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.

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."

Obama: Let Us Celebrate The Peaceful Transfer Of Power
In his new Presidential YouTube Address, his last one before the inauguration, Barack Obama recognizes the importance of the transition of power, and how we often take the peaceful transfer of power for granted:

"Through the ages, many have struggled for the right to live in a land where power does not belong to one person or party, and many brave Americans have fought and died to help advance that right," Obama says. "Through the long twilight struggle of the Cold War, our transitions from one President to the next provided a stark contrast to the suffocating grip of Soviet Communism. And today, the resilience of our democracy stands in opposition to the extremists who would tear it down."

Obama And Biden On Whistle-Stop Tour
Barack Obama and Joe Biden are traveling today by train from Philadelphia to Baltimore, in a whistle-stop tour for people who want to see the new president-elect but wouldn't have been able to go to the inauguration itself. The Philadelphia event began earlier this morning, with Obama scheduled to met Joe Biden in Delaware at 1 p.m. ET, with another event scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET.

Obama In Philly: The Election Should Only Be The Beginning
Speaking to the crowd this morning in Philadelphia, Barack Obama declared that his election victory should only be the beginning of changing America for the better. "Starting now, let's take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union," Obama said, according to the prepared remarks. "Let's build a government that is responsible to the people, and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable. Let's all of us do our part to rebuild this country. Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning."

Obama Creates Political Organizing Committee
The Obama campaign is now being transformed into a new committee, "Organizing for America," which will leverage his database of 13 million e-mail addresses and other supporter information to set up community organizations across the country. Here's his YouTube announcing it:

Essentially, as the Associated Press points out, this will be his re-election campaign-in-waiting for 2012, as a parallel organization to the Democratic National Committee, in addition to the stated purpose of promoting his policy goals.

Obama: I Think I Can Keep The BlackBerry -- But I'll Be Careful
Barack Obama told CNN that he thinks he'll be able to keep his BlackBerry, rather than have to give it up over privacy and security concerns. "Now, my working assumption, and this is not new, is that everything I write on e-mail could end up being on CNN," Obama did say cautiously. "So I make sure that -- to think before I press 'send.'"

Obama Calls US Airways Pilot Sullenberger
The Obama transition team announced that Barack Obama yesterday called Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot of US Airways flight 1549 who safely landed his damaged passenger plane in the Hudson River, and spoke to him for five minutes. Obama thanked Sullenberger for his heroism.

Obama Promises Entitlement Reform, Action On Health Care
In an interview with the Washington Post editorial board, Barack Obama promised that his administration will make tough choices on entitlement spending. "Social Security, we can solve," said Obama. "The big problem is Medicare, which is unsustainable...We can't solve Medicare in isolation from the broader problems of the health-care system."

Obama Hitting The Sort-Of Campaign Trail For Stimulus Plan
Barack Obama is holding an event today in the Cleveland suburb of Bedford Heights, Ohio, where he'll be touring a factory that makes parts for wind turbines, in order to promote his economic stimulus plan. His meeting with factory workers to discuss the benefits of his plan is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET.

Biden's Senate Replacement To Be Sworn In Today
Senator-Designate Ted Kaufman (D-DE) is set to be sworn in today as Joe Biden's replacement. A political unknown, Kaufman served as Biden's Senate chief of staff from 1973-1994, and will only serve as a caretaker and not seek a full term in 2010 -- at which time Biden's son Beau is expected to run for the seat.

Steve King: Obama Can Say "Hussein," But I Can't
In an interview with Politico, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) criticized Barack Obama for saying he will use his middle name when he is sworn into office. King says it's a double standard that people on the right are attacked for referring to "Barack Hussein Obama," but Obama can do it himself: "Is that reserved just for him, not his critics?"

Blago Won't Attend Inaugural
Rod Blagojevich's office says he will not be attending Barack Obama's inauguration next week. Under most circumstances, it would be considered unusual for a governor to not attend the inauguration of his state's favorite son as president, but Blago's spokesman said the governor does not want to be a distraction.

With Small Numbers, House GOP Whip No Longer Whipping
The Hill reports that House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) is refocusing his job away from counting votes and ensuring party loyalty -- the official job of the whip -- and branching out into formulating policies and a party message. The reason: With only 178 members and having lost the presidency, House Republicans aren't in a position to win many votes.

GOPer Has Big Money For Virginia Gubernatorial Race
The new year-end fundraising reports from the candidates for governor of Virginia show that Republican nominee Bob McDonnell has more than $2 million in cash on hand. In the three-way Democratic primary field, state Sen. Creigh Deeds leads with $891,000, former state Del. Brian Moran has $770,000 on hand, Terry McAuliffe has $718,000 on hand -- an impressive amount, considering Terry only just recently got in the race.

The Senate just voted down a resolution that would have prevented Barack Obama from tapping the remaining $350 billion of the financial bailout. The final vote was 42-52, and there were vote-switchers galore since the chamber last agreed to give a boatload of cash to George Bush's Treasury Department.

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David Obey (D-WI), the House Appropriations Committee chairman, just met with reporters in his bright corner office to discuss the $825 billion economic stimulus bill that was released today.

The most striking message he had was so subtle that you almost missed it: Democrats have learned from their struggles after the 2006 election, when their failure to press a reversal of Bush's war policy left voters frustrated. This time, Obey wasn't making any promises that the stimulus bill would heal the recession. Not even close.

"You have to look at this bill not as a salvation for the economy by any means," he said. "It's simply the largest effort by any legislative body on the planet to try to take action to prevent economic catastrophe."

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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.

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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?

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Tonight: Bush's Farewell Address
President George W. Bush will be speaking at 8 p.m. ET on national television, giving his farewell address to the American people. Wait a minute -- wasn't that press conference on Monday more than enough?

No Obama Events Today
Barack Obama is holding private meetings at his transition office in Washington, and does not have any public events scheduled for today.

Obama Moving Into Blair House Today
Barack Obama is also set today to move into Blair House, the mansion that has served as a temporary domicile for presidents-elect. The Obama family previously wanted to move in earlier than usual, but were turned down by the Bush Administration.

Today: Burris To Be Sworn In
Roland Burris will be sworn in today as the junior senator from Illinois. This is a great day for Burris, obviously, and a very mixed day for the Democratic leadership -- on the one hand this matter has been settled and they are seating a new Democratic member, but on the other hand they were thwarted in their efforts to block any appointment by Rod Blagojevich.

Senate To Vote On TARP Money
The Senate is scheduled to vote today on a motion to block the remaining $350 billion of the $700 billion Wall St. bailout. Even if this motion passes, it is certain to be vetoed by either George W. Bush or by Barack Obama after he takes office.

WaPo: Geithner Nomination Too Big To Fail
The Washington Post points out that even most Republican Senators aren't complaining about the Timothy Geithner nomination, in the wake of stories about his tax problems, because the alternative is to derail a nomination for Treasury in the middle of an economic crisis. Dana Milbank sums it up: "Put another way, the guy is too big to fail."

NYT: Pentagon Crafting New Iraq Plans For Obama
The New York Times reports that military commanders are drawing up plans for a quicker withdrawal from Iraq than previously planned out, in order to be more in line with Barack Obama's stated policies in favor of exiting sooner. "Various options are being drawn up to give the new president choices," said one military planner involved.

Boxer Saving Committee Seat For Caroline
The New York Times reports that Barbara Boxer, as chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is holding Hillary Clinton's seat on the committee open just for Caroline Kennedy, should she be appointed. "I would love to see Caroline Kennedy in the Senate and I would love to have her on my committee to replace Senator Clinton," said Boxer.

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.

Barack Obama hasn't been sworn in yet, but he's already hitting the road to promote his economic plan.

The Obama transition team just announced that Obama will traveling on Friday to the Cleveland suburb of Bedford Heights, Ohio. Obama will tour a local factory that makes parts for wind turbines, and will discuss how his plan would help the workers there and others like them by investing in alternative energy.

We might only have one president at a time, as the saying goes. But there's certainly still room for multiple politicians.

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."

Barack Obama is palling around with who, now?

A pool report tonight shows that Obama left his temporary home at the Hay-Adams hotel tonight to go to the home of none other than George Will, for a cocktail party that also included Bill Kristol and David Brooks.

To be a fly on the wall...

The Senate Finance Committee just released a memo detailing the two gaffes that are causing a media storm today over Treasury secretary-designate Tim Geithner.

According to the committtee's inquiry, Geithner recently filed five years of amended tax returns, taking care of self-employment tax bills that it appears he had mistakenly not paid while working abroad for the International Monetary Fund. He ended up paying the bills, with interest, at a cost of $31,536 $43,200. About $26,000 of that total was paid to settle tax bills from 2001 and 2002 after Geithner was nominated by Barack Obama last month.

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As I mentioned earlier this morning, Tuesday lunches in the Senate are always a scene -- except when a president-elect comes to visit. Then they become a total madhouse.

The shoving scrum of reporters and cameramen aside, the Senate's mood was palpable. Remember that trust game, so popular at summer camp and workplace bonding events, where one blindfolded person had to fall backwards into a line of outstretched hands from his compatriots? Democratic senators and Obama are playing it now.

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The president-elect is headed to the weekly Senate Democratic lunch meeting today to make his case for a release of the second half of the financial bailout money. It sounds like news -- after all, as the AP reports, Barack Obama is "putting his persuasion skills to a high-stakes test" with today's visit. But what makes the lunch date in itself significant? Here's my take.

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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.

Obama Meeting Senate Dems Today, Will Press On Bailout
Barack Obama is heading to Capitol Hill today for the weekly lunch of the Senate Democrats, part of his outreach to Capitol Hill. Obama is expected to lobby the Senate Dems on obtaining the authorization for the remaining $350 billion of the Wall St. bailout, and it seems reasonable to expect he'll also work on getting his economic stimulus package approved.

Today: Hillary's Confirmation Hearing
Hillary Clinton will be appearing at 9:30 a.m. ET before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for her confirmation hearing to be Secretary of State, and is expected to easily win confirmation. Hillary will reportedly tell the committee: "I believe American leadership has been wanting, but is still wanted."

Bernanke: Obama Stimulus Would Lift Economy, But Other Reforms Also Needed
Speaking today at the London School of Economics, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that Barack Obama's stimulus plan would give a "significant boost" to the economy. However, he also cautioned that other reforms are needed for the financial system, and that a fiscal stimulus alone isn't likely to produce a lasting recovery.

NYT: Closing Gitmo Will Take A While
The New York Times reports that Barack Obama's plans to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay will face numerous logistical difficulties: "One transition official said the new administration expected that it would take several months to transfer some of the remaining 248 prisoners to other countries, decide how to try suspects and deal with the many other legal challenges posed by closing the camp."

Obama Transition Team: He Looks Forward To Working With Burris
Obama transition team spokesman Dan Pfeiffer released this statement last night, welcoming Roland Burris to Washington: "As the President-elect has said repeatedly, he knows Roland Burris and has high regard for him. He looks forward to working with Senator Burris and the rest of the United States Senate to rebuild our economy and meet the great challenges of our time."

Obama Will Address House GOP In A Few Weeks
The Hill reports that Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to address the House Republican caucus a few weeks after being inaugurated. "We hope this will be the beginning of a positive working relationship with House Republicans at the start of your administration," the GOP leadership wrote in their invitation.

Cheney Writing A Book
Dick Cheney told Sean Hannity yesterday that he's writing a book about his experiences in public services. "I've got 40 years since I came to town to stay 12 months," Cheney said. "I've got a lot of stories to tell. And a few scores to settle."

I know I wasn't the only one troubled by the president-elect's interview with ABC News yesterday, when he was asked about adopting a uniform, torture-free military interrogation standard and replied (emphasis mine): "...And if our top army commanders feel comfortable with interrogation techniques that are squarely within the boundaries of rule of law..."

But this is certainly a good sign. From Politico:

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) said he's been informed that President Obama will support his proposed legislation to make public some opinions from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which issued some of the Bush Administration's most sweeping claims of executive power. Obama also has promised to limit President Bush's practice of using "signing statements" to amend legislation.

Here's a link to the Library of Congress' summary of Feingold's bill, which was passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last year with one cosponsor -- brace yourselves, liberals, it was the oft-maligned Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). The legislation would essentially require Congress to be notified when any justice department releases a legal memo interpreting the constitutionality of federal statutes or exempting the president from any newly passed law.

Coming three days after the Bush DoJ's Office of Legal Counsel released a last gasp of abusive, ill-advised, law-stretching secret memos, this is a welcome sign.

Barney Frank (D-MA), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, proposed on Friday to impose new limits on companies receiving funds under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (a.k.a. "the bailout"). The Frank bill is poised for a vote in the House this week, timed to coincide with the joint Bush-Obama call for Congress to release $350 billion more in bailout money.

But what's this? While the Frank bill moves towards passage, Senate Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) suggests that a letter of assurances from the incoming Obama administration, detailing its promises for responsible use of the bailout cash, could be enough to alleviate Dems' concerns.

From the Politico:

Dodd said he's prepared to draft legislation, mirroring a bill proposed by Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass) last week, to call for a broadening of the TARP program and for more oversight, but he said that a letter from Obama's team - instead of additional legislation - could be sufficient to alleviate concerns in Congress.

"The Obama administration wants to rebrand this process," he said. "They realize it has been terribly mismanaged, they realize in order to be effective in assisting our credit markets to get them unclogged and moving again, this program has to be far better run than it has been.

Now, I'm not suggesting that the Obama administration harbors nefarious intentions to renege on its promises for stricter conditions on the second half of the TARP money. But a letter, no matter how well-intentioned, lacks the force of law -- and as Democrats take care to underscore their independence from Obama, they'd be well-served to make sure their oversight goals are set in stone.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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