WaPo: Unemployment Going Up Among Washington Republicans
The Washington Post reports that Republican political appointees are now facing unemployment in the middle of a tough job market, and with K Street preferring Democrats. Said former George H.W. Bush advisor Ron Kaufman: "You have lots of folks in the House and Senate on the streets and 3,000 administration appointees on the streets at a time when the job market is shrinking anyways. It's just not a fun time."

Barack And Michelle Obama To Attend Community Service Lunch
Barack and Michelle Obama are attending a lunch today with community service volunteers in Washington, as part of Obama's "Renew America Together" initiative, calling for more people to volunteer.

Obama To Honor Powell, McCain, Biden
Barack Obama will be attending three dinners tonight to honor three different political figures from across the spectrum. First up is a dinner honoring Colin Powell, beginning at 5 p.m. ET, then a dinner honoring John McCain, also beginning at 5 p.m. ET, and finally a dinner at 6:30 p.m. ET to honor Joe Biden.

Michelle Obama, Jill Biden Hosting Concert For Military Families
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will be attending the Kids' Inaugural, a concert honoring military families and for which free tickets were distributed by the Presidential Inauguration Committee and the Department of Defense. The event begins at 7 p.m. ET, featuring acts such as Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers.

Sullenberger Gets Inauguration Ticket
Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the US Airways pilot who successfully landed his damaged passenger plane into the Hudson River with no deaths or serious injuries, has been given free tickets to Barack Obama's inauguration tomorrow, for both himself and his family.

NYT: Obama Reaching Out To McCain
The New York Times reports that Barack Obama has been consulting closely with John McCain on his appointments and other areas of foreign policy, seeking to build a consensus on how to pursue his own policy goals. "He said that he understands that we had differences but he wanted to let us know that he also understands that we have got to be responsible in how we leave Iraq," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Poll: Nearly 7 In 10 Blacks Believe King's Dream Is Fulfilled
A new CNN poll finds that 69% of African-Americans believe Martin Luther King's dream has been fulfilled, to 30% who say it has not. This number is actually higher than it is among whites, only 46% of whom say it has been fulfilled, to 52% who say it has not.

I'm starting to dig into the differences between House transportation panel chairman Jim Oberstar's $85 billion proposal for infrastructure funding in the stimulus bill (available for download on the right-hand side of the committee page) and the actual final product, released yesterday.

David Alpert at Greater Greater Washington has a chart that tells the tale well. But my first question is: Where did you go, Amtrak Joe?

When the perennially cash-poor train system got a $15 billion authorization signed by George Bush last fall, it represented a big win for Acela-loving Vice President-elect Biden. Now, however, it would seem that Biden's administration has given mass transit the short end of the stick.

Read more »

Bush: I've Been Disappointed By Name-Calling In Washington
During his interview last night with Larry King, President Bush said he's concerned with the tone of political discourse. "During the course of this presidency, I've been disappointed at times by the silly name-calling that goes on in Washington -- it's really not necessary," said Bush. "I've done my best, though, to make sure I didn't bring the presidency down to that level."

Obama And Biden To Visit Supreme Court
Barack Obama and Joe Biden are headed to the Supreme Court today to privately meet with the justices, at the invitation of Chief Justice John Roberts. According to the Obama transition team, this is the third time in recent history that an incoming president met with the court, after Ronald Reagan in November of 1980 and Bill Clinton in December of 1992.

Biden And Lindsey Graham To Brief Obama
Joe Biden and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will also be briefing Barack Obama at the D.C. transition office this afternoon, having returned home from their bipartisan fact-finding tour of Asia. The trip took them to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq, and was conducted by Biden in his capacity as a sitting U.S. Senator and the outgoing chair of the Foreign Relations Committee.

WaPo: Geithner Still On Track For Treasury, But GOPers Making Noise
The Washington Post reports that Timothy Geithner continues to enjoy support for his nomination to be Secretary of the Treasury in the wake of the news about his flawed tax returns, but there could be some headaches. Democrats are standing by him, and even GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch says he still supports him -- but on the other hand, GOP Sens. Jon Kyl (AZ) and Jim Bunning (KY) have blocked a request to proceed with his nomination hearing on Friday.

Poll: Bush Will Be Remembered As One of the Worst Presidents Ever
A new Rasmussen poll finds that a majority of Americans say George W. Bush will be remembered as one of the worst presidents ever. Only six percent say he will be known as one of the five best presidents, compared to 57% who say he'll be remembered as one of the five worst, and 34% who say he's somewhere in between.

Cornyn To GOP Senators: Start Campaigning Now
Roll Call reports that NRSC head Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is urging his Republican colleagues who are up for election in 2010 to decide as soon as possible whether they are running, and to start their re-election fundraising and other campaign activities immediately. Cornyn said the message here is that modern campaign environment demands total dedication, or else an incumbent risks defeat: "I tried to lay that out in gruesome detail for them."

Obama Economic Adviser Promotes Stimulus Plan On YouTube
The Obama transition team has posted this new YouTube video featuring Christina Romer, who will be Obama's chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, to promote Obama's stimulus plan:

Back in 2007 and 2008, the Obama campaign was noted for the ways it used the Internet to reach out to voters and spread its message. Now that he's won the election, the incoming Obama Administration is still using the new medium to push its policies.

Obama Shows Reluctance On Investigating Bush White House On Torture
In an interview on ABC's This Week, Barack Obama seemed to indicate that his administration won't be investigating the Bush White House for crimes related to torture, wiretapping and other offenses:

"We're still evaluating how we're going to approach the whole issue of interrogations, detentions, and so forth. And obviously we're going to be looking at past practices and I don't believe that anybody is above the law. On the other hand I also have a belief that we need to look forward as opposed to looking backwards. And part of my job is to make sure that for example at the CIA, you've got extraordinarily talented people who are working very hard to keep Americans safe. I don't want them to suddenly feel like they've got to spend all their time looking over their shoulders and lawyering up."

Biden Visits Afghanistan
Joe Biden visited Afghanistan on Saturday, meeting with President Hamid Karzai and military leaders. He also visited the southern Afghanistan region, a Taliban stronghold. "I am very interested in what becomes of this region because it affects us all," Biden said in a statement.

Coleman Campaign Swamps Counties With Document Requests
The Star Tribune reports that county election officials in Minnesota are being overwhelmed with requests from Norm Coleman's lawyers, who are looking for documents such as approved absentee ballot envelopes and precinct voting rosters, in their effort to subtract votes from Al Franken and add votes for Norm Coleman. "You're talking 30,000, 40,000 pages of documents," said Stearns County (St. Cloud) elections chief Dave Walz -- and he was just talking about his county alone.

Bush: GOP Shouldn't Change Philosophy -- But Needs To Change Messengers
In an interview with Fox News Sunday, President Bush said that Republicans must avoid being seen as the anti-immigrant party if they want to be viable, and also that they shouldn't deviate from an anti-tax and pro-military platform. "We shouldn't change our philosophy," said Bush. "We may want to change our messaging. We definitely want to change messengers. We need a new group of leaders."

Caroline Kennedy Meets With Paterson
The New York Times reports that Caroline Kennedy and David Paterson met on Saturday, their first formal discussion about Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. Paterson has already met with other people who are interested in the seat, including Reps. Steve Israel and Carolyn Maloney, plus Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, and his office told the Times that he will be holding more meetings in the coming days.

Biden Officially Resigning From Senate, Effective Thursday
Joe Biden has officially tendered his resignation from the Senate, effective at 5 p.m. ET on January 15. Biden was sworn in for his seventh term just this past Saturday, choosing to remain a Senator for just a short while longer before becoming vice president -- for example, staying in the Senate enabled him to go on his current tour of Asia.

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?

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."

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.

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.

During a brief Q and A with reporters at the economic briefing today, Joe Biden said in the strongest terms that the upcoming internal report from the Obama transition team, covering any contacts with Rod Blagojevich or his staff, will show that they have nothing to worry about:

Q: Sir, will the Blagojevich report exonerate the transition team?

A: I don't think there's anything to exonerate. There's-- ah --it's been clear that the President-elect has had no contact with Blagojevich and/or anyone on his team that he's asserted, and you'll soon find out in the release today that there has been no inappropriate contact by any member of the Obama staff or the transition team with Blagojevich, and I think the report you'll see will reflect that this afternoon.

The report is due out at 4:30 p.m. ET today.

Today: Obama Team To Release Blago Report
The Obama transition team is expected today to release their internal report on staff communications with Rod Blagojevich and his office, and which is reported to absolve Rahm Emanuel and other staffers from any allegations of impropriety. "You're going to see this is a lot about nothing," a Democratic source told CNN.

Today In Minnesota: New Official Vote Numbers, Plus State Supreme Court Litigation
It's a big day in Minnesota today, with the state canvassing board meeting at 10 a.m. ET to review the new vote totals with the allocation of challenged ballots -- and Al Franken is expected to be ahead by around 48 votes. There will also be a crucial state Supreme Court hearing at 3 p.m. ET, regarding a complaint by the Coleman campaign that some absentee ballots were allegedly counted twice.

Biden Subbing In For Vacationing Obama At Today's Economic Briefing
Joe Biden is holding an economic briefing this morning with a group of top Obama economic advisers, essentially stepping in to provide the image of competent national leadership on the economy while Barack Obama himself is on vacation in Hawaii with his family. The briefing is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. ET, in Washington.

Hillary Seeks Expanded Role At State Dept.
The New York Times reports that Hillary Clinton is seeking an expanded sphere of influence for the State Department, with a higher budget to deal with problems ranging from economic affairs to an expanded role for diplomacy in the post-Bush years. A key appointment she will reportedly be making is that of Jacob Lew, the former White House budget director under Bill Clinton, who will focus on increasing the financial resources for the diplomatic corps.

Obama To Be Sworn In On Lincoln's Bible
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced that Barack Obama will be sworn into office upon the same Bible that Abraham Lincoln used at his first inauguration. Obama will be the first president to use this Bible for his swearing-in since Lincoln himself, back in 1861.

The Hill: Economy Going Down, But K Street Doing Just Fine
The Hill reports that the lobbying business is dodging the economic downturn hitting almost everyone else, thanks to the expectation that the new Obama White House will seek broad legislation to deal with the economy and other issues -- thus creating a greater market for lobbyists. "Anytime government gets more active and more involved in your business, you'll look for more help in Washington," said Steve Elmendorf, a lobbyist and former aide to Dick Gephardt.

Amtrak Increases Service For Inauguration Day
Amtrak is boosting its capacity for the Inauguration Day crowd, currently predicted to be about two million, with increased trains for people without hotel reservations to come in for the day, watch the big event, and then go back home.

The Obama transition team is clearly being careful to not leave a void of national leadership on the economy -- or at least the perception of it, during the presidential interregnum -- and are now having Joe Biden pick up the slack during Barack Obama's trip to Hawaii.

Biden will be holding a briefing with Obama's top economic advisers tomorrow, scheduled for 10:45 a.m. ET. The group will be giving opening remarks to the press at the beginning of it, and will be discussing the economic stimulus package that the incoming White House will be submitting to Congress in January.

In an interview with Larry King set to air tonight, Joe Biden defended Barack Obama's selection of Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration:

Barack Obama said you've got to reach out. You've got to reach a hand of friendship across the aisle and across philosophies in this country.

We can't continue to be a red and blue country. We can't be divided like we have been. And he's made good on his promise.

And I would say to the gay and lesbian community, they have nothing to worry about. Barack Obama, every aspect of his life, every aspect of his public life, and every commitment he's made relating to equality for all people, will be things that he will stick with and that they should view this in the spirit in which he offered the opportunity to -- to Mr. Warren.

Biden was also asked about Caroline Kennedy's bid for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, to which he said he was "a big Caroline Kennedy fan," and defended her against the charge of being a dynasty candidate by saying that anyone who is selected will have to face the voters in 2010. But he also made sure to qualify his statements by saying that he wasn't in the position to tell Gov. David Paterson who he should appoint.

Biden Heading Up "White House Task Force On Working Families"
The Obama transition team announced this morning the creation of the "White House Task Force on Working Families," which will be chaired by Joe Biden and also include the Secretaries of Labor, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, plus many other top economic advisers. The task force's goal is to craft policies furthering the areas of education, work/family balance, labor standards and workplace safety, and income and retirement security.

Obama Expands Stimulus Targets To Cope With Rising Unemployment Projections
Barack Obama has reportedly expanded his economic stimulus plan to have a target of creating three million new jobs, up from a prior goal of 2.5 million jobs. However, the New York Times points out that even this would fall short of the projected four million jobs that many economist believe would be lost if no action were taken in an economy that is only getting worse and worse.

Report: Obama Team To Say Rahm Only Spoke With Blago Once
George Stephanopoulos reports that an upcoming internal report from the Obama transition team will say that Rahm Emanuel only had one conversation with Rod Blagojevich, a courtesy call after Rahm was named as White House Chief of Staff. The alleged conversation was mostly about Rahm's own House seat, with only a "passing reference" to the Senate seat and with no deals over it being discussed.

Poll: Public Optimistic About Obama
The new ABC/Washington Post poll finds 68% of adults saying they are optimistic about the policies that Barack Obama will pursue upon taking office, and 65% support a large infrastructure-based economic stimulus plan such as the one he's laid out. In addition, a 51% majority wants him to make major changes to the health care system right after taking office, compared to 26% who say he should wait and only 20% who say he shouldn't do it at all.

Hillary's Debts At $6.4 Million
Hillary Clinton's campaign debt is now $6.4 million, lower than it was at any previous time this year -- and the amount is owed to just 16 specific creditors, the most notable one being Mark Penn. Hillary is in a bit of a race against the clock to get the money paid off, as she will be unable to personally conduct fundraising activities after she is sworn in as Secretary of State.

Cheney On Biden's Rhetoric: "I Don't Take It Seriously"
During an interview aired today on Fox News Sunday, Dick Cheney ridiculed Joe Biden for having attacked Cheney's performance in office, and said it was Biden who doesn't understand the Constitution. "I write that off as campaign rhetoric," said Cheney. "I don't take it seriously. And if he wants to diminish the office of vice president, that's obviously his call."

Obama: We Will Make America The World Leader In Science Again
In his newest Presidential YouTube Address, Barack Obama announced four appointees key posts on science and technology -- and said he would work to restore America's role as the world's leader in science:

"Because the truth is that promoting science isn't just about providing resources--it's about protecting free and open inquiry," Obama says, in a barely-veiled hit at the Bush Administration. "It's about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It's about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it's inconvenient--especially when it's inconvenient."

The Obamas Go To Hawaii
Barack Obama and his family have gone off to Hawaii, to spend the holidays with his family and friends there. The Obama transition team says he will continue to do transition work during this time.

Biden: Jill Will Still Be Working
In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Joe Biden said that his wife Jill will still maintain her career as a community college professor, probably on a part-time basis. "But, look, I think it's very important she have and maintain her own life, her own identity," said Biden. "And she'll be a very active second lady."

NYT: Cuomo Frustrated By Kennedy
The New York Times reports that New York Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo has become increasingly frustrated at how Caroline Kennedy has overshadowed him in her bid for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat, after he'd made a deliberate decision to not overtly campaign for it. "It's driving him crazy," a Cuomo friend told the Times. "He's boxed in. He can't do anything except fume, and he is fuming."

Ferraro Comes Out Against Caroline Kennedy For Senate
The New York Post reports that Geraldine Ferraro has sent a letter to New York Gov. David Paterson, urging him to not appoint Caroline Kennedy to the Senate. Ferraro told the Post: "If you send someone down there who doesn't know the legislative process, they'll get chewed up alive."

Minnesota Senate Seat's Office Could End Up Closing Temporarily
Roll Call reports that if the Minnesota Senate race is not settled by January 6, the constituent services component of Norm Coleman's office may have to simply shut down: "Senate officials keep an office running when a Member dies or resigns by taking calls from constituents and performing some of the nonvoting tasks of a Member. But there's no such procedure for when a contested election keeps a Senator from taking the seat when Congress reconvenes."

Poll: A Majority Of Republicans Approve Of Obama's Performance
The new AP-GfK poll shows 73% of Americans approve of Barack Obama's performance so far as president-elect -- with 54% of self-identified Republicans giving him a thumbs-up, too. Overall, approval so far spreads across all lines of age, gender, race and income.

Obama Press Conference This Morning, Then Meeting With War Powers Commission Heads
Barack Obama is holding a press conference on health care at 11 a.m. ET in Chicago, at which he is expected to announce the selection of Tom Daschle to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. In addition, he will be meeting with former Secretaries of State James Baker and Warren Christopher, the co-chairs of the bipartisan National War Powers Commission.

Biden Meeting With Hillary Clinton, James Jones
Joe Biden is meeting this morning with Hillary Clinton and retired Gen. James Jones, in their respective capacities as the incoming Secretary of State and National Security Adviser.

NYT: American Constitution Society On The Rise
The New York Times points out that Barack Obama's win is bringing whole new opportunities for the American Constitution Society, the liberal legal society formed as a counter-weight to the right-wing Federalist Society -- most notably with the appointment of ACS board member Eric Holder as attorney general. But with power could come the same pitfalls that the opposition faced, mainly the danger of crossing the line into favoring ideological allies for non-political jobs.

Chicagoans Rediscovering Cynicism
The New York Times reports that Chicago voters, after an election cycle in which their home-town candidate promoted a new politics of Hope and Change, are rediscovering their usual reputation for corruption and cynicism thanks to Rod Blagojevich. "In Chicago, we had just gotten past the old stereotypes," said one local man. "But now we're back to the jokes."

Trib: Blago's Potty-Mouth Shows Decline Of Etiquette
The Chicago Tribune has a new piece bemoaning that Rod Blagojevich's alleged ample use of profanity in the criminal complaint against him, and the lack of shock from the public, shows just how far our culture has fallen: "A cleaned-up version of the complaint would be cratered with blacked-out f-bombs, yet etiquette experts and anti-cursing crusaders say the language, which once would have made the nation blush, now comes across as almost de rigueur."

Obama Discusses Economic Recovery Program, Focusing On National Infrastructure
In his newest Presidential YouTube Address, Barack Obama discusses the recent news about job-losses and his own plan for economic recovery, which involves creating jobs through massive investments in infrastructure, ranging from roads to schools and government buildings, plus more access to broadband connectivity:

"When Congress reconvenes in January, I look forward to working with them to pass a plan immediately," Obama says. While a skeptic might think he's sticking too closely to the "one president at a time" rule by delaying the work with Congress until January, there is another important point to consider: The new Congress that will convene in January will have widely-expanded Democratic majorities, and thus be much more likely than the current Congress to pass something like this.

Obama Taping Meet The Press Interview
Barack Obama is taping an interview today with Tom Brokaw for Meet The Press, set to air tomorrow. Joe Biden is in Delaware, and has no public event scheduled.

Tonight: Two House Elections In Louisiana
Louisiana is holding two elections today for the House of Representatives. Rep. Bill Jefferson (D), who is currently under indictment for corruption charges, is expected to win re-election over Republican Joseph Cao in this solid-Dem district. The open seat of Rep. Jim McCrery (R) has a tight race between Republican John Fleming and Democrat Paul Carmouche. The polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

Reid To Keep Biden Out of Dem Caucus Meetings
Harry Reid will reportedly be barring Joe Biden from Senate Democratic caucus meetings, rather than allow him to continue to attend as the nominal presiding officer of the Senate. The move is intended to restore the system of checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches by undoing what had been a common practice for Dick Cheney and the Senate Republicans.

Obama Campaign's Next Question: What To Do With $29.3 Million
The Hill reports that the Obama campaign has ended the race with $29.3 million left on hand, after all remaining bills are paid, and has a variety of options regarding what to do with it. The campaign could do any or all of the following: Save money for the 2012 re-election campaign; give it to national, state and local party committees; give some to individual candidates or PACs, subject to standard donation limits; spend it on issue advocacy; or give some to charity.

Obama Could Announce Veterans Affairs Pick Tomorrow.
Barack Obama is holding a press conference tomorrow in Chicago at 2 p.m. ET, officially billed as an event to honor veterans on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Reuters reports that Obama will also be announcing his pick for Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Ted Kennedy Steps Down From Judiciary Committee To Focus On Health Care Policy
Ted Kennedy is leaving his long-held seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in order to focus more of his time on health-care policy. Kennedy will have one full chairmanship with the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, plus one subcommittee chairmanship within the Armed Services Committee.

Obama Presser Today; Expected To Name Richardson For Commerce
Barack Obama has a press conference scheduled for 11:40 a.m. ET in Chicago, at which he is expected to announce the nomination of Bill Richardson for Secretary of Commerce. This is another step in Obama's efforts to project the image of competent national leadership on the economy, in order to counteract the negative effects that the presidential interregnum seems to be having on the financial markets.

Biden And Napolitano To Receive Briefing On WMD
Joe Biden and Janet Napolitano will be in Washington this morning for a briefing from former Senators Bob Graham (D-FL) and Jim Talent (R-MO), who head up the Congressionally-created Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. The meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Obama Still Looking For Intelligence Chief
The Washington Post points out that while Barack Obama has filled out most of his national-security team, he still faces tough choices in selecting his appointees to the intelligence posts. After John Brennan withdrew his name in the face of liberal opposition, current top names floating around are retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), and former Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre.

Bush For Senate (Jeb, That Is) In 2010?
Jeb Bush says he is considering a run for Senate in 2010, for the open seat of retiring GOP Sen. Mel Martinez. On the one hand the Bush name at this point isn't exactly a positive in most of the country -- but Jeb himself still has a solid reputation in the state where he was governor, and would probably be a solid candidate for the GOP and even a slight favorite in this swing state.

Senate Dems Working On "Saxbe Fix" For Hillary
The New York Times reports that Senate Democrats were working last night on the so-called "Saxbe Fix" -- that is, to reverse a recent pay-raise for the Secretary of State in order to prevent Hillary Clinton from being ineligible for the office under the Emoluments Clause. The right-wing (and anti-Clinton) legal group Judicial Watch is already declaring her appointment unconstitutional, but expect this one to be resolved pretty easily and with a decent body of precedent in Hillary's favor.

Report: Becerra Considering Trade Representative Appointment, Hasn't Accepted Yet
Roll Call reports that Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) is considering -- but has not yet accepted -- an offer to become Barack Obama's trade representative. If he were to accept the offer, Becerra would have to give up 16 years of seniority in the House, which has earned him a seat on the Ways and Means Committee and the vice-chairmanship of the House Dem Caucus.

DC Council's Stimulus Plan: 24-Hour Bar Times For Inauguration
The DC City Council has passed legislation to allow bars to remain open for 24 hours a day from January 17 to the morning of January 21, right after the inauguration, with the ability to serve food the whole time and to serve alcohol until 5 a.m. This measure, which is being undertaken in order to boost the local economy and accommodate the expected avalanche of spectators for the big event, is either a really good idea or a really bad idea.

Joe Biden had a bit of fun today at the National Governors Association meeting in Philadelphia, mocking the fact that Sarah Palin gets far more press attention these days than he does, despite his being the Veep-elect.

According to the pool report, Biden addressed Palin at the meeting and made the tongue-in-cheek request that she appear publicly with him in order to get the media to give him some love, too:

"And Governor Palin, I want to thank you particularly."

"I might point out, as I told you...since the race is over, no one pays attention to me at all. So I'm -- maybe you will walk outside with me or something later and say hello to me."

The media attention gap between the actual Veep-elect and the failed one is possibly explained by the fact that Biden's public remarks yesterday at Obama's national security presser were his first in 26 days, but it's bizarre nonetheless.

Obama Rolling Out National Security Team
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be holding a 10:40 a.m. ET press conference today in Chicago, where Obama will be rolling out his foreign-policy team: Hillary Clinton as Sec. of State, current Sec. of Defense Robert Gates staying on, and retired Marine Gen. James Jones as National Security Adviser. Obama could also be naming Janet Napolitano as Sec. of Homeland Security, Susan Rice as Ambassador to the UN, and Eric Holder as Attorney General.

Obama To Address Rick Warren's AIDS Forum, Meeting With Dem Governors
Barack Obama will also be addressing Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health in Washington, held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, via videotaped remarks. Later tonight, Obama will be meeting with members of the Democratic Governors Association in Philadelphia.

Biden Attending Event Honoring Ted Kennedy
Joe Biden will be in attendance at a special convocation ceremony tonight at Harvard, at which Ted Kennedy will be given an honorary degree.

Sarah Palin Criss-Crossing Georgia Today
Sarah Palin is touring through Georgia today, hoping to fire up the GOP base to come out for Sen. Saxby Chambliss in tomorrow's runoff election. Palin has an 8:30 a.m. ET rally in Augusta, an 11 a.m. ET rally in Savannah, a 1:30 p.m. ET rally in Perry, and a 4 p.m. ET rally in the northern metro Atlanta area.

WaPo: Senate Dems Expect Crossover Votes From GOP Moderate -- But GOP Expects Dem Division
The Washington Post reports that even though Senate Democrats have fallen just short of a 60-seat supermajority, they still think they can pick up votes from Republicans such as Arlen Specter -- and oddly enough, John McCain -- on an issue-by-issue basis. On the other hand, Republicans expect the Dems' newfound position of power to reveal their own internal divisions, with a caucus that ranges from die-hard liberals to a couple genuine conservatives.

NYT: Susan Rice A Strong Voice Against Genocide
The New York Times points out that Susan Rice, expected to be named as Barack Obama's Ambassador to the UN, could end up being a strong advocate for intervention against genocide, and has previously called for strong action in Darfur. The Times quotes Rice from a 2001 interview with the Atlantic, describing her visit to Rwanda after the 1994 genocide: "I swore to myself that if I ever faced such a crisis again, I would come down on the side of dramatic action, going down in flames if that was required."

Iran: "Nothing Has Changed" With Obama
Barack Obama's election doesn't seem to have warmed up Iran to better diplomatic relations with the United States, Reuters reports. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Sheikhuleslam bluntly told the ISNA news agency, "nothing has changed with the coming of Obama."

This Morning: Another Obama Press Conference
Barack Obama is holding a press conference today at 10:45 a.m. ET -- his third presser in three days -- centered around the economy. As we posited yesterday, Obama appears to be trying to quasi-assume the presidency early, in order to provide the image of competent national leadership and calm down the uncertainty of the financial markets during the interregnum.

Report: Obama Taps Volcker For New Economic Board
Barack Obama will reportedly appoint former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to head up a new President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board, which will give economic briefings to the president and serve as a means for Obama to get advice outside of the usual federal agencies. Volcker is widely credited with bringing the inflationary spiral of the 70s and early 80s to an end during his tenure as Fed chairman, so this appointment might go a long way in reassuring the markets.

Minnesota Sec. of State To Candidates: Stop The Frivolous Challenges
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (D) says he is concerned about the huge number of ballot challenges in the Senate recount -- over 3,600 of them so far -- and has called on both campaigns to crack down on it. "The more challenges there are, the more work that the local officials has to do, our office has to do and the candidate representatives have to do to withdraw or back away from those challenges, so this is a cause for concern," Ritchie told Minnesota Public Radio.

Obama Trying To Keep BlackBerry
Barack Obama said during an interview with Barbara Walters that he is trying to keep his BlackBerry, and is negotiating with his staff on how he can stay connected while also satisfying the need to stay secure and keep detailed records. "Because, one of the worst things I think that could happen to a president is losing touch with what people are going through day to day," said Obama -- a stark contrast with George W. Bush's well-known habit of not reading newspapers or seeking outside information.

NYT: No Portfolio Yet For Biden, But Instead The Role Of Adviser
The New York Times reports that the Obama transition is still working out an exact role for Joe Biden in the administration. "I'm sure that there will be discrete assignments over time," said David Axelrod. "But I think his fundamental role is as a trusted counselor. I think that when Obama selected him, he selected him to be a counselor and an adviser on a broad range of issues."

Lieberman: Obama's Cabinet Picks And Other Decisions "Just About Perfect"
Barack Obama's post-election decisions are getting a thumbs-up from none other than Joe Lieberman. "Everything that President-elect Obama has done since election night has been just about perfect, both in terms of a tone and also in terms of the strength of the names that have either been announced or are being discussed to fill his administration," Lieberman said yesterday during a visit back home to Connecticut.

Report: Bill Clinton Has Agreed To Major Concessions With Obama Team
Bill Clinton has reportedly agreed with the Obama transition team to disclose the list of donors to his charitable foundation to allow the White House to vet his future overseas trips and speaking engagements, in order to smooth the road to Hillary being nominated for Secretary of State. The potential for a conflict of interest from Bill's foreign dealings has been the major roadblock to a Hillary nomination, and Bill's apparent new agreements could go a long way in fixing the situation.

Obama In Chicago; Biden Celebrating His Birthday In Delaware; Rahm Meeting With GOP On The Hill
Barack Obama is holding private meetings today in Chicago while Joe Biden will spend today -- his birthday -- in Delaware, with neither having any scheduled public events. Meanwhile, Rahm Emanuel is headed to Capitol Hill to meet with House and Senate Republicans, in order to discuss how the new Democratic White House might be able to work together with the GOP minority.

Napolitano Could Be Tapped For Homeland Security
Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano's office is not commenting on the story that she will be picked for Secretary of Homeland Security, and reportedly no formal offer has yet been made, but multiple reports say an offer is likely and that she would accept. Napolitano's résumé does seem to fit the bill: She is a governor from along the Mexican border and previously served as a U.S. Attorney, and on top of that she was an Obama surrogate during a time when his campaign was on the ropes.

NYT: Daschle's Private-Sector Work Could Conflict With Health And Human Services Post
The New York Times points out that Tom Daschle's selection to be Secretary of Health and Human Services could create a conflict with Barack Obama's promises about lobbyist influence, as Daschle has served on the board of the Mayo Clinic and also advised a major legal/lobbying firm: "Although Mr. Daschle's work might not preclude his appointment, it could raise the possibility that the administration could require him to recuse himself from any matter related to either the Mayo Clinic or some of the clients he advised at Alston & Bird -- a potentially broad swath of the health secretary's portfolio."

Kerry Poised To Claim Foreign Relations Chairmanship
John Kerry will reportedly win the chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- the same committee where he shot to fame when he testified against the Vietnam War over 35 years ago -- as a result of Joe Biden vacating the chair to become vice president. The Boston Globe reports that Kerry is already working on an ambitious agenda for the committee, including oversight of plans to withdraw from Iraq, dealing with nuclear proliferation and the spread of other weapons, and focusing on the fight against terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Big DC Suburbs County Could Cancel School Day For Inauguration
A school board member in Montgomery County, Maryland (the DC suburbs), has proposed making Inauguration Day a school holiday so that students can watch the historic event that will be Barack Obama's swearing-in. The school superintendent has recommended against it, citing the limited number of allowed snow days on the calendar, but the school board president believes the motion will have majority support when brought up at the meeting in three weeks.

The Minnesota Recount Goes On
Today is the second day of the Minnesota Senate recount, as we find out whether or not Al Franken can overcome GOP Sen. Norm Coleman's paper-thin lead from the original totals. The major thing to keep in mind while watching this story develop is to not get too shaken up by the results as they come in, as there will be numerous small swings going in either direction -- instead, pay attention to the overall pattern.

The Big Story: Hillary For Sec. of State?
The press is buzzing with reports that Barack Obama is considering Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State. The latest wrinkle: Reuters reports that Hillary travelled to Chicago yesterday, though her office says it was for personal business.

Obama Switching Weekly Dem Address From Radio To YouTube
Barack Obama today will record the weekly Democratic address on video, to be posted on YouTube -- a first for this mode of party communication. Obama's transition office has announced that he will continue to record the weekly address as online video during his presidency, with the audio track also released for radio uses as has been done before.

K Street Becoming A Democratic Neighborhood
The Washington Post reports that lobbying firms are quickly reconfiguring themselves for the new Democratic dominance in Washington, and are recruiting Dem staffers at a rapid clip. "In this climate, Democratic backgrounds are attractive to people," said Laura Sheehan, a former policy director for the DCCC who recently became vice president of marketing and communications for the American Gas Association.

Biden Speaks With World Leaders
The Obama transition office announced that Joe Biden has spoken to several world leaders this week: Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni; Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak; Israeli Likud Leader Binyamin "Bibi" Netanyahu; Polish President Lech Kaczynski; British Prime Minister Gordon Brown; Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Romney Courting The National Review Cruise
Mitt Romney is meeting with a group of top GOPers: The National Review post-election Caribbean cruise. National Review's 2007 cruise, which went to Alaska, was the venue where Sarah Palin introduced herself to the right-wing media elite, leading to her being placed on the 2008 GOP ticket.

Steele Officially Running For RNC Chair
Michael Steele, the former Maryland Lt. Governor and unsuccessful nominee for Senate in 2006, has officially thrown his hat in the ring in the race to be the next chairman of the Republican National Committee -- and he'll be running firmly from the right. "The core values of our party should not change," Steele told the Washington Post. "We are the conservative voice in America."

Report: Barbour Turns Down Run For RNC Chair
Jonathan Martin reports that a group of Republican governors approached Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour at the Republican Governors Association Conference, asking him to run for RNC chairman. Barbour, who served as RNC chair in the 90s, turned down the offer.

Poll Closings
Here are the closing times in some of the key states: Most of Indiana closes at 6 p.m. ET, with the remainder closing at 7 p.m. ET; all of Virginia, most of Florida and most of New Hampshire close at 7 p.m. ET, with Florida panhandle and the remainder of New Hampshire closing at 8 p.m. ET; North Carolina and Ohio close at 7:30 p.m. ET; Missouri and Pennsylvania close at 8 p.m. ET; Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico close at 9 p.m. ET; and Nevada closes at 10 p.m. ET.

Obama Has Voted
Barack Obama has just finished voting, and was met by applause from other voters at his polling station.

Obama Greeting Voters In Indiana, Biden In Virginia, Then Off to Chicago
Barack Obama will be getting in his last bit of hand-shaking today, meeting and greeting voters in the Indianapolis area. Joe Biden will be meeting voters around Richmond, Virginia, and then going off to Chicago -- meaning that both members of the Dem ticket will be doing their final campaign activities in states that haven't gone Democratic in 44 years.

McCain Holds One More Rally, Palin Back In Alaska
John McCain is holding an Election Day rally -- a rare event -- at 2:15 p.m. ET in Grand Junction, Colorado. He will then greet voters in New Mexico, then spend Election Night in Phoenix. Sarah Palin will vote this morning in Alaska, and is then off to Phoenix.

Zogby: Final State Polls Paint Good Picture For Obama
The final round of Zogby swing-state polls gives Barack Obama the lead in several of the biggest swing states: Obama is up 49%-48% in Florida, 53%-42% in Nevada, 49%-47% in Ohio, 52%-45% in Virginia, and 51%-41% in Pennsylvania. McCain has a 50%-49% edge in North Carolina, a 50%-45% lead in Indiana, and the two are tied 49%-49% in Missouri.

Obama's Final Rally Gets Over 85,000 People
Barack Obama's final rally last night, held in Manassas, Virginia, had a strong turnout of more than 85,000 people. It's quite possible that the whole election could turn on tonight's result in Virginia.

McCain Held Home-State Rally Last Night
John McCain spoke to a crowd last night in Prescott, Arizona, winning last-minute votes in his home state. "We're closing in the polls," McCain said. "All we've got to do is get out the vote."

This Is It
If you are eligible but have not yet done so, please get out there and vote.