It really is amazing to see where the Republican spin is going with Norm Coleman's challenge to the Minnesota election result, which has put the seat in limbo until such time as the conflict is settled.

Earlier tonight, I sent an e-mail to NRSC spokesman Brian Walsh asking him for comment on the new Research 2000 poll saying that 47% of Minnesota voters want Franken to be provisionally seated during the contest, compared to only 37% who prefer that the seat remain vacant. I expected him to say that the poll was commissioned by Daily Kos and therefore not credible. But that's not what he said.

"So a majority of the people of Minnesota do not think Al Franken should be seated?" Walsh told me. A few minutes later he sent me another e-mail: "Guess you won't report that a majority of Minn voters oppose seating Franken right?"

Of course, that's not what the poll says. A 47% plurality favor seating Franken, only 37% oppose seating him, and the remainder are in the undecided column. Note: "Undecided" does not mean they favor your position. And if it did, you could easily tell Walsh that 63% of Minnesota voters oppose keeping the seat vacant.

Obama: My Plan Will Save Or Create 3-4 Million Jobs
In his latest Presidential YouTube Address, Barack Obama announced that he is releasing a report analyzing the impact of his proposed stimulus package, saying the package would save or create three to four million jobs:

"The jobs we create will be in businesses large and small across a wide range of industries," Obama says. "And they'll be the kind of jobs that don't just put people to work in the short term, but position our economy to lead the world in the long-term."

NYT: Economists Worried The Stimulus Isn't Big Enough
The New York Times reports that some economists are worried the proposed stimulus package still isn't big enough, with Obama's hands tied by the political need to propose tax cuts to win Republican support, and also having to deal with an already-massive deficit. "We have very few good examples to guide us," said William G. Gale, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "I don't know of any convincing evidence that what has been proposed is going to be enough."

Illinois Secretary of State Signs Burris Appointment -- Sort Of
Roland Burris' legal team has tried a new legal maneuver to secure Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White's signature on his Senate appointment: They have obtained a certified copy of the appointment paper, signed by White. Bear in mind that this is not necessarily the same as if White had signed the appointment form itself -- his signature here attests that the new paper is a true and accurate copy of the original, valid appointment. The Senate's lawyers will make their own decision as to whether it's binding.

Burris Legal Team: We're Going Back To Washington, Could Sue
The Chicago Tribune reports that Roland Burris' legal team is citing yesterday's state Supreme Court decision, holding that he doesn't even need White's signature in order for the appointment to be valid under Illinois law, as proof that the Senate must seat Burris. They are now promising to return to Washington on Monday, and will file a lawsuit in federal court if Burris isn't seated.

Al Franken To Attend Obama's Inauguration
Al Franken will be heading to Washington in a week and a half -- though for now it will only be to attend Barack Obama's inauguration, not to be sworn in as a Senator. A spokesperson for Norm Coleman said he will not be attending the event.

Coleman: Democrats Blocking Constituent Services
Norm Coleman is complaining that the Senate's decision to close his offices after his term expired -- leaving the seat vacant while Coleman challenges the election results in court -- is hurting Minnesotans who have been relying on him for constituent services. "There are people -- this is real-life stuff -- who come to us for help," Coleman. "They're being hurt by Harry Reid." Meanwhile, Reid's office denies that they promised Coleman they would let his staffers keep working, though they are working to come to an acceptable solution.

GOP Sen. Voinovich Could Retire In 2010
The office of Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) has acknowledged rumors that he could retire in 2010, saying in a statement: "If he changes his mind about running, he will share that decision quickly with the people of Ohio -- people he considers his second family." A Voinovich retirement would immediately set up a close and hotly-contested race in a big swing state.

Scalpers Turning Big Profits On Obama Inaugural Tickets
The Hill reports that ticket scalpers are already making a bundle off of the tickets to Barack Obama's inaugural parade, which sold out in minutes on Friday afternoon. The retail price of the tickets was $25, but they are now going for prices of more than $400.

The House just approved its version of the praise-filled pro-Israel resolution approved yesterday in the Senate. And though I've yet to see a co-sponsor tally that would show any senator courageous enough to resist the lure of AIPAC, the stiffened-spine caucus in the House reached 26 members today: 4 who voted no and 22 voting "present" in a gesture of stoic disapproval.

Compare today's outcome to 2006, when the combined total of no and present votes was only 12, and we could be seeing a slow but welcome shift of the dialogue towards political leeway for lawmakers to criticize Israel. The Minnesota Independent has the statement of Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), who wasn't present to vote in 2006 but pointed out that the resolution is "void of any relation to the hellish reality that is being inflicted on the citizens of Gaza right now."

No matter what its ultimate cost is, the economic recovery plan that Congress hopes to pass by Presidents' Day is going to be a colossal enterprise. Luckily for Democrats, their 78-seat advantage in the House is one of the largest in the party's recent history -- but challenges still await Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer as they work to line up various factions of the caucus behind the stimulus bill.

Which of the intra-party factions are poised to exert the most influence over the recovery legislation as it takes shape? Here's a handy run-down of the groups in play.

Read more »

Dick Durbin just made a very bold announcement, in the wake of the Illinois Supreme Court decision that Roland Burris does not need the Secretary of State's signature on his certificate: As far as the Senate is concerned, Burris still needs that signature for his appointment to be legal and valid, and the seat will just have to stay vacant.

"At this point we've clearly reached an impasse," Durbin told reporters in Chicago.

Most legal scholars at this point believe the Burris appointment to be legal, and that an attempt to keep Burris out can be successfully challenged in court. But it's become obvious by now what Durbin's and the whole Democratic leadership's strategy is: Keep stalling on this thing long enough for Rod Blagojevich to be kicked out of office.

Since Josh asked yesterday about the congressional constituency for including environmentally sustainable, forward-thinking proposals in the stimulus bill, I've been hunting around for it. And wouldn't you know it -- the Bold Action Caucus had its first meeting yesterday.

Okay, that's not its real name. The working title of the new congressional group convened by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Steve Israel (D-NY) is the Sustainable Energy & Environment Caucus, and their organizational event drew between 30 and 35 members.

The group has set out its general guiding principles, an Inslee spokeswoman told me. Asked about specific proposals that the new caucus might be pushing for inclusion in the stimulus bill, she said that question is on the agenda. "Clearly the stimulus is something to consider, but right now they're in the organizational stages."

Give Rod Blagojevich credit: This man simply does not back down on health care -- the issue that is the true reason the legislature is trying to remove him from office.

Blagojevich just responded to his impeachment by holding a press conference surrounded by supporters, some of whom were sick or disabled, discussing everything he's done to help people, and how the legislature has stood in his way. "So the House's action today, and the causes of the impeachment," Blago explained, "are because I've done things to fight for families who are here with me today."

Here are just nine ways he is great and good:

• He has been pushing the House to pass a capital construction program, a jobs program that would create 500,000-750,000 jobs.

• His commitment to health care comes from a religious conviction, and learning the Golden Rule back in Sunday school.

• He has pushed for the House to expand the breast and cervical cancer program, on behalf of the 261,000 uninsured women in Illinois, and to "keep moms alive to care for their children."

• He has saved senior citizens 30-50% off the cost of their medications.

• He saved a woman from breast cancer.

• He saved a young man with kidney disease, getting him a transplant.

• "And in many cases, the things we did for people have literally saved lives," Blago said. "I don't believe those are impeachable offenses."

• While the legislature is trying to throw him out office, he's trying to pass a bill to stop people from being thrown out of their homes.

• And finally, he quoted the great poet Alfred Tennyson:

though we are not now that strength which in days of old
moved heaven and earth --- that which we are, we are;
one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate,
but strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

This really demonstrates the dynamic with Blagojevich, which has to be recognized if he is to be truly understood: He is a proud and strong progressive...and a complete megalomaniac.

Late Update: Here's the video:

It happens more often than you might think on Capitol Hill: a new bill is announced by a congressional office, with little fanfare and fewer co-sponsors than it deserves but a purpose so abundantly sensible that the plan cries out for more attention.

Such is the case with H.R. 104, a bill introduced on Tuesday by House judiciary committee chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and nine other lawmakers. The measure would set up a National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties, with subpoena power and a reported budget of around $3 million, to investigate issues ranging from detainee treatment to waterboarding to extraordinary rendition. The panel's members would hail from outside the government and be appointed by the president and congressional leaders of both parties.

Sounds like a great idea. In fact, it sounds a lot like Senate armed services committee chairman Carl Levin's (D-MI) proposed interrogation-policy commission that has been kicking around since 2005. So why does such a good bill only have 10 co-sponsors?

Read more »

The Illinois Supreme Court has just handed down its decision on Roland Burris' lawsuit to force Secretary of State Jesse White to sign Burris' certificate of appointment to the Senate. Their decision is that they won't honor Burris' wish to force the signature -- because they say he doesn't need it:

...Petitioners are not entitled to an order from this court requiring the Secretary to perform those Acts. Under the Secretary of State Act, the Secretary's sole responsibility was to register the appointment (15 ILCS 305/5(2) (West 2006)), which he did. No further action is required by the Secretary of State or any other official to make the Governor's appointment of Roland Burris to the United States Senate valid under Illinois law.

Remember that the Senate chose to make an issue of the lack of a signature in their decision to turn Burris away this past Tuesday. Had the court ordered the signature, then this mess would have been over. But what it means now is that the ball has been kicked right back into the Senate's court, which is on its way to seating Burris anyway -- after all, as the court and many others have pointed out, this appointment is clearly legal.

Meet Illinois state Reps. Milton Patterson and Elga Jefferies -- the only members of the state House to vote against impeaching Rod Blagojevich.

As it turns out, both of them are lame ducks. Patterson didn't seek re-election last year, and Jefferies was defeated in her Democratic primary.

Why did they do it? Patterson, who voted No, told the CBS affiliate for southern Illinois that he had "no first-hand knowledge of any of the evidence," and that he had to go with his "gut feeling" and leave it up to prosecutors, not legislators, to charge the governor.

I had the chance to speak briefly on the phone with Jefferies, who voted Present -- which is essentially the same as a No vote, because it counts towards defeating a motion.

"I voted Present because I did not completely agree on a Yes vote, and I didn't agree on a No vote," Jefferies said. "I felt that the reason all this had come about has been blown out of context."

Jefferies said that she felt that the investigation against Blagojevich had become personal, with the legislators digging in on hirings that went back years. "I think there's a lot of things that he could have done differently," said Jefferies. "I'm not saying he's been 100% right. And he'll have his day in court."

Jefferies concluded: "I voted my conscience."

We've been following the political maneuvering over Leon Panetta's CIA nomination since it began -- and in a prime example of the punishingly quick news cycle on Capitol Hill, opposition to the pick has almost totally dissipated now that it's actually been announced.

Well, except for Kit Bond (MO), the senior Republican on the Senate intelligence committee. Bond chose the same day he announced his retirement to mount a crusade against Panetta's alleged failure to understand pre-war intelligence lapses. (Whereas Bond was consistently on the right side of the intel.)

So if Bond wants to dig into every word of Panetta's anti-Bush op-eds for a public flogging, one would expect that Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) -- his House counterpart and FISA-eviscerating buddy -- would be all for it. Right, Rep. Hoekstra?

Read more »

The Illinois state House has voted to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Here are the vote numbers: 114 Yes, 1 No, 1 Present.

Blago's impeachment now proceeds to the state Senate for a trial, in the same process as the federal constitution uses. He is widely expected to be out of office as soon as early February, if not sooner.

Late Update: For those who would like to find out, the person who voted No was Chicago Democrat Milton Patterson, and the Present vote -- which is essentially the same as a No vote -- was Chicago Dem Elga Jefferies.

When Norm Coleman announced on Tuesday that he was contesting the Minnesota election result, he said he was doing it to ensure that the will of the people was followed. But a new SurveyUSA poll shows just the opposite: Minnesotans want this thing to end.

The numbers: 49% disagree with Coleman's decision to contest the election, compared to 42% who agree. There also is no great constituency for the Coleman campaign's claim that the recount was slanted against them, with 56% saying it was fair to both candidates and only 31% saying it was unfair to Coleman. When the question is phrased as to what to do next, 44% say Coleman should concede, 31% want to hold a new election, and eight percent want to have another recount.

The poll also shows that the election dispute, plus all the mud-slinging during the campaign itself, have sent both candidates' personal ratings down the drain: Coleman is at only 38% favorable to 44% unfavorable, while Franken has a statistically similar 37%-45%.

Oddly enough, the Coleman campaign told the ABC affiliate in the Twin Cities that this poll only reinforces their decision to contest the election.

Buried in today's New York Times piece on Tom Daschle's confirmation hearing before the Senate health committee is a possible revelation on his plans for passing health care reform this year.

Daschle, tapped by Barack Obama to head the health and human services department, had hinted as far back as June that he would consider using the "reconciliation" process as a way to fast-track broad health reforms. Reconciliation is a procedural tool, presaged in annual congressional budgets, that allows deficit-reducing legislation to be taken up in the Senate with no ability to filibuster and limited ability to amend -- an anti-democratic proposition in theory, but a weapon often used by Republicans during their years in the majority.

Reconciliation could be a boost to Democrats as they anticipate Republican pushback to a new public health insurance option as part of the Obama team's plan. But Daschle told senators yesterday that he would not use reconciliation to secure passage of health care reform, per the Times:

Read more »

Today: Illinois House Set To Impeach Blago
The Illinois state House is expected to vote today to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich, after the special impeachment committee approved its full report yesterday evening. Assuming that Blagojevich is impeached by the House, the case will then proceed to the state Senate for a trial.

Obama Press Conference This Morning
Barack Obama is holding a press conference at 10:30 a.m. ET, officially billed as an "announcement." Specifically, Obama is expected to announce the appointment of Leon Panetta as head of the CIA, and retired Adm. Dennis Blair as Director of National Intelligence.

Joe Biden In Pakistan
Joe Biden has arrived in Pakistan, accompanied by Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), where they will be meeting with government officials. The Pakistan trip is the first part of a longer South Asian tour.

Pelosi: Bush "Did Great Harm To America"
In an interview with PBS, Nancy Pelosi declared: "I think the Bush presidency did great harm to America, with this war, with the enormous budget deficits, the challenges to the Constitution of the United States, the financial crisis that we are in." Pelosi also found it very curious that Bush recently said his attempt to privatize Social Security was his proudest achievement -- even though he didn't succeed at it.

Geithner Preparing Overhaul Of Wall St. Bailout
The Washington Post reports that incoming Secretary of the Treasurer Timothy Geithner is working on a reformulated second half to he Wall St. bailout, a necessity if Congressional authorization for the additional $350 billion is to be obtained. The new package would expand aid well beyond Wall St. itself, giving aid to municipalities, small businesses and homeowners.

Blunt, Talent Looking At Missouri Senate Race
House Minority Whip Roy Blunt and former Sen. Jim Talent are reportedly among the Republicans who are considering a run for the Senate seat of retiring GOP Sen. Kit Bond. Both have their strengths in terms of experience and popularity with the party base, but both have their drawbacks -- Blunt's son Matt just retired after one term as an unpopular governor, and Talent lost re-election in 2006.

Chris Christie Running For New Jersey Governor
U.S. Attorney Chris Christie has announced that he is running for governor of New Jersey against Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine. Christie starts out as the immediate frontrunner for the Republican nomination and should be taken very seriously, thanks to his record of putting corrupt politicians from both parties in prison.

Campaign Spending Hit Record High In 2008
Bloomberg reports that campaign spending by candidates and political parties for all federal offices reached a record high of $4.1 billion in 2008, blowing away the $3 billion from 2004. This statistic can be viewed in different ways: Is it a matter of too much money in politics, or a good sign that so many more people were contributing to campaigns and getting involved, or a combination of both?

The special Illinois House impeachment committee has just voted unanimously to send their full report to the chamber as a whole, clearing the way for Rod Blagojevich to be impeached as early as tomorrow.

Assuming that House vote occurs tomorrow and is successful -- a safe bet, to say the least -- the next step will be for the state Senate to hold a full trial, which could take a few weeks. Blagojevich will probably be out of office as soon as early February, if not sooner.

Each individual member, before voting, made a short speech explaining how seriously they took the job of throwing out a legitimate, democratically-elected official -- but also how it has become necessary at this point.

The sentiment was perhaps best expressed by state Rep. Mary Flowers (D): "I would have appreciated if the governor could have just merely stepped aside, so we would not have been made the laughingstock of the country."

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) had few good things to say about the emerging Obama economic stimulus plan this evening, but the Senate's Democratic chairman, Chuck Schumer (NY), followed Bing Crosby's advice and accentuated the positive.

"What people are debating is the balance" between the parts of the package already outlined by Obama, he said, pointing to widespread Senate support for adding more tax benefits for sustainable and alternative energy. "But I think the basic outline the president-elect put forward is meeting with favor."

Read more »

Democratic senators are still emerging from their closed-door briefing with Obama economic adviser Larry Summers ... but a senior Democratic senator, Iowa progressive Tom Harkin, just gave me a dire buzzword: trickle-down.

"There's only one thing we've got to do in this stimulus, and that's create jobs," Harkin told me. "I'm a little concerned by the way Mr. Summers and others are going on this ... it still looks a little more to me like trickle-down."

Likening Barack Obama's economic recovery plan to the failed supply-side excesses of the Reagan and Bush years is a bit of a Cassandra moment. But Harkin didn't back down. "What I'm hearing from Mr. Summers is that they've got a different approach -- tax breaks, and this and that," he said. Harkin warned that, much like the outcome of George Bush's $600 stimulus package last year, recipients of quick tax cuts "are going to be salting it away, not spending it."

When I asked if he felt his concerns were heard during the meeting, he looked to the floor and slowly shook his head. It was almost forlorn.

Here's an interesting moment from Roland Burris' testimony today before the Illinois House impeachment committee: While he was being grilled by GOP state Rep. Jim Durkin, Burris was asked whether he gave Harry Reid and Dick Durbin an answer yesterday about whether he was running in 2010.

His response: The question never came up.

In addition, Burris revealed that he had been "running" for this seat for quite a while, having spoken with a former Blago aide and indicating his interest in the seat even before Barack Obama was actually elected President.

He also said that he never offered any quid-pro-quo to Blagojevich about the appointment, nor was he aware of any deal being made on his behalf by anyone else.

... though it's not the questionably valuable business tax benefits that are catching the most flak. Before Democrats ducked into a private briefing with Obama's White House economic adviser-in-waiting, Larry Summers, those on the Senate finance committee had a closed-door session to talk shop on the stimulus. They came out decidedly unimpressed by Obama's proposed payroll tax cuts -- which amount to $500 per person, distributed in small amounts over several paychecks.

The Democratic senators were equally doubtful about Obama's proffered $3,000 tax credit to business that hire new workers. As Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), a bellwether centrist, told CNN:

I think it's unlikely to be effective. If you think about it, business people are not going to hire people to produce products that are not selling. Who is going to hire in the auto industry if you give them a $3,000 credit to make cars that people are not buying?

No one's saying this will bring down the bill. In fact, the House ways and means committee is already said to be scheduling drafting sessions. But stepping back to look at the timeframe, the stimulus will still need to be cleared by as many as three committees on each side of the Capitol by the end of Inauguration week, which leaves three more weeks for simultaneous debate in both houses of Congress as well as a conference committee to produce a unified final product.

The old question about deadline pressure still applies.

So with Chris Matthews now officially out of the race for Senator from Pennsylvania against Republican incumbent Arlen Specter, who are the more established (though less colorful) local Democrats who could end up going for it?

A Pennsylvania Dem source told us that while it could be a few months before we have any official candidates, and there are no true frontrunners at this point, these are the potential candidates who have dropped their names in the gossip circles of state Democratic politics, looking to see what the reaction might be:

• Jack Wagner: The second-term state Auditor, who was just re-elected in a landslide this past November, and is said to be weighing whether to run for governor or Senate in 2010. Like Sen. Bob Casey, he is a pro-life and economic populist Democrat, which would make for a fun match-up against the pro-choice and pro-business Specter -- and if he won, the state would have two pro-life Dem Senators.

• Allyson Schwartz: Congresswoman and former state Senator from the Philadelphia area. She previously ran for Senate in the 2000 primary, so it's hardly unrealistic to see her trying for it again.

More potential Senate candidates, after the jump.

Read more »

This move has been in the works for a while, but it just became official: Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), a dedicated advocate for strong climate change legislation, just took over the key House subcommittee on the energy and environment from Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), a very nice man also joined at the hip with the coal industry.

This clears the way for Markey to join the new House energy and commerce panel chairman, Henry Waxman, in making a full-court press for carbon emissions caps this year. Sweet.

SEIU president Andy Stern just put out a statement calling for Congress to quickly pass Barack Obama's stimulus package, showing how labor is falling in line to mobilize support for the new president's agenda.

Stern rebuts anyone complaining about the price-tag of the package, pointing out that Congress didn't have too many problems with a different big-spending bill a few months back:

"If Congress needs just three weeks to pass a Wall Street bailout, then we should be able to count on our leaders to pass Main Street relief with as much urgency. Now is the time to make that change that works by getting our economy back on track and building a country where the dreams we have for our families and our children can come true."

Full statement after the jump.

Read more »

Norm Coleman is now a Senate un-person.

Mother Jones reports that the updated Senate phone listings have just been printed out -- and Norm Coleman's name isn't in them. After all, his term expired this past Saturday, and he's now in court to force the election results to be changed so that he's winning instead of Al Franken.

Think about this, Norm: Joe Biden is going to resign his seat within the next two weeks, and even he's still in the Senate phonebook.

The Senate has just passed, by voice vote, a resolution defending and praising Israel for its war in Gaza, an operation that yesterday won condemnation from the Red Cross.

The House is expected to follow suit with its own conspicuously pro-Israel resolution by week's end, with only a few lawmakers -- Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are two leaders on this issue -- expected to resist the tide.

We're looking into whether any senator was bold enough to decline to co-sponsor the measure, which somewhat dubiously asserts that Israel "facilitated humanitarian aid" in Gaza. But in the meantime, a couple of things jumped out when comparing the House and Senate drafts.

Read more »

Nancy Pelosi had a message for the president-elect today. The House Speaker wants the Bush tax cuts for wealthy individuals, which Barack Obama had been hinting he would let expire in 2010 rather than proactively repeal, gone for good -- and quickly.

"Put me down as clearly as you possibly can as one who wants to have those tax cuts for the wealthiest in America repealed," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol today. On her way to her weekly press conference, she made the point more overtly to the Politico.

Repealing the cuts for those making between $250,000 and $300,000 per year and above would be Pelosi's preference. Looks like there's a new bargaining chip on the table for the stimulus bill.

While Democrats and Barack Obama are hard at work thematically outlining their economic recovery goals, Republicans got down to brass tacks this afternoon. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) signaled pretty strongly that they have a ceiling for an acceptable amount of stimulus spending -- and it ain't a high one.

Obama told CNBC yesterday that his transition is starting at the low end of the possible stimulus spending scale because "our attitude was that given the legislative process, if we start towards the low end of that, we'll see how it develops". Yet McConnell, speaking to reporters in the same ornate Senate room where Democrats unveiled their "top 10" bills yesterday, all but ruled out the trillion-dollar stimulus that some economists and state governments have urged.

Boehner didn't mince words. "An $800 billion to $1 trillion package, on top of the deficit we already have; you're adding an awful lot of weight to the debt," he said, adding: "It's those of us not here" -- the classic GOP touch of referring to future generations inheriting the unpaid bills they helped create -- "who are going to pay the debt."

"You can't buy prosperity with more government spending," Boehner finished.

Even Martin Feldstein thinks you can, congressman.

Late Update: Here's the video:

Barack Obama just finished his big speech on the economy, laying out what he saw as the urgency of passing his stimulus package. It was very much a bully-pulpit sort of affair, laying out general ideas and asking for Americans to come together to support it -- that is, putting pressure on Congress -- rather than laying out hard policy points.

The key point was this section, discussing how the plan will cost a lot of money -- but without specifying any amount -- and saying that large-scale government intervention has become necessary: "It will certainly add to the budget deficit in the short-term. But equally certain are the consequences of doing too little or nothing at all, for that will lead to an even greater deficit of jobs, incomes, and confidence in our economy."

Obama put the blame for the current crisis on "profound irresponsibility that stretched from corporate boardrooms to the halls of power in Washington, DC," citing the lack of a proper regulatory structure that allowed easy credit to circulate with no attention to what would happen when all those loans came due. Obama's message, in short: I'm inheriting this mess, and now we have to fix it.

As for his own plan, Obama reiterated much of what we've heard before: modernizing government buildings, more computers for schools, and the revamping of the country's energy grid, etc. There was no mention of the large business tax cuts that had been reported in the last few days -- probably not the best thing to get on a soapbox about while also lambasting corporate irresponsibility -- with a $1,000 middle-class tax cut for families being the only tax break mentioned.

So again, this was not so much a policy speech as much as it was a political speech, focused on convincing people that his big plan -- whatever it might look like by the time we're done -- has to be passed.

In a conference call with reporters just now, Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats promised to move tomorrow to pass a piece of legislation that was held up in the last Congress, but now has a very strong chance of winning in the expanded Dem majorities: Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

The law would undo a Supreme Court ruling that ruled that a paycheck discrimination filing had to be done within six months of the first unfair check -- even if the victim didn't know about it for years, and was in fact forbidden from knowing about her colleagues' different pay scales. The new law would specifically say that any new discriminatory checks from this point on would be separate discriminatory acts, and make it easier for employees to find out about each others' pay.

The bill passed the House in the last Congress, but came up three Senators short of overcoming a Republican filibuster. Since then, five GOP Senators who voted No have been replaced by Democrats who are sure bets to vote Yes. A vote could happen in the Senate as soon as next week.

In a very funny moment that shows how Democrats are still getting used to the idea of being in power, Rep. George Miller (D-CA) said that Congress will work as quickly as possible to pass the bill "and send it to Senator O-- I love this -- President Obama" to sign into law.

As the president-elect prepares to expand upon his economic recovery proposal today, it's worth digging deeper into one of the business tax cuts that's said to be a done deal for the package.

Its name is not often used in press coverage -- it's described as "a measure that would allow companies to deduct large portions of recent losses" from their taxes by the Post -- but its full name is the "net operating loss carryback". And it's a pretty nice score for the housing industry from the Obama team.

Read more »

The Republicans now have an open seat that they'll have to work very hard to retain: Four-term Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri has announced that he isn't running again.

Expect a tight race for this one. John McCain carried the state in a squeaker, but the Dems took over the governorship in a landslide and also hold a lot of other major offices. The Republicans have a deep bench, too, with majorities in the state legislature and in the House delegation.

At first glance, an obvious potential Democratic candidate might be Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the daughter of the late Gov. Mel Carnahan and former Sen. Jean Carnahan. On the GOP side, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder would be an obvious choice as the only Republican other than John McCain to win statewide in 2008. But again, both parties could have plenty of candidates to pick from.

Late Update: Missouri Dems already appear to be coronating Robin Carnahan, though her actual candidacy isn't official yet.

Obama: Stimulus Could Grow To Over $1 Trillion
Barack Obama told CNBC that his stimulus package potentially could grow well beyond its initial target of $775 billion. "We've seen ranges from $800 (billion) to $1.3 trillion," said Obama. "And our attitude was that given the legislative process, if we start towards the low end of that, we'll see how it develops."

Obama Delivering Economic Speech Today
Barack Obama is delivering his big economic speech at 11 a.m. ET this morning in Fairfax, Virginia. Obama will make the case that his stimulus is absolutely necessary, while also promising efficiency and accountability.

Obama Rolling Out Tim Kaine For DNC Chairman
Barack Obama and Tim Kaine will be holding a 3:30 p.m. ET press conference at the Democratic National Committee headquarters, obviously the official announcement of Kaine as the next chairman of the DNC. Kaine was elected governor of Virginia 2005, endorsed Obama's presidential candidacy very early on in 2007, and did a lot of work to help turn Virginia blue this past November.

Burris Testifying To Impeachment Panel
Roland Burris is scheduled to testify today before the Illinois House's special committee to impeach Rod Blagojevich. Burris' job here is to make it clear that even if there are allegations that Blago tried to sell the Senate seat, there were nevertheless no shenanigans in the actual selection of Burris himself.

Daschle Up For Confirmation Hearing Today
Tom Daschle is scheduled to appear today before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, the first Obama cabinet nominee to face a confirmation hearing. Daschle's nomination is likely to get through the Senate very easily.

Congress To Officially Certify Obama's Victory Today
Congress will count the electoral votes today, officially certifying Barack Obama's win and bringing the 2008 presidential election to an end.

Obama Site Getting Questions About Bush Administration's Torture Policies
The New York Times reports that the Obama transition team's "Open for Questions" site has received heavy support in favor of one particular subject: Whether the Obama Administration will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate George W. Bush and other officials for policies such as torture. This comes after liberal blogs endorsed the question and asked readers to vote for it.

Cheney Expects Total Retirement From Public Life
In an interview with CBS radio, Dick Cheney said he expects to fully retire from public life after he leaves office. "I've got a lot of rivers to fish," said Cheney. "So I don't think anybody will feel sorry for me. They shouldn't."

Barack Obama will be giving a major speech at 11 a.m. ET this morning in Fairfax, Virginia, making his case for his stimulus package, saying that the situation is urgent. From pre-released excerpts:

I don't believe it's too late to change course, but it will be if we don't take dramatic action as soon as possible. If nothing is done, this recession could linger for years. The unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. We could lose a generation of potential and promise, as more young Americans are forced to forgo dreams of college or the chance to train for the jobs of the future. And our nation could lose the competitive edge that has served as a foundation for our strength and standing in the world.

In short, a bad situation could become dramatically worse.

Obama will also promise accountability, assuaging skeptics who would say the stimulus is getting out of hand:

I understand that some might be skeptical of this plan. Our government has already spent a good deal of money, but we haven't yet seen that translate into more jobs or higher incomes or renewed confidence in our economy. That's why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan won't just throw money at our problems - we'll invest in what works.

...

Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made transparently, and informed by independent experts wherever possible. Every American will be able to hold Washington accountable for these decisions by going online to see how and where their tax dollars are being spent. And as I announced yesterday, we will launch an unprecedented effort to eliminate unwise and unnecessary spending that has never been more unaffordable for our nation and our children's future than it is right now.

Full excerpts after the jump.

Read more »

An MSNBC executive has announced that Chris Matthews won't be running for Senator from Pennsylvania, having told the Hardball staff of his decision earlier today.

Polling had shown Matthews in a tight race against GOP incumbent Arlen Specter, but Specter is hardly out of the woods. There is a good-sized bench of elected Democrats in Pennsylvania -- and on top of that, Specter could very well face a tough challenge in the Republican primary like he did in 2004.

We heard in the days following the election that Congress could have an economic stimulus bill ready for Obama to sign by Inauguration Day. After all, the stakes couldn't be higher, and Obama's recovery challenge is already being likened to FDR's.

Now the word is that the bill will be introduced next week and signed into law by Presidents' Day next month.

But let's look at the lay of the land. As Congress begins its session, the recovery plan is looking a lot like every other "major" bill that gets pushed through the painfully slow procedural works.

Read more »

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.

So it could take a while for courts to sort through everything. In the meantime, here's a quick rundown:

Read more »

As a Capitol Hill source just pointed out, Sen. Dianne Feinstein's quick turnaround on Leon Panetta caps a downright bizarre turn of events:

So let me get this straight:

--Feinstein expresses strong reservations about Panetta (for a variety of reasons)
--Feinstein talks with Obama
--Feinstein slightly walks back on Panetta
--Feinstein talks with Panetta
--Feinstein supports Panetta

This is a profile in courage how exactly?

And we haven't even heard the complaints from Senate intelligence committee Republicans ... yet.

Via AP, we see that incoming Senate intelligence chairman Dianne Feinstein is now supportive of Leon Panetta's nomination to head the CIA.

Seems that Panetta called Feinstein last night and she is "confident he'd surround himself with good personnel" at the agency, as AP reports. Sounds like an indirect agreement that current CIA No. 2 Stephen Kappes will remain at the agency.

That's one Democratic schism resolved for the week; one more to go...

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is getting some help in his argument that he doesn't legally have to sign the appointment certificate of Roland Burris -- which is the very flaw in the certificate that is currently being used to deny Burris his seat -- with state Attorney General Lisa Madigan agreeing in a motion filed before the state Supreme Court.

Everyone is waiting on the court to rule on Burris' lawsuit to force White to sign it. If they force White to sign it and he complies, then it's probably over. If they agree that the signatures is only "recommended," then the ball will be kicked right back into Harry Reid's court.

The ruling could come as soon as tomorrow.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), a senior intelligence committee member and true-blue progressive, just called me to talk some more about the flap that arose on Monday over the nomination of Leon Panetta to head the CIA.

Speaking before news broke the Dianne Feinstein would support Panetta after all, Wyden began by making a point noted by some of our readers; that Panetta is hardly the first non-intelligence professional in line for the post. "What's striking here," he told me, "is that George Herbert Walker Bush, when he was named to the CIA, had no background whatsoever for the job -- and now the building is actually named after him."

Read more »

Just talked with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) as he left the Democratic caucus luncheon (right behind Sen. Hillary Clinton, who smiled and waved but didn't stop for questions). He said the Obama transition team thanked him for his positive remarks on the Leon Panetta CIA nomination yesterday -- words that helped smooth a growing political tussle over the pick -- and asked him to keep saying good things.

Feingold did just that. When I asked if Panetta's lack of strict CIA operational experience could prove a hindrance, he said: "Leon Panetta has more experience than anybody I know in terms of interfacing with people who have that kind of experience."

I asked if he would support keeping current CIA No. 2 Steven Kappes on at the agency, as Dianne Feinstein would prefer (and the Obama transition has agreed to).

"I haven't decided that," Feingold said, "but it's something that may not be my decision -- but it may be a good combination."

From today's Roll Call (sub. req'd):

"I'm legal!" the usually jovial former Majority Leader -- looking even more jovial than usual -- was overheard announcing to former colleagues on Tuesday, as he mingled with the crowd gathered outside the Senate chamber following the swearing-in ceremonies. Lott was referring to the expiration of the ban that prevented him from lobbying.

When Lott resigned his seat on Dec. 18, 2007, ethics laws prevented former Senators from lobbying Members of Congress for a year (if he had waited until 2008 to resign, the ban would have lasted two years under the ethics law that had just been passed). The Mississippian, who now runs big-bucks lobby shop Breaux Lott Leadership Group with former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.), had been offering advice to clients seeking lobbying services, but now he's able to do the real thing.

I saw him in the throng yesterday and didn't realize he was celebrating this most auspicious anniversary.

Roland Burris just held another fascinating press conference, in which he voiced his optimism about becoming a Senator after some initial questions are cleared up.

Burris also said he spoke on the phone with Jimmy Carter, who told him, "When you're in the Senate, Roland, you will make a great Senator."

"And I said, 'Thank you very much, Mr. President,'" Burris said with pride.

He also talked about the process that led to his appointment, having encouraged supporters to write to Rod Blagojevich and urge his appointment after he had announced that he wanted it. At that point, he invited a supporter at the back of the room to stand up. The supporter then said how proud he was to have known Burris, and how many signatures he lined up from people to ask for Burris' appointment.

The candidates for Republican National Committee chair have been talking about how to effectively campaign in the era of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. But it looks like they're having problems with technology that first became widespread back when Eisenhower was president.

A C-Span staffer has informed us that the RNC voted to close today's meeting, which is being held as a forum for the leadership candidates, and eject the cameramen and press so it won't be carried on TV or elsewhere.

The Republican National Committee members obviously want to hear some Frank discussion of the issues and the state of their party -- so much that they don't want the public hearing what's said.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) isn't on the intelligence committee, but he's known as a dogged manager of the health of government agencies -- the man may just fire off miffed letters to inspectors general in his sleep. (And as the New York Times pointed out, his SCHIP stance makes him "one of the Democrats' favorite Republicans.")

So it was interesting to hear Grassley tell reporters on a conference call today that he gets where Dianne Feinstein is coming from on the Leon Panetta nomination. Grassley questioned whether Panetta's management skills would be hindered by his lack of internal knowledge of the CIA. Here's Grassley:

Read more »

There are 15 Cabinet-level departments in the U.S. government, but membership in Barack Obama's Cabinet is poised to exceed that number, with the inclusion of U.N. ambassador-designate Susan Rice, EPA administrator-designate Lisa Jackson, and others. Confirming all those nominees is going to be a big job for the Senate -- especially if scandal, whether real or manufactured, pops up to slow down the process.

We at TPM strive to break down the opacity of congressional process wherever possible. So in that spirit, here's a rundown of the confirmation hearings for each Obama adviser as they currently stand. We'll update throughout the week as more information becomes available ...

Read more »

If Norm Coleman was hoping for the three-judge panel that will be hearing his election lawsuit to be stacked in his favor, he's out of luck. The state Supreme Court just announced that the person in charge of the appointments to that panel will be Associate Justice Alan Page.

Page, the former NFL star and current jurist, was not particularly kind to the Coleman campaign's legal arguments in the lawsuits that came up so far in this case. Coleman might have done better had one of the court's conservatives been put in charge.

Normally the appointments would be made by Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, but Magnuson recused himself because he sat on the same state canvassing board that Coleman is suing to overturn. And Page was next in line.

Then again, if Coleman loses the trial he might appeal on this one, too.

At their press conference just now, Harry Reid and Dick Durbin announced that there is no action being taken on Roland Burris' appointment to the Senate -- at least not yet.

"There's going to come a time when the entire Senate is going to have to act on this," Reid said. "And that day I hope would come sooner rather than later."

Reid and Durbin both went to great lengths to say how much they like and respect Burris, and how constructive the meeting they just had with him was. But for now, they're waiting on two things: A ruling from the state Supreme Court on whether the missing signature of Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White is required for the appointment to be valid, and for Burris' testimony tomorrow before the Illinois House impeachment committee.

The two of them also tried to defuse one touchy issue that's been in the press, saying Burris told them he understood fully well that the controversy surrounding his appointment had nothing to do with race.

The state of play on Leon Panetta's nomination to lead the CIA looks far more even-keeled than yesterday, when unexpected criticism from the incoming and outgoing leaders on the Senate intelligence committee looked to be throwing the pick off-course.

Still, while the politics of this don't point to big trouble for the Panetta pick, it does reflect a deeper substantive rift than mere ruffled feathers on the part of Feinstein and Rockefeller. CIA field operatives were voicing complaints about his lack of intelligence experience that parallel Feinstein's (although the skepticism among intel veterans was by no means universal).

I'm going to keep talking to intel committee members today about that potential split in the agency's ranks, and whether it could resurface before -- or during -- Panetta's confirmation hearing.

We just asked Harry Reid spokesman Jim Manley for comment on whether the story about Roland Burris being accepted as a Senator from Illinois was true.

"It is wrong," Manley replied via e-mail.

Bush Snubbing Obama At Blair House For Obama-Hater John Howard
The Washington Post reports that the the reason the Bush Administration isn't letting Barack Obama stay in the Blair House is that they are hosting former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, and will be giving him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Fun fact about Howard: He is a staunch Iraq War supporter who said in early 2007 that if he were in al-Qaeda he would be praying as much as possible for an Obama victory and for the Democrats in general.

Obama Holding Press Conference, Meeting With Bush And Ex-Presidents
Barack Obama is holding a 10:15 a.m. ET press conference in Washington, during which he is expected to make announce the creation of a new Chief Performance Officer at the White House, who will monitor the effectiveness of agencies. Later on he will attend a private lunch with President Bush and the three living ex-presidents: Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

Biden Going To White House To Meet With Bush The Elder
Joe Biden is headed to the White House this morning for a closed-door meeting with former President George H.W. Bush. Afterwards, Biden will be holding private meetings at the Obama D.C. transition office.

New Poll: The Ex-Presidents All Have High Approval Ratings
A newly-released CNN poll finds that large majorities of Americans approve of how all three living ex-presidents handled their jobs: Bill Clinton is at 69% approve to 31% disapproval, George H.W. Bush is at 60%-39%, and Jimmy Carter is at 64%-33%. With two presidents who were defeated for re-election enjoying such high ratings -- and one of them with a poisonous surname right now -- one does have to wonder if there's hope for George W. Bush.

Burris To Meet With Reid And Durbin
Roland Burris is set to meet with Harry Reid and Dick Durbin today, in an effort to negotiate his seating in the Senate. "We are requesting that Senate leaders resolve this matter to avoid legal action and award Senate appointee Burris with the full privileges of a U.S. senator," Burris' lawyer said in a statement.

RNC Holding Special Forum for Chairmanship Candidates
The Republican National Committee is holding a special session in Washington today, which will serve as a forum for the six candidate running for RNC chair. The meeting was called by RNC members, specifically to host the candidates and hear about how they will reinvigorate the party.

Landrieu Snubs Vitter At Swearing-In
Roll Call reports that Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) declined to have her scandal-plagued GOP co-Senator David Vitter next to her at her swearing-in yesterday. Instead, she was escorted to the well of the chamber by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and retiring Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM).

Will Ferrell To Do Bush Impression On Broadway
The Bush years may be coming to an end -- but the Bush-parody years are not, with Will Ferrell taking his Bush impression to Broadway in a new show entitled "You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush." Ferrell told CNN: "He's arrogant with a school-boy attitude, and combine that with the fact that he is commander in chief -- and, unfortunately, it's very funny."

Yesterday, the Wall St. Journal published an editorial lambasting the Minnesota recount with arguments ranging from distortions to omissions to outright falsehoods. Now someone is firing back: Ramsey County (St. Paul) Judge Edward Cleary, an appointee of Jesse Ventura, who served on the state canvassing board that oversaw the count.

Cleary has written a letter to the Journal, saying that he's been a subscriber for over 30 years -- and he's really angry about this editorial. Cleary particularly objected to the description of the board as "meek" pawns of Democratic Sec. of State Mark Ritchie:

Our members (two Supreme Court Justices, two District Court Judges, and Secretary of State Ritchie) came from all political backgrounds, openly expressed our opinions at the meetings, and can hardly be accurately described as "meek", unless you mean "meek" by New York in-your-face standards.

Finally, Cleary called out the Journal on the real source of their anger about the recount:

One can only assume, based on the tone of the editorial, the numerous inaccuracies, and the over-the-top slam at Al Franken ("tainted and undeserving?") that had Norm Coleman come out on top in this recount, the members of the Board would have been praised as "strong-willed, intelligent, and perceptive."

We won't hold our breath waiting for that editorial to appear.

How is the Franken campaign responding to the lawsuit from Norm Coleman, contesting the results of the Senate recount, which could bottle this up for months? In a briefing just now with reporters, lead Franken lawyer Marc Elias approached it with a very calm and sober demeanor -- and ridiculed Coleman to no end.

"We are on the precipice, I suppose, of the next phase here," Elias said, "which is where the Coleman campaign takes a very big rock, and pushes it up a very steep hill."

What exactly is Coleman's legal complaint disputing about the recount, you might ask? Everything we've heard before, Elias said, with a couple new twists.

Read more »

The word "comity" often comes up in conversation with creatures of the Senate. It's defined by Merriam-Webster as "the informal and voluntary recognition by courts of one jurisdiction of the laws and judicial decisions of another" -- substitute "lawmakers" for "courts", and you get an idea of how serious members of Congress take their jurisdictions.

On this swearing-in day, when the oath-taking line brought new senators' families shoulder to shoulder with Vice President-elect Joe Biden, the incoming administration appears to have been taught a lesson in comity. Dianne Feinstein, the freshly minted chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, was not informed in advance of Leon Panetta's nomination to head the CIA, and she came out with surprising fervor to criticize the pick.

Was this merely a question of a powerful senator objecting to the lack of comity afforded her? Apparently not, as Feinstein and her intel panel predecessor Jay Rockefeller have questioned Panetta's qualifications and voiced support for the current CIA No 2, Steven Kappes. Whether or not Kappes stays on as a way to sooth skeptical senators, Panetta's confirmation hearing is bound to shed a stark light on the CIA's involvement in Bush-era interrogation tactics.

As for Panetta himself, one wonders if he'll take the advice of former GOP colleague Pat Roberts and pay an in-person call to the intelligence agencies to introduce himself. Might be good practice for the hearing room.

Jeb Bush has announced that he is not running for Senator from Florida, dealing a blow to the GOP's chances to hold on to their open seat here.

Jeb told the Associated Press that his brother's poor poll numbers were not a factor: "While I'm proud of my brother and I love my brother ... people know that I'm Jeb Bush and I don't think that would have been a problem."

Truth be told, Jeb is probably right on this one. While the Bush name is generally a loser at this point, the name "Jeb" is still popular in Florida. He would have been the best possible candidate the Republicans could have lined up.

That said, this is Florida, so expect a close race until undeniable evidence to the contrary pops up. And the state GOP still has a very deep bench to draw from, including possible candidates who were holding off until Jeb made his decision.

Norm Coleman has made it official: He is filing a lawsuit to challenge the election result in Minnesota, which he does not believe to be a valid count -- and he is making clear that for the sake of democracy, Al Franken should not be seated in the Senate.

Coleman went through the list of things his campaign says went wrong: For example, that absentee ballots for Al Franken were counted twice, and that there were no uniform standards in reviewing rejected absentee ballots.

"Until these issues are settled," Coleman said, "any attempt to seat a Senator who is not properly certified violates Senate precedent, and usurps the will of the people of Minnesota."

A reporter asked Coleman about the calls from Harry Reid for him to concede -- and was met by booing from the crowd of Coleman supporters. "This race will be determined by Minnesota voters, not Harry Reid," Coleman said with a smile, and to the applause of his backers.

Late Update: So how long will this take? Lead Coleman attorney Fritz Knaak told reporters, "I would not be surprised if this went a month and a half, two months out." On the bright side, Knaak said that Coleman would like for it go as quickly as possible.

Also from Knaak: "Technically, we could actually redo the entire recount. I'll let you know right now that's not in the plans."

Late Late Update: Here's the Coleman video:

I've had a soft spot for former Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL) ever since his spirited opposition to the war in Iraq while chairing the intelligence committee in 2002. (My mother also taught at Bob Graham Education Center, but from what I hear he hardly ever visited.)

And courtesy of Ben Smith, we see that Graham is also sanguine about Leon Panetta's nomination to head the CIA. If anyone understands the need to place a dedicated critic of Bush detainee policy at CIA, it's Graham -- so his endorsement is good news.

But Graham also offers a candid theory on what underlies Feinstein's and Rockefeller's ruffled feathers. "I don't think it's a policy disagreement - I think it's a matter of comity," he told Smith. "It was a matter of how the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee and a fellow Californian should be informed."

I'm not convinced that this is merely a bruised ego; Feinstein and Rockefeller's preferred choice to lead CIA has questionable ties to a past extraordinary rendition. It may be that Obama's hunt for a CIA chief with no ties to previous misdeeds essentially forced him to pick an outsider like Panetta, but I'm interested to see if other senators believe a nominee with hard intel experience is essential here.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), a stalwart progressive whose record of opposing Bush administration misdeeds makes him a bellwether senator, is just now coming out with his take on Leon Panetta. And he's pleased with the clean break signaled by the nomination.

I am pleased by reports of the nomination of Leon Panetta to be the next CIA Director. These reports indicate that President-elect Obama recognizes the need for fresh leadership for the intelligence community. Leon Panetta has a long and distinguished career in public service and there are few people of whom I have a higher opinion. He has been a strong voice opposing the interrogation practices authorized by the Bush Administration and he is well-equipped to restore our national security, which has been undermined by the current administration's policies. I look forward to closely examining his record, hearing his plans for protecting our nation against al Qaeda and other threats, and learning how he will help restore the rule of law after years of lawlessness that have undermined our national security.

Panetta's symbolic value as a critic of the Bush administration's detainee-treatment debacles may just trump his lack of insider's cred with intelligence officials.

House intelligence committee chairman Silvestre Reyes may not get to preside over Leon Panetta's confirmation hearing, but he's pretty psyched to see the former White House chief of staff get tapped as Barack Obama's CIA director. From Reyes' statement:

Read more »

Just interviewed Pat Roberts (R-KS), former Senate intelligence chairman, about the contention surrounding Leon Panetta's nomination to head the CIA. Roberts was castigated by the liberal establishment for his performance investigating the intelligence errors surrounding the war in Iraq, but his four years helming the committee gave him a front-row seat for previous confirmation fights. And he had an interesting message: He plans to support Panetta.

"On the one hand, I think it's good to take a fresh look with a new director" at CIA, Roberts told me. "On the other hand, it's not on-the-job training [at the agency]. But Leon is a fast study."

Asked about the Obama transition's failure to inform incoming intelligence chairman Dianne Feinstein and outgoing chairman Jay Rockefeller about the Panetta nod, Roberts replied: "I don't think it's intentional -- California politics aside." (A possible reference to Panetta and Feinstein's shared history in their home state.)

Still, Roberts acknowledged that the situation Feinstein faces -- a junior member of the intel committee being told of a pending nomination before the chairman -- never occurred during his time at the helm.

Roberts and Panetta are old friends from their days on the House administration committee, and the bond of shared congressional service runs deep -- which could help win Panetta several Republican votes. But on the deeper issues of operational knowledge of the CIA and antipathy to Bush-era interrogation tactics, Panetta also gets Roberts' nod.

"I know this job entails protection of civil liberties as well as protecting America," Roberts told me, seeming to acknowledge Panetta's staunch criticism of the Bush intelligence record. "Leon's the kind of guy who's very pragmatic. He'll do what's best for the country."

When he became chairman, Roberts said, his first order of business was visiting each of the 16 agencies that comprise the US intelligence world. "My advice to him would be ... to pay a courtesy call," Roberts said of Panetta.

Yet more bad news for Caroline Kennedy's Senate prospects: A new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) shows that if she were appointed to Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, she could potentially put it in danger of a Republican takeover in 2010.

The numbers: Caroline 46%, GOP Rep. Peter King 44%, within the ±3.7% margin of error. State Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo leads King 48%-29%.

King's personal numbers are 34% favorable, 26% unfavorable, and the remainder having no opinion. So we can be pretty sure that a good chunk of people saying they would vote for him are really voting against Kennedy, whose own favorable numbers are at 44%-40%. Cuomo's numbers are 57%-20%.

A poll yesterday from PPP showed that Kennedy had also fallen way behind Cuomo as the choice of New York Democrats on who should get the appointment.

The Uptake reports that Norm Coleman will be speaking at 4 p.m. ET today in Minnesota -- his first public appearance since the state canvassing board certified the election results yesterday showing him losing to Al Franken by 225 votes, and also his first appearance since his term expired this past Saturday and he became an ex-Senator.

So what's going to happen? Will he announce that he's challenging the results in court, which could prevent Franken from being seated for weeks or even months? Or will he give it up and concede, in the face of some very long odds against him winning in court?

Meanwhile, Harry Reid just took to the Senate floor to urge Coleman to concede, rather than put the seat in limbo. Reid reminisced about how bad he felt when he lost a very close Senate race in 1974, and then how he later won a super-close race in 1998 -- and how much he admired his opponent John Ensign, now his co-Senator, for handling it better than he himself had 24 years earlier. We'll have video of that shortly.

Late Update: Here's the Reid video:

Just talked with Dianne Feinstein outside the Senate chamber about her qualms with the Leon Panetta nomination. The incoming Senate intelligence committee chairman said that both President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden called her after the fact to discuss the surprise choice of Panetta, who has no direct intelligence agency experience and whose nomination came as unwelcome news to Feinstein when it broke yesterday.

"I understand their thinking" in choosing Panetta, Feinstein explained, describing herself as "very respectful of the president's authority ... this is the man [Obama has chosen]."

I asked Feinstein whether her reticence about Panetta's lack of ties to the CIA would be mitigated by having Steven Kappes, her preferred choice for CIA director, stay on as the agency's No 2. "I believe very strongly" that Kappes should stay, Feinstein said, adding that Panetta's standing would be "very much enhanced" were Kappes to stay his deputy.

Feinstein seemed to acknowledge the Obama team's desire to find a CIA director who would signal an end to the abusive interrogation tactics of the Bush years. "We all want a break with the past," she told the reporters milling around her in the Senate. "I was the one who went into the conference committee" between the House and the Senate last year with an amendment that would use the Army Field Manual as the universal standard for detainee interrogations, she added.

"I understand the administration's desire to cut clean and open a new chapter and I support that. Whether those changes can be made" with Panetta at the helm, she added, remains to be seen.

* Late Grammar Update: As two eagle-eyed readers have pointed out, "reticence" suggests an unwillingness to discuss an issue, which the senator from California certainly was not. The proper term is indeed "hesitance".

In the latest development in the Obama intelligence appointments, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has put out a statement heartily approving the appointment of retired Adm. Dennis Blair to be the Director of National Intelligence -- a sharp contrast to her reaction to the nomination of Leon Panetta to be CIA Director.

The statement also has some language that could please the left, looking forward to the end of the Bush Administration's history of torture -- though Feinstein still refers to it in euphemistic terms:

"I met Admiral Blair several years ago in Hawaii, when he headed the Pacific Command, and I found him to be very knowledgeable about national security and global affairs. His experience gives him valuable insight into the many challenges facing the intelligence community and makes him a strong nominee for Director of National Intelligence.

...

"Of critical importance to me is that the next DNI deliver on President-elect Barack Obama's pledges to end the CIA coercive interrogation program, ensure the rule of law is respected, and improve our intelligence collection and analysis capabilities in order to better assess all threats."

Full statement after the jump.

Read more »

Just spoke to Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-OR) office, where a spokeswoman confirmed what was hinted at this morning: Wyden had been in contact with the Obama transition team to discuss the Leon Panetta nomination, while incoming Senate intelligence chairman Dianne Feinstein was still in the dark.

We checked in with Wyden because Bloomberg's report described him as "being consulted" on the choice -- whether he was consulted by the Obama camp or by Panetta, a former ally of Wyden's from their days in the House, remained unclear.

But now that we know Wyden had talked to the Obama transition, two questions arise:

1. Who else on Senate intel knew about it before Feinstein, whose support for AG Michael Mukasey had aroused the ire of many progressives?

2. Is this a case of the New York Times getting the news before the transition could inform Feinstein ... or a case of a powerful senator kept in the dark on purpose?

Evan Bayh (D-IN), a member of the Senate intelligence committee, just reiterated his support for the Leon Panetta nomination at CIA -- with a telling addition.

Bayh vowed to support Panetta, whose unexpected selection has opened a schism among Senate Democrats. But he also hailed the skills of Steve Kappes, the current CIA No 2 who is reportedly Dianne Feinstein and Jay Rockefeller's preferred pick to lead the agency. Here's Bayh's statement:

Read more »

It's official: Roland Burris came to the Senate, he saw the Senate -- and he was turned away at the door.

Burris just made a brief statement to reporters, after his credentials were rejected by the Secretary of the Senate. "Members of the media, my name is Roland Burris, junior Senator from the state of Illinois," Burris said, in an effort to establish his legitimacy. "I presented my credentials to the Secretary of the Senate and was advised that my credentials are not in order, I will not be accepted, and I will not be seated, I will not be permitted on the floor."

He then added that he was not seeking any kind of confrontation -- but did not expressly rule out any lawsuit. Instead, he said he would be consulting with his attorneys on what his next step will be.

Late Update: Burris' lawyer Timothy W. Wright III declared that the rejection of Burris "was improperly done and is against the law of this land." Wright added: "We will consider our options and certainly let you know what our decisions will be soon thereafter." So it sounds like we're looking at a lawsuit -- or at least the threat of one, as a bargaining chip.

On the Rachel Maddow show last night, Senate intelligence committee member Evan Bayh (D-IN) professed no objections to the choice of Leon Panetta to head the Obama CIA.

"Leon Panetta is an outstanding public servant and I intend to support his nomination," Bayh said. So we have Dianne Feinstein, the panel's incoming chairman, expressing her discontent with the nomination, alongside outgoing chairman Jay Rockefeller.

But two other Senate intel committee members -- progressive Ron Wyden and the, uh, less progressive Bayh -- remain copacetic.

The plot is thickened by Feinstein's revealing that the Obama transition team did not consult her in advance on the Panetta nomination before letting it slip yesterday. Wyden, on the other hand, appears to have known in advance. Who on the panel was consulted and who was left in the dark? We haven't yet heard from Russ Feingold and Sheldon Whitehouse, senators who are both stalwart progressives on intelligence issues. But we'll update you as soon as more committee members tip their hand.

The St. Petersburg Times reports that Florida Republicans are running into a problem in holding on to the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Mel Martinez: Their absolute best potential candidate, Jeb Bush, is starting to seem reluctant about making the race.

"I put it at dead even -- 50/50," said former Jeb aide Justin Sayfie, who met with Bush a few weeks ago. "I wouldn't be surprised if he decided to run, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided not to run." After Martinez first announced his retirement, state Republicans were generally sounding much more optimistic than this about lining up Jeb.

Even if Bush doesn't run, though, the GOP does have a few things going for them: The Republican primary is nearly 20 months away (it's held in late August), and the state party has a whole lot of elected officials making up a very deep bench. They would have plenty of time to find someone else and to make it a real race in the country's biggest swing state. But it would probably be much more difficult.

Today: Congress Being Sworn In, Biden At The Senate
This is the day that Congress will be sworn in. Joe Biden will be on Capitol Hill to be sworn in again for a seventh term in the Senate -- which he will resign within the next two weeks or so, to become vice president.

The Big Event: Burris At The Senate
With Congress being sworn in, of course, this means Roland Burris will be showing up at the Senate, and is expected to be turned away. Burris has said he won't make a scene or cause any confrontation -- but any scenario in which he's turned away from the door would inherently be a scene, no matter how civil it might be.

No Senator Franken Today
Senate Democrats will not make any attempt today to swear in Al Franken as the new Senator from Minnesota, instead leaving that seat vacant for now. There is some speculation that they might be planing to try it soon -- but they would encounter a promised Republican filibuster, while Norm Coleman pursues his legal challenges to the election result.

Obama Meeting With Economic Team Today
Barack Obama is meeting with his economic team, this afternoon at his D.C. transition office. The subject of the meeting will be to plan ahead for the 2010 budget, and how they will bring the deficit down as the economy recovers.

Gregoire D.C. Trip Sets Off Speculation About Commerce Department
Gov. Christine Gregoire (D-WA) is reportedly on a trip to Washington, after having cancelled a lunch appearance back home -- setting off speculation that she is being vetted as a last-minute choice for Secretary of Commerce after Bill Richardson's withdrawal. Gregoire was re-elected by six points this past November, and if this is true she would be succeeded by Democratic Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. (Late Update: Gregoire is visiting troops in Iraq, and is apparently not lining up for a cabinet post.)

Laura Bush Lands Book Deal
Laura Bush has secured a book deal, to publish her memoirs about her years as First Lady. The book will be published in 2010.

Former eBay Head And McCain Surrogate Preparing California Gubernatorial Run
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who hit the campaign trail in 2008 as a surrogate for John McCain, is considering a campaign for governor of California in 2010, when Arnold Schwarzenegger will be term-limited. Whitman has already made a key staff hire in lining up campaign strategist Jeff Randle, who has worked for Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson, and she has stepped down from three corporate boards.

Brownback Running For Governor Of Kansas
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) has filed paperwork to run for governor of Kansas in 2010, after having made good on his previous pledge to not run again for Senate. Brownback is actively aligned with the state GOP's Christian-right faction, and should be viewed as the frontrunner going into this race.

In a statement given to Election Central, Harry Reid's office says that he will not attempt to seat Al Franken in the Senate tomorrow -- though they are reiterating Reid's call for Norm Coleman to concede the race rather than drag it out.

The statement from Reid spokesman Jim Manley:

"Now that the bipartisan state canvassing board has certified Al Franken as the winner, we hope Senator Coleman respects its decision and does not drag this out for months with litigation. Shortly after Election Day, Coleman criticized Mr. Franken for wanting a recount and wasting taxpayer money. Now that it is clear he lost, Coleman should follow his own advice and not subject the people of Minnesota to a costly legal battle.

"However, there will not be an effort to seat Mr. Franken tomorrow."

Late Update: Reid separately told the Politico that Coleman has lost and "will never ever serve" in the Senate -- he can only stall things.

But for now, it appears that Coleman is stalling quite successfully.

On the first day after any congressional recess, the mood in Washington tends to be genial and relaxed, with reporters and aides swapping more vacation stories than legislative strategies. But today was different. The souring economy focused intense attention on the closed-door meetings that Barack Obama conducted with lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol.

After Obama emerged for his second public availability of the day, taking no questions, both Democratic and Republican leaders emerged to put their spin on what transpired. And while Harry Reid referred to the need for an economic recovery bill costing between $800 billion and $1.2 trillion, Mitch McConnell mentioned only one number: 40%, the share of the package that the Obama camp has said would go toward tax cuts.

But during the leaders' meeting with Obama, McConnell said, "there was no discussion about the overall size of the package. I don't think it's been determined."

The tactic is one familiar to savvy members of Congress: If they can delay public agreement on an issue, they win more time to shape it to their liking. The longer Republicans delay in accepting the size of the bill, the greater chance they have of shrinking it.

For now it appears that Obama's team is unruffled by the numbers game taking place. On Wednesday, when the House Democratic steering committee holds its first public forum on the recovery package, we'll be listening to see whether Republicans are finally ready to reveal the price tag they can live with -- and whether the new administration is ready to agree.

In six weeks, anyone want to bet that Republicans profess their alarm at the Democrats' hijacking of the process to promote profligate government spending?

Late Update: Here's the video of McConnell's remarks:

At a press conference held just now outside his house, Al Franken declared victory in the Minnesota Senate race.

"After 62 days of careful and painstaking hand inspection of nearly 3 million ballots, after hours and hours of hard work by election officials and volunteers across this state, I am proud to stand before you as the next Senator from Minnesota," said Franken. "This victory is incredibly humbling, not just because it was so narrow, but because of the tremendous responsibility it gives me on behalf of the people of Minnesota."

"I know that this isn't an easy day for Norm Coleman and his family," Franken added, "And I know that because Franni and I and our kids have had plenty of time over the last couple months to contemplate what this would be like if the election had turned out differently." But Franken applauded Coleman's hard work in public life, and hopes for a smooth transition. Good luck on that one.

Franken also said that while he knows there may still be additional legal proceedings -- the Coleman campaign has indicated they will challenge the result, which will hold up Franken from being seated -- he is focusing now on going forward and getting to work for the people of Minnesota.

He did not take questions from the crowd of reporters, who yelled to ask when he would be going to Washington.

Franken's full prepared statement is available after the jump.

Late Update: Here's the video:

Read more »

The Minnesota state canvassing board has officially certified the election results showing that Al Franken is the winner of the Minnesota recount -- by a nose. And it is far from over.

The numbers: Franken at 1,212,431 votes, Coleman at 1,212,206 votes. Including the large number of votes for third-party candidates, plus ballots that didn't include a vote in the Senate race, this is a margin of 0.0077% out of over 2.9 million ballots cast.

Officially, next legal step is for Gov. Tim Pawlenty to sign a certificate of election, and for Sec. of State Mark Ritchie to co-sign, within the next seven days. But that probably won't happen -- the Coleman campaign has said they will file a challenge of the election in court, which under state law delays the issuing of that certificate until the proceeding is settled.

Coleman does not have much a chance in such a proceeding, as we've noted before. But it could be a while, bottling up Franken's win for weeks or maybe even months.

Late Update: Al Franken has scheduled a press conference at his house for 5 p.m. ET, according to The Uptake. Note that this is not simply Franken's press people or Franken's lawyer holding a presser, but Franken himself -- and at his home, no less. It seems like we may be getting a declaration of victory, taking on the mantle of Senator-Elect.

Meanwhile, Coleman's lawyers reaffirmed at their own press conference that they will challenge the election results.

Several outlets are reporting this afternoon that Leon Panetta, former chief of staff to Bill Clinton, is Obama's pick to head the CIA.

Panetta is considered more of a budget expert than an intelligence specialist, but he has a strong progressive background and has eloquently argued against Bush era spying tactics. Panetta also served on the Iraq Study Group in 2006 and formerly chaired the Center for National Policy.

We have calls in to the Obama transition office as well as the Panetta Institute, his current home at California State University, and will update as soon as we hear more.

Late Update: Despite Panetta's lack of nitty-gritty intel experience, his selection is a welcome sign after some reports that current CIA chief Mike Hayden might be asked to stay on. Panetta's fiscal expertise could mean good things for the long-neglected task of intelligence spending reform, a herculean task that involves merging competing fiefdoms of powerful lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee.

It also appears that Dennis Blair, the naval admiral long tipped to become Director of National Intelligence, will be unveiled as a nominee alongside Panetta.

While speaking to reporters earlier today, after the Secretary of the Senate rejected his certificate of appointment, Roland Burris seemed dumbfounded that there's so much controversy.

"Why don't you all understand that what has been done here is legal?" said Burris. "That's legal, I am the junior senator from Illinois and I wish my colleagues and the press would recognize that. All the drama, I guess it keeps you all in a job."

Burris is probably right -- this does appear to be legal. But the circumstances of an appointment by Rod Blagojevich mean that people will be looking for every loophole they can.

Here's the video:

The last month's publicity hasn't been kind to Caroline Kennedy, with a new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) showing that she's now being trounced by state Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo as the choice of New York voters.

Cuomo now leads Kennedy 58%-27% as the one that voters would like to see Gov. David Paterson appoint to the Senate, with a 54%-34% spread among Democrats only. In last month's poll, which tested Democrats only, Kennedy had a 44%-23% lead. So a 21-point Caroline lead among Democrats has turned into a 20-point Cuomo advantage.

Ouch. If Paterson is in any way using the polls as a guide for who he should pick, this is not exactly good news for Caroline.

Norm Coleman's last chance to stop Al Franken from winning the Minnesota recount today just came to an end, with the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously denying his lawsuit seeking to count an additional 650 absentee ballots that local election officials had thrown out.

The court's ruling upheld the local officials, and told Coleman in no uncertain terms that if he wants to continue to fight this one out, it will have to be in a post-recount election contest:

The record before us with respect to petitioners' motion demonstrates that local election officials have acted diligently and in accordance with our orders, and together with the candidates have agreed upon more than 900 rejected absentee ballots, which have now been opened and counted by the Secretary of State's office.

...

Because the parties and the respective counties have not agreed as to any of these additional ballots, the merits of this dispute (and any other disputes with respect to absentee ballots) are the proper subjects of an election contest under Minn. Stat. ch. 209.

The big problem now for Coleman is that an election contest proceeding places the burden of proof on the losing candidate who is now challenging the outcome. During all the litigation in this case, it was 100% clear that neither campaign wanted to have to go into court post-recount, knowing fully well that that the odds would be heavily stacked against them.

Late Update: Lead Franken attorney Marc Elias has released this statement:

"Today, the Supreme Court once again affirmed the validity of the rules under which this recount was conducted. Minnesotans have waited a long time for a winner to be declared in this race, and today, with the last attempt to halt the counting process now having failed, Al Franken will be declared the winner."

Late Late Update: The Coleman campaign has released a statement that among other things reiterates that they will challenge the election in court:

"Today's ruling, which effectively disregards the votes of hundreds of Minnesotans, ensures that an election contest is now inevitable. The Coleman campaign has consistently and continually fought to have every validly cast vote counted, and for the integrity of Minnesota's election system, we will not stop now."

As the Obama team prepares an economic recovery package geared to win as many as 80 votes in the Senate, it's worth looking at the Republicans' counter-strategy. Their conference has grown more conservative since Election Day, so winning 20+ members from Mitch McConnell's squad will inevitably require concessions to his logic.

And where does McConnell think the stimulus negotiations should start? He gave an interesting answer yesterday to Stephanopoulos ...

Read more »

Norm Coleman is expected to file a legal challenge to Al Franken's victory in the Minnesota recount, after the state canvassing board certifies the numbers this afternoon. But does his campaign actually think they have anything more than a very long shot at this?

Check out what lead Coleman attorney Fritz Knaak told the Star Tribune, emphasis ours:

"It's conceivable, I'm not saying probable or likely, but conceivable that in a ... [court] contest, we could see these numbers change by hundreds on both sides," he said. "Everything is on the table and it's a different game."

Barack Obama will reportedly give a major speech on the economy this Thursday. No further details are known at this time, but it would seem reasonable to assume that the speech will be part of his push for a stimulus package.

More details have been starting to emerge about the package, such as the inclusion of about $300 billion in tax cuts over two years combined with the public works expenditures we already knew about. This means the package will have something to please everybody along the political spectrum -- and conversely, something to annoy everyone.

Meanwhile, the Republican-friendly Chamber of Commerce already has this statement out, praising the inclusion of tax cuts -- and asking for more:

While the devil is always in the details, we are encouraged by this latest development. We urge Congress and President-elect Obama to consider including other tax-related measures in the stimulus package, including an investment tax credit for home purchases, repatriation of foreign earnings to help companies refinance debt, and a temporary suspension of income tax on cancellation of debt.

Today marks the official start of the new Congress as well as my official start here at TPM. It's an honor to join the team as its Capitol Hill eyes and ears -- and with this many storylines unfolding before most members come back to town, there should be no shortage of things to talk about.

Any questions/suggestions/inspirational sayings to guide TPM's congressional coverage? My email is elana (at) talkingpointsmemo.com.

Today: Minnesota To Certify Franken's Victory -- But Lawsuit Awaits
The Minnesota state canvassing board will be meeting at 3:30 p.m. ET today to certify their results showing a super-thin Al Franken win for Senate, currently at 225 votes out of over 2.9 million. But Franken will not be able to receive an official certificate of election -- and therefore probably won't be able to take his seat -- because the Coleman campaign has indicated that they will challenge the result in court.

Report: Obama Economic Plan To Include Huge Tax Cuts
The Wall St. Journal reports that Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats are preparing a tax cut package totaling $300 billion over two years -- a larger dollar figure per year than anything George W. Bush ever did -- as part of his potential $775 billion stimulus package. The move could make it easier to win necessary support from Congressional Republicans.

Obama In Washington, Working On Economy
Barack Obama is meeting on Capitol Hill this afternoon with the Congressional leadership from both parties, with his economic plan expected to be the top order of business. He will also hold a meeting with his own economic team, at his D.C. transition headquarters.

Biden Speaking At Pell Funeral, Then Heading To Washington
Joe Biden will be speaking this morning at the funeral of former Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-RI) in Newport, Rhode Island. He will then head down to Washington to join Barack Obama's meeting with Congressional leaders. He will also be in Delaware tonight, for a "Salute to Governor Ruth Ann Minner" event, sending off the state's departing Democratic governor.

Burris Heading To Washington
Roland Burris is heading to Washington later today, as he seeks to be seated as the new Senator from Illinois against the backdrop of the Blagojevich scandal. "We are hoping and praying that they will not be able to deny what the Lord has ordained," Burris told a send-off event last night at the New Covenant Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago.

Bobby Rush: Refusal To Seat Burris Is "Plantation Politics"
At the sendoff event for Roland Burris last night, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) continued to present the controversy around Burris' appointment in strictly racial terms. Rush declared that the resistance of the Democratic leadership to seating Burris was "the last bastion of racial plantation politics in America."

Obama To Hold "Neighborhood Inaugural Ball"
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced that Barack Obama will hold a first-ever "Neighborhood Inaugural Ball" at the Washington Convention Center, with a portion of the tickets set aside just for D.C. residents.

Tim Kaine To Be DNC Chair, But At First Only Part-Time
Barack Obama is expected to announce soon that he has picked Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who had endorsed his candidacy in early 2007 when it looked like a long shot, to be the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Kaine will only serve on a part-time for his first year, until his term as governor expires, with former Obama campaign strategist Jennifer O'Malley running the day-to-day operations.

I believe that tomorrow the bipartisan state canvassing board will certify Al Franken the winner. After all, early on Senator Coleman criticized Al Franken for wanting a recount and wasting taxpayer money. I would hope now that it is clear he lost, that Senator Coleman follow his own advice and not subject the people of Minnesota to a costly legal battle.

One major caveat: Even if Reid wants to get Franken seated immediately, there will almost certainly be a filibuster from the GOP against it, while Coleman pursues his expected legal challenges. And the reality is that there isn't really anything Reid can do to force the desired outcome if the Republican caucus stays united.

Chuck Schumer has put out this statement, in his capacity as the outgoing chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, declaring that Al Franken has won the Minnesota Senate race and should be seated:

"With the Minnesota recount complete, it is now clear that Al Franken won the election. The Canvassing Board will meet tomorrow to wrap up its work and certify him the winner, and while there are still possible legal issues that will run their course, there is no longer any doubt who will be the next Senator from Minnesota. Even if all the ballots Coleman claims were double counted or erroneously added were resolved in his favor, he still wouldn't have enough votes to win. With the Senate set to begin meeting on Tuesday to address the important issues facing the nation, it is crucial that Minnesota's seat not remain empty, and I hope this process will resolve itself as soon as possible."

NRSC chairman John Cornyn has declared that the Republican caucus will filibuster any attempt to seat Franken while Norm Coleman challenges the election result in court. Unless Coleman and/or the Republican leadership back down, this could turn into one of the first big partisan fights of the new Congress. And it looks like the Democratic leadership could be ready to battle it out.

Bill Richardson has announced that he is withdrawing his nomination to be President-Elect Obama's Commerce Secretary, due to an investigation of a political donor who has done business with the state of New Mexico, leaving the Obama cabinet-in-waiting now short by one member.

"Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact," Richardson told Andrea Mitchell. "But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process."

The last month has been been a rough time for the Democrats, with them becoming mired in ethics scandals before they even get to officially take control of the government.

Late Update: Barack Obama and Bill Richardson have released statements, both available after the jump.

Read more »

Bush 41: Jeb Should Run For President -- But Probably Not Right Now
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, George H.W. Bush said that his son Jeb should run for president. That said, Bush the Elder did seem to allude to the current status of the Bush name: "I mean, right now is probably a bad time, because we've had enough Bushes in there."

Obama Family Spending First Full Day In Washington
Barack Obama and his family have now moved to Washington, in order for the children to start school on time. The family have travelled separately and are temporarily staying in a Washington hotel, while Obama himself is preparing to work on his economic stimulus package.

Reid On Blago Phone Call Story: Blago's Behavior "Regrettable And Reprehensible"
Harry Reid released a statement Saturday night tearing into Rod Blagojevich, in the wake of media reports that he had called Blago shortly before the scandal broke and asked him not to appoint Jesse Jackson Jr., Emil Jones or Danny Davis to the Senate. "Gov. Blagojevich appears to be trying to distract attention from his daunting legal problems and damaged credibility by distorting information about private phone calls between himself and other public officials," said Reid. "It is regrettable and reprehensible."

Burris Not Ruling Out Lawsuit, Reid Leaves Senate Door Slightly Open
Roland Burris says he is not ruling out a lawsuit to force the U.S. Senate to seat him in the Senate. Meanwhile, Harry Reid says the Senate is on firm legal ground in denying Burris his place in the Senate -- but did seem to leave the door open to negotiation on this point.

Cheney: "We've Done Some Very Good Things"
In an interview on Face The Nation, Dick Cheney demurred when asked whether the country is better off after the last eight years: "We've done some very good things over the course of the last eight years." Cheney was also asked about warrant-less surveillance, Guantanamo Bay and torture/interrogation techniques, and said he would do it all again.

NYT: Europe More Willing To Work With Obama -- But It Could Still Be Tough
The New York Times reports that European leaders are ready to work with Barack Obama in a much better way than they interacted with George W. Bush, but many challenges still lay ahead. Two major sticking points will be the current American plans to establish missile defense bases near Russia, plus the matter of resettling Guantanamo Bay prisoners in other countries.

McAuliffe Officially Running For Virginia Governor
Terry McAuliffe made it official on Saturday that he is running for governor of Virginia. McAuliffe faces two other Democrats in a contested primary, but could be a very serious candidate, as he is expected to raise tens of millions of dollars for the campaign and to put forward his résumé as a businessman.