats

Resistance is emerging among Democratic officials against Caroline Kennedy as she pursues Hillary Rodham Clinton’s seat in the United States Senate, with Gov. David A. Paterson bristling over suggestions that her selection is inevitable, according to his advisers, and other leading Democrats concerned that she is too beholden to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

Politico: Obama Pays Tribute to Late Grandmother

More than a dozen friends and family joined Obama, who was dressed casually and wearing sunglasses, along a rocky shoreline as he scattered his grandmother’s remains.Madelyn Dunham died at age 86 just two days before her grandson won the election. Tuesday was the first time Obama has been able to formally mourn her death, surrounded by friends and family in his home state.

Fox News: Is Obama the Next Lincoln?

Besides the Illinois roots and the skinny frames they share, how similar is Obama to Lincoln? The 16th president was taller and their challenges are much different.

Daily Beast: Even Blago Is Presumed Innocent

Scott Turow, Chicago's preeminent crime novelist, on how the Illinois governor can defend himself--and why bribery cases are so hard to prove.

New York Times: For Now, Obama Proves to Be Elusive Target for G.O.P.

Two months after Barack Obama's election, Republicans are struggling to figure out how -- or even whether -- to challenge or criticize him as he prepares to assume the presidency. The president-elect is proving to be an elusive and frustrating target. He has defied attempts to be framed ideologically.

Slate: Open and Shut Cases

In an ever-escalating game of chicken between the executive branch and the rest of the world, Vice President Dick Cheney wants you to understand that he has done nothing wrong over the past eight years. In fact, to hear him tell it to Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday yesterday, we are all safer for his infallibility in the face of our own complacency.

Mental Floss: 5 Vastly Overrated Historical Events

Many events live on in history for their greatness and significance. And some of those events, quite frankly, don't deserve all the fuss. When writing the book Busted! The 50 Most Overrated Things in History, I discovered a few such events. Here are five of my favorites.

Weekly Standard: Lincoln, Obama, and Bush

Long before the recent election, Barack Obama often liked to compare himself to Abraham Lincoln. An adoring press followed suit. Googling "Obama and Lincoln," results in over 14 million hits. Now many are of these are redundant and many have nothing to do with either Obama or Lincoln. But it is obvious that the idea of Obama as the reincarnation of Lincoln resonates with a great many folks, especially in the mainstream media. But the comparison is superficial.

NPR: Hopes Run High In Middle East For Obama

The Middle East will likely be a major foreign policy priority for the administration of Barack Obama. His election has generated high expectations -- some say too high -- that he can restore the image of the United States in the Arab world and that changes in Mideast policy are imminent.

Wall Street Journal: Bush and Scooter Libby

Rarely can Presidents improve their legacy in an Administration's twilight days. But President Bush now has that opportunity, by undoing a measure of the injustice inflicted on I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. The Bush Administration is mythologized as one in which loyalty is a defining virtue, especially on the part of the President himself. In this dark episode, an honest man became the fall guy in a larger political war over the war. Mr. Libby deserved better -- and Mr. Bush owes it to Mr. Libby, and to future occupants of the White House, to give him a full pardon.

New York Times: Between Obama and the Press

Obama's operatives spoke with a single voice and a precise message and only when they wanted to. They did it with a smile, not complaining -- at least not publicly -- about how the press was the enemy. And they did it using interactive tools that bred a feeling of real-time connectedness between campaign and voter. At the forefront of Obama's tightly held communications operation was Robert Gibbs, an affable Alabaman with pit-bullish tendencies behind the scenes in defense of his boss. He bragged that he did not tell even his wife that Obama had picked Joseph Biden as his running mate until the campaign revealed it in a mass text message.

Slate: Secretary of Saving the World

For the last 30-odd years, treasury secretaries have generally focused on G-7 conferences and international crises like emerging market meltdowns. But over the last several months, the scope of the treasury secretary's job has been redefined in historic ways. Timothy Geithner will be responsible not just for putting out fires but for rebuilding from the ashes of the world financial system.

Daily Beast: Karl Rove Destroyed My Life

Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman blames Republican dirty tricks for the nine months he spent in prison. He talks to the Daily Beast's Paul Alexander about clearing his name, anger at Rove--and mopping prison floors.

Chicago Tribune: Fundraiser Seeks Immunity in Blagojevich Probe

A key figure in Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged scheme to sell a U.S. Senate seat has sought immunity from federal authorities in return for his cooperation in their ongoing probe, the Tribune has learned. Raghuveer P. Nayak, an Oak Brook businessman and political fundraiser, is the unnamed "Individual D" who prosecutors say was being squeezed by the governor for campaign cash in return for appointing U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, sources said.

Washington Post: The Higher They Are, the Harder They Fall

Does it make a difference if the elected official is a governor, as is said to be the case with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich? What if the wrongdoer were a mayor? In a rational world, the rank of an official who abuses the public trust should make no difference in how people view the crime. But controlled experiments show that the status of the lawbreaker makes a huge difference in how we evaluate what happened.

Wall Street Journal: We Don't Need Guantanamo Bay

Closing the detention facility there does not mean that we cannot detain people. Guantanamo is only a place. But it is a place chosen by the Bush administration for a single purpose: to avoid the law. Because it is outside our borders, the administration argued that prisoners held there were beyond the jurisdiction of our courts and the protections of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has now rejected those arguments.

Reason: Rick Warren, Gay Heartbreaker

Oh LGBTers. Obama's selection of Rick Warren to do the invocation at his inauguration is a tough blow. After all, Pastor Warren is the guy who recently compared gay marriage to incestuous, polygamous, and pedophilic marriage. Sure, he's not as bad as Jerry Falwell, but it's cold comfort to be told that even though homosexuality is "not the natural way" and is a sin, at least "in the hierarchy of evil...homosexuality is not the worst sin."

NPR: Will Obama Press To End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'?

Mr. President-elect, you rarely spoke out as a candidate against the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that excludes openly gay people from the military. You said: "America is ready to get rid of the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy. All that is required is leadership." Then in July, when The Military Times asked you about ending that policy, you sounded a bit more conciliatory. "This is not something that I'm looking to shove down the military's throats," you said.

Washington Post: Obama Expands Stimulus Goals

President-elect Barack Obama has expanded his goals for a massive federal stimulus package to keep pace with the increasingly grim economic outlook, aiming to create or preserve at least 3 million jobs over the next two years. Obama last week presented congressional Democrats with a proposal to dedicate $675 billion to $775 billion over the next two years to middle-class tax cuts, aid to strapped state governments and investments in domestic priorities.

New York Times: The Reckoning - White House Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire

Eight years after arriving in Washington vowing to spread the dream of homeownership, Mr. Bush is leaving office, as he himself said recently, "faced with the prospect of a global meltdown" with roots in the housing sector he so ardently championed. The story of how we got here is partly one of Mr. Bush's own making, according to a review of his tenure that included interviews with dozens of current and former administration officials.

Daily Beast: Questions for Caroline Kennedy

Where does Kennedy stand on Wall Street? Raising taxes? Gambling? Harry Siegel on why her refusal to answer policy questions is an insult to New York. The article notes that several after The Daily Beast article appeared, Caroline Kennedy's responses to questions submitted by The New York Times and Politico were published. The Times reported: "Most of the answers were brief. Some of them did not fully address the questions." Politico described her answers this way: "Some of Kennedy's responses were brief and vague."

Los Angeles Times: Making a Point in Washington? You'll Need a Prop

When it comes to making your point heard, Washington loves its props. "A picture is worth a thousand words," said Don Wolfensberger, a former congressional staffer who is director of the Woodrow Wilson Center's Congress Project. "Unfortunately, with the congressional gimmick press conferences, you get the visual and the thousand words."

New York Times: Kennedy Brand Leaves Cuomo Feeling Stymied

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

Washington Post: Blair Is Steeped in the Ways Intelligence Works

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

Daily Beast: Saddam and the Shoe-Thrower

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

Slate: Magical History Tour

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

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

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

Wall Street Journal: Democrats Are the New Ethics Story

A note to all those visitors who will soon flood Washington for the inauguration: Be careful of the "swamp." That would be the swamp Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed to drain when she led her party to victory in 2006. The GOP had been rocked by scandal, and Mrs. Pelosi and Democrats won, in part, by promising to clean up the "culture of corruption" that pervaded Washington. Instead, Democrats now have an image problem.

New York Times: Richardson Donor's Contracts Under Investigation in New Mexico

A federal grand jury in New Mexico is investigating accusations that Gov. Bill Richardson's administration gave lucrative contracts to a California financier because he contributed heavily to the governor's political action committees. President-elect Barack Obama has appointed Mr. Richardson to be secretary of commerce, and questions about the contracts may be raised in his Senate confirmation hearings in February.

Daily Beast: America's Least Qualified Senators

Caroline Kennedy's resumé may not amount to much. But then neither did Hillary Clinton's. Or John Edwards'. Or Jon Corzine's, Teddy Kennedy's, or Bill Bradley. No one could accuse him of being a dumb jock, but resumé was nonetheless light when he won a Senate seat only a year after retiring from the NBA. But who cares? Tri-state area voters would elect the Cookie Monster if he brought the Knicks another championship.

Washington Post: The Friday Senate Line: Appointments A-Plenty

On its face, an appointment to the Senate seems to be about the best gift an aspiring politician could ask for. Rather than spend two years of your life running for the office -- raising the millions (or tens of millions) necessary to stay competitive, watching as your personal foibles are dredged up for the world to see and trudging around to every corner of a state to meet and greet voters -- you simply need to impress one person (the governor) and voila, you are a member of the world's greatest deliberative body. But a look back at Senate appointments made over the past 50 years shows a decidedly mixed electoral record.

Salon: How the Hell Did Rick Warren Get Inauguration Tickets?

For more than two years, cozying up to Rick Warren has been one of Barack Obama's favorite ways of showing evangelical Christians that he might not be so scary, after all -- and for just as long, palling around with Obama every once in a while has been Warren's way of trying to show more secular-minded people that he's not so bad, either. Except that Warren, by this point, isn't just the purpose-driven friendly face of evangelical Christianity anymore. He took sides, very publicly, in favor of California's Proposition 8, which overturned the state's gay marriage law and he has blasted Obama's answers on abortion rights, comparing being pro-choice to denying the Holocaust.

National Review: Obama and the Rick Warren Flap

Why is it a matter of great controversy that Obama has invited Warren to give the invocation on Inauguration Day? Warren is, after all, one of the most important evangelical leaders in America. Obama felt the evangelical vote was important enough to visit Saddleback Church not once but twice during the campaign. In addition, Obama had a rather problematic relationship with his own longtime pastor, Rev. Jeremiah "God damn America" Wright; inviting Wright to give the invocation would have been suicidal. So why not Warren?

Huffington Post: Kennedy, Warren, and the Democrats - How About Some Conflict Resolution?

The Democratic leadership may be prepared to ride out the current storms over Caroline Kennedy and Rick Warren. That would be a mistake. This is a time to heal wounds, not create new ones. Why not use some the principles of conflict resolution outlined in the U. S. Navy's conflict training program? They include: Think Before Reacting, Use Direct Communications, Look For Interests, Focus On the Future, and find Options for Mutual Gain.

Los Angeles Times: The Rise of the Late Baby Boomers

President-elect Barack Obama may well be one of the 79 million members of the baby boom generation. But he's a late-wave boomer, a child of the 1970s -- as are half of the two dozen people he's selected thus far to help him lead the country. Many of them came of age after the Vietnam War and the civil rights struggles. Their shared experiences offer insights into how they may govern.

New York Times: Generals Propose a Timetable for Iraq

A new military plan for troop withdrawals from Iraq that was described in broad terms this week to President-elect Barack Obama falls short of the 16-month timetable Mr. Obama outlined during his election campaign.

Daily Beast: The Backstory on Obama's Inaugural Pastor

America's Pastor--just announced as Obama's choice to give his inaugural prayer--has a nice-guy image. But it is belied by what he says on Sundays.

Washington Post: Helping to Write History

The job requires him to work unnoticed, even in plain view, so Jon Favreau settles into a wooden chair at a busy Starbucks in the center of Penn Quarter. Deadline looms, and he needs to write at least half a page by the end of the day. As the espresso machines whir, Favreau opens his laptop, calls up a document titled "rough draft of inaugural" and goes to work on the most anticipated speech of Barack Obama's life.

Wall Street Journal: Compiling a To-Do List for Obama's New Deal

The need for fiscal stimulus is hardly debated. With unemployment rising, wealth plunging and the Federal Reserve nearly out of ammunition, "nobody's crying wolf here," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. But the president-elect sees his plan as far more than fending off the wolf. He has said repeatedly that in crisis, he sees opportunity -- to rebuild a national infrastructure that has been neglected for decades and to make down payments on policy initiatives that would have taken years to negotiate.

New York Times: Bush Prepares Crisis Briefings to Aid Obama

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

ABC News: Cheney's Exit Interview

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

Slate: Lawyers Aren't Special

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

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

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

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

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

New York Times: In Blagojevich Case, Is It a Crime, or Just Talk?

Some lawyers are beginning to suggest that the juiciest part of the case against Mr. Blagojevich, the part involving his alleged effort to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat, may be less than airtight. There is no evidence, at least none that has been disclosed, that the governor actually received anything of value -- and the Senate appointment has yet to be made.

Slate: Fearless Politics

In less than 40 days, there will be a new sheriff in town. But Obama has promised that hope rather than fear will rule the city. His temperament is more of a persuader than an arm twister. He will look to build bonds and buy-ins and bridges, not pressure reluctant allies into a forced march. This will be a departure from his predecessors. Lyndon Johnson used the whole palette of emotions to set the tone for his presidency--guilt, affection, and ambition--but fear was his most powerful weapon.

Daily Beast: Washington's Five Biggest Losers

With the election over, let's take some time to think about who really lost this year, people who gaffed, aged, or otherwise slouched into the limelight and who will start the year with a fund of political capital smaller than your 401(k).

Pew Research: Hillary's New Job Better Known than Dow Jones Average

A new Pew News IQ survey yields some predictable results about the public's knowledge of facts about politics and world affairs, but also a few surprises. Hillary Clinton's nomination to be secretary of state is known by just about everyone -- not too surprisingly. However, even at a time of great focus on Wall Street's troubles, fewer than half were generally aware of where the Dow Jones Industrial Average is trading these days. Take the quiz.

Stateline.org: State Budget Gaps Could Widen to $200 Billion

States face their worst fiscal challenge in 25 years as the national recession could punch a $200 billion hole in state budgets over the next two years, the head of the National Governors Association said.

Mother Jones: The Seven Deadly Deficits

Joseph Stiglitz writes: If we can pull ourselves out of the malaise, if we can think more carefully and less ideologically about how to make our economy stronger and our society better, perhaps we can make progress in addressing some of our long-festering problems. As a road map for where to begin, consider the seven major shortfalls the Bush administration leaves behind.

Politico: Pelosi Lays Down the Law with Rahm

In talks with Emanuel and others, sources say, Pelosi has "set parameters" for what she wants from Barack Obama and his White House staff -- no surprises, and no backdoor efforts to go around her and other Democratic leaders by cutting deals with moderate New Democrats or conservative Blue Dogs.

New York Times: Two Sides of a Troubled Governor, Sinking Deeper

Blagojevich, 52, rarely turns up for work at his official state office in Chicago, former employees say, is unapologetically late to almost everything, and can treat employees with disdain, cursing and erupting in fury for failings as mundane as neglecting to have at hand at all times his preferred black Paul Mitchell hairbrush. He calls the brush "the football," an allusion to the "nuclear football," or the bomb codes never to be out of reach of a president.

New Yorker: Appointments

What if Governor Paterson, prompted by the squalor of his Illinois colleague's maneuverings, were to put aside mundane calculations and take full advantage of his theoretically unfettered freedom of choice in naming Hillary Clinton's successor? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, thoughtful and scholarly, would give the new President someone to shoot hoops with. Paul Krugman would provide ornery economic smarts. If you doubt that Lou Reed knows politics, listen to his album "New York." Toni Morrison's majestic voice would warm the Senate chamber.

Wall Street Journal: 'Czars' Ascend at White House

When a president wants to signal that an issue really matters, there is nothing like a czar. On Monday, Mr. Obama will name former Environmental Protection Agency chief Carol Browner as a White House energy czar. He is also planning to name an urban-affairs czar to work out of the White House, likely Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion. He has made former Sen. Tom Daschle a health czar of sorts. "There've been so many czars over last 50 years, and they've all been failures," said Paul Light, an expert on government at New York University.

Los Angeles Times: Daschle Has His Own Health Plan

In Daschle, Obama has also picked up a hardheaded political strategy for his push to overhaul the nation's healthcare system. Guided by lessons from President Clinton's healthcare debacle 15 years ago, Daschle has put a premium on cooperation between the White House, Congress and major healthcare interest groups, many of whom agree that major action on healthcare is vital.

Boston Globe: Groups Line Up for Share Of Stimulus Package

As President-elect Barack Obama and congressional leaders construct a behemoth economic stimulus package, a parade of interest groups is seeking shares of the portion that will go to infrastructure construction projects.

Salon: President Obama's First 100 Days

With many observers citing historical analogs like Abraham Lincoln in 1861 or Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, a Salon round table we explore a twofold question with sobering implications: What can Obama accomplish in his first 100 days, and what should he attempt?

National Review: Six Myths About the RNC Race

As Republicans reflect on which candidate for the RNC chair can best lead the party for the next two years, though, clouded thinking runs rampant -- much of it based on the misperception that winning a majority of the 165 votes needed to become chairman requires the same skill set as winning a general election. For the sake of clarity, let's clear up some myths about what makes a good party chairman.

New York Times: Obama Friends Form Strategy to Stay Close

Last Sunday night, President-elect Barack Obama's three closest friends -- Valerie Jarrett, Martin Nesbitt and Dr. Eric Whitaker -- sat down in the study of Mr. Nesbitt's house in Chicago for one of their increasingly frequent heart-to-hearts. They were puzzling over a new question: how the Obamas, who hope to remain close to their Chicago friends, will spend time with them while living in the isolation chamber of the White House.

Slate: Which State is the Most Crooked--Illinois or Louisiana?

With the unmasking of Gov. Rod Blagojevich as a kleptocrat of Paraguayan proportion, Illinois now has a real chance--its first in more than a generation--to defeat Louisiana in the NCAA finals of American political corruption. Illinois boasts some impressive stats, but don't count Louisiana out.

Los Angeles Times: Lobbyists Bid for a Piece of the Economic Stimulus Pie

Since President-elect Barack Obama laid out plans for the largest injection of federal spending into the economy since the New Deal, just about everyone has started angling for a piece of the action. A long list of industries have deployed lobbyists to Capitol Hill in hope of benefiting from the spending spree.

Washington Post: Obama Makes a Point of Speaking of the People, to the People

In the 26 years since the weekly radio address became a modern White House staple, presidents have often treated the speech to the nation as a task to be endured rather than an opportunity. Not so with President-elect Barack Obama, who has been using his four minutes of weekend airtime not only to speak directly to the American people, but also to create news. (Transcript of Saturday's radio address).

Wall Street Journal: Condi on the Record

As the Bush administration prepares to hand off foreign policy to Barack Obama, it has become an article of faith that our new president is inheriting something akin to a global Superfund site. It isn't clear if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is reading these epitaphs. But over lunch in the State Department, it's clear she has a different view of the world.

Salon: Meet the GOP's Wrecking Crew

Why did a small group of Southern Republicans turn the auto bailout into a demolition derby? This week Southern Republicans had a chance to go to bat for foreign automakers while simultaneously busting a union. Not coincidentally, nearly all of their states -- except Kentucky -- are also "right-to-work" states, which means no union contracts for most of the employees at the foreign plants. The Detroit bailout fell victim to a nasty confluence of home-state economic interests and anti-union sentiment among Republicans.

Weekly Standard: The Other American Auto Industry

Plenty of car makers make a go of it in this country--they're just non-union and not headquartered in Detroit.

Los Angeles Times: Senate Republicans Seek to Delay Holder Hearings

President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for attorney general, Eric H. Holder Jr., is now coming under fire from Senate Republicans, who have asked to delay what was expected to be a swift and easy confirmation over concerns about his role in some controversial Clinton-era pardons and other matters.

Daily Beast: Six Reasons to Thank Blago

The Daily Beast's Christopher Buckley on how the governor's foul-mouth phone calls have helped the nation rediscover its priorities--and taken our minds off the frivolous stuff, like the massive economic crisis.

New York Times: Economic Crisis Offers Hints of Executive Style

From Chicago at what an aide called his "mini-White House," Mr. Obama has been pulling on the levers of power far more than any president-elect in memory, using his new stature to influence events in Congress and the real White House of President Bush and yet limited in his ability -- as the collapse of the auto bailout legislation in the Senate showed -- to control them.

Washington Post: An Old Rage to Quell

Before Obama assumes the burdens of commander in chief, maybe he should dust off that copy of Frantz Fanon's "The Wretched of the Earth" he read while at college and give the radical theorist another look. In doing so, he would remind himself of the special opportunity he will have as president to speak to a world that still suffers from the anti-Western fury that Fanon described in 1961.

Washington Post: Obama Worked to Distance Self From Blagojevich Early On

Long before federal prosecutors charged Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich with bribery this week, Obama had worked to distance himself from his home-state governor. The two men have not talked for more than a year, colleagues said, save for a requisite handshake at a funeral or public event. Blagojevich rarely campaigned for Obama and never stumped with him. The governor arrived late at the Democratic convention and skipped Obama's victory-night celebration at Chicago's Grant Park.

Chicago Tribune: Blagojevich Fundraiser Held by Jackson Allies Saturday

As Gov. Rod Blagojevich was trying to pick Illinois' next U.S. senator, businessmen with ties to both the governor and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. discussed raising at least $1 million for Blagojevich's campaign as a way to encourage him to pick Jackson for the job.

The Daily Beast: In Defense of Chicago Politics

Dan Rostenkowski, the son of a ward boss who became a legendary congressman, on why Gov. Blagojevich shouldn't tar a whole city.

It's time to play Name That Goon! Rod Blagojevich vs. Tony Soprano. Hands on buzzers: One's a trash-talking thug trying to stay one step ahead of the law. The other was played by James Gandolfini. Can you identify the speaker of the ten quotes below?

New York Times: G.O.P. Sounds Theme of Democrats - Ethics

Congressional Republicans learned the hard way in 2006 that ethics transgressions and outright corruption could be molded into a potent campaign message. Now they are trying to turn the tables on Democrats who pressed a good-government theme in their successful drive to recapture Congress.

Wall Street Journal: Rangel Hits Obama Closer to Home

While most attention is fixed on the Blagojevich scandal , Obama's more vexing problem could turn out to be that other, quieter scandal dogging Democrats. That's the one involving Rep. Charles Rangel, head of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Slate: Why Obama Should Keep Smoking

Let me offer a somewhat hyperbolic hypothetical. It's the winter of 2009, and a crisis has erupted between the United States and the former Soviet Union. Do you want Barack Obama, the guy who has his finger on our nuclear trigger, notorious nicotine addict, to be dying for a smoke? All irritable, his nerves and famously smooth temper on edge? No outlet for his intolerable frustration but ... a butt. But no butts to be found.

Foreign Policy: How to Kick Pirate Booty

Armed only with grenade launchers and automatic weapons, Somali pirates are giving the modern shipping industry a run for its money. Why the difficulty eliminating the scourge? The general who whipped U.S. forces in a famous war game tells FP how to crack down on Somali pirates. Ahoy!

Salon: Obama's Biggest Foreign Policy Challenge

The president-elect wants to work with the Pakistani government to "stamp out" terror. It's not nearly that simple.

New York Times: For Chicagoans, a Slap After Obama Euphoria

Last month, Chicago erected huge banners along Michigan Avenue bearing the image of its hometown hero, Mr. Obama, and "our city just beamed," as Peggy Smith, a 53-year-old nurse, put it. But it was a short-lived burst of civic pride that sparkled on Election Night like never before. The arrest on Tuesday of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has resurrected the corrupt image of politics in this city and state.

Chicago Tribune: Is Blagojevich Crazy?

When it comes to Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Dead Meat), many national TV talking heads can't resist playing amateur psychiatrist. "He's crazy," said one talking head of our governor. I can see how they arrived at their cockamamie theory. Anyone who read the federal complaint with all the f-bombs in there and watched Blagojevich drive to work on Wednesday morning, the TV crews following his black SUV in a low-speed chase, as if he were some angry Serbian O.J., might think he had lost his marbles.

Huffington Post: Top Five Corrupt Politicians of 2008

If we have learned anything this year, it is that corrupt politicians come from all around the country, from both political parties and can be black, white, male or female. That said, here is our top 5 corrupt politicians of 2008

Slate: Sympathy for Blago

If Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is immediately guilty of anything, it's of making overt what other politicians make covert, and doing so while the wiretaps roll. Granted, he's a sleaze, but how solid is the government's case? U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald has yet to file charges over the alleged attempt to sell the seat.

Daily Beast: My Uncle Rahm Suggested I Write

You may be applying for a job in the Obama administration via Change.gov, but most people hired will get their jobs the old fashioned way: They know someone.

Wall Street Journal: How the GOP Should Prepare for a Comeback

Karl Rove writes that candidates and party leaders must remember who they need to reach -- young voters who tilt Democratic; Hispanics and Catholics; and suburban and exurban families who were bedrock Republicans, but who have become disenchanted with both parties.

FiveThirtyEight: The Mountain West - America's New Swing Region

As the Republican Party regroups and reassesses its electoral strategy, it's important to understand what happened in the Mountain West. Electorally, the emergence of the Mountain West as a true swing region puts backbreaking pressure on the Republican Party to nominate presidential candidates who appeal to moderates and independents.

Stateline.org: Slumping Economy Hits Prosperous States

The economic downturn pounding most of the country is beginning to show up in many of the states that financial analysts had said were seemingly immune from the recession.

Slate: What Didn't He Know, and When Didn't He Know It?

When a president-to-be does anything for the first time, it's interesting. Today we saw Barack Obama give his first denial related to a scandal. It's good practice, because sooner or later, a scandal (real or manufactured) will confront him while he's in office. How did Obama do when asked about Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's effort to hawk his Senate post? It was a bit of a muddle.

New York Times: Obama's Effort on Ethics Bill Had Role in Governor's Fall

In a sequence of events that neatly captures the contradictions of Barack Obama's rise through Illinois politics, a phone call he made three months ago to urge passage of a state ethics bill indirectly contributed to the downfall of a fellow Democrat he twice supported, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich.

Chicago Tribune: Governor's Wife Supported His Pay-to-Play Senate Scheme, Complaint Alleges

An unflattering portrait depicting Illinois First Lady Patricia Blagojevich as a modern-day Lady Macbeth who plotted against her husband's perceived enemies and backed his corrupt schemes emerged in court documents. She unleashed an obscenity-filled tirade suggesting Tribune Co. ownership should "just fire" Chicago Tribune editorial writers if the company wanted the state to help it unload Wrigley Field to ease its crushing debt. Hold up that [expletive] Cubs [expletive]," she is quoted as saying in the background as her husband talked on the phone, authorities alleged. "[Expletive] them."

Salon: Handsome Rod Takes the Fall)

For every Barack Obama or Abraham Lincoln, this state produces a dozen Rod Blagojeviches. Here's a short quiz. Which of the following is statistically more likely to land a Chicagoan in jail: a) joining the Gangster Disciples, b) selling crack on a West Side street corner, or c) becoming governor. The answer is c, of course.

National Review: The Blagojevich Case - Why Did Fitzgerald Act Now?

Of all the questions, perhaps the most intriguing is why prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, whose office had been gathering astonishing evidence implicating Blagojevich and others, went public Tuesday with the criminal complaint and arrest of Blagojevich. Why not let the investigation go on, at least for a bit longer?

Power Line: Is Blago Nuts?

Is Blago nuts? That's the first question that crossed my mind yesterday upon hearing of the charge that forced the authorities to arrest Blago yesterday before he exercised his power to appoint Obama's successor. He must feel the exhilaration and invulnerability of the pathological narcissist.

New Republic: What Blago Didn't Get About Obama

What's most remarkable to me--at least once you get beyond the cartoonish brazenness, and, of course, the idea that Blagojevich had presidential aspirations--is how spectacularly Blago misunderstands Obama himself.

Daily Beast: Taking the Sheen off Obama

Can Republican senators upset Barack Obama's first 100 days by targeting the confirmation of attorney general nominee Eric Holder? They're sure going to try. The campaign against Holder could be "a kind of exhibit on Obama not getting it on terrorism," an aide to a Republican senator on the judiciary committee explained. "If you frame it properly, it's better than the Marc Rich stuff."

Foreign Policy: Why Not to Engage Iran (Yet)

Times are tough for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. With presidential elections six months away, he finds himself under attack from all sides. Clearly the Iranian president needs some help, but who, among his friends, could boost his popularity? Hugo Chávez? Hassan Nasrallah? Moqtada al-Sadr? Ahmadinejad is far more likely to get an assist from Barack Obama--or rather, all the advisors on the U.S. president-elect's foreign-policy team who keep talking about the need for the United States to talk to Iran.

Wall Street Journal: Stimulus Shouldn't Be an Excuse for Pork

On Monday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors went to Capitol Hill to ask for a handout, or as they put it: "We are reporting that in 427 cities of all sizes in all regions of the country, a total of 11,391 infrastructure projects are 'ready to go.' A wish list that is 11,391 projects strong! What vital infrastructure projects would cash-strapped taxpayers get for their $73 billion? Here's a sampling.

Washington Post: Where Do You Park 10,000 Charter Buses?

Transportation planners for President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration say an estimated 10,000 charter buses will arrive in the Washington area for the event, posing what they say would be an unprecedented logistical nightmare.

New York Times: In a New Tux, Obama Seeks the Proper Tone

Plans for Mr. Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20 are slowly taking shape. President-elect Barack Obama has ordered his first new tuxedo in 15 years for his inaugural celebration. But with increasing numbers of people out of work and American soldiers enmeshed in two wars, inaugural planners face the task of keeping the tone respectful while still celebrating Mr. Obama's achievement.

Daily Beast: Revenge of the Nerds

As Obama stocks his administration with eggheads, both right and left are backing away from the anti-intellectualism that has dominated politics for 50 years.

Wall Street Journal: The Obama Health Care Express

Fewer than two years the Clinton administration too ofice, the grand health-care ambitions of Bill and Hillary were reduced to tatters. No one is more attuned to this memory than today's Democrats, who aren't about to let history repeat itself. And since the lessons they learned from the HillaryCare fiasco are political, and not substantive, they are already moving full-speed ahead.

Mental Floss: Just Some Very Strange Portraits of Barack Obama

Most people don't make art unless they're feeling inspired, and over the past year or so, Barack Obama has inspired lots of people -- some of them so much that they felt compelled to make Barack Obama-themed art, some of which is very, very, -- even bloggably -- strange. Culled from the wonderful compendium that is ArtofObama.com, these images might inspire you too, or curse you with weird dreams for weeks, depending on your temperament.

Foreign Policy: The 10 Worst Predictions for 2008

Prognostication is by far the riskiest form of punditry. The 10 commentators and leaders on this list learned that the hard way when their confident predictions about politics, war, the economy, and even the end of humanity itself completely missed the mark.

Slate: My Crush on Mike Huckabee

I've been in love with the Huck for a while now. I know, I know: I'm not supposed to go for guys like him. And it's not just because he's older and married. My obsession is deeply disturbing for other reasons. If my generation knows anything, it's that geek-chic is hot. (Thanks, The O.C. and Weezer!) And Mike Huckabee is a total tool--in the very best sense. He's a legitimate band geek who even has the requisite cheesy band name, Capitol Offense. He's a minister, which is hot in that Thornbirds kind of way.

New Yorker: The Lessons of Mumbai

In the days after the Mumbai attacks, the Washington Post reported that the Obama transition team was considering Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy to the region. The Bush administration has always regarded terrorism in the narrow terms of war, and this myopia led it to deal with the region's countries in isolation from one another, so that the policy in Kabul sometimes contradicted the one in Islamabad, which in turn was undermined by the growing partnership with New Delhi, and all of them were hampered by the refusal to talk to Tehran. A special envoy would have to see the problem whole.

New York Times: Iran Urges Obama to Change Approach

Iran said Monday that it would not abandon its nuclear program and urged President-elect Barack Obama to change America's carrot-and-stick policy toward Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Washington Post: Politics of the Federal Bench

The federal judiciary is on the verge of a major shift when President-elect Barack Obama's nominees take control of several of the nation's most important appellate courts, legal scholars and political activists say. With the Supreme Court's conservative direction unlikely to change anytime soon, it is the lower courts -- which dispense almost all federal justice -- where Obama can assert his greatest influence. The Post also has a companion piece to this article on Republicans winning ideological battles through appointments at the appellate level.

Slate: Gates' Plan To Fix the Pentagon

Gates believes that, given limited resources, the military services need to shift their priorities away from "baroque" high-tech weapons designed for threats of the distant future (or left over from Cold War premises) and toward low-cost weapons that are effective for the wars we're fighting now and will likely fight in the foreseeable future.

Los Angeles Times: Volcker is Back and Warns of Tough Times Ahead

Volcker has been chosen by President-elect Barack Obama as a special economic advisor. His 'no pain, no gain' fiscal strategy worked in the '80s, and there's no sign he's softened that philosophy.

Huffington Post: Obama Education Pick Sparking Conflict

President-elect Barack Obama has not signaled what he will do to fix the country's failing schools, but his choice of education secretary will say a lot about the policies he may pursue. Teachers' unions, an influential segment of the party base, want an advocate for their members. Reform advocates want someone like New York schools chancellor Joel Klein, who wants teachers and schools held accountable for the performance of students.

Foreign Policy: The Top Ten Stories You Missed in 2008

This year, a historic U.S. election, a catastrophic financial crisis, and China's Olympic dreams dominated headlines, but some of the biggest stories never made the front page. From the Afghanistan "surge" that's already begun, to the global warming solution that could be making the problem worse, here are 10 big stories that never became big news.

San Francisco Chronicle: GOP Appears in Trouble in California

With their registrations sinking and their political clout withering, California Republicans have come out of the November election in danger of slipping into political irrelevance across much of the state.

National Review: Parallel Lives

I know from media accounts that someone called Richard Fuld supposedly ran the once cash-laden and 158-year-old Lehman Brothers investment and banking house into the ground. Indeed, various newspapers and news shows convinced me I should dislike Fuld. But why have we not heard commensurate censure of former whiz kid Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton's former Treasury Secretary, at Citigroup? I remember why most Republicans, other than Colin Powell, abandoned the soon-to-be convicted Ted Stevens. But why in the world is Rep. Charles Rangel still the Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee which oversees U.S. tax policy.

New York Times: 'Partisan' Seeks a Prefix: Bi- or Post-

Can Mr. Obama indeed be forging the new style of politics he invoked so often during the election -- one that transcends the partisan divisions that have marked recent administrations? If so, what will he replace it with, a bipartisan style of governance that splits the differences between competing ideological camps, or a "post-partisan" politics that narrows gaps between red and blue or even renders them irrelevant?

Washington Post: Academic Elites Fill Obama's Job Roster

While Obama's picks have been lauded for their ethnic and ideological mix, they lack diversity in one regard: They are almost exclusively products of Ivy League institutions and generally share a more intellectual outlook than is the norm in government.

OhMyGov!: Napolitano Has Mixed Record on Immigration

As a border state governor, she has faced immigration concerns more directly than other possible candidates and observers familiar with her record in Arizona have mixed opinions on her selection.

Atlantic: Karmic Justice - Gen. Eric Shinseki

One of the truly nauseating moments in the run-up to the Iraq war was the humiliating public rebuke that Paul Wolfowitz, then Donald Rumsfeld's #2 at the Pentagon, delivered to Eric Shinseki, then a four-star general serving as Army chief of staff. So congratulations to Eric Shinseki on being selected for the Obama administration. And not just congratulations but wonderment at the Obama team's deftness in the symbolism and substance of this choice.

Huffington Post: Beg Your Pardon

Pete Tannen is having a contest. He is asking us, his audience, to make our best guesses, out of a rather long list of perps, as to who will be the lucky recipients of the much discussed pardons bestowed by our lame duck you-know-who, as he waddles ungrammatically from office.

Politico: Southern Focus Big Issue in RNC Race

As the GOP wrestles with criticism that it is in danger of becoming a regional party rooted in the South, rather than one with broad appeal across the nation, the contest for chairman is shaping up in no small part as a referendum on just how much Southern flavor the party should have at the top in the wake of a sound electoral defeat in every other region of the country.

Salon: Those Other Elections

The 2008 election capped off a stunning string of state legislative victories that leaves one-third of Americans now living in 17 Democratic "trifecta" states -- those where Democrats control the governorship, state House and state Senate. Trifecta-state Democratic legislators and governors now have the unobstructed opportunity to play a pivotal role on everything from setting national energy and health industry standards to addressing rampant wealth inequality.

Daily Beast: Hunting the Obama Haters

Democracy is messy, and even when nearly 70 percent of Americans are optimistic that Obama will be a good president, there is the other 30 percent. Look beyond the sober skeptics and the principled opposition, and you'll find an ugly fringe festival on the web, cultivating the wounds left by the 2008 campaign.

Wall Street Journal: Laughing All the Way to the Senate

The Minnesota Senate recount is starting to resemble a "Saturday Night Live" skit that could have been part of Democratic candidate Al Franken's repertoire as a comedian. The Franken campaign is determined to keep counting votes until their man is ahead -- and only then will it be time to stop counting lest the next batch of uncounted votes turn out to favor Mr. Coleman. It's an approach that certainly deserves a laugh, but hardly the way an important election should be resolved.

New York Times: Kennedy Is Said to Cast Her Eye on N.Y. Senate Seat

Caroline Kennedy, a daughter of America's most storied political family who for many years fiercely guarded her privacy, is considering whether to pursue the Senate seat expected to be vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton early next year, a family member said.

Weekly Standard: A Path out of the Wilderness

The GOP is shell-shocked from last month's election results. The gains the party made in the years since the 1994 Republican revolution have been erased. The good news is that conservatives now have a lot of time on their hands. They can think about the future. They can enjoy the luxury of opposition and explore policy alternatives. They can look for something more substantive than fanciful and nostalgic small-government talk, something more principled than going along with Obama. They can pick their battles.

Nation: Obama's Afghan Dilemma

Assertions by the US command and the Obama team that we can both "surge" and negotiate overlook the glaring reality that sending more troops into the Afghan quagmire and urging the Pakistani government to escalate the war it is fighting against its own people will make the crisis worse, not better.

Los Angeles Times: Obama's Grass Roots in Search of New Turf

There's a spirited, sometimes secretive debate over how to make the best use of the president-elect's broad volunteer network. Not everyone's happy with early hints about the direction.

National Review: Senator Hardball

If Chris Matthews wants to run for Senate against Arlen Specter, he'd better get moving. So Rick Santorum, former senator from the Keystone State, tells National Review Online. Would it be a good move for the MSNBC star? NRO asked some additional Pennsylvania and media specialists.

Slate: Bush Should Go See "Frost/Nixon" for a Pick -Me-Up

Nixon/Frost is not really about Nixon's abuses of power. It's about a superstar interviewer and a tortured ex-president. If there's any message in this great movie for President Bush, it's that he should take comfort: Nixon was only slightly more unpopular at the end of his presidency as Bush is now, and yet in the movie he comes across as relatively sympathetic. Perhaps Bush can look forward to a similar upgrade from history. Or at least from Hollywood.

The Daily Beast: The Turf War Brewing Inside the White House

Obama's pick for national security adviser--Gen. James L. Jones--has a strong independent streak and a well-attuned moral compass that could trigger clashes with other Defense officials.

Foreign Policy: Gates Eyes Defense Reforms

In an article for Foreign Policy, Defense secretary Robert Gates writes that the Pentagon has to do more than modernize its conventional forces; it must also focus on today's unconventional conflicts -- and tomorrow's.

New York Times: Issues Pressing, Obama Fills Top Posts at a Sprint

Mr. Obama is moving more quickly to fill his administration's top ranks than any newly elected president in modern times. He has named virtually the entire top echelon of his White House staff and nearly half of his cabinet. Just a month after his election, Mr. Obama has announced his selections for 13 of the 24 most important positions in a new administration.

Washington Post: HHS Will Be Shepherding Health-Care Reform

Under the best of circumstances, overseeing the Department of Health and Human Services is an enormous undertaking. But in the Obama administration the job is taking on a second, perhaps more daunting, responsibility: shepherding health-care reform legislation through Congress. Unlike his predecessors, Thomas A. Daschle, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for HHS secretary, will be given an expanded role.

Politico: School Buds - 20 Harvard Classmates Advising Obama

As Barack Obama puts together his administration, more than 20 Harvard Law School classmates dot the ranks of his transition team -- solidifying the Crimson connection as his most enduring, yet least-known, personal network.

Stateline.org: State Budget Gaps Balloon to $97 Billion

Still reeling from sticker shock at the gas pumps this summer and plummeting retirement savings this fall, Americans will soon be feeling the pinch in other ways -- from increased tuition to possibly higher taxes, as states try to close some $97 billion in budget gaps over the next two years.

Wall Street Journal: Obama Keeps His Distance on Bailout Program

Treasury officials have grown frustrated with the Obama transition team's unwillingness to engage in specifics. Mr. Paulson has to consult with the Obama team on any big moves, in particular on plans for how the next $350 billion should be used. While Treasury has been in frequent contact with the Obama team, there is uncertainty about what it wants to do with that next batch of money.

New York Times: Campaign Promises on Ending the War in Iraq Now Muted by Reality

On the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama offered a pledge that electrified and motivated his liberal base, vowing to "end the war" in Iraq. But as he moves closer to the White House, President-elect Obama is making clearer than ever that tens of thousands of American troops will be left behind in Iraq, even if he can make good on his campaign promise to pull all combat forces out within 16 months.

Daily Beast: Why Barack Should Grow a Beard

Abe Lincoln used his transition to grow his famous whiskers. Just what Obama needs to project gravitas in these troubled times. If the Obama-Biden administration completes its term still clean-shaven, an entire century will have passed since we had a president with facial hair (William Howard Taft).

New Republic: A Few Good Women

In fields long dominated by men, a group of female politicians, academics, and policy wonks form the backbone of the Obama administration. For perspective, in the 318 total years those positions have been occupied, women have held them for 16. Or to put it another way, if these women each serve for a single term, they will match the entire combined tenure of women in these positions in the history of the country.

Washington Post: Obama Policymakers Turn to Campaign Tools

Barack Obama's incoming administration has begun to draw on the high-tech organizational tools that helped get him elected to lay the groundwork for an attempt to restructure the U.S. health-care system.

NPR: Will The Rich Pardon Trip Up Obama's Pick For AG?

When President-elect Barack Obama nominated Eric Holder for attorney general this week, everyone on the transition team knew there was one big blemish on Holder's otherwise sterling record: his role in the pardon of a man named Marc Rich at the end of the Clinton administration.

Stateline.org: Shifting Economy Keeps States Guessing

As the stock market fluctuates and the unemployment rate rises, state economists are unable to give governors and legislative leaders reliable budget projections for the coming year because the numbers keep changing.

New York Times: After Sharp Words on C.I.A., Obama Faces a Delicate Task

On the presidential campaign trail, Barack Obama rallied crowds with strongly worded critiques of the Bush administration's most controversial counterterrorism programs, from hiding terrorism suspects in secret Central Intelligence Agency jails to questioning them with methods he denounced as torture. Now Mr. Obama must take charge of the C.I.A., in what is already proving to be one of the more treacherous patches of his transition to the White House.

Washington Post: Experience Is Prime Asset for New Spy Chiefs

President-elect Barack Obama faces a dilemma in selecting his top intelligence advisers: finding experienced leaders who understand the challenges facing the various U.S. intelligence agencies -- but who are untainted by the controversies and problems that have plagued the intelligence apparatus during the Bush era.

Foreign Policy: A Mission for James L. Jones?

A scathing new report on U.S. national security offers a sneak preview of how Gen. James L. Jones, Barack Obama's top foreign-policy advisor, might approach the difficult task before him.

Slate: Meet the Press - But Not Too Often

Obama is the third president to govern during what I'll call the news hyper-cycle, which demands a presidential response to nearly every incremental development. The questions for Obama and his aides are two: How often does he respond to the demand? And can he do anything to lessen that demand?

Chicago Tribune: For the Obama Team, It's Raining Resumés

One member of President-elect Barack Obama's transition team measures meetings by the number of résumés arriving on his BlackBerry. Another says job seekers have offered him tickets to Redskins games, which he has turned down. And yet another has given his mother in Chicago "talking points" to deal with people trying to get to him by going through her. For people directly on the receiving end, it's an unrelenting daily bombardment of résumés.

Politico: Jeb Plots His Return

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush - the younger brother of the president - is weighing a run for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Mel Martinez.

Boston Globe: Lobbies Back Health Reform

Powerful special interest groups that helped torpedo healthcare reform 16 years ago are now advocating significant changes in the nation's health insurance and delivery system. They are participating in regular discussions about how to expand health coverage and lower costs, key commitments that President-elect Barack Obama made in his campaign.

Wall Street Journal: Health-Care Reform Could Kill the GOP

Historian Rick Perlstein suggests that this memo is "the skeleton key to understanding modern American politics" because it opens up a fundamental conservative anxiety: "If the Democrats succeed in redistributing economic power, we're screwed." In the Clinton years, of course, it was the Republicans who succeeded. The Democrats' failure to deliver national health care was a crucial element, in Mr. Perlstein's view, in the Republican Revolution of 1994. It pleases me even more to think that the conservatives' nightmare of permanent defeat might come true simply if Democrats do the right thing.

New York Times: Afghan Strategy Poses Stiff Challenge for Obama

Barack Obama's vow to send thousands of American troops to help defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan. Military experts agree that more troops are required to carry out an effective counterinsurgency campaign, but they also caution that the reinforcements are unlikely to lead to the sort of rapid turnaround that the so-called troop surge in Iraq produced after its start in 2007.

Slate: The Enforcer

To those who worry that Hillary Clinton will turn Foggy Bottom into a fiefdom devoted to her own agenda and ambition, I have two reassuring words: James Jones. While stationed stateside, he had been the Marine Corps' liaison to the U.S. Senate; deputy chief of staff for plans, policies, and operations at Marine headquarters; military assistant to former Defense Secretary William Cohen ; and the Marine Corps commandant. In other words, he knows the ins, outs, back alleys, and dark closets of the national-security realm.

Washington Post: Rapport with Ex-Rival Will Be Key

Many of the most successful secretaries of state, though not all, enjoyed great influence with the presidents they served. Obama and Clinton are only starting to develop the kind of rapport that could lead to that trust, and Clinton's ultimate success in her new role may depend as much on Obama's willingness to admit her to his inner circle as her ability to master the intricacies of the Middle East peace process or North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Los Angeles Times: James Jones' Energy Views Worry Some Environmentalists

When President-elect Barack Obama introduced James L. Jones Jr. as his national security advisor Monday, he emphasized the retired Marine general's understanding of "the connection between energy and national security." Obama sees that as a plus, but some environmental groups and global warming activists view Jones' environmental record with suspicion.

Daily Beast: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

I certainly hope that the election of Barack Obama will force certain black people to try telling the truth. There are many phony baloney positions and purported experiences that are delivered and claimed to be truer to "black reality" or to "white America" than others. This contrived nonsense is something that we have all had to suffer through for the last four decades.

Vanity Fair: Obamazines

Magazines are awash in Barack-emblazoned covers. It's only a matter of time before many of them transform into unabashedly pro-Bama titles. Here's imaging what they'll look like.

NPR: New President Faces Powerful Federal Contractors

President-elect Obama has said he wants public employees to take back some of the work that the Bush administration has given to contractors -- and he wants to crack down on contractors' abuses. But the president-elect could face huge obstacles.

Boston Globe: Big Business Transfers its Loyalty, Money to Democrats

The Obama administration's promise of swift government action to protect companies and workers is likely to achieve one result that has been unthinkable for 75 years: It will make the Democrats the party of Big Business.

Atlantic: The Hope for Audacity

Todd Gitlin assesses the difference between Obama's outlook and that of FDR and LBJ, and considers what it will take for him to succeed in office.

Nation: Obama's Brainiacs

Practically without exception Obama has chosen to staff his government at its highest levels with refugees from the Clinton years. Recycled Clintonism is recycled neoliberalism. This is change only the brainiacs from Hyde Park and Harvard Square could believe in.

National Review: Could John McCain Lose Again?

Now that he has lost the presidency, there are some Republicans in Arizona who would like to see him lose his Senate office, too.

New York Times: A Handpicked Obama Team for a Shift in Foreign Policy

President-elect Barack Obama's national security team will include two veteran cold warriors and a political rival whose records are all more hawkish than that of the new president who will face them in the White House Situation Room. Yet all three of his choices -- Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton as the rival turned secretary of state; Gen. James L. Jones, the former NATO commander, as national security adviser, and Robert M. Gates, the current and future defense secretary -- have embraced a sweeping shift of priorities and resources in the national security arena.

Boston Globe: Activists Expect Clinton to Propel Women's Rights

President-elect Barack Obama's expected nomination today of Hillary Clinton as the next secretary of state has energized human rights and women's rights activists, who expect the former first lady to bring a dramatic new focus to the plight of women around the globe.

Daily Beast: Why Republicans Are Gushing About Obama

It appears the political classes have briefly sobered up and decided to act responsibly, selflessly and in the best interest of the country. The times are simply so serious, so dangerous, so calamitous that we can't afford politics as usual. And for once, politicians seem to get it. We all wish President-elect Obama success. Because there's a good chance that if he fails, we all go down together. Way down.

New Yorker: Enter, Pursued by a Bear

No Treasury Secretary has ever entered office with as much responsibility as Timothy Geithner will have. That's partly because the crisis is so huge, but it's also the result of an evolution in the role that we expect government to play in the economy. For much of American history, Treasury Secretaries were nondescript, and their powers circumscribed. In recent years, as the frequency and the severity of financial crises have increased, so, too, has the prominence of the Treasury Secretary's role.

Washington Post: Senate Could Give New President Early Legislative Victories

Though they are two votes short of their quest for 60 votes -- with two races still undecided -- Democrats say that regular support from a few Republican moderates will allow them to pass bills that were halted in the current Congress by GOP parliamentary roadblocks. These include health-care programs, immigration revisions and presidential nominations.

Columbia Journalism Review: Air Apparent

The Big Three cable news networks set records for viewership; their ratings success, you have to think, signals that the news programs have been doing something right. In some ways, they have. To the extent that TV news succeeded in covering 2008's campaign, it did so in doing what it's always done: very broadly, putting the news in a human context. Live TV depicts public figures in a manner much more essential than print or even blogs, at this point, can do; the filter of text is at once much higher and much wider than the filter of the screen.

Chicago Tribune: Michelle Obama's Family Tree Has Roots in a Slave Plantation

Five cabins remain today of the row of shacks that lined the dirt road once known as Slave Street on a South Carolina plantation. Michelle Obama's great-great-grandfather, who was born around 1850, lived as a slave, at least until the Civil War, on the sprawling rice plantation.