As the Handoff Begins, a Visit Both Historic and Perhaps Awkward  —  WASHINGTON — For nearly two years on the campaign trail, Senator Barack Obama rarely missed a chance to take a swipe at President Bush.  The name George W. Bush invariably followed the phrase “failed policies” in Mr. Obama's speeches.

Right-wing media feeds its post-election anger  —  Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity dive shamelessly in, talking about the ‘Obama recession’ and other partisan lines.  —  You have to give Rush Limbaugh a perverse kind of credit.  At least when he is demonizing Barack Obama, fabricating Obama policies …

Jamie Gorelick  —  As he prepares to take office, President-elect Barack Obama is relying on a small team of advisers who will lead his transition operation and help choose the members of a new Obama administration.  Following is part of a series of profiles of potential members of the administration.

TALENT SHOPS COURTING PALIN  —  SARAH Palin won't be vice president, but she won the hearts of talent scouts and literary agents who are scrambling to sign her to multimillion-dollar contracts.  —  CAA, ICM, William Morris, Paradigm and other agencies “smell books, talk shows and commentary for Fox and CNN” …

The night we waved goodbye to America... our last best hope on Earth … Anyone would think we had just elected a hip, skinny and youthful replacement for God, with a plan to modernise Heaven and Hell - or that at the very least John Lennon had come back from the dead.

Planning under way for Obama holiday  —  The Capital-Journal  —  Plans are being made to promote a national holiday for Barack Obama, who will become the nation's 44th president when he takes the oath of office Jan. 20.  —  “Yes We Can” planning rallies will be at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. every Tuesday …

BATTLE PLANS  —  How Obama won.  —  Obama's strategy worked, with only minor alterations, throughout the campaign.  —  Last June, Joel Benenson, who was Barack Obama's top pollster during his Presidential run, reported on the state of the campaign.  His conclusions, summed …

Now: We Get Our Lives Back  —  As I find myself barely able to function this weekend, I did manage to go for a bike ride, walk the dogs, and catch up on a few Netflix projects (finishing off John Adams, “The Savages”, the rest of Season 11 of The Simpsons).  What is this I'm feeling?

GOP leader: Rebuild party based on ‘sanctity of marriage’  —  The Republican brand is still alive and well, Rep. Mike Pence said on Fox News Sunday.  —  When asked by Chris Wallace what “conservative solutions” the GOP would bring to their current minority-party status, Pence said social issues like …

Lieberman can still help Dems, Reid says  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Sunday he's still trying to keep Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman within the Democratic caucus despite anger over Lieberman's support of Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Secret Order Lets U.S. Raid Al Qaeda in Many Countries  —  WASHINGTON — The United States military since 2004 has used broad, secret authority to carry out nearly a dozen previously undisclosed attacks against Al Qaeda and other militants in Syria, Pakistan and elsewhere, according to senior American officials.

A.I.G. May Get More in Bailout  —  The Bush administration was overhauling its rescue of the American International Group on Sunday night, according to people involved in the deal, amid signs that the interest on its current credit line of more than $100 billion was putting too much strain on the ailing insurer.

Trapping The Apostle  —  I like dday's optimism below, but if you want to see what the village elders are saying about all this “change”, this morning's Fareed Zakaria show on CNN will give you a clue.  —  Zakaria hosted a panel of historians and establishment icons, Walter Isaacson …

Like the Dwights and Lyndons of Old, Baby Baracks All Over  —  Decontee Williams was so excited by Barack Obama's victory on Tuesday night that she started jumping up and down — and went into labor.  Twelve hours later, Barack Jeilah was born at Phoenix Baptist Hospital to Ms. Williams and Prince Jeilah.

Dem groups claim Obama win  —  Featured Topics: - Barack Obama - Presidential Transition  —  John F. Kennedy famously said that “victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan,” an adage born out over the last three days as reporters' inboxes have overflowed with e-mails …

Van Hollen to Stay as Chair of House Democrats' Campaign Arm  —  After bringing at least two dozen new Democrats to the House in Tuesday's elections, Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D) has agreed to try to duplicate that achievement in 2010 as chair of the caucus's campaign arm.

The return of the real  —  Sarah Baxter in today's Sunday Times: … In saying this, Sarah reprises the theme of the opening words of Obama's victory speech in Chicago.  For a substantial part of the last eight years it has been impossible to escape the voices of all those who have been telling us …

In California, Protests Over Gay Marriage Vote  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Reaction to the passage of a measure banning same-sex marriage continued to sweep across California on Sunday, with hundreds of protesters rallying outside an Orange County megachurch whose popular pastor brought …

Gingrich says he'd serve as GOP chairman — if the RNC wants him  —  Newt Gingrich has let it be known that, if Republicans want him, the former U.S House speaker is willing to serve as chairman of the national party and lead it out of the wilderness it's blundered into.

Emanuel Urges Aid for Auto Industry  —  In his first televised interviews since being named the chief of staff for President-elect Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel on Sunday called for swifter action to lift the struggling auto industry and suggested Mr. Obama and President Bush might clash over a stimulus package.