memeorandum: Michelle Obama Taps Jackie Norris for Chief of Staff (The Trail/Washington Post)

5:10 PM ET, November 20, 2008

Top Items:

Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:

Waxman dethrones Dingell as chairman — California Rep. Henry A. Waxman on Thursday officially dethroned longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, upending a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades. — In a secret ballot vote in the Cannon Caucus Room …

Discussion: Associated Press, Bloomberg, The New Republic, TIME.com, Reuters and Newshoggers.com

Mike Soraghan / The Hill:

Waxman wrestles gavel from Dingell — Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will become the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee after House Democrats voted to replace current Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.). — Waxman won 137-122 in the secret ballot vote.

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Crypt's Blogs, The Swamp, The Huffington Post, PoliGazette, Booman Tribune, The Reaction, Washington Monthly, AMERICAblog News and DownWithTyranny!

TPM Election Central:

In Big Win For Liberals, Waxman Ousts Dingell As Energy And Commerce Chair — This is big, big, big. In a victory for the Democratic left, Rep. Henry Waxman has just successfully ousted Rep. John Dingell from his longtime perch as head of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Discussion: The New Republic and DownWithTyranny!

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:

WAXMAN WINS. — Secret Twitter sources say that Henry Waxman — who, according to my Google image search, is shorter than Arianne Huffington by a startling margin — just beat John Dingell for chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee by 15 votes. If you care about action on global warming, that's a very big deal indeed.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

Harold Meyerson / Washington Post:
A Job for Henry Waxman

Discussion: TPM Election Central, Matthew Yglesias and Beyond Green

John M. Broder / New York Times:
Longtime Head of House Energy Panel Is Ousted

Discussion: The Crypt's Blogs, Wonkette and Climate Progress

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

GOP Takes Another Image Hit Post-Election — Republicans favor tacking right; independents offer mixed guidance — USA - Democrats - Favorability - Government and Politics - Political Parties - Republicans - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — The Republican Party's image …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, MyDD, Boston Globe, The Swamp, Shakesville and Oxdown Gazette

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Most Americans Back Idea of Clinton as Secretary of State — Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats favor the possibility — USA - Election 2008 - Elections - Government - Party Affiliation - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds a majority of Americans …

Discussion: NO QUARTER and TIME.com

Kenneth R. Bazinet / NY Daily News:
Team Obama thinks Hil's people to blame for State speculation

Discussion: Townhall.com, Associated Press and The Politico

William Glaberson / New York Times:

Judge Orders Five Detainees Freed From Guantánamo — In the first hearing on the government's evidence for holding detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp for nearly seven years, a federal judge ruled on Thursday that five prisoners were being held an unlawfully and ordered their release.

Discussion: MoJoBlog, SCOTUSblog, The Heretik, ACSBlog, The Corner, The Washington Independent, Incertus and Discourse.net

Del Quentin Wilber / Washington Post:

Federal Judge Orders Release of 5 Guantanamo Detainees — Ruling Comes After Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on Right to Habeas Corpus — For the first time, a federal judge today ordered the release of enemy combatants from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba …

Discussion: Salon, Think Progress, Stop The ACLU, Law Blog, This ain't Hell …, The Washington Independent and The Agitator

Marin Cogan / The New Republic:

Bum Rush — Obama's secret plan to muzzle talk radio. Very, very secret. — Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and other friends have spent the past year screaming about the horrors of Barack Obama. And, while it's true that they talked ad nauseam about socialism and the Weathermen and Jeremiah Wright …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and Newshoggers.com

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE, PARANOIA, AND RIGHT-WING SELF-PITY. …

Discussion: PoliGazette, Human Events, Midwest Voices, The Anonymous Liberal and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Minnesota Public Radio:

Challenged ballots: You be the judge — Representatives from the campaigns of Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken have been challenging ballots across the state. — It's your turn to play election judge. Tell us how you would rule in the case of these challenged ballots.

Discussion: Washington Wire, Rachel Lucas, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, MoJoBlog, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air, Sister Toldjah, Bob Cesca's Goddamn …, Gawker, TPM Election Central, Betsy's Page, MSNBC, FiveThirtyEight.com, Alas, a blog, No More Mister Nice Blog, rubber hose, Swing State Project and The Debate Link

The Politico:

Senate GOP in big funk — A day after losing Ted Stevens' seat, along with their best hope for getting Joe Lieberman to cross over, Senate GOP leaders preached party unity as the key to surviving the Obama years. — If that doesn't work, there's always psychotherapy.

Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Senate Throws Good-Bye Party For Ted Stevens, Gives Convicted Felon …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, KTUU-TV and Matthew Yglesias

Andy Barr / The Politico:
Stevens leaves to a standing ovation

Discussion: Reuters, The Swamp and Associated Press

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press: Staffers weep as Ted Stevens gives last Senate speech

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Exclusive: Pritzker turns down Commerce — Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, national campaign finance chairwoman for the Obama campaign, has taken herself out of the running to be secretary of Commerce because of vetting issues, a Democratic official said.

Discussion: Top of the Ticket, Commentary, Lynn Sweet and The New Republic

Washington Post:
Pritzker: I Am Not a Candidate for Commerce Secretary

Discussion: The Swamp, The Politico, Hot Air, The Washington Independent, Hotline On Call, TIME.com and The Fix

The Huffington Post:

McCain Pollster Explains Loss, Calls Frank Luntz A Moron — The chief pollster for John McCain's presidential campaign offered a candid diagnosis of how his candidate was done in, on occasion reserving harsh words for fellow Republicans. — Bill McInturff, speaking at a National Journal breakfast …

New York Times:

Discussions With Clintons as Obama Creates Team — WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton has agreed to all of the conditions sought by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team to eliminate potential conflicts of interest if Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes secretary of state …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, The Reaction, Weekly Standard, Taylor Marsh, TIME.com, The Caucus, TalkLeft, Matthew Yglesias and TPM Election Central

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Clinton Decision Holding Up Other Obama Choices

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Democratic Strategist

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

What's Your Type? — This site claims to be able to analyze a blog and determine its “type.” I plugged the Dish in and it spat back this: … Take that, Patterico! Out of curiosity, I tried Reynolds: … And Yglesias: … And Hewitt: … Not too shabby, is it?

Discussion: StephenBainbridge.com and Kevin Drum

New York Times:

Iran Said to Have Nuclear Fuel for One Weapon — Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors. — The figures detailing Iran's progress …

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Think Progress, Hot Air, Commentary, Washington Post, democracyarsenal.org, Newshoggers.com, ThreatsWatch, Outside The Beltway, Soccer Dad, The Foundry, Stop The ACLU and Democracy in America

Michelle Malkin:

Obama taps Janet Napolitano for DHS: Shamnesty wolf in enforcement clothing — The buzz has Barack Obama tapping Arizona Democrat Gov. Janet Napolitano for DHS Secretary. — On the surface, it may seem a promising pick. Napolitano made a few pro-immigration enforcement moves in her state …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, JustOneMinute, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Moonbattery, Don Surber and Shakesville

Chris Orr / The New Republic:
Wooing McCain?

Discussion: Salon and Political Perceptions

Patt Morrison / Los Angeles Times:

California Rep. Linda Sanchez's baby announcement — It was planned, and so is a wedding in the future with the father. — When was the last time you read a baby announcement on the Op-Ed pages? — Exactly. So this is obviously more than baby news. It's about how far we've come, and where we may still fall short.

Discussion: American Power and The Sleuth

Reliable Source: Rep. Linda Sanchez: Pregnant Now, Marriage Later

Sen. Russ Feingold / Salon:

An unpardonable use of power — A departing president probably can't help thinking about the judgment of history. At the end of eight years, President Bush likely isn't any different. With the nation's attention focused on his successor, it may seem as if there is little opportunity left …

Discussion: Democrats.com and The Washington Independent

The Trail / Washington Post:

Michelle Obama Taps Jackie Norris for Chief of Staff — Incoming first lady Michelle Obama has tapped Jackie Norris, President-elect Barack Obama's Iowa state director to be her chief of staff. Norris, a high school government and history teacher and long-time Iowa Democrat …

Discussion: TIME.com

The Huffington Post:

World Leaders Don't Shake Bush's Hand At G20 Summit (VIDEO) — It appears in this video that President Bush's approval is in a sorrier state than polls indicate. In a video taken at the G20 summit, Bush walks across a line of world leaders without shaking or being asked to shake any of their hands.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Taylor Marsh