McConnell reaches out to Lieberman  —  Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has reached out to Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) about the prospect of joining the Republican Conference, but Lieberman is still bargaining with Democratic leaders to keep his chairmanship, according to Senate aides in both parties.

Transcript: 'I'm going to confront this economic crisis,' Obama says  —  CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) — Sen. Barack Obama spoke at a his first news conference as president-elect Friday afternoon.  The following is a transcript of the conference:  —  Obama: Thank you very much, everybody.

Obama has spoken only to living presidents  —  Obama says in his first post-election press conference that he's spoken to all the former presidents — Carter, Bush, Clinton, as well as the current Bush — and, looser than he's been in months, dares a joke at the expense of the widow of the most recently deceased.

Breaking News: Obama wins electoral vote in Nebraska  —  Barack Obama made history today in Nebraska.  —  The Democratic presidential candidate claimed an electoral vote in the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District — the first time in more than four decades a Democrat won any of Nebraska's electoral votes.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MINNESOTA?  —  When the polls closed Tuesday evening, Minnesota's Secretary of State's office showed that Norm Coleman had a 725-vote win in his closely contested race against Al Franken.  By the next morning, however, Coleman's victory was already shrinking.

Examples of Obama's Decency  —  I've had some people demanding evidence — any evidence — that Obama is a decent or good man.  I've learned as a lawyer and a blogger that you can't convince someone who resists being convinced, and on the issue of Obama's positive qualities …

Juicy Bits Surfacing in Rather Case: In 2004, CBS Considered Matt Drudge, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter Independent Panel  —  This week, Dan Rather's legal team submitted a memorandum to the judge overseeing Mr. Rather's $70 million civil lawsuit against his former employers …

Conservatives blame moderates for GOP losses  —  (CNN) — A conservative leader Friday laid the Republican Party's poor showing at the polls at the feet of moderates who, he argues, led the party away from its core principles.  —  Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council told CNN …

Obama Victory Alters the Tenor of Iraqi Politics  —  BAGHDAD — Barack Obama may have been elected only three days ago, but his victory is already beginning to shift the political ground in Iraq and the region.  —  Iraqi Shiite politicians are indicating that they will move faster toward …

The Campaign Autopsy  —  In my previous life, I witnessed far more difficult postmortems.  This one is easy.  The patient was fatally stricken on Sept. 15 — caught in the rubble when the roof fell in (at Lehman Brothers, according to the police report) — although he did linger until his final, rather quiet demise on Nov. 4.

Focus on the Family compares Obama victory to Nazi bombing.»  —  Yesterday evening, James Dobson's Focus on the Family Action sent out a fundraising e-mail lamenting the victory of Barack Obama.  (Dobson had personally endorsed the McCain-Palin ticket.)

Emanuel Was Director Of Freddie Mac During Scandal  —  New Obama Chief of Staff, Others on Board, Missed “Red Flags” of Alleged Fraud Scheme  —  President-elect Barack Obama's newly appointed chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, served on the board of directors of the federal mortgage firm Freddie Mac …

Change I Can Believe In  —  I have dreams.  I may seem like a boring pundit whose most exotic fantasies involve G.A.O. reports, but deep down, I have dreams.  And right now I'm dreaming of the successful presidency this country needs.  I'm dreaming of an administration led by Barack Obama …

Palin-McCain: Van Susteren and Leno  —  Sarah Palin, calling the campaign aides spreading rumors about are “a bunch of jerks,” told CNN today that it's “not true” that she didnt know Africa is a continent.  —  Palin will get a chance to talk about African geography and anything else …

A Butler Well Served by This Election  —  For 34 Years, Eugene Allen Carried White House Trays With Pride.  Now There's Even More Reason to Carry Himself That Way.  —  For more than three decades Eugene Allen worked in the White House, a black man unknown to the headlines.

‘Compassionate’ Conservatism Was a Mistake  —  The liberal pundits who embraced the candidacy of Barack Obama are also eager to issue a death certificate for free market capitalism.  They're wrong, and they remind me of what the great Willie Nelson once said: “I'm ragged but I'm right.”

Obama Comment of the Year  —  “With respect to the dog ... we have two criteria that have to be reconciled..."*  —  Update: A reader offers some useful advice:  —  The Obamas should get a retired racing Greyhound.  Tens of thousands are available.  They come already housebroken …

69% of GOP Voters Say Palin Helped McCain  —  Sixty-nine percent (69%) of Republican voters say Alaska Governor Sarah Palin helped John McCain's bid for the presidency, even as news reports surface that some McCain staffers think she was a liability.  —  Only 20% of GOP voters say Palin hurt …

The N-bomb is dropped on black passersby at Prop 8 protests  —  You could see this coming, and this is what I'm talking about when you ignore the elephant in the room.  Rod McCullom of Rod 2.0 blogs reports on the escalation of the “blame the blacks” meme that has been swirling about the blogosphere and the MSM.