Today: The Inaugural Concert
Today is the big inaugural concert to celebrate Barack Obama's incoming presidency, featuring acts such as Bruce Springsteen, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder and many more. HBO has the exclusive TV rights, but the audio will also be streamed online by NPR from 2-5 p.m. ET.

Obama And Biden Visits Arlington National Cemetery
Barack Obama and Joe Biden visited Arlington National Cemetery this morning, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Obamas Attend Church In Washington
The Obamas attended church this morning at the 19th Street Baptist Church, the oldest historically-black church in Washington. A release from the Presidential Inauguration Committee indicated that the Obamas are still looking at various churches in the area, and will settle on a permanent one at a later time.

Polls Give Obama Sky-High Ratings Ahead Of Inauguration
Multiple polls out this morning give Barack Obama some incredibly high approval ratings in the days leading up to his inauguration. A new CBS/New York Times poll has 79% of Americans saying they are optimistic about the next four years with Obama as president, compared to only 16% who are pessimistic; the new CNN poll gives him an 84% approval rating; and the new ABC/Washington Post poll gives him an 80%-15% approval ratings.

Polls Also Show Approval For Obama's Economic Plan
The new CBS/NYT poll shows a 63%-24% approval of Obama's economic plan. The ABC/WaPo poll shows that 72% of Americans are confident that Obama's plan will improve the economy, compared to only 17% who are not confident. And the CNN poll finds 58%-40% approval for increased government spending to stimulate the economy, with support jumping to 71%-28% when the spending is combined with tax cuts.

More Polls: People Don't Like Bush
The new CBS/NYT poll gives George W. Bush an approval rating of only 22%, with a disapproval of 73%. The ABC/WaPo poll gives him a 33%-66% rating. And the CNN poll shows 68% of Americans rating George W. Bush's president as a failure, with only 31% saying it was a success.

Pelosi To Obama: Don't Wait For 2010, Repeal Bush Tax Cuts Sooner
During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Nancy Pelosi said that Barack Obama should not wait for the Bush tax cuts on the top-earners to expire, but should instead seek to repeal them ahead of schedule. However, she did add that any discussion on this issue is not part of the economic stimulus plan.

Axelrod Predicts Strong Action From Obama
David Axelrod told CNN that Barack Obama will take diplomatic action "early and aggressively." Said Axelrod: "I think that the events around the world demand that he act quickly, and I think you'll see him act quickly."

... hours before leaving office, did George W. Bush really just clear the way for U.S. arms transfers to the dictator-ravaged, unstable nation of Zimbabwe?

The White House just released a memo permitting the Southern African Development Community, which counts Zimbabwe as a member, to receive weapons in order to "strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace." Now, there may well be some barrier to Zimbabwe receiving weapons through the SADC -- Bush halted the weapons trade there back in 2002 -- but this doesn't look good.

The Defense Department inspector general's office tells us that their report on the military's TV pundits program is due online at 4pm today. The Bush administration says goodbye with another Friday news dump...

The White House has released excerpts from President Bush's prepared farewell address tonight. The snippets we have seen so far reveal a president concerned with his historical legacy, aware that his place in public opinion right now is simply horrific -- and who wants to make his case.

Bush will go out by reminding us of a very important fact about his presidency -- 9/11:

As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did. Every morning, I received a briefing on the threats to our Nation. And I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe.

...

There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions. But there can be little debate about the results. America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil.

Bush acknowledges that he has made some unpopular decisions, and that some things didn't work out well. But he asks Americans to remember that he made the tough calls:

Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks. There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right. You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made. But I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions.

Late Update: The full text of Bush's speech is available here.

You remember the mind-blowing New York Times reporton the Pentagon's program of seeding compliant military pundits on TV to promote the Iraq war, right? The Defense Department inspector general's office was required by law to release its investigation on the matter on Monday, but it's been a bit late.

Thankfully, Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NH) was on the case with a classic strongly worded letter. So now the report is expected to drop tomorrow.

With Inauguration Day around the corner, Washington is heavily focused on moving forward these days. But for those who don't mind a little strong medicine to prepare for tomorrow night's Will Ferrell George Bush Farewell Performance, the non-profit group OMB Watch has just put out a sterling report that illustrates the abdication of regulatory responsibility under Bush and its devastating consequences for the nation.

The Bush years may have exhausted writers' supply of negative adjectives, but the failure to use regulatory powers is one misstep of this administration that's not often discussed comprehensively -- partly because the regulatory process itself is so complicated. OMB Watch's report is purposely crafted in narrative form, making it almost a fun read (if you like tragedies).

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."

Here's a question that, quite literally, kept me awake last night.

Before acceding to Barack Obama's request for another $350 billion of financial bailout money, the House is set to take up a bill from Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) that would require some cash to be spent on foreclosure aid and set limits on executive compensation. But Frank's counterpart in the Senate, Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT), has suggested that yesterday's non-specific letter from Obama adviser Larry Summers might be enough to convince him that the incoming administration plans to spend the taxpayers' money more wisely.

And even Frank (before HuffPo reported it) has already shown his unquestioning faith in the Obama team. Here's what he said Friday while introducing his own bill to provide oversight of the second $350 billion:

[II]t doesn't have to be enacted. It would be helpful if it was. But if the bill passes the House with a large majority, and we have smart and cooperative people in this administration, I'm willing to accept their word that they will act as if it were the law.

Now to my question. How would progressives react if these were Republican lawmakers agreeing to take the word of John McCain -- or any Republican president succeeding George W. Bush? Would the response be universal alarm at Congress failing to exert even minimal oversight powers? Remember how much agita this remark caused?

Even though the resolution before the Senate is not as strong as I would like ... I will take the President at his word that he will try hard to pass a UN resolution and will seek to avoid war, if at all possible.

That was Hillary Clinton in October 2002, before the vote to authorize the Iraq war.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gets results! The director of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, Martin Sullivan, has just written back to Sanders' plea for a little logical cohesion in the caption hanging beneath the museum's new portrait of George W. Bush.

The portrait's caption, describing the Bush era, originally said that the 9/11 attacks "led to" the war in Iraq. After Sanders pointed out the obvious flaw in that causal correlation -- Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 -- Sullivan replied: "Our intention was to remind viewers of the portrait that the listed events were defining moments in the Bush presidency, within the limited space of an object label. I appreciate your concern, however, about the words 'led to.' We will revise the label and delete the words 'led to.'"

Score one for historical accuracy. Now where's that Bush Truth & Reconciliation Commission?

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has written to the Smithsonian raising questions about the caption that sits beneath its new portrait of George W. Bush. The current wording of the caption states that Bush's term was marked by "the attacks on September 11, 2001, that led to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." Sanders, bless his heart, points out that the 9/11 attacks -- all together, now -- had nothing to do with the Iraq war.

From Sanders' letter to Martin Sullivan, director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington:

When President Bush and Vice President Cheney misled our country into the war in Iraq, they certainly cited the attacks on September 11, along with the equally specious claim that Iraq possessed vast arsenals of weapons of mass destruction. The notion, however, that 9/11 and Iraq were linked, or that one "led to" the other, has been widely and authoritatively debunked ... Might I suggest that a reconsideration of the explanatory text next to the portrait of President Bush is in order[?]

If any readers happen to stop by the Portrait Gallery this month and see a new caption, please let us know.

Obama Reworking TARP To Reduce Foreclosures -- And Win Over Congress
The Wall St. Journal reports that the Obama transition team is working some key new conditions into the Wall St. bailout, in order to win Congressional authorization for the remaining $350 billion. The bailout would now place new restrictions on recipients, and funds would also be used for additional purposes such as preventing foreclosures.

Obama Meeting With Calderon Today
Barack Obama is meeting in Washington today with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, a customary practice for presidents-elect before their inauguration. A big topic of discussion will reportedly be the Mexico drug war.

Bush Holding Final Press Conference
President Bush is holding a 9:15 a.m. press conference today, which is believed to be his final presser before leaving office.

Voinovich Expected To Announce Retirement
Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH) is expected to announce today that he won't be running for a third term in 2010. The new development sets up this big swing state for what should be a very heated open-seat race.

Today: Burris' Lawyers In Washington
Roland Burris' attorneys will be in Washington today to press the Senate leadership on the legality of Burris' appointment to the Illinois Senate seat. This comes after Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White issued a certified copy of Burris' certificate of appointment -- though he did not sign the appointment itself -- and after the state Supreme Court declared that the appointment was legal under Illinois law regardless of White's signature.

The Forecast For Inauguration Day: Cold, But Dry
The weather forecast for January 20, Inauguration Day, currently predicts temperatures in the high 30s in Washington, with sunny skies and no precipitation. The New York Times points out that this is comparable to the sunny and cold weather for Bill Clinton's two inaugurals, and better than the foggy or icy weather that George W. Bush had for his two events.

WaPo: The Audacity Of Terry
The Washington Post reports that Terry McAuliffe's candidacy for governor of Virginia seems to be going against just about every fundamental assumption of state politics: "that successful candidates must have deep roots in Virginia, that they must spend years cultivating support in local and state party organizations and that, if they are Democrats, they must stay connected with conservative-minded Virginians by keeping their distance from the national party."

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 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.

Today: Minnesota Reviews The Vote Totals (Again)
The Minnesota state canvassing board is meeting at 10 a.m. ET today to review the Senate recount totals, after the campaigns had complained of clerical errors in the last spreadsheet, and is expected to show a total in line with the Franken campaign's estimate of a Franken lead between 35-50 votes. Then it's on to the next question: How to sort out the increasingly-bizarre impasse on counting wrongly-rejected absentee ballots.

Obama Gets Heckled In Hawaii
Barack Obama found himself getting heckled during his Hawaiian vacation, after he asked a cheering crowd whether they liked his golf game. One woman responded: "Better than your bowling."

GOP Leaders Seek Close Examination Of Obama Stimulus Plan
Republican leaders are getting ready to hold up Barack Obama's massive economic stimulus plan, with House leader John Boehner and Senate leader Mitch McConnell calling for a thorough vetting of the proposal as it makes its way through Congress. "As of right now, Americans are left with more questions than answers about this unprecedented government spending, and I believe the taxpayers deserve to know a lot more about where it will be spent before we consider passing it," said McConnell.

Hawaii Seeks To Grab The Obama Brand For Tourism
The Los Angeles Times reports that Hawaii is actively seeking to promote the impact that the islands had on Barack Obama's upbringing and outlook, showcasing the places where he's been. "When he lived here, it was 30 years ago," said John Monahan, head of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. "But the Hawaii experience deeply shaped who he is."

Palin's Daughter Bristol Gives Birth To Boy
Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol has given birth to a healthy boy, who has been named Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston. Congratulations and good luck to the whole Palin and Johnston families.

Ex-Bush Aides Say Katrina Ruined Him Politically
Former Bush aides Matthew Dowd and Dan Bartlett told Vanity Fair that Hurricane Katrina was the event that permanently wounded George W. Bush's credibility. "The president broke his bond with the public," said Dowd. "Once that bond was broken, he no longer had the capacity to talk to the American public."

Former Powell Aide: Bush A "Sarah Palin-Like President"
Former Colin Powell aide Lawrence Wilkerson also told Vanity Fair that Bush's inexperience and lack of knowledge in foreign affairs made him into "this Sarah Palin-like president," dependent on his advisers to know what was going on. It's hard to figure out who should feel more insulted by this comparison.

Illinois Lt. Gov.: We Can Have Blago Out Before Feb. 12
Appearing today on Face The Nation, Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn predicted that the state legislature could successfully impeach and remove Rod Blagojevich before Lincoln's 200th birthday on February 12. He also said that while he hopes they can have a special election to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat, it would not take place before June.

Obama Speaks To Condoleezza Rice About Israel
Barack Obama had an eight-minute phone call with Condoleezza Rice, monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza. However, an Obama spokesperson was careful to note that "there is one president at a time."

Caroline To NYT: "I Thought You Were The Crack Political Team"
In an interview with the New York Times, Caroline Kennedy became somewhat annoyed when asked to describe the moment when she decided to seek Hillary Clinton's Senate seat. "Have you guys ever thought about writing for, like, a woman's magazine or something?" said Kennedy. "I thought you were the crack political team."

Gibbs: Obama "Wants And Expects" Disagreement Within His Administration
In an interview with ABC News, incoming White House press secretary Robert Gibbs responded to the idea that Obama's politically diverse cabinet could lead to serious internal divisions. "I think the far greater risk is assembling a group of people that whenever the president opens their mouth they all nod their heads in agreement," said Gibbs, adding that Obama "wants and expects there to be disagreement within that room," with Obama making the final decisions.

Axelrod On Rick Warren Pick: We Have To Find Ways To Work Together
In an appearance on Meet The Press, David Axelrod defended the selection of Rick Warren to give the invocation at Barack Obama's inaugural. "You have a conservative evangelical pastor who's coming to participate in the inauguration of a progressive president," said Axelrod. "This is a healthy thing and a good thing for our country. We have to find ways to work together on the things on which we do agree, even when we profoundly disagree on other things."

Laura Bush: The Shoe-Thrower Shows That Iraqis Are Now Much Freer
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Laura Bush said she was offended at the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at the president, but also looked on the bright side. "As bad as the incident is, in my view, it is a sign that Iraqis feel a lot freer to express themselves," said Mrs. Bush.

Laura Bush: The Bush Presidency Was Not A Failure
Also in her Fox News interview, Laura Bush rebutted the charge that her husband's administration was a failure. "I know it's not, and so I don't really feel like I need to respond to people that view it that way," said Mrs. Bush. "I think history will judge and we'll see later."

Poll: FDR Edges Out Reagan As Better President
As a further sign that the country appears to be taking a real turn to the left, a new Rasmussen poll pitted Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan against each other in a two-man race, asking respondent who was the better president. The numbers: Roosevelt 45%, Reagan 40%, with a ±3% margin of error.

As President Bush gets ready to leave office, a new CNN poll lays out the extent to which the American people despise him.

CNN asked respondents whether various positive attributes applied to President Bush. In all cases the answer was No, and in most cases it was overwhelming. The list just goes on and on:

Thinking about the following characteristics and qualities, please say whether you think it applies or doesn't apply to George W. Bush:

Is a strong and decisive leader: Yes 45%, No 55%

Cares about people like you: Yes 37%, No 62%

Brought the kind of change the country needed: Yes 13%, No 86%

Is honest and trustworthy: Yes 37%, No 62%

Managed the government effectively: Yes 25%, No 75%

Is a person you admire: Yes 27%, No 72%

Shares your values: Yes 34%, No 65%

Generally agrees with you on issues you care about: Yes 34%, No 66%

Inspires confidence: Yes 20%, No 80%

Has united the country and not divide it: Yes 17%, No 82%

Was tough enough for the job: Yes 49%, No 51%

Can get things done: Yes 31%, No 69%

On top of this, 75% say they are glad Bush is leaving office, compared to only 23% who say they'll miss him. And 66% want him to get out of public life, with 33% saying he should remain active.

President Bush, in an interview with Real Clear Politics:

"I still think we're a right-of-center country," the President responded when asked whether the election offered proof that the ideological center of the country had shifted to the left.

Never mind that huge majorities support Obama's domestic and foreign policy agena, which includes pulling out of Iraq, talking to hostile foreign leaders, making health care available to everyone, hiking taxes on the rich, combating global warming, etc. etc.

This really isn't complicated. President Bush was not being "blunt" or showing "candor" when he told ABC News in an interview published yesterday that his biggest regret was the failure of intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq War.

Rather, he was whitewashing away his own role in the fisaco by promoting the demonstrable falsehood that there was no available evidence or information that argued against war and that he was merely fooled into invading Iraq solely by the bad intel.

The big news orgs seem eager to help Bush do this. Not a single one of their reports on the interview that we can find bothered to tell readers that there was plenty of good intel -- ignored by the Bush administration -- saying that Saddam wasn't the threat Bush was claiming he was. Nor did any of them bother mentioning that the weapons inspectors in Iraq were saying the same thing -- something that also went ignored.

These facts are absolutely central to understanding Bush's efforts to falsify history in yesterday's interview. Yet they went unmentioned in reports by Reuters, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, CNN, and The New York Times.

Worse, at least one news org pretended that Bush was making some kind of admission or concession here. WaPo hailed Bush's "candor" and said he was being "unusually blunt."

Let's go over this very slowly. For Bush to blame the failure of intel for his decision to invade is not a concession at all, and it is not an admission of failure on his part. Rather, it is the opposite of these things. It is an evasion of responsibility for what happened.

Yet the big news orgs seem unable -- or unwilling -- to grasp this simple dynamic or give readers the info they need to understand it, and for some reason are perfectly willing to enable Bush's falsification of history.

As if right on cue, Barack Obama's successful national security presser today, in which he declared that the "buck stops with me" and took full responsibility for his presidency's vision, is cast in an even more positive light by the deeply pathetic interview that his predecessor just gave to ABC News.

In the interview, which was conduced by Charlie Gibson, George W. Bush evades responsibility for his catastrophic foreign policies to the last, saying that his greatest regret was over something that he allegedly didn't control -- the intel failure in Iraq:

BUSH: I don't know -- the biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq. A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein. It wasn't just people in my administration; a lot of members in Congress, prior to my arrival in Washington D.C., during the debate on Iraq, a lot of leaders of nations around the world were all looking at the same intelligence. And, you know, that's not a do-over, but I wish the intelligence had been different, I guess.

Of course, Bush made the decision to overlook all the good intel -- not to mention the claims of those poor forgotten inspectors -- saying that Saddam wasn't really a threat at all, or certainly not one requiring the response Bush himself ordered.

One overlooked thing about this is that not only Bush, but many supporters of the war -- Dems and liberal hawks included -- also have a vested interest in pretending that the good intel never existed and those inspectors never said what they said. Those inconvenient historical facts reflect rather badly on them, too. With so many opinion-makers having vested interests of their own in telling the story this way, history has been tidily rewritten, and Bush is able to make this claim without a peep of objection from his big-time network interviewer.

In other news from the interview, Bush conceded that he was "unprepared for war," though he meant it more by way of saying that he hadn't asked for war. No follow-up from his interviewer about the war of choice Bush started, or the fact that the self-described role of "war president" wasn't one Bush was all that adverse to adopting.

Late Update: Matthew Yglesias adds the crucial context here, which is that it was the complete lack of an "opposition party" that is largely responsible for so much going "down the memory hole."

A new Gallup poll shows that Barack Obama's post-election honeymoon period has already begun, with the president-elect sporting a very high favorable rating of 70%, with only 25% unfavorable. Any bad blood from the messy general election seems to have passed for now, with only a hardcore GOP base registering an unfavorable opinion of him.

George W. Bush, meanwhile, is exiting the White House in pretty bad shape. He has only a 27% job approval rating and a 66% disapproval rating -- the worst of any president who has served out his full term of office in Gallup history. The runners-up are Harry Truman (32%-56%) and Jimmy Carter (34%-55%).

Late Update: The new CNN poll also has some bad news for Bush, with a 76% disapproval in this survey. This would make him even more unpopular than Richard Nixon at the time of the resignation.

Late Late Update: Here's another number in the CNN poll showing just how daunting things are for Obama: An astonishing 83% of the country says things are going badly. On the one hand this could suggest that Obama would have nowhere to go but up in improving people's feelings about the country's direction -- but if he fails to significantly move the numbers after he's sworn in, his own job approval could quickly suffer.

Obama To Meet Bush Today
Barack Obama will hold his first in-person transition meeting with President Bush today, with a private meeting in the Oval Office. This meeting holds extra significance for Obama, as well -- he's never actually been in the Oval Office before, a place that he'll be getting to know a lot better over the next four to eight years.

Van Hollen To Stay At DCCC
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has announced that he is staying on for a second consecutive term as head of the DCCC, a break from the usual Democratic practice of switching that office every cycle. On top of his extended campaign role, Van Hollen will also take on an expanded policy role, as a liaison between the House Dems and the Obama Administration.

Alaska Results Could Take Two Weeks To Know
Roll Call reports that results might not be known in the Alaska Congressional races for two weeks, as the state gets to work counting over 80,000 absentee ballots. The big question for incumbent Senator and convicted felon Ted Stevens (R) is whether those votes are made up more of early voters for Barack Obama and the Dem ticket, or military personnel and oil workers in remote areas who break Republican.

Some Bush Appointees Guaranteed To Stay On
The Washington Post points out that Barack Obama will still have at least three Bush appointees to work with come January: Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen, and FBI Director Robert Mueller, who all have fixed terms instead of serving at the pleasure of the president. "His campaign's success was based partly on the selection of a team he personally trusted," the Post comments, "but in his first years in the White House, he will not be able to rely solely on advisers of his choosing."

Minnesota Secretary Of State: I'll Get The Recount Right
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (D) is promising a fair and non-partisan process in the Minnesota Senate recount -- but it's going to be slow: "People who are the most active have a kind of bias to want to get [results] fast. Election administrators have a bias for wanting it correct, transparent and trusted."

"Barack" Quickly Becoming A Popular Name
Barack Obama's unusual name might not be so unusual for much longer, as new mothers the world over are already naming their baby boys "Barack" in honor of the president-elect and his historic election. In just a single hospital in Kenya, 23 boys were named "Barack" and 20 girls named "Michelle" from Election Day through this past Saturday.

John McCain's newest one-minute TV ad, set to air nationally, features McCain essentially admitting that the Bush years have been bad for the country -- -- a last ditch effort to dump the albatross (Bush) that has essentially defined this race and weighed him down from the start.

"The last eight years haven't worked very well, have they?" McCain says. "I'll make the next four better." McCain then proceeds to go after the opposition -- but curiously never saying "Obama" or "Democrats" by name -- on issues like taxes and energy.

This ad really does speak to the fundamental dynamic at work in this race: The country is in the hole, and the Republican Party has struggled to give voters a reason to let them continue in office. In an environment like this, it's hard for any GOP candidate to really argue with any plausibility that he can improve things.