Gates agrees to stay on under Obama  —  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has agreed to stay on under President-elect Obama, according to officials in both parties.  Obama plans to announce a national-security team early next week that includes Gates at the Pentagon and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Barack Obama chafes inside the ‘bubble’  —  Barack Obama wants his BlackBerry back - or at least some good way to communicate better with people outside the immediate circle of the president-elect.  —  And Obama isn't too impressed with the way that automakers have conducted themselves …

Is Clinton barred from State job?  —  Pete Williams of NBC raised the question on MSNBC this afternoon: Is Hillary Clinton barred by the Constitution from accepting the post of secretary of state?  —  Article One, Section Six of the U.S. Constitution says:

Volcker Tapped for Advisory Role  —  Ex-Fed Chief to Lead New Economic Panel of Outside Experts Who Will Brief Obama  —  President-elect Barack Obama will appoint former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker on Wednesday to be the chairman of a new White House advisory board tasked with helping …

Brennan Withdraws From Consideration for Administration Post  —  Former CIA Official Had Come Under Fire for Agency's Interrogation Policies  —  A former CIA official who was in the running for a top intelligence post in the Obama administration withdrew his candidacy today after coming under criticism …

State justice confirms he yelled “Tyrant!” at Mukasey before AG collapsed  —  Richard Sanders, a justice on the Washington State Supreme Court, has never been one to shy from controversy or blunt language.  And last week, as he sat at a Federalist Society dinner and listened …

The Anti-Obama Campaign That Didn't Happen  —  What if the McCain campaign had run ads using footage of Barack Obama dancing with Ellen DeGeneres to show his coziness with celebrity?  Or followed up on its Paris Hilton ad with others featuring Donald Trump and Jessica Simpson?

Americans' Food Stamp Use Nears All-Time High  —  Fueled by rising unemployment and food prices, the number of Americans on food stamps is poised to exceed 30 million for the first time this month, surpassing the historic high set in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.

Dr. Dobson: 'We Won't Be Silenced'  —  Washington Post columnist says the Republican Party must ditch God in order to survive.  —  So, Kathleen Parker has determined that getting rid of social conservatives and shelving the values they fight for is the solution to what ails the Republican Party ("Giving Up on God," Nov. 19).

Politico's journalist malpractice  —  Today brings two of the most jaw-droppingly moronic stories I've ever seen, both in Politico, both written by Erika Lovley, who one can only assume is either the most dimwitted, gullible reporter in D.C. or ... um, I can't think of another explanation.

Rangel paid Clinton lawyer six figures for ethics probe help  —  Veteran Harlem congressman Charlie Rangel speaks at the Harriet Tubman Memorial Dedication on Nov. 13.  He has released a statement saying he paid a lawyer known for fixing messes for Bill Clinton.

Norquist: 'The Economy's In The Present State' Because Democrats Took Control Of Congress In 2006  —  On CNBC this morning, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist claimed that the current financial crisis facing America is rooted in the fact that Democrats took control of the House and Senate in 2006.

Obama Chief of Staff Hopes to Exploit the Economic Crisis to Expand the Growth of Government:  —  In earlier posts (e.g. - here and here) I have emphasized the risk that the combination of economic crisis and unified Democratic control of Congress and the White House would lead to a vast expansion of government.

Inquiry Set on Mormon Aid for California Marriage Vote  —  SAN FRANCISCO — California officials will investigate accusations that the Mormon Church neglected to report a battery of nonmonetary contributions — including phone banks, a Web site and commercials — on behalf of a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage.

The Truth About the Election  —  As he demonstrated in his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama thinks long.  Hence, the new President-elect is better prepared to take office than any other newly elected chief executive in the history of the modern presidency.

First Audit Said to Cite Some Snags With Bailout  —  The first operational audit of the $700 billion financial rescue plan, to be delivered to Congress next Tuesday, is expected to be critical of the Treasury Department's failure to set up ways to track how its bailout money is being used in the marketplace …