Eric Holder. Tim Geithner. Now, Tom Daschle. All three men remain highly likely to be confirmed to the Cabinet -- but that hasn't stopped the GOP and the media, assisted by the hothouse Washington news cycle, from weaving a pattern of perceived political "stumbles" or "mistakes" by Barack Obama's transition team.

Take Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-PA) opening statement during the Judiciary Committee's Holder hearing today. After noting that his tirades against Holder have been criticized as politically motivated, Specter proceeded to take cover behind the media.

Read more »

Following on its scoop on Tim Geithner's taxes, the Journal reports today on a new vetting problem with Health & Human Services nominee Tom Daschle, a former Senate Democratic leader. It seems that Daschle accepted corporate jet flights from a non-profit student-loan company called EduCap, which is already the subject of inquiries into its tax status.

Okay ... the next question might be, so what? If every prominent Washington figure was hassled for using the private planes of companies under scrutiny, the government would stop running altogether. (Sometimes it feels like that already happened.) So why is EduCap a potential headache for Daschle?

Read more »

Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent (a TPM alum) spots one last attempt at relevancy from outgoing attorney general Michael Mukasey. It seems that the departing AG is not too fond of Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) bill requiring Congress to be notified whenever any president is deemed exempt from laws by secret DoJ memos.

We mentioned the president-elect's approval of the Feingold plan on Monday, so it's unlikely that Mukasey's bluster about its constitutionality will have any effect. But for Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, this could be the start of something good. They'll eventually be taking up the nomination of Dawn Johnsen, Obama's stellar pick to head the DoJ's Office of Legal Counsel, and Johnsen's support for the Feingold bill could turn into a reason for conservatives to slow down her confirmation.

In the airy, expansive room known as 216 Hart Senate Office Building, the site of many highly anticipated and attended congressional events, Hillary Clinton is in the midst of her confirmation hearing to become Barack Obama's secretary of state.

Clinton is as close as Washington comes to a shoo-in, but that doesn't mean her testimony is without genuine drama. Conservative Republicans on the Foreign Relations Committee -- particularly Sens. Bob Corker (TN), David Vitter (LA) and Jim DeMint (SC)-- are determined to give her as rough a ride as they can, which means plenty of questions about foreign donors to Bill Clinton's presidential library and foundation.

Meanwhile, the media is still casting panel chairman John Kerry (D-MA) in the beleaguered second-fiddle role he assumed after the 2004 election, citing his dashed hopes to head Obama's state department as a possible indication of confirmation tensions.

But beneath the surface maneuverings, Clinton's nomination to State is one of those storied transitions that members of Congress -- no matter their party -- love to guide to fruition. The hearing is packed with members of Clinton's family and has already inspired a look back to Kerry's famous "Winter Soldier" testimony on Vietnam before the foreign relations panel 38 years ago.

When the curtain falls on Clinton's appearance today, the TV cameras and pack of reporters will disperse to the next confirmation event -- one hopes they'll continue talking about the issues that are raised while the microphones are on.

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

So let me get this straight:

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

This is a profile in courage how exactly?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read more »

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

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

Read more »