Cabinet post for Clinton roils Obamaland  —  Barack Obama's serious flirtation with his one-time rival, Hillary Clinton, over the post of secretary of State has been welcomed by everyone from Henry Kissinger to Bill Clinton as an effective, grand gesture by the president-elect.

Administration Protects Bush Appointees by Converting Positions to Career Civil Service Jobs  —  Political Positions Shifted To Career Civil Service Jobs  —  Just weeks before leaving office, the Interior Department's top lawyer has shifted half a dozen key deputies …

The Lieberman Vote: What It Means and Why  —  This morning the Senate Democratic caucus will gather to decide the fate of renegade Sen. Joe Lieberman — a decision freighted with symbolism for the party as it prepares to assume full control of the levers of power in Washington.

Victory in Iraq Day  —  We won.  The Iraq War is over.  —  I declare November 22, 2008 to be “Victory in Iraq Day.”  (Hereafter known as “VI Day.")  —  By every measure, The United States and coalition forces have conclusively defeated all enemies in Iraq, pacified the country …

A Conversion in ‘This Storm’  —  Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. had a stern message for more than two dozen of the nation's most powerful hedge fund managers gathered in the third-floor conference room near his office.  —  Paulson told them it was time to begin regulating …

COLEMAN WINS, FRANKEN LOSES; RECOUNT BEGINS TOMORROW  —  Norm Coleman will be certified the winner of the contest for Minnesota's Senate seat by the state Canvassing Board today.  Yesterday the Franken campaign asked the board not to certify the result until certain rejected absentee ballots are included in the final count.

Web Sites That Dig for News Rise as Watchdogs  —  SAN DIEGO — Over the last two years, some of this city's darkest secrets have been dragged into the light — city officials with conflicts of interest and hidden pay raises, affordable housing that was not affordable, misleading crime statistics.

Can Mall Be Filled For an Inauguration?  4 Million May Try It.  —  District and federal officials are preparing for as many as 4 million people for the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, a crowd that would be three or four times larger than previous big events on the Mall.

NEWSWEEK CONSIDERS ANTICHRIST TALK.... When bizarre, fringe publications speculate openly about who may or may not be the Antichrist, it's easy to dismiss.  When Newsweek publishes a 600-word piece on those who wonder about Obama being the Antichrist, one really has to wonder what on earth the editors were thinking.

“If You Leak, You're Gone.”  —  Several Obama transition staffers have put a version of that quotation in transition co-chief John Podesta's mouth.  —  Many of the major staff appointments so far - Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff, Greg Craig as White House counsel, the fact of the Clinton meeting …

Early Test for Obama on Domestic Spying Views  —  WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama will face a series of early decisions on domestic spying that will test his administration's views on presidential power and civil liberties.  —  The Justice Department will be asked to respond …

Some Abortion Foes Shifting Focus From Ban to Reduction  —  Frustrated by the failure to overturn Roe v. Wade, a growing number of antiabortion pastors, conservative academics and activists are setting aside efforts to outlaw abortion and instead are focusing on building social programs …

104 retired officers against 'don't ask-don't tell'  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — More than 100 retired U.S. military leaders — including the former head of the Naval Academy — have signed a statement calling for an end to the military's “don't ask-don't tell” policy, according to a California-based think tank that supports the movement.

Holbrooke lobbying to be secretary of State  —  The former U.N. ambassador faces a diplomatic test: convincing Obama to give him the prized job when he has a history of conflict with some of the president-elect's advisors.  —  Reporting from Washington — Former Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke negotiated …

E.D. Hill To Leave Fox News Channel  —  Exclusive: TVNewser has learned veteran Fox News Channel anchor E.D. Hill will not be renewed when her current contract expires.  Hill, who has been with Fox News for more than 10 years, will continue with the network for the next few months until her current deal expires.

Pirates Seize Saudi Supertanker  —  JIDDA, Saudi Arabia — Pirates captured a Saudi-owned supertanker loaded with more than $100 million worth of crude oil off the coast of Kenya, seizing the largest ship ever hijacked, United States Navy officials said Monday.

International food chain responds to blogger's demands, franchisee retracts gift, job protections added  —  “One down and many more to go,” said Mike Rogers of BlogActive.com in response to the successful result of pressure on the fast food chain Subway after it was disclosed that a franchisee gave $2,500 to the Yes on 8 campaign.

Does Military Service Help Candidates?  —  I interrupt this discussion of bagels to bring you a guest post from political scientist Jeremy Teigen:

Half of primary-care doctors in survey would leave medicine  —  (CNN) — Nearly half the respondents in a survey of U.S. primary care physicians said that they would seriously consider getting out of the medical business within the next three years if they had an alternative.

FDR On The Comeback Trail  —  I am sure most of you have seen the cover of the most recent Time magazine which portrays President-Elect Obama in a classic FDR photo.  It seems everyone now agrees that Obama needs to learn lessons from FDR.  Richard Cohen, while not getting his history exactly right (especially on Lincoln), writes:

Top Judge at Guantanamo Announces Retirement  —  The chief military judge at Guantanamo Bay announced his immediate retirement yesterday, effectively scuttling the slim chances that the trial of conspirators in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks could get underway before the Bush administration ends.