The Waxman Democrats  —  What the coup against Dingell means for business.  —  John Dingell's fall from power yesterday is an important inflection point in the history of the modern Democratic Party.  The House purge marks the final triumph of the Congressional generation that came …

Clinton Is Said to Opt for Secretary of State Position  —  Hillary Rodham Clinton has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state, making her the public face around the world for the administration of the man who beat her for the Democratic presidential nomination, two confidants said Friday.

Marine general may head National Security Council  —  President-elect Barack Obama is close to landing James L. Jones, the well-known retired Marine Corps general, as his national security adviser, sources said.  —  Jones is a former Marine Corps commandant and was head of U.S. and NATO forces in Europe …

Sarah Palin Turkey Incident: Does TV Interview While Turkeys Are Slaughtered In The Background (VIDEO)  —  Some videos you just have to see to believe.  On Thursday, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin appeared in Wasilla in order to pardon a local turkey in anticipation of Thanksgiving.

Richardson to Commerce?  —  Is New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson in line to become Commerce Department chief?  (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)  —  Updated, 1:58 p.m.  —  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has emerged as a “serious contender” to head the Commerce Department under President-elect Barack Obama …

EXCLUSIVE: Obama to delay repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell'  —  Advisers see consensus building before lifting ban on gays  —  President-elect Barack Obama will not move for months, and perhaps not until 2010, to ask Congress to end the military's decades-old ban on open homosexuals in the ranks …

No Way.  No How.  No Brennan.  —  Marc reports the Republican, former chief-of-staff for George Tenet (who authorized war crimes as CIA head), admirer of Dick Cheney, CEO of the company one of whose contract employees improperly accessed Obama's and McCain's passports, and defender of renditions and …

Obama Team Said to Explore ‘Prepack’ Auto Bankruptcy  —  Nov. 21 (Bloomberg) — President-Elect Barack Obama's transition team is exploring a swift, prepackaged bankruptcy for automakers as a possible solution to the industry's financial crisis, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Al Franken's Minnesota  —  More postelection funny business.  —  Al Franken's campaign takes exception to our recent description of the curious goings-on in Minnesota's Senate vote count.  We're delighted to hear his growing vote total is all routine.  But who needs to worry about votes discovered …

Protests in Baghdad on U.S. Pact  —  BAGHDAD — More than 10,000 Iraqis, mostly supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, gathered in Baghdad's Firdos Square on Friday to protest the security agreement with the United States that Parliament is scheduled to vote on Monday.

End of the beginning?  —  The failure of Citigroup, which looks increasingly likely to happen in the near future, would mark the end of the beginning of the financial crisis.  Until now, the prevailing view has been that the crisis and recession will pass in a year or so, after which things will go back …

Did Talk Radio Kill Conservatism? … And then a bit later...  Emphasis mine.  —  This might be the key passage of my interview with John Ziegler on Tuesday, for it is, in a nutshell, why conservatives don't win elections anymore.  It is not that conservatism generally permits less nuance than liberalism …

GM Downsizing Jet Fleet, CEO Still Flies High  —  Company Reducing Number of Jets, But Top Execs Keep Perk  —  General Motors said today that it is putting two of its five corporate jets out of service because the planes are not being used enough.  The top three executives at GM, however …

Would Clinton's State Team Include Obama Thinkers?  —  Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama (WDCpix)  —  With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) almost certain to become President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of state, some foreign-policy experts in the Obama orbit are expressing frustration.

Why Guns Are Better Than Butter  —  In economic crises, watch out for government expansion.  —  “War is the health of the state,” wrote Randolph Bourne, horrified by World War I and its excesses.  And that phrase has been used by libertarians and opponents of state power ever since, as a reason why war is a bad idea.

The Insider's Crusade  —  Jan. 20, 2009, will be a historic day.  Barack Obama (Columbia, Harvard Law) will take the oath of office as his wife, Michelle (Princeton, Harvard Law), looks on proudly.  Nearby, his foreign policy advisers will stand beaming, including perhaps Hillary Clinton …

Friday eCommerce Interlude  —  I generally try not to go too far off-topic, but ... well, it's Friday, and I figured this might be of interest to you.  —  Below I have listed a series of prominent, politically-oriented websites, and compared them on their ability to retain traffic in the post-election environment.

Would-be appointees quizzed on guns  —  President-elect Barack Obama's transition team is asking potential appointees detailed questions about gun ownership, and firearms advocates aren't happy about it.  —  The National Rifle Association has denounced the move, which has already led …

‘Card check’ best hope for auto workers union?  —  Congress to vote on Employee Free Choice Act to make unionization easier  —  WASHINGTON - Congress returns after Thanksgiving to decide whether to approve a $25 billion loan to General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford.