BBC: Big Shoe Taken Down

A sculpture of a shoe erected in Iraq to honour a journalist who threw his footwear at George W Bush has been dismantled, reports say. Foreign media say the bronze-coloured fibre-glass shoe was removed from its site in the city of Tikrit on the orders of the local authorities.

Miami Herald: House Speaker Ray Sansom Steps Aside

House Speaker Ray Sansom relinquished his leadership position Friday in an unprecedented retreat from power that was choreographed to instill calm but gave way to confusion.

Los Angeles Times: California Told to Furlough Employees

California officials must immediately implement Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's order that state employees take two days off without pay each month, a judge ruled Thursday, denying claims by unions and the controller that the governor's directive is illegal. The decision clears the way for the biggest rollback of the state payroll in decades.

New York Times: Supreme Court Steps Closer to Repeal of Evidence Ruling

Taking aim at one of the towering legacies of the Warren Court, its landmark 1961 decision applying the exclusionary rule to the states, Chief Justice John G. Robert Jr.'s majority opinion established for the first time that unlawful police conduct should not require the suppression of evidence if all that was involved was isolated carelessness. That was a significant step in itself. More important yet, it suggested that the exclusionary rule itself might be at risk.

Chicago Tribune: Crews Remove Blagojevich's Name from Tollway Signs

"Operation Cover-up" is likely to be over by Monday, when motorists will no longer see the name of their disgraced ex-governor on those big blue overhead signs at Illinois tollway plazas. Officials said they planned to have crews out all weekend covering over Rod Blagojevich's name.

AFP: Schools, Streets renamed for Barack Obama

Good morning, Barack Obama Elementary School!" That is what children attending the former Ludlum Elementary in Hempstead, New York have been hearing ever since the local school district board voted unanimously to change the name to honor the United States' first black president.

Politico: Obama's Lawyer Consolidates Power

President Barack Obama has installed his personal and political attorney, Bob Bauer, as the Democratic Party's new lawyer, a move that gives Bauer unmatched power in Democratic legal circles and marks him as a top behind-the-scenes player in the president's inner circle.

Wall Street Journal: Crisis Fuels Backlash on Trade

A "Buy American" drive in the U.S., spreading protests against foreign workers in Britain and various countries' efforts to prop up their own beleaguered industries are fanning fears of a rise in economic nationalism that could deepen the global recession.

Foreign Policy: Risks of Closing Gitmo? Overblown

The risks posed by released detainees are overblown. Closing the prison at Guantánamo won't be easy, but that's a small price to pay to right a legal and moral wrong seven years in the making.

Wall Street Journal: Biden Pursues an Activist Role

Vice President Joe Biden, in a bid to become an influential second-in-command, is striving to carve out meaty roles for himself quickly. In an East Room ceremony on Friday with President Barack Obama, Mr. Biden is launching a task force to work on social and economic policies aimed at helping the struggling middle class. He's selling the giant stimulus package on Capitol Hill, and schmoozing his former colleagues during workouts in the congressional gym. Next week, Mr. Biden heads to Munich for an international security conference, in a bid to repair relations with European countries.

Christian Science Monitor: Is 'Bad Bank' for Risky Assets Solution to Financial Mess?

A leading idea under review by the Obama administration is to set up a so-called "bad bank" as a holding pen for the risky assets that spawned the crisis. Administration officials have talked about this concept, and have said they want to avoid temporarily nationalizing some very large banks. The problem? It's not easy, or cheap, for the government to buy up bad assets. If it doesn't succeed in removing enough of those assets from the banks, the crisis may linger.

Slate: The Sasha and Malia Show

If you walk into a store and see your child for sale--face emblazoned on a T-shirt, name planted on a doll--what's the proper reaction? In my world, there is only one: dismay, followed by protest. Which is why Michelle Obama's response to the blatant packaging of her daughters by the toy company Ty, as brown-skinned dolls named "Sweet Sasha" and "Marvelous Malia," hit precisely the right maternal note.

Chicago Tribune: A Politician's Rise and Hard Fall

A confrontational leadership style, a penchant for pushing populist programs without the money to pay for them and serious questions about his ethics all weakened Rod W. Blagojevich's standing as governor.

Bloomberg: Wall Street Bonuses May Go Way of Dodo Amid Bailouts

The Wall Street bonus, considered a sacred ritual, may become the industry's biggest casualty as governments worldwide bail out financial institutions. UBS AG was told to reduce bonuses after the Swiss government gave the country's biggest bank a $59.2 billion lifeline. Bank of America Corp. is under pressure to scale back payouts after New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo subpoenaed executives earlier this week for information on compensation and President Barack Obama said just yesterday that bonuses handed out by banks represent "the height of irresponsibility."

Lost Angeles Times: Republicans Lack Party Line on Economy

As Republicans fight President Obama's gargantuan economic plan, they have plenty of ideas. What they don't have is a party-wide consensus: They can't agree among themselves on the best alternative, or on whether government action is even needed to pull the economy from its nose dive.

Detroit Free Press: Ford to Draw Last $10B in Credit

Ford Motor Co. is clinging to the idea that it will be able to ride out the economic downturn without tapping federal loans -- despite shedding another 6,300 workers over the past few months, slashing billions more in other costs and still posting the worst annual loss in the company's history. To weather the storm ahead, the Dearborn automaker -- the only U.S. automaker so far to resist government aid -- plans to access its entire $10.1-billion line of credit. Ford expects to receive that money Tuesday.

Washington Post: Blind Unanimity

Watching the House Republicans vote unanimously against President Obama's economic stimulus package, I thought of Ronald Reagan, the air traffic controllers and the potential consequences for those who fail to recognize that one political era has given way to the next, writes columnist Eugene Robinson.

Chicago Sun-Times: Lieutenant Governor is Ready

The Bible is ready. The oath has been prepared. The lieutenant governor and his family are on their way to Springfield. And the current governor's belongings are boxed up and waiting to be picked up at the Executive Mansion. "I definitely plan to be in Springfield and I will be ready," Lt. Gov. Patrick Quinn told the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday.

D.C. Examiner: Bait and Switch on the Stimulus

In the week since he took office, Obama's ambitions for a bipartisan economic stimulus bill free of controversy have been largely upended by the Washington culture of special interests and political ambitions.

Wall Street Journal: The Obama White House May Be a Crowded Mess

The White House has always had overlapping lines of authority, which creates a certain amount of conflict while everyone figures out who really has clout. But President Obama has added to the confusion by making declarations that multiple people in his cabinet or on his staff have more authority and responsibility than their predecessors. In addition to creating a protracted power struggle within the West Wing, Obama's management decisions may lead to more intrusive, larger government policies gaining traction, writes Karl Rove.

New York Times: Obama Seeks Accord With Military on Iraq

As President Obama moves to redefine the nation's mission in Iraq, he faces a difficult choice: Is he willing to abandon a campaign promise or risk a rupture with the military? Or can he finesse the difference? On Wednesday, Mr. Obama visited the Pentagon for the first time since becoming president, and he seemed to be looking for an option that would let him stay true to his campaign promise, at least in theory, without alienating the generals.

New York Daily News: All-out Effort to Pry Open Your Wallet

The stimulus package approved by the House Wednesday night contains $819 billion in goodies, but only one real goal - to get America spending again. So says economist William Gale, who likens President Obama's stimulus bill to a giant gamble aimed at turning today's vicious cycle of job cuts and gloom into a "virtuous" cycle of job creation and confidence.

Chicago Tribune: New political era? Same as the old one

It was clear from the outcome in the House on the stimulus bill that Barack Obama's efforts so far had not delivered the post-partisan era that he called for in his inauguration address, when he proclaimed an end to the "petty grievances" and "worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics." The familiar machinery of partisan politics, a fixture of the Clinton and Bush eras, kicked into operation undaunted as Republicans began counterattacks on the measure and efforts to pass it.

National Review Online: A Formula for Frustration

In the months since the 2008 election, the Republican National Committee Chair race has hardly invigorated the party. Somewhere along the line, the tactics demonstrated in the contest illuminate what the GOP is good at today: back-slapping clubbiness, anonymous attacks, the occasional race-tinged controversy, and employing an operative class that is much more skilled at skewering intraparty rivals than at taking the fight to Democrats in a difficult environment.

The Nation: Obama's Better Bailout

President Obama is in these early weeks making trillion-dollar decisions that will cast the die for the rest of his promising agenda. Unfortunately, while the new president has already proved to be a brilliant and super-competent agent of change in so many ways, in matters of economic policy he has relied excessively on the financial "experts" who helped get America into this mess.

Wall Street Journal: Bill Clinton Speech Fees Topped $4.7 Million in '08

Former President Bill Clinton earned more than $4.7 million last year in speaking fees from engagements in countries around the world, including Kuwait and China, according to a new disclosure report, creating potential conflicts for his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Christian Science Monitor: Is Michelle Rhee the New Face of Education Reform?

The chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools puts teacher performance at the center of a controversial bid to remake one of the nation's most troubled urban school districts. Since she was appointed chancellor in June 2007, the young Korean-American has brought sweeping changes and a stern hand to the Washington public school system. She has fired hundreds of teachers, principals, and administrators, as well as shuttered 23 underattended schools.

BBC: Iranian leader demands US apology

Iran's president has responded to an overture by the new US president by demanding an apology for past US "crimes" committed against Iran.The US "stood against the Iranian people in the past 60 years," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during an address in the western region of Khermenshah. "Those who speak of change must apologise to the Iranian people and try to repair their past crimes," he said.

NBC Chicago: Live Video of Blagojevich Impeachment Trial

NBCChicago.com is offering live video of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment trial each day. The trial continues at 9:30 a.m. (central time) Wednesday. There will be more questions about the secretly-recorded audio tapes of the governor and lobbyists that are at the heart of the FBI investigation.

Rolling Stone: Blago's Revenge

How Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel could have missed what the guy was all about seems like a mystery now -- the gnomish Blagojevich, with his wiglike bob of purplish pimp hair, flat-out looks like a slimeball, or an escapee from a movie about sexually deviant mobsters. And indeed, almost immediately upon election, Blagojevich contrived to sell a truly awesome smorgasbord of state jobs and regulatory favors to the highest bidder -- everything from contracts for Dunkin' Donuts franchises at toll oases to a state-parks administrator job allegedly bought with a $1,500 check to Blagojevich's seven-year-old daughter.

New York Times: Gillibrand's Immigration Views Draw Fire

Since her appointment by Gov. David A. Paterson last week to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has found herself besieged by immigrant advocates and Democratic colleagues who have cast her as out of step with a majority of the state, with its big cities and sprawling immigrant enclaves.

Weekly Standard: Ground Zero for the GOP

The guessing game about whether Republicans can bounce back is intensifying in Virginia thanks to the 2009 gubernatorial race--the first big political race of the Obama era.

Washington Independent: Study Contradicts Auto Makers Emission Claims

Business strategies submitted to Congress, as part of a December bailout debate, by Ford and General Motors would, if achieved, make the companies compliant with California's proposed emission reforms -- the same changes the companies have opposed for years -- according to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.

Springfield State Journal-Register: Blagojevich Not Crazy, Experts Say

Reporters have seen him grab cell phones from complete strangers, interrupting conversations to say, "Hi, this is the governor." When lawmakers unanimously reject his proposal to tax businesses, he says that's a vote of confidence. Is Gov. Rod Blagojevich crazy? The answer: Not exactly, according to experts in mental and personality disorders. But that doesn't mean Blagojevich qualifies as normal.

New York Times: Geography Is Dividing Democrats Over Energy

By coincidence or design, most of the policy makers on Capitol Hill and in the administration charged with shaping legislation to address global warming come from California or the East Coast, regions that lead the country in environmental regulation and the push for renewable energy sources. That is a problem, says a group of Democratic lawmakers from the Midwest and Plains States, which are heavily dependent on coal and manufacturing.

Boston Herald: Analysts Say Prez Erred in Singling Out Rush Limbaugh

Round One of the Right-Wing Talk Show Host vs. the liberal Leader of the Free World goes to . . . The Right-Wing Talk-Show Host! "You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," Obama chided GOP leaders in negotiations about the economic stimulus package. A delighted Limbaugh, thrilled to see the president climb into his mudwrestling pit, launched a return barrage yesterday.

New Yorker: The President's Hero

After he was sworn-in as President, Barack Obama glanced to his right. He spotted there on the steps, a few feet away, John Lewis--squat, bald, hatless--the eleven-term representative of Georgia's fifth congressional district and the only one of the speakers at the March on Washington still among the living. Obama bent to embrace him. "Congratulations, Mr. President," Lewis whispered in his ear. At the luncheon following the swearing-in ceremony, Lewis approached Obama with a commemorative photograph and asked him to sign it. The President wrote, "Because of you, John. Barack Obama."

Financial Times: Obama Vows to Listen to Muslims

President Obama on Monday night granted an Arabic-language television channel his first formal interview as president - an unprecedented gesture that appeared aimed at offering the Muslim world a sharp contrast with his predecessor. He told the Al Arabiya television channel that his administration wanted listen to the Muslim world and re-examine America's "preconceptions" towards the region.

Los Angeles Times: After Cheney, Vice Presidential House Clearer on Google Earth

Once obscured by pixilation, Google Earth's aerial image of the vice presidential residence on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington is now nearly as clear as its view of the White House. his appears to be none of the White House's doing, however, even though the arrival of clarity coincided with the inauguration of the home's new occupant, Vice President Joe Biden.

Washington Post: Many Bush Officials Held Over at DHS

Wary of being caught short-handed in case of a domestic crisis, the Obama administration has asked nearly two dozen Bush administration officials in the Department of Homeland Security to stay in their jobs until successors can be named.

Wall Street Journal: Obama's EPA Move Likely to Spur Fight

In ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to consider allowing states such as California to regulate automobile emissions of greenhouse gases, President Obama served notice that his administration doesn't intend to let the worst year of U.S. auto sales in more than a decade deter him from his goals of reducing emissions and U.S. dependence on Mideast oil.

Mental Floss: The Million Dollar Office Redecoration - It Could Have been Worse

Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain spent $1.22 million in company dollars to redecorate his office in early 2008. The Daily Beast has a list of all the items on which he spent all that money. Shortly after, it became clear even outside the company that Merrill Lynch was headed for financial disaster. The company was taken over by Bank of America, who announced that Thain resigned his position last Thursday. But was $1.22 million really that extravagant? He could have spent much more on office furniture.

New York Times: Melding Obama's Web to a YouTube Presidency

Aides to President Obama say one of their most important goals is transforming their YouTubing, Facebooking, texting, Twittering grass-roots organization into an instrument of government. They have created a group, Organizing for America, to redirect the campaign machinery in the service of broad changes in health care and environmental and fiscal policy. The organization will be housed in the Democratic National Committee, rather than at the White House.

Wall Street Journal: California Towns Bail Out Auto Dealerships

Two California towns, hoping to preserve jobs and tax revenue, are bailing out local car dealers that are struggling to stay afloat amid tight credit markets and plunging demand for new vehicles. Victorville, a desert town on the main highway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, recently approved a $200,000 loan to Victorville Motors, a 40-year-old family-owned dealer in the town's auto park. Norco, east of Los Angeles in the so-called Inland Empire, has approved loans of $500,000 each to Norco Mazda and Frahm Dodge.

Chicago Tribune blog: Blagojevich Unbowed

Setting the stage for a momentous act of political repudiation, the state Senate prepared to open the first impeachment trial of a governor in Illinois history on Monday and disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich acknowledged his days in office were numbered.

New Yorker: Ms. Kennedy Regrets

When it came to Caroline Kennedy's last-minute withdrawal, her friends were left to speculate. Had she suddenly panicked? Had she realized that she'd be signing on for more and more misery, of which the past few weeks had been just a foretaste? That her days would consist of drudgery--fund-raising phone calls, trudging up to frozen, decrepit towns she'd never heard of? That there would be no more leisurely summers in the Hamptons, no more spontaneous long lunches with friends, no more undisclosed finances? Had she realized, in short, that she wanted her old life back?

Washington Post: At Noon on Jan. 20, Lots of Things Turned to Pumpkins

As George W. Bush learned, there's an upside to being president: He amassed a dazzling array of gifts from foreign dignitaries. But there's a downside, too: He can't keep them. Foreign leaders lavished Bush with presents during his White House tenure, but law requires the president to turn over high-value gifts to government archives.

DC Examiner: Democrats May Pose Bigger Threat to Bipartisanship for Obama

After running on a pledge to work with Republicans, President Obama is finding some of the biggest challenges to his ambitious agenda coming from his own party. The leaders of the GOP, spoiling for a fight after heavy losses in the last election, are of limited menace to Obama with their diminished numbers and a lack of public support for their policies. But Democrats, suffused with the power of majority, are already causing problems for the new administration. And Obama's ability to get his party under control could determine the fate of his agenda

International Herald Tribune: At Davos, Crisis Culls the Guest List

Not long ago, at the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Richard Fuld Jr. of Lehman Brothers held forth on the state of the global economy before mesmerized journalists and cowering subordinates while other Wall Street stars mingled after-hours with the likes of Claudia Schiffer, the German supermodel. As business, government and nonprofit leaders trek up the peak made famous by Thomas Mann's novel, but now better known for the gabfest that begins Tuesday, star power no longer is in.

National Review: President Obama May Reverse Damage of Ghetto Culture

Alas, industrious black Americans, particularly in the middle class, are virtually invisible in popular culture. Such decent citizens are overshadowed by ubiquitous rappers who too often celebrate violence, degrade women, and perpetrate offstage carnage. President Obama's daily presence in the White House finally may repel this foul tide. He also may unravel the "Acting White Syndrome," wherein young black students who do homework and speak proper English are mocked by ghetto-oriented black kids for "acting white," writes Deroy Murdock.

The New Republic: The GOP's Plan to Bring Down Obama

Party politics has not been suspended. It has just become more subtle. Republicans are already busy testing lines of attack against President Barack Obama and laying down markers that will allow them to say they warned us -- if Obama fails, writes E.J. Dionne Jr.

New York Times: Obama's Partisan, Profane Confidant Reins It In

How will Rahm Emanuel, the feisty, bombastic and at times impulsive former congressman, blend with the cool, collegial and deliberate culture of Obama World? And one that is trying to foster bipartisanship? President Obama's chief of staff is brash and outspoken but Emanuel has a deep comfort level with his boss.

Baltimore Sun: Steele Has a Shot at the GOP Chairmanship

Over the years, Michael Steele has gained a large following in Republican circles, even though he has never won a major office on his own. That rather unfortunate distinction, however, could be about to change with his bid for the chairmanship of the Republican National committee.

Wall Street Journal: Delays in Cabinet Nominations Demonstrate GOP Resolve

President Barack Obama chose his Cabinet nominees with record speed, but since his inauguration the process of securing their Senate confirmation and building his government has slowed markedly.

Slate: Will President Obama Have a Personal Computer?

Barack Obama completed his first full day as president on Wednesday. Pictures of the historic occasion showed Obama sitting at a gleaming Oval Office desk. Will all that empty space eventually be filled by a personal computer? Probably not, if recent history is a guide.

New York Post: Kennedys Livid as Gov Asked Caroline to "Lie"

An "apoplectic" Kennedy family is seething over the rough treatment that heiress apparent Caroline got from Gov. Paterson's office and is spoiling for revenge. Among Paterson's offenses was a request that Caroline lie about her unexpected withdrawal for "personal" reasons, according to NY magazine.

Chicago Tribune: Mideast Envoy George Mitchell No Stranger to Conflicts

During a grinding 18-month stretch in the 1990s, U.S. envoy George Mitchell crossed the Atlantic more than 100 times in a dogged search for peace between Northern Ireland's Protestants and Catholics. Now, President Barack Obamahas turned to Mitchell in a new effort to settle the ancient conflict between Israelis and Arabs. At age 75, Mitchell faces two adversaries apt to be suspicious of his efforts but is widely considered up to the challenge.

Boston Globe: For Top Chefs, Food Policy is on the Menu

Rick Bayless, the chef of Topolobampo, one of Obama's favorite Chicago restaurants, says Obama's comfortable demeanor at the table - slumped contentedly in his chair, clearly there to enjoy himself - bodes well for the nation's food policy. While former President Bush rarely visited restaurants and didn't often talk about what he ate, Obama dines out frequently and enjoys experiencing different foods.

CBS 2 Chicago: Mayor Daley Calls Blagojevich 'Cuckoo'

Responding to questions about Gov. Rod Blagojevich's claims Friday that Democratic lawmakers are trying to oust him so they can raise taxes, Mayor Richard M. Daley said the governor was "cuckoo." He noted that he has called Blagojevich "cuckoo" once before. The earlier comment came in September, when Blagojevich questioned financial statements by the head of the Chicago Transit Authority. "I've said 'cuckoo' once. I'll say it again," Daley said.

New York Times: Firms That Got Bailout Money Keep Lobbying

The financial giant Bank of America says it is no longer lobbying the federal government about its unfolding bank bailout. After receiving $45 billion in bailout money, lobbying was just too unseemly. Citigroup, recipient of another $45 billion, made the opposite call. While trying to keep a low profile, the company is still fielding an army of Washington lobbyists working on a host of issues, including the bailout. In the fourth quarter, it spent $1.77 million on lobbying fees, according to its lobbyists' filings.

New York Post: Sources Say Caroline Turned Nasty Toward Governor

Gov. Paterson rapped Caroline Kennedy at a private event the night before he tapped Kirsten Gillibrand for the Senate, telling guests Kennedy had been "nasty" to him and shown "disrespect" with how she bowed out, attendees told The Post. The governor's attack came just hours after his office issued a statement wishing her well and disavowing quotes from a source close to him who had told The Post Kennedy had never been in true contention for the seat and was "mired" in personal issues.

Daily Beast: The Real Reasons Caroline Didn't Make It

The real reason Caroline didn't get the job isn't taxes. It's that she antagonized liberal interest groups, offended the Clintons, and generally bungled the effort. Not that Gov. Paterson did any better: In the words of someone close to him, "he's incapable of the chess strategy required to think through what the consequences of anything might be two weeks from now," writes Tucker Carlson.

Chicago Tribune: Obama's Ways Cool to Some, New to Others

For some older Americans, Obama's ease and embrace of black culture might take some getting used to. There is no doubt that the president is at ease with the vernacular and cultural mannerisms commonly associated with African-Americans. Obama is as comfortable conversing with hip-hop artists as addressing the world as the American president. During a visit to Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington, Obama paid his bill and answered "We straight" when the waitress asked if he wanted change back.

Wall Street Journal: Delays in Cabinet Nominations Demonstrate GOP Resolve

President Obama will start his second week without Treasury, Labor, Health and Human Services or Commerce secretaries, not to mention an attorney general to head the Justice Department. By the end of next week, Senate aides say the president may have only secured two more cabinet confirmations: Timothy Geithner at Treasury and Eric Holder at Justice. Since President Jimmy Carter's first term, only President George H.W. Bush has had more problems than Mr. Obama on this front -- and the current president's issues have arisen after what is widely considered a smooth, quick and organized transition.

The Nation: An Agenda for Obama on Gaza, Middle East

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton have moved quickly, and appropriately, to send some appropriate signals regarding the Gaza crisis in particular and the broader challenge of seeking peace in the Middle East, blogger John Nichols writes.

Weekly Standard: Let 1,000 Republican Flowers Bloom

William Kristol writes that if party leaders and ideological guides had succeeded in buttoning everything down, if there had been harmonious unity and a coordinated strategy and an agreed-upon message in early 1977, there would have been no Reagan Revolution. And if politicians had been deterred from changing their minds, worried over charges of inconsistency, there would have been less progress during those years. A little chaos, lots of debate, tons of political entrepreneurship--that's what we need.

Forbes: The 25 Most Influential Liberals In The U.S. Media

Broadly, a "liberal' subscribes to some or all of the following: progressive income taxation; universal health care of some kind; opposition to the war in Iraq, and a certain queasiness about the war on terror; an instinctive preference for international diplomacy; the right to gay marriage; a woman's right to an abortion; environmentalism in some Kyoto Protocol-friendly form; and a rejection of the McCain-Palin ticket. Forbes.com nominates, here, 25 of America's most consequential liberal journalists and media personalities.

Chicago Tribune: Blagojevich's Lawyers Expect Removal from Office

Less than two weeks after Gov. Rod Blagojevich vowed to fight "every step of the way," his legal team announced Thursday that it won't try to block the start of next week's impeachment trial and expects the Senate will vote to kick him out of office. "As far as I know, the people in the Senate are more likely than not to convict him, and he will be removed from office," Blagojevich attorney Edward Genson told the Tribune. "I don't welcome it, but I expect it." Genson also said Blagojevich won't mount a defense during the impeachment trial.

New York Post: Kennedy Never Had a Chance

A source close to Gov. David Paterson insists that the governor "had no intention" of picking Caroline Kennedy for New York's vacant Senate seat - because she was "mired" in an issue over taxes, her nanny and possibly her marriage. Kennedy was "mired in some potentially embarrassing personal issues," the source said, citing tax liabilities and worker compensation liabilities connected to the employment of a nanny. Hours earlier, a source close to Kennedy told The Post she'd bowed out because she'd become aware of a personal issue early Wednesday afternoon, but that it had nothing to do with her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and his ailing health.

Washington Post: McCain Chides Republicans Who Hindered Clinton

A joke made its way around the Capitol yesterday: How do you know the 2008 election is really over? Because John McCain is causing trouble for Republicans again. Two and a half months removed from his defeat in the race for the presidency, colleagues say, McCain bears more resemblance to the unpredictable and frequently bipartisan lawmaker they have served with for decades than the man who ran an often scathing campaign against Barack Obama. In some instances, he's even carrying water for his former rival.

The Nation: Missing Howard Dean

For all his successes, Dean has become a virtual stranger in his own party, with no place in the incoming Obama administration. On January 8, the day Obama announced his choice of Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to lead the DNC, Dean was on a trip to American Samoa--the last territory he had yet to visit as party chair--leading to speculation, subsequently confirmed, that he'd been snubbed by the Obama team. Moreover, Dean has been passed over for cabinet slots such as secretary of health and human services and surgeon general, which concern his original passion and area of expertise, healthcare reform. If Rahm Emanuel, who bitterly opposed the fifty-state strategy in '06, can be Obama's chief of staff, then Dean should have a place somewhere in Obama's administration. That would be a true "team of rivals."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Rendell Hopes Obama Can Help Pennsylvania

As Pennsylvania's budget deficit continues to swell, Gov. Ed Rendell is hoping that his new friend in Washington, D.C., will provide a key element to stop the bleeding. Rendell yesterday upped his estimate of the deficit in the $28.3 billion budget, predicting the red ink will reach $2.3 billion by June 30. That's $700 million more than his forecast made a month ago and $400 million more than his estimate made just last week. He said state revenues from the sales tax and the income tax are declining due to the ongoing poor economy.

Miami Herald: Florida House Speaker Says He'll Be Exonerated

Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom, dogged for weeks about his taxpayer-funded largesse to a state college that later hired him, declared Thursday that he would be cleared of wrongdoing. ''I feel confident, very confident, that in the end I will come out of this clean,'' Sansom, R-Destin, told reporters in his most extensive public comments about the controversy so far. On Friday, the Florida Commission on Ethics could consider a complaint that was filed against Sansom, and next week a grand jury will be asked whether it wishes to open a formal investigation.

Wall Street Journal: Political Interference Seen in Bank Bailout Decisions

Troubled OneUnited Bank in Boston didn't look much like a candidate for aid from the Treasury Department's bank bailout fund last fall. The Treasury had said it would give money only to healthy banks, to jump-start lending. But OneUnited had seen most of its capital evaporate. Moreover, it was under attack from its regulators for allegations of poor lending practices and executive-pay abuses, including owning a Porsche for its executives' use. Nonetheless, in December OneUnited got a $12 million injection from the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP. One apparent factor: the intercession of Rep. Barney Frank, the powerful head of the House Financial Services Committee. Frank wrote into the TARP bill a provision specifically aimed at helping this particular home-state bank and spoke to regulators urging that OneUnited be considered for a cash injection.

Chicago Tribune: Patricia Blagojevich Fired from Fundraising Job

Just months after launching a new career as a fundraiser for a Chicago homeless agency, Illinois First Lady Patricia Blagojevich has been fired.The board of the Chicago Christian Industrial League exercised the termination clause in Blagojevich's contract with the agency, interim Executive Director Mary Shaver confirmed Wednesday. Shaver said she could not discuss why the board fired Blagojevich because it is a personnel issue.

Weekly Standard: Cheney Speaks Out on Libby

Former Vice President Dick Cheney disagreed publicly with his boss just four times in the eight years they served together. Yesterday, however, on the first day after the official end of the Bush administration, Cheney disagreed with George W. Bush once more. Cheney said his former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, whom he described as a "victim of a serious miscarriage of justice," deserved a presidential pardon.

Daily Beast: Cindy McCain on Inauguration and More

In a conversation with her daughter (and blogger) Meghan, Cindy McCain opens up about subjects she couldn't discuss before: anger at The New York Times, wardrobe malfunctions, and Obama's inauguration. "We want President-elect Obama to succeed because it's what is best for the country. But for me it is a very bittersweet moment, and I believe your father would have made a good president."

Denver Post: Salazar Gets Clean Start

Newly minted Interior Secretary Ken Salazar named former U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland as his chief of staff Wednesday, bringing in a high-powered ex-prosecutor to help him clean up the troubled department.

Washington Post: D.C.'s Inauguration Head Count: 1.8 Million

Two things are clear about the size of the crowd that gathered downtown for Tuesday's inauguration: First, although some experts described it as high, the official estimate released by the District yesterday is 1.8 million, a figure that would make the gathering the largest ever on the Mall. Second, from space we look like ants.

New York Daily News: Michelle Obama Wears $1,500 Isabel Toledo Shift

The new First Lady's Inauguration Day outfit -- a pale yellow wool lace Isabel Toledo shift with matching overcoat -- "was made for Michelle with extra warm linings sewn into the [innerlinings] that she wouldn't freeze," Toledo's husband told the Daily News. She wore it for an early morning trip to church alongside her husband, subsequent photo opp with the Bushes and the inauguration itself. Green pumps, a diamond brooch and diamond studs completed the stylishly eclectic-yet-elegant ensemble which, next to Laura Bush's simple grey double-breasted pantsuit and charcoal heels, marked a visual example that change is a'coming to Washington. A spring version of the dress - which will retail for around $1,500 - will hit Barney's in March.

New York Times: Growing Need for Medicaid Strains States

Medicaid rolls are surging, by unprecedented rates in some states, as the recession tightens its grip on the economy and Americans lose their employer-sponsored health coverage along with their jobs.In a nationwide survey, with 40 states responding, The New York Times found that in some cases the surge in enrollment had overwhelmed social services agencies, and prompted state fiscal analysts to shred estimates that were often only six months old.

Chicago Tribune: Obama Sworn in, Blagojevich Fingerprinted

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

Washington Post: All Hail the Leader of the Fashionable World

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

New York Times: Radical in the White House

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

National Review: What Obama Brings to Conservatives

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

ABC News blog: Carter Appears to Snub Clinton

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

Waco Tribune: Advice for Obama from Bush Country

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

Jerusalem Post: Iran Renews Efforts to Supply Hamas

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

Financial Times: Lloyds and Barclays Suffer Further Losses

European banking stocks continue to slide.

New York Times: Wall Street Back on the Brink

Despite widespread optimism about Mr. Obama and a jubilant inaugural celebration, the major indexes plunged more than 4 percent on Tuesday, with the Dow slipping below 8,000, as new fears about the stability of America's biggest banks roiled the markets. Stocks started the day lower, fell more than 60 points during Mr. Obama's address from the Capitol, and deepened their losses during the last hour of trading in a broad sell-off that dragged down leading financial companies by double digits. It was shaping up to be Wall Street's worst Inauguration Day since 1900, according to JPMorgan Chase. "It's ugly," said James W. Paulsen, chief investment officer at Wells Capital Management. "It's got all the makings of the late November panic."

MSNBC blog: Power Transfer on the Web

Even before President Obama took the public oath of office, power quietly switched over from the Bush administration at the stroke of noon, as called for in the Constitution. And so it was on the Web: The Bush White House's Web site disappeared into the ether, replaced by an online portal jazzed up with blog posts, slideshows and front-page video.

National Review blog: Rep. Jim Moran's Confrontation With Capitol Police

After the inauguration ended, Rep. Jim Moran's wife tried to enter the Capitol building. It's standard operating procedure when the President is in transit, that the area be locked down. This wasn't an acceptable answer for refusing her entrance into the building, and she called her husband demanding that the Capitol police officer immediately talk to him.

New Yorker: Presidential Greatness

In American politics, the ultimate contest is trying to get elected President. But the very few people who manage to win that contest then enter another, less visible game, with even longer odds: the race to become one of the handful of Presidents who really matter. Excitement about Barack Obama is at such a high level, and the times are so dire, that he is already well into this second race.

New York Times: Transition Holds Clues to How Obama Will Govern

Mr. Obama arrives at the presidency Tuesday after a transition that betrayed little if any perspiration and no hint of nervousness, seemingly undaunted by the magnitude of troubles awaiting him. He remains hard to read or label -- centrist in his appointments and bipartisan in his style, yet also pushing the broadest expansion of government in generations. He has reached across old boundaries to build the foundation of his administration, but for all the outreach he has made it clear he is centralizing policy making in the White House.

Foreign Policy: The Secret Briefing Obama Needs on Day One

A select few Americans will ever see the president's daily brief -- a digest of the intelligence community's most closely guarded secrets. But trust me, Barack Obama is going to need much more useful information than he is getting now.

International Herald Tribune: How Long Will the Obama Honeymoon Last?

As Obama takes the oath of office, there is evidence that, as enthusiastic as the public is about the change in power, there are no expectations of quick fixes. The cascade of grim economic news, combined with the calculatedly sober tone Obama has adopted -- most recently in his no-applause-line speech to thousands of supporters at the concert on the Mall on Sunday -- has provided something of a cushion for Obama.

Washington Post: Hollywood for Ugly People Meets . . . Hollywood

Columnist Dana Milbank writes: We are making history this week. It is a momentous event, something we will tell our children's children about. Yes, it's true: Oprah is in Washington. What, you thought this was about the inauguration?

BBC: Martin Luther King Jr. Talked About a Black President

BBC World News America has unearthed a fascinating clip of Dr Martin Luther King speaking to the BBC's Bob McKenzie in 1964 in which Dr King predicts an African-American president "in less than 40 years."

Huffington Post: Gay Bishop Left Out

Sunday's big Lincoln Memorial show was billed as the "We Are One" concert, intended to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama with a spirit of unity. But for those of us watching at home, one participant was excluded -- Gene Robinson, the "first openly gay, non-celibate priest to be ordained a bishop in a major Christian denomination."

National Review: What Obama Should Do If Serious About Learning from Lincoln

**No one begrudges a statesman a degree of latitude in his manipulation of historical precedent. The difficulty with President Obama's reprise of Abraham Lincoln is partly one of style, perhaps of taste. It is one thing to invoke a precedent. It is another thing to trivialize it. The president-elect's redundant train ride to a Washington he had, after all, arrived in earlier this month had a Disney theme-park air that didn't quite work. It is said that "Lincoln-inspired foods" will be served at the luncheon in the Capitol following the inauguration. Lincoln-inspired foods? I suppose it is only a matter of time before we learn that the new First Puppy has been christened "Fido."

Internet Food Association: Celebrity Chef Saves the Day at Inaugural Party

Reality show star Tom Collichio answered the call at a swanky Washington dinner when someone yelled, "Does anyone know the Heimlich maneuver?" So not only can Colicchio run multiple restaurants and anchor a cooking show and win five James Beard awards and cook for the rescure workers after 9/11, but he can save your life. Versatile guy. Think he'd be willing to manage the stimulus package?

Washington Post: Why the Uniter Divided Us

There are many reasons why most Americans are not mourning President Bush's departure. But our new president would do well to concentrate on the deeper causes of the public's disaffection with the man headed to Texas, writes columnist E.J. Dionne Jr.

Baltimore Sun: Obama Fails to Recognize Indicted Mayor

Mayor Sheila Dixon was one of thousands of Obama supporters braving hours of sub-freezing temperatures to greet him at Baltimore's War Memorial Plaza. "It's an extremely huge deal for me," she said in an interview before Obama's address. "Words can't describe how ecstatic we are." But even as he gazed at City Hall, the man who will be the nation's first black president did not acknowledge that Baltimore's first black female mayor was in attendance.

National Review: Geithner Can't Explain Failure to Pay Taxes

What was he thinking? That is without doubt the question asked most often by nearly everyone looking into Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner's failure to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes in 2001, 2002, and 2003. It's certainly the question that will be asked at Geithner's confirmation hearing on Wednesday. But it is also the question perhaps least likely to be answered to anyone's satisfaction, because according to sources close to the confirmation process, Geithner doesn't have an answer to that most basic question about his behavior.

New York Times: British Banks, After Bailout, in Line for More

In Britain, Prime Minister Gordon Brown plans to unveil a second bank bailout on Monday to stoke lending after an earlier £37 billion, or $54.5 billion, program using taxpayer funds to take stakes in troubled banks failed to get credit flowing in the broader economy.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: In TV Age, Leaders Must Look Correct, Think Correct

Could a 300-plus-pounder who doesn't believe in the divinity of Christ get the Republican nomination for president these days? For that matter, could he get the Democratic nomination? For that matter, we haven't had a bald president in the television age. The last one was Dwight Eisenhower, and he not only served before the television age, he ran against another bald guy, Adlai Stevenson. We have not had a bald guy elected president since the television age. I am not arguing for obesity, or for baldness, but we're clearly becoming more superficial, writes columnist Bill McClellan.

CNN: Keeping an Eye on White Supremacists

There "is concern" about white supremacist groups during the inauguration, said Joe Persichini, the assistant FBI director who is helping to oversee security during the inauguration.

New York Times: 2 Years After Campaign Began, a Different World

The world looked very different on the frigid Saturday in February 2007 when Barack Obama stood in front of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., (r.) and declared himself a candidate for president. The Dow was at 12,580, on the way to 14,000 that summer. General Motors was making money selling cars. The challenges that Mr. Obama will begin to confront on Tuesday afternoon, in short, bear only a passing resemblance to those on the table on the day two years ago.

Foreign Policy: Welcome to Your New Job, Mr. President

On the eve of his inauguration, eight world leaders tell Barack Obama how not to screw up.

Daily Beast: Obama's Week of Brilliant Stunts

Obama shows that he is ready and far more shrewd than many who thought him no more than a charming motivational speaker who could, at best, move from his preferred world of the cool into the sweaty hair shirts of the hot whenever necessary. The way that our almost new president dealt with the old fashioned race hustle enunciated by Bobby Rush at a press conference held by then Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Roland Burris, his selection to replace Obama in the Senate, is highly instructive.

Los Angeles Times: For Many Blacks, Obama's Election is a Matter of Faith

've heard the chatter for months across black Los Angeles, at cocktail parties, church socials and coffee shops:The election of Barack Obama was not just about politics, but providence. Obama was anointed by prophecy to lead. His election is a reflection of God's grace and of black Christians' fealty.

New Republic: Should Obama's Inaugural Address Be Bleak?

There's this idea circulating that, because Obama has supposedly mastered the elevating and prophetic speech, it's a kind of reverse brilliance for him to play it low-key and not too inspired, so that people don't start expecting him to feed 5,000 with two fishes. But this is a political move: It telegraphs the message to his critics (and overheated supporters), "Hey, get off my back." And a first inaugural address ought to rise above political concerns.

Salon: Obama Sells Out to Wall Street

After President Bush this week asked Congress to release the bank bailout fund's remaining $350 billion, Obama pledged to veto any bill rejecting the request, meaning he is beginning his presidency not by "turn[ing] the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street," as he once pledged. Instead, he is promising a mushroom cloud unless lawmakers let taxpayer cash continue flowing to the biggest of Big Money interests.

Wall Street Journal: Lobbyists Skirt Ethics Ban for the Inaugural

Lobbyists and corporations have found an opening in the latest congressional-ethics law that allows them to pay for special access to lawmakers and members of the incoming Obama administration during next week's inaugural festivities.

Weekly Standard: The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is ... Obama

Barack Obama is the apostle of hope. But he also arouses the flipside of hope--fear. And while the fear he stirs may turn out to be unfounded, it's not irrational. People don't know who Obama really is or where his ideological center of gravity rests, to the extent it rests anywhere. He was a liberal in the Senate and the campaign, a centrist in the transition, and who knows what he'll be as president. He's elusive

National Review: Conservative Vets will Give Obama the Chance Democrats Denied Bush

Lt. Pete Hegseth writes: Our group, Vets for Freedom, ran millions of dollars' worth of television and radio advertising this year that directly challenged Obama's policies toward Iraq and the surge. We aggressively instigated his return trip to Iraq and called on him to tell the truth about the success of the surge. But on Inauguration Day, our approach will change--as a candidate becomes our commander-in-chief. We will not do to President Obama what others did to President Bush. Our brothers are still in harm's way, and Obama is their commander-in-chief, just as he is ours.

The Nation: Rick Warren's Clout

Rick Warren posed as a defender of clergy of all faiths against a godless left-wing court. Not even the most progressive members of Congress were willing to stand up to him--not Ted Kennedy, Paul Wellstone, Russ Feingold, Bernie Sanders or Barney Frank.

Washington Post: Inaugural Panel Sells Exclusive TV Rights

Barack Obama's inaugural organizing committee has struck deals with three television networks to the tune of more than $5 million, giving the networks exclusive access to inaugural events. But the arrangement is prompting questions about the president-elect's efforts to raise money by turning his inauguration into made-for-TV productions. The exclusive deals also have riled some in the news media who say the events are of historic importance and thus newsworthy. A C-SPAN spokesman, John Cardarelli, said the network was told by the inaugural committee that it could not cover the neighborhood ball.

Fox News Blog: The Bush Farewell

Andrea Tantaros writes: As I watched President George W. Bush say a final farewell to the nation last night, my emotions were mixed. Though I admired the humility of his speech, I was left to wonder where that President Bush, and that tone, had been hiding for the last eight years. Mysteriously, there was no real acknowledgment of our current economic calamity, or at a minimum the reassurance that the situation was top of mind, and that he and President- elect Obama were working together to ensure a seamless hand off.

Slate: What is the Obama Doctrine?

Pragmatism has already become as much the watchword of Obama's presidency as change and hope were the mantras of his campaign. His widely praised choices for the Cabinet and the White House staff are pragmatic and principled, not ideological. In the face of so many unprecedented problems with uncertain answers, they'll have to be.

Chicago Tribune: Obama May Lose Some Luster Come Tuesday

This is a reality check. No, even better, think of it as a reality reminder. This guy is going to be inaugurated, and then he's going to become--drumroll, please!--routine. And not just routine. People--basically all of us at some point--aren't going to like him. Remember, nearly half the country voted for the other guy. You, even if you've been a dyed-in-the-wool Obama-ite from the word "go," are almost certain to be upset by or turned off by something he'll do over the next four years.

CNET: Get Your Obama Pix Published in Inaugural Book

Amateur photographers are being offered a chance to get their work published in an official presidential inaugural photography book.

The New Republic: Yes We Can! ... Tolerate Rich People

Some scenes from the staff pep rally staged at the Ritz-Carlton to pump up the staff before the descent of inauguration customers.

Reuters: Man Charged with Threatening Obama on Website

Authorities on Friday arrested a U.S. man on suspicion of threatening to kill President-elect Barack Obama based on statements he posted on a website about UFOs and aliens, the Justice Department said.

Daily Beast: Great Presidential Farewells

Video extracts from the farewell speeches of Bush, Reagan, Clinton, Eisenhower.

Time: Bush's Top 10 YouTube Moments

You guessed it; the flying shoe incident makes the cut as eight years of the Bush Administration are distilled into 10 YouTube clips.

Politico: Congressman Says Obama 'Bizarre' to Use 'Hussein'

Rep. Steve King doesn't like the fact that the president-elect will be sworn in using that middle name during Tuesday's Inauguration.

USA Today: Celebs head for D.C.

Stars are converging on the capital for Tuesday's Inauguration. USA Today caught up with a few celebs as they packed their bags for Washington.

Philadelphia Inquirer: McCain may be Obama's secret weapon

Former Sen. Rick Santorum writes: I believe Obama has an ace in the hole among Senate Republicans This unlikely ace can deliver not only the GOP moderates needed to break a filibuster, but also the stamp of bipartisanship: the 2008 GOP standard bearer, John McCain. McCain was once the mainstream media darling, back when he joined Democrats on a host of issues. He prized his maverick moniker and used it to propel himself onto the national scene in the 2000 Republican presidential primary. Early in the Bush years, he shored up his status as the media's favorite Republican by opposing Bush on taxes and the environment.

Wall Street Journal: Meet Obama's Loyal Opposition

"I do not work for Barack Obama." Mitch McConnell, Senate minority leader? No. Ben Bernanke, Fed chief? No, again. Try Harry Reid, huffing at the idea anyone calls the shots on Capitol Hill other than him.

Detroit News: Obama Gets High Marks for Transition

Barack Obama's administration, which comes to power on Tuesday, has won high marks for its political and management know-how -- skills Obama and his team will need to tame the economic crisis and two foreign wars.From a "no drama" presidential campaign admired by political pros of both parties to a transition widely seen as among the smoothest in history, experts on the presidency see signs of a well-run executive branch. The evidence, they say, points to a White House and cabinet stingy with juicy media gossip but open to ideas from opponents and supporters. It begins with an enormous stock of public support that could be mobilized quickly to push Obama's goals.

Foreign Policy: Osama to Obama - "I'm Still here"

An audio tape attributed to the al Qaeda leader appeared on an Islamist website early Wednesday morning. While the world's most wanted man hardly broke new ground with his pronouncements, the very fact that he recorded a message himself -- his first since last May -- shows that he is very much alive and intent on being a public antagonist to U.S. President-Elect Barack Obama.

Washington Post: 10 Take Aways From the Bush Years

Bob Woodward says there's actually a lot that President-elect Barack Obama can learn from the troubled presidency of George W. Bush.

National Review: Libby Hasn't Asked for a Pardon

The president has less than a week left to pardon Lewis "Scooter" Libby, whose jail sentence Bush commuted in 2007. (Libby still paid a $250,000 fine.) But even though it's the president's power alone to pardon, all eyes are on Vice President Cheney, Libby's old boss. People who paid close attention to the case are looking for any sort of signal from Cheney that something is up, and they're getting nothing.

C-Net: Full Broadband Plan Not in Stimulus

Don't expect to find a comprehensive national broadband policy in the so-called economic stimulus package that President-elect Barack Obama hopes to sign in his first days in office, Blair Levin, a top technology adviser for Obama, said Wednesday. While funds for broadband deployment will be a part of the stimulus package, Blair cautioned groups interested in seeing more federal investment in broadband from expecting too much right away.

Chicago Tribune: Sister-in-Law Refuses to Vote to Impeach Blagojevich

Moments after being sworn in, freshman state Rep. Deb Mell (D-Chicago) cast the only vote against impeaching Gov. Rod Blagojevich, her brother-in-law. Mell, the daughter of Chicago Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) and sister of first lady Patricia Blagojevich, declined to talk to reporters but issued a statement saying she could not "in good conscience" vote for impeaching Blagojevich.

Daily Beast: Christian Right's Welcome for Obama

You'll never believe how a Christian right congressman and two anti-abortion protestors have prepared the Capitol for the Obama's inauguration.

Salon: How to Write a Poem for the President

Elizabeth Alexander has been commissioned to write a poem for Inauguration Day. But the checkered history of the form suggests it's an almost impossible task.

Wall Street Journal: Richardson Administration Hit by Another Allegation

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's administration was hit with a second pay-to-play allegation on Wednesday, as a former state investment officer accused gubernatorial appointees of steering $90 million in investments to a financial firm in exchange for subsequent donations to Mr. Richardson's presidential campaign.

New York Times: Security Net Wraps U.S. Capitol

Federal authorities have begun to seal off a security zone extending miles from the Capitol, where President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in on Tuesday, drawing on disparate lessons gleaned from terrorist attacks in London and Mumbai, the Sept. 11 attack at the Pentagon and even annual Fourth of July celebrations on the Mall. Though intelligence agencies have detected no credible threat to any inaugural event or to Mr. Obama, law enforcement agencies, operating from a network of centers, will command ground, air and waterborne forces numbering in excess of 20,000 police officers, National Guard troops and plainclothes agents from more than 50 agencies, according to security planners.

Chicago Sun-Time: Feds Play Candid Camera with Governor

Federal authorities used a video camera as part of their cache of tools to investigate Gov. Blagojevich in the final weeks of 2008, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned. The camera, which likely was remote-controlled, was trained on the Friends of Blagojevich offices, 4147 N. Ravenswood, to help FBI agents identify individuals entering and leaving the campaign offices -- and to identify who was talking on bugs agents covertly planted inside.

Mental Floss: How Ex-Vice Presidents Made Ends Meet

Now that Dick Cheney is winding down his second term as one of the more controversial Vice Presidents of the United States, what next? The post-White House lives of presidents have been intensely scrutinized, but what becomes of former vice presidents?

New York Times: Banks in Need of Even More Bailout Money

Even before word came on Tuesday that Citigroup might split into pieces to shore up its finances, an unpleasant message was moving through Congress and President-elect Barack Obama's transition team: the banks need more taxpayer money.

Daily Beast: What Obama Can Learn from Mickey Rourke

If a Chihuahua could help resurrect an acting career, think what a Labradoodle could do in the White House. Especially if the president forgets to walk it.

Washington Post: Gushing Over Hillary

At Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing yesterday, senators came up with a new interpretation of the Constitution's "advice and consent" clause. This one could be called the "admire and congratulate" clause, writes columnist Dana Milbank.

ESPN: Grand jury to ponder Clemens testimony

A federal grand jury has convened in Washington, D.C., to determine whether to indict seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens for lying under oath to Congress when he denied taking performance-enhancing drugs, ESPN.com has learned. Witnesses have been subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury as early as this week.

Wired: NASA Will Show Off the New Lunar RV at Obama's Inauguration

NASA is sending a prototype of its new lunar rover to appear in the Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, D.C. The six-wheeled Small Pressurized Rover (SPR) will provide the big, geeky finish to the line of floats and marching bands scheduled to head down Pennsylvania Avenue on January 20th. The hope is that the new Obama Administration will support NASA's current plan to return to the moon, on or around 2020.

Weekly Standard: Ten Things President Bush Got Right

The postmortems on the presidency of George W. Bush are all wrong. The liberal line is that Bush dangerously weakened America's position in the world and rushed to the aid of the rich and powerful as income inequality worsened. That is twaddle. Conservatives--okay, not all of them--have only been a little bit kinder. They give Bush credit for the surge that saved Iraq, but not for much else.

Daily Beast: How to Tell if You're an Obama Insider

Other towns may measure status by your address, your alma mater, your income, or your shoes, but in political Washington right now, there is only one barometer of anyone's importance: How close are you to Obama?

Slate: Moving Obama into the White House

How exactly will Obama get all his stuff into the White House? It starts at 10:30 a.m., when the sitting president and the first lady have a traditional tea with the president-elect before heading over to Capitol Hill for the swearing-in. Once they leave, the 93-person staff shifts into high gear.

Wall Street Journal: Dumpster Couture Gets a Boost at Green Inaugural Ball

In the world of trashy fashion, designer Nancy Judd has hit the big time.Ms. Judd spends her days in a studio here crafting clothing from castoff plastic bags, electrical wire and old cassette tapes. Now, her Dumpster couture has caught the eye of environmental activists, who plan to showcase her work in Washington at Saturday's Green Inaugural Ball honoring President-elect Barack Obama. The star piece: A man's coat made from Mr. Obama's campaign fliers.

New York Times: Kerry Aims to Make a Mark as a Senate Chairman

For most senators, assuming the chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee would be the pinnacle of a public service career. For John Kerry, it is a bit of a gold-plated consolation prize.

New Yorker: Transitioning

It has been widely said that never has so much been expected of an incoming President, but that's only half right. The public clearly expects quick action, but the outlook for the near future is so grim that few expect quick results. Obama himself has been stressing the urgency of the first and the need for patience with regard to the second. Right now, Obama's ratings are unusually high--fifteen points higher than either of his two predecessors' at the corresponding moment in their transitions.

Mental Floss: 4 Presidential In-Laws Who Made the Move to Washington

Late last week, the transition team confirmed that President-Elect Obama's mother-in-law will be moving to Washington with the first family, at least temporarily. Marian Robinson will be the latest in a line of presidential in-laws who, for good or ill, lived under the same roof as the president. Here are four stories that confirm the old truism: While America can choose its president, the president can't choose his in-laws.

Washington Post: Bush Tells His Party To Be 'Open-Minded' on Immigration

President Bush called for a "compassionate" Republican Party and warned against the GOP becoming "anti-immigrant" in one of his last interviews as president, defending his vision of the party, which has become unpopular among some Republicans.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Bumps Up Against Egos in Congress

Barack Obama's first real workweek in Washington as president-elect was marked by collisions with his former colleagues, including some who helped him win the White House.

Foreign Policy: How to Get Out of Iraq

Why Obama still has to leave Iraq in order to save it, and why 2009 will be more crucial than he -- or many others on his team -- expect.

Washington Times: Obama Climate Czar has Socialist Ties

Until last week, Carol M. Browner, President-elect Barack Obama's pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group's Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for "global governance" and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change.

National Review: 'Soak the Rich' a Perilous Path for Democrats

Liberals who want to extort untold billions in new taxes from the "rich" have been mugged by economic reality.

Wall Street Journal: The Madness of Estimating Crowds and Commodes

President-elect Barack Obama is expected by many to set a record on Jan. 20 for number of people attending a presidential inauguration, writes the Journal's "Numbers Guy." But setting a new record requires knowing the old record and producing a new estimate that tops it. And crowd-counting in Washington, D.C., these days is a political hot potato. After high-profile numerical disputes, no government agency is eager to put its name to a specific number -- even though projecting crowd sizes is crucial for planning for an event of such massive proportions.

Huffington Post: Joe the Plumber Reports from Israel

SDEROT, Israel -- Joe the Plumber has set aside his wrenches to become a rookie war correspondent, covering Israel's side of its two-week-old military offensive in Gaza. The Ohio man, who rocketed to fame during the U.S. presidential campaign for asking Barack Obama about his tax plan, was in the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Sunday to tell readers of the conservative pjtv.com Web site about the rockets that rain down from the neighboring Gaza Strip.

Wall Street Journal: Politics Tests Energy Goals

Barack Obama is building a significant part of his economic-recovery plan on a bet that the U.S. can dramatically change the way it powers its economy. Steven Chu, Obama's pick to lead the Energy Department, has called the expansion of conventional, coal-fired generating plants his worst nightmare, adding that he isn't sure that the technology in the Illinois project represents a solution to coal's impact on the environment. But last week' he was noncommittal, assuring a delegation from his future boss's home state that he understood the importance of clean-coal research.

DC Examiner: Pelosi Strips Gender-specific Language from House Rules

When Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House in 2006, rumors abounded in the hallways of the Capitol that she would emasculate the male-dominated Congress, starting with the conversion of the House Chamber's only nearby bathroom (a men's room equipped with a shoeshine stand and a fireplace) into a ladies room. Two years later, that men's room is still a men's room. Pelosi has chosen instead to take much more subtle steps to help transition the Capitol into a more equal place. This year Pelosi took a pen to the House Rules, crossing out "his," "he," and "Chairman" and inserting gender-neutral substitutes.

New York Times: Obama Names Minister to Lead Prayer Service

President-elect Barack Obama has selected the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins to deliver the sermon at the national prayer service that is held the day after the inauguration. Ms. Watkins, the first woman ever selected to lead the service, is the president and general minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a small, liberal-leaning Protestant denomination with 3,754 congregations and about 690,000 members in the United States and Canada. Ms. Watkins was elected to the post in 2005, the first woman ever chosen to lead a mainline Protestant denomination.

Vancouver Sun: Obama's first foreign visit to be to Canada

Barack Obama will make his first foreign trip as president of the United States to Canada -- restoring a long-standing tradition abandoned eight years ago by George W. Bush. Officials in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office confirmed Obama has accepted an offer to visit Canada "soon" after his Jan. 20 inauguration as America's 44th president. Canadian officials say one of Ottawa's first priorities in bilateral relations with Obama is to forge close co-operation on climate change initiatives, part of a broader plan to ward off any potential threat to Canada's energy exports to the U.S.

New York Daily News: Governor Interviews Caroline Kennedy

Caroline Kennedy had her much-anticipated formal interview with Gov. Paterson over the Senate seat Saturday. Kennedy met with the governor at 2 p.m. at his Manhattan office, Paterson spokeswoman Erin Duggan confirmed. Until Saturday, Kennedy had only spoken by phone to Paterson to express her interest in the Senate seat to be vacated by Hillary Clinton.

London Sunday Times: Perino Says Bush Was Like a Second Father

On the day Barack Obama is sworn in as president, Dana Perino will be jumping on a plane to Britain, free at last from the burden of being George W Bush's White House press secretary. She has worn the job lightly and it will be a wrench to leave her boss. "It's probably not professional to say it, but in many ways he has been like a second father to me," Perino said.

National Review: The Great American Hope?

There is great hope that President-elect Obama will change the course of U.S. foreign policy, create far greater goodwill toward America, and thereby ease world tensions. Such optimism is not based on former Sen. Obama's foreign-policy experience. In essence, he has none. Nor does improvement hinge on Obama's past career in Chicago politics or his U.S. Senate tenure -- the former was problematic at best, the latter cursory.

Real Clear Politics: Moving Beyond 'Permanent Majorities'

Michael Barone's latest column is an important one. Its central thesis is that in a diverse country with a long tradition of competitive two-party elections, trying to build a permanent majority is a fool's errand. This is a point worth amplifying - as it relates to our ongoing series on the election.

Daily Beast: Obama's Man in Kentucky

Sen. Mitch McConnell says he's skeptical about the president-elect's stimulus package. Translation: More pork, please!

Washington Times: First Dog Barney Bowwows Out

The dog days of the Bush presidency have arrived, but first dog Barney is not going away quietly. In an exclusive exit interview with The Washington Times, Barney, 8, sounds off on his tenure in the White House, his relationship with the scrappy White House press corps, and his advice to the much-anticipated Obama puppy.

New York Times: Family Mainstay to Move In to White House

On Friday, the transition team of President-elect Barack Obama confirmed that his 71-year-old mother-in-law would be moving, at least temporarily, into the grand residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. While Grant and Truman might have been forgiven for gritting their teeth at such a prospect, Mr. Obama has said he will be delighted to have his wife's mother, Marian Robinson, join the first family in Washington.

Washington Times: Young Blood Eyed for Jobs at State

President-elect Barack Obama said Friday that he wants to rejuvenate the State Department by recruiting younger staffers and prefers civil service officers as ambassadors.

Huffington Post: McCain Says GOP Must Work With Obama

Reverting to the role of Republican foil that made him an unpopular figure for many conservatives, John McCain argued on Friday that historical circumstances should compel his GOP colleagues to work closely with Barack Obama.

Slate: Female Solicitor General Should Ditch Morning Coat

Barack Obama's nomination of Harvard Law School's dean, Elena Kagan, to be his solicitor general has been met with near-universal acclaim. As the first permanent female SG, Kagan is making history even before she dons her morning coat. Here's hoping that Dean-Soon-To-Be-Solicitor-General Kagan assumes this very serious role with all the dignity it warrants. Here's also hoping that she never dons that silly morning coat in the first place.

Washington Post: Bush Prepares Request for Rest Of Bailout Funds

Senior Bush administration officials, consulting with the Obama transition team, have prepared a plan to ask lawmakers for the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue package despite intense opposition in Congress, sources familiar with the discussions said. The initiative could create an unusual political scenario straddling the Bush and Obama administrations. If Congress were to vote down the measure, either President Bush or Obama would have to exercise a veto to get the money.

Daily Beast: A Cautionary Tale as Obama Reconsiders the Iraq War

Some in the media have glibly referenced the title of David Halberstam's book The Best and the Brightest in reference to the storied intellect of Lawrence Summers and other members of the President-elect's economic team. Halberstam's masterpiece is of course about John Kennedy's foreign policy team and how their brainy group-think created the disastrous war in Vietnam. Anyone who has influence with Barack Obama would be well advised to read it as a cautionary tale as he faces the inevitable pressures from the next iteration of liberal or conservative hawks to expand the war in Afghanistan or start one against Iran.

Wall Street Journal: Wall Street Is Big Donor to Inauguration

President-elect Barack Obama has banned corporations and big donors from funding his Jan. 20 inauguration. But 90% of donations received so far have been raised by well-heeled fund-raisers, including Wall Street executives whose companies have received billions of dollars in federal bailout money.

The Hill: Michael Moore May Be at Root of Conyers Opposition to Gupta

Rep. John Conyers Jr. is leading an effort to thwart Barack Obama's expected nomination of CNN's Sanjay Gupta to become surgeon general. Conyers is friends with Michael Moore, a Michigan native who is an ardent backer of the legislator's universal healthcare bill. Moore's film made the case for the U.S. to adopt a "single-payer" healthcare system like Canada's. Gupta engaged in a televised argument with Moore in 2007 over his movie, "SiCKO."

New York Times: A Difficult Road Awaits Panetta at the C.I.A.

As every previous director could attest, succeeding at the helm at the Central Intelligence Agency requires an uneasy balance. For Leon E. Panetta, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for the job, the task is made even more difficult because of intense pressure on Mr. Obama from members of Congress and outside groups to hold agency officials accountable for counterterrorism policies in which the C.I.A. played a leading role.

New Republic: The Case for Panetta at the CIA

Obama's decision to appoint Panetta was likely influenced by the presence of Hillary Clinton at State and Robert Gates at the Pentagon. Obama has been around Washington enough to know that intelligence is a blood sport--bureaucratic blood, that is. He knows that appointing a CIA director from the ranks of the agency--an intelligence professional--no matter how capable and smart, would be eaten alive by Clinton and Gates.

Anchorage Daily News: Democrat Throws Hat in Ring to Run Against Palin in 2010

Bob Poe kicked off his campaign for Alaska governor Thursday and drew a bead on the incumbent, Sarah Palin. Poe is the first Alaskan to declare his candidacy for the 2010 race. He's starting early, he said, because he lacks the name recognition of career politicians. Poe, 54, is a 28-year Alaskan who has split his professional career between the private and public sector.

Los Angeles Times: Eric Holder Pushed for Controversial Clemency

Attorney general nominee Eric H. Holder Jr. repeatedly pushed some of his subordinates at the Clinton Justice Department to drop their opposition to a controversial 1999 grant of clemency to 16 members of two violent Puerto Rican nationalist organizations, according to interviews and documents.

Newsweek: Who is the Man Who Refused to Certify Burris?

While Roland W. Burris is known as the first African-American in Illinois to win statewide office--serving as comptroller from 1979 to 1991 and as attorney general from 1991 to 1995--White has broken his own political barriers. Elected to the state legislature in 1974, White was the first African-American in Illinois to represent a district where a majority of residents were white. For 16 years, he represented a section in the North Side of Chicago that included the high-rent neighborhoods of Streeterville and Lincoln Park, but also included the desperately poor Cabrini Green housing complex, populated almost entirely by blacks. "They used to say my district stretched from the Gold Coast to the Soul Coast," says White, who has long cultivated support across racial lines.

National Review: Melting for Burris

The Democrats are folding like an ironing board over this Roland Burris business, and for some reason people are surprised.

Daily Beast: How Much is a Bush Speech Worth?

The lecture circuit is the fate that awaits all ex-Presidents of the United States, and a little over a week from now, it will be President Bush's turn to take the gilded podium. According to one industry source, Bush is already in talks with Washington, D.C., lawyer Robert Barnett, who helped manage Bill Clinton's transition to the private sector and negotiated Laura Bush's recent book deal. (Barnett declined to comment for this article). Bush has wondered aloud about his after-dinner career. In an interview for Robert Draper's 2007 book Dead Certain, Bush said that he planned to "replenish the ol' coffers" on the lecture circuit, where he could make "ridiculous money."

Huffington Post: How Treasury Lets Private Institutions Hide Public Money

In the early days, every public official associated with TARP--the $700 billion Targeted Asset Relief Program--promised openness and transparency. Since then, all fees and hourly rate charges have been blacked out on publicly-available copies of Treasury oversight and financial management contracts with law firms, banks and other consultants; banks receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer money have stonewalled press inquires about what they have done with the cash; key government boards make policy behind closed doors and release minutes that only hint at the problems the massive program has encountered; and at least three news organization - Bloomberg, Fox News and Bailoutsleuth.com -- have filed suit to force disclosure of more key information.

Politico: Palin Unloads on the Press

Gov. Sarah Palin believes Caroline Kennedy is getting softer press treatment in her pursuit of the New York Senate seat than Palin did as the GOP vice presidential nominee because of Kennedy's social class. She observed that Katie Couric and Tina Fey have been "capitalizing on" and "exploiting" her. The Alaska governor said that when she sees some of the coverage of her daughter Bristol especially "the momma grizzly rises up in me."

New York Times: NBC's Matthews Won't Run for Senate

Chris Matthews, the host of the MSNBC program "Hardball," told his staff on Wednesday night that he would not run for the Senate in 2010 from Pennsylvania.

Smoking Gun: Prosecutor Fitzgerald Screws Up

In a remarkable screw-up, a Department of Justice official accidentally distributed to the media a document containing the names of nearly 20 confidential witnesses interviewed during a federal probe targeting the operators of a fraudulent investment scheme.

Chicago Tribune: Lawmakers Weighing Impeachment Seem Low on Patience for Blagojevich

Angry lawmakers debating Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment blasted him Wednesday after the disclosure of a secret report revealing allegations of how his office aggressively pushed to skirt state hiring laws. The confidential report, disclosed by the Tribune during Blagojevich's 2006 re-election campaign, said Blagojevich's office sought to circumvent hiring laws for veterans, falsify hiring records, hire unqualified employees and boost vacation time and pay by faking the background and experience of workers. Zaldwaynaka Scott, then the inspector general, said the administration's hiring strategy "reflects not merely an ignorance of the law, but complete and utter contempt for the law."

Washington Post: Influential Advisers May Compete With Cabinet

President-elect Barack Obama is assembling a new and influential cadre of counselors just steps from the Oval Office whose power to direct domestic policy will rival, if not exceed, the authority of his Cabinet.

Knowledge at Wharton: Can Obama's Huge Infrastructure Program Really Work?

Anyone looking for an indication of how dramatically the American political landscape has changed since September 2008 should consider this: The proposal floated recently by President-elect Barack Obama to spend at least $675 billion over just two years to stimulate the moribund economy ­-- with the largest share of the money slated for infrastructure projects aimed at repairing crumbling roads, bridges, sewers and the like -- is drawing no serious political opposition, even from conservatives who not long ago would have railed against such a massive spending increase.

Wall Street Journal: Rove Says Media, Democrats Have Story Wrong

Mythmaking is in full swing as the Bush administration prepares to leave town. Among the more prominent is the assertion that the housing meltdown resulted from unbridled capitalism under a president opposed to all regulation, writes Karl Rove.

Talking Points Memo: Lawsuit Says This Whole Election Stinks -- And I Won

Deconstructing Norm Coleman's lawsuit in Minnesota, TPM concludes that the complaint ignores the existence of counter-evidence, employs one maneuver when it is self-benefiting and opposes the same maneuver when it goes against them, attacks not just the recount but votes that were counted for Franken all along, and overall throws everything against the wall to see what sticks.

New York Times: Hard Times Find Replica of White House for Sale

For the last seven years, almost as long as President Bush has been in Washington, Mr. Milani, an Iranian-American home developer, has lived in a scaled-down version of the presidential mansion in Atlanta. A private Xanadu for Mr. Milani, a headache for neighbors and a destination for camera-wielding gawkers, the 16,500-square-foot home has become a kooky symbol of this boom-boom city's ever-growing residential skyline. But now, like the current occupant of the real White House, Mr. Milani is planning to leave his home.

Salon: Top Doc Gupta

At the end of a long day seeing patients, when we should have been exhaused, one of my colleagues and I, both of us Indian, couldn't stop talking about the news that Sanjay Gupta appears to be President-Elect Obama's choice to be Surgeon General. Does being a high profile physician-journalist qualify you to be Surgeon General? Maybe. But Gupta has at least some political and policy experience--he served in the Clinton adminstration as a White House Fellow, working under Hillary during his tenure there.

C-Net: Obama's Choice is Recording Industry Darling

As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama won applause from legal adversaries of the recording industry. Stanford law professor Larry Lessig, the doyen of the "free culture" movement, endorsed the Illinois senator, as did Google CEO Eric Schmidt and even the Pirate Party. That was then. As president-elect, one of Obama's first tech-related decisions has been to select the Recording Industry Association of America's favorite lawyer to be the third in command at the Justice Department. And Obama's pick as deputy attorney general, the second most senior position, is the lawyer who oversaw the defense of the Copyright Term Extension Act--the same law that Lessig and his allies unsuccessfully sued to overturn.

Washington Post: An Amazing Event Not to Be Here For

Amid dire predictions of vast crowds in the District and the less-than-enjoyable happenings that could go with such a throng, some area residents have decided they would rather be elsewhere Jan. 20. Perhaps Florida. Or New York. Or . . . "anywhere but here," as a Fairfax county woman put it.

Mother Jones: Bush Goes Out on a Green Note

Coral reefs worldwide are in peril. Marine species, protected by ineffective regulations, are being fished to extinction. Ocean pollution has our seas nearing cataclysm. Fortunately, there's one group that's doing something about it. The Bush Administration.

Washington Times: Donor in Richardson Probe Also Gave to Obama

The political donor at the center of a corruption investigation that scuttled Bill Richardson's Cabinet nomination gave $28,500 to President-elect Barack Obama and the Democratic Party in September, one month after the existence of the investigation was already public, records show.

National Review: Invest in Abortion

On the way out the door, President Bush has delivered a bailout of the domestic automotive industry, which under its current business practices could not possibly survive in a free market. President Obama, on the other hand, may see as his first task a bailout of the abortion industry.

Politico: Biden's Asia Trip Raises Concerns

Joe Biden has always had a flair for doing things differently - but his upcoming trip to South Asia may set a new standard. The vice president-elect will be traveling to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But he won't really be traveling as the vice president-elect - he'll be traveling as the chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Only he'll be resigning from the Senate in a few weeks. Even though he was sworn in Tuesday for his seventh term. Got that?

Wall Street Journal: Republicans See Template for Rebound in Fortuno

Republicans' focus on recovering after sharp blows in the past two elections has put a spotlight on an unlikely star: Puerto Rico's new governor, Luis Fortuno.

Wilmington News Journal: No, Joe, You Can't Go to the Show

Employees at the Regal Brandywine Cinemas say the vice president-elect and his wife, Jill, tried to attend the 7:45 showing of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" at the theater on Concord Pike but left after they were told the movie was sold out.

Wired: Britney, Obama Twitter Feeds Hijacked Following Phishing Attack

Official Twitter feeds belonging to Barack Obama's campaign, Fox News and Britney Spears were hijacked to send out fake messages on Monday, two days after a password-stealing phishing attack targeted the microblogging service. A fake message sent to followers of the Fox News Twitter feed announced that Fox host Bill O'Reilly "is gay," while a message from Britney Spears' feed made lewd comments about the singer. A tweet sent out from the Barack Obama account asked users to click on a link to take a survey about Obama and be eligible to win $500 in gasoline.

New Yorker: Correcting Caroline

Caroline Kennedy met with a couple of Times reporters recently and said "you know" a hundred and thirty-eight times. Speaking to the News, and on NY1, she broke two hundred. The effect, however, was not to suggest a shared world view but to recall what some commentators refer to as the "Roger Mudd moment"--a reference to the CBS correspondent who flummoxed Caroline's uncle, Ted Kennedy, in 1979, with questions about his desire to run for President:

Los Angeles Times: Obama's Election is Changing the Politics of Race

The Roland Burris episode has unexpectedly become the first example of how racial politics have changed with the election of Barack Obama to the White House. Many black leaders, including Obama, have declined to back Burris. Some view his appointment by Illinois' embattled governor as an odd playing of the race card. Others are renouncing the style of politics that highlights racial grievances and inequality, saying it can no longer work now that the nation has elected its first black president.

Mental Floss: Famous, Infamous and Ridiculous Executive Orders

Critics call them "legislation by other means." Supporters defend them as a necessary tool for leading the country - especially in the face of a Congress unwilling or unable to make tough choices. Whatever your position, the Executive Order has been used by presidents for good, for ill, and sometimes for just plain odd reasons.

Foreign Policy: Operation Back from the Brink

Two years ago, a controversial military manual rewrote U.S. strategy in Iraq. Now, the doctrine's simple, powerful--even radical--tenets must be applied to the far different and neglected conflict in Afghanistan. Plus, David Petraeus talks to FP about how to win a losing war.

National Review Online: Trillion Dollar Standard

The Obama team wants to keep its two-year stimulus plan (just) beneath a trillion dollars, sensing that 13 figures is the price point when the public might balk at the fiscal bacchanal. Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill have dropped their madcap scheme to have the bill ready for Barack Obama's signature right after his inauguration, which would have required spending more than the entire Pentagon budget ($500 billion) in a matter of weeks.

The Nation: Is Kaine the Right Choice to Lead Party?

Howard Dean will soon be out as chairman of the Democratic Party and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine will soon be in. Here's a look at the pros and cons of that pick.

Chicago Tribune: Obama Makes Himself at Home in Presidential Role

Barack Obama insists America has only one president at a time. But for the next two weeks, this city shows all signs of hosting two -- working a mile apart along Pennsylvania Avenue.

New Yorker: Homelands

As President, Obama will have to address another dream of homeland--the unrealized dream of the Palestinians. In the West Bank, he will be dealing with a leadership that, while imperfect, supports the overdue justice of a two-state resolution. The same is true in Israel, at least with those politicians to the left of Benjamin Netanyahu. But in Gaza Obama will be dealing, directly or not, with political actors who, with Iranian support, seek ceaseless battle with Israel, and may even hope to destabilize Egypt.

Chicago Tribune: Obama's Silence on Gaza bombings is Galling to Arabs

President-elect Barack Obama's silence on the offensive in Gaza is drawing criticism among Arabs who have grown skeptical about hopes that his administration will break with the Mideast policies of the Bush era. "If he does not want to talk politics yet, at least he could address the humanitarian suffering taking place," said Jordanian analyst Labib Kamhawi. "He did not even send one signal to the people of this region that he is not happy with what is happening."

New York Times: Emotional Trip on Plane Bound for the Presidency

A sentimental Barack Obama locked up his Chicago home and arrived here on Sunday night to await his inauguration on Jan. 20, flying for the first time as president-elect on one of the Air Force planes used to ferry presidents and top government officials.

Politico: Obama Team Pressed Richardson, Got Nothing

Some Democrats are questioning Obama's vetting process --- and asking whether Obama's team went far enough in pushing the New Mexico governor for information in face of the federal grand jury probe that has been public since August.

Daily Beast: Al Franken Is a Big Fat Target

Comedian Al Franken is on the verge of claiming Minnesota's U.S. Senate seat from Norm Coleman after weeks of legal wrangling. With the usual hapless Democrats failing to generate much outrage, Franken is in line for an even more prestigious honor: the right wing's favorite punching bag. "It's similar to Joe Biden--we hope that Al Franken is the gift that keeps on giving, " says Republican strategist Brad Blakeman.

Slate: Yes, the Senate Can Reject Burris

A simple majority of the Senate would suffice to exclude Burris. Majority rule is the general default principle established by the Constitution, except where text, structure, or tradition indicates otherwise. When the Senate tries to expel a member who has already been seated, the rule is two-thirds (as it is when the Senate sits as an impeachment court). But the framers clearly understood that majority rule would apply when the Senate was judging the accuracy and fairness of elections or appointments.

Bloomberg News: Engines of Recovery Flame Out as Economy Seeks Obama-Fed Rescue

The engines that have lifted the U.S. economy out of every recession since World War II will be of little help this time around. Inventory rebuilding, household spending, home construction and payroll growth -- the forces that powered, to a greater or lesser extent, each recovery since 1945 -- may remain missing for much of 2009. A glut of unsold properties may keep housing depressed, while shriveled savings will discourage consumers. Companies may be reluctant to restock and rehire while their profits are squeezed.

Chicago Sun-Times: Reid Pressured Blagojevich Not to appoint Jackson Jr.

Days before Gov. Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid made it clear who he didn't want in the post: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis or Emil Jones. Rather, Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Washington Post: Officials Brace for the Inaugurationn

Security officials are bracing not just for the ceremony and parade Jan. 20 but also for at least 70 concerts, balls and other events surrounding the inauguration. Those include the welcome celebration featuring Obama on Jan. 18 at the Lincoln Memorial, which could draw 500,000 people, according to the D.C. mayor's office.

Daily Beast: Inaugural Hell

Message to you out-of-towners heading to Washington, D.C. for your first presidential inauguration: You will be miserable.

Los Angeles Times: Why Obama's Green Jobs Plan Might Work

Skeptics fear that the president-elect's Green New Deal will do little but waste taxpayers' money. But some states -- including Michigan -- already see renewable energy as their future: It's the only sector that appears to be making room for more employees despite the recession.

Boston Globe: Graying of the Presidents

Presidents of the United States, it seems, age right before our eyes. Their faces, creased and drawn, are road maps of wars and natural disasters and economic calamity. Tufts of gray hair bear testament to a job framed by unremitting pressure and unrelenting criticism. Some researchers believe Oval Office stress accelerates aging process. Watch them age.

New York Times: Developer Helped by Sen. Clinton Gives to President Clinton's Foundation

An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton's foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman's mall project.

Fox News: Next Federal Bailout May Go to States

Governors from Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio are seeking funds to deal with unprecedented state budget shortfalls in 41 states and Washington, D.C.

London Times: Jimmy Carter's Charity Homes In Los Angeles Start to Crumble

A model housing estate bankrolled by Hollywood celebrities and hand-built by Jimmy Carter, the former US president, is falling apart. Fairway Oaks was built on northern Florida wasteland by 10,000 volunteers, including Carter, in a record 17-day "blitz" organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity. Eight years later it is better known for cockroaches, mildew and mysterious skin rashes.

Cox News Service: Historians Hope Obama will Undo Records Order

Historians and open-records advocates are counting on President-elect Barack Obama to undo a 2001 executive order by President George W. Bush giving ex-presidents and their heirs unprecedented control over the release of White House records.

New York Times: In Obama's Team, Two Camps on Climate

As Mr. Obama seeks to find the right balance between his environmental goals and his plans to revive the economy, he may have to resolve conflicting views among some of his top advisers.

Wall Street Journal: If Roland Burris isn't fit for the Senate, how is Chris Dodd?

Nowhere in the Constitution is there a "qualification" saying that a Senator must not have been appointed by an embarrassing Illinois Governor.

Daily Beast: When Is It Sexism? In Sarah Palin's case, it was (sorta). In Caroline Kennedy's case, it isn't. Here's the difference.

Salon: Will Obama End the War on Civil Liberties?

The most intensely fought civil liberties battle of 2008 -- the one waged over FISA and telecom immunity -- ended the way most similar battles of the last eight years have: with total defeat for civil libertarians. The good news is that it's clear what the Obama administration must do to end the decade-long war on the Constitution.

Boston Globe: For Inaugural Zeal, LBJ '65 May Be the Precedent

The 1.2 million spectators who mobbed Lyndon Johnson's inauguration - still a record - are remembered today as little more than a trivia question. But as Barack Obama prepares to be sworn in Jan. 20 on Abraham Lincoln's Bible to inherit Franklin D. Roosevelt's economy, the 1965 event has begun to look like its own precedent: The only inaugural to compare to this one for sheer enthusiasm and participation by often-disaffected citizens. Then, as now, triumphant Democrats - especially African-Americans who played crucial roles in both sweeping victories - came to Washington both to welcome a new president and to enshrine a new coalition.

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Phyllis Schlafly Endorses Ken Blackwell for RNC Chairman

Former Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's bid for Republican National Committee chairman was endorsed this morning by longtime conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly.

Washington Times: Obama Faces Mexican Drug War

Add another pressing challenge to President-elect Barack Obama's growing to-do list - tamping down a dramatic rise in violence and corruption that has overwhelmed the U.S.-Mexico border and spread an escalating turf fight between warring drug cartels into the United States.

Daily Beast: The Biggest Political Gaffes in 2008

The most media-saturated election in history amplified every campaign trail blooper- and there were plenty. Surprisingly, only some of them involved Joe Biden. From Sarah Palin's stumbles to John McCain's loss for words, here are six videos of our favorite political gaffes of the year.

The New Republic: Bigoted Past of Ron Paul

Newsletters reveal decades worth of obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays. In short, they suggest that Ron Paul is not the plain-speaking antiwar activist his supporters believe they are backing--but rather a member in good standing of some of the oldest and ugliest traditions in American politics.

Salon: The Year the Economy Crumbled

Of all the economic earthquakes that racked the global economy in 2008, one temblor ranks supreme. Alan Greenspan's declaration to Congress on Oct. 23: "I made a mistake." In those four words can be heard the crumbling of at least three decades of ideological dominance. After all the carnage on Wall Street in 2008, the conclusion, even to Greenspan, was inescapable: High finance's best and brightest had proved incapable of understanding their own business.

Washington Post: Two Advisers Reflect on Eight Years With Bush

Few officials have had a closer view of the Bush presidency over the past eight years than Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten (l) and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley (r), who are among the handful of senior staffers who entered the White House with Bush in 2001 and will exit with him Jan. 20.Last week, in lengthy interviews in the spacious chief of staff's office in the West Wing, Bolten and Hadley reflected on their White House years. They voiced frustration over their inability to improve Bush's popularity but also rebutted what they consider common misconceptions of the George W. Bush era.

Washington Times: Banking on Obama

Apart from allowing the city's saloons to serve booze until 5 a.m. inaugural week, city fathers in Washington, D.C. have just designated "more than 700 sites" near the inaugural parade route as "Special Inaugural Vending Zones." The sites will be distributed through three lotteries, with winners to be announced Tuesday. As for the non-winners who wanted to cash in on the unprecedented masses expected for Inauguration Day, the D.C. government will establish "more than 1,000 overflow vending locations" near the city's major transportation hubs.

Christian Science Monitor: Was Economy Worse in Battleground Sates?

It shouldn't be assumed that because a particular location was hit hard by economic calamity, there would be a massive political shift toward the party out of power. Moreover, even if locales experienced only a modest downturn, there could still be a substantial change in political support.

Wall Street Journal: Treasury to Ford -- Drop Dead

When the Bush Treasury decided to bail out Detroit, GM and Chrysler quickly said yes to the taxpayer cash, but Ford Motor Co. said it didn't need the money and declined. Ford's reward for this show of self-reliance? Treasury is now helping GM again by giving it a credit pricing advantage against Ford in the marketplace.

Stateline.org: New Laws Target Driving, Crime, Politicians

When the clock struck12 on New Year's Day, a variety of new laws across the country took effect, including some that warrant immediate notice. For example, if you were text-messaging while driving in California at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, you better have hit the send button fast. Or if you were in an Oregon bar enjoying a smoke, we hope you snuffed it out in a hurry.

Chicago Sun Times: Burris Says he's Going to D.C.

Roland Burris is planning on traveling to Washington, D.C., for next week's swearing-in ceremony for incoming U.S. senators. Burris, the surprise Senate appointee by embattled Gov. Blagojevich, said he hasn't had time to think about details big and small like a new staff or U.S. Capitol office decor.

New York Post: Bam Stirs Fear in Israel

As world leaders and international organizations rush to rescue Hamas, Israel faces complex bat tlefield challenges -- while fearing a stab in the back from the incoming Obama administration.

Associated Press: Bill, Mario Touted for Senate

Sen. Bill Clinton? Sen. Mario Cuomo? Don't completely rule it out. The former president and the former New York governor are among several boldface names being touted as possible "caretakers" for New York's Senate seat -- people who would serve until the 2010 elections but wouldn't be interested in running to keep the job.

Los Angeles Times: Obama Plans to Campaign for Stimulus Package

President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to lead a full-scale marketing blitz to pass the massive new stimulus package that he says is needed to revive the slumping economy and put the nation on the course he laid out during his campaign.

The Nation: Most Valuable Progressives of 2008

Progressives had more to celebrate in 2008 than in any year since the Supreme Court got into the business of stealing elections. The jubilant mood is dampened, of course, by the fact of a country is stuck in two military quagmires, ravaged by the most fearsome economic downturn in at least a half century and suffering from a serious case of Constitutional degeneration. Perhaps we have not yet reached an ideal champagne moment. But there is still good reason to toast the year's MVPs - Most Valuable Progressives.

Anchorage Daily News: Palin Says Grandson's Father Has Job, Takes Correspondence Classes

Gov. Sarah Palin spent part of Wednesday countering what she considers inaccurate descriptions of how much education her daughter's fiance has, an effort culminating at the end of the day with her first public statement about her new grandson.