memeorandum: Senate Democrats Call On Governor Blagojevich To Resign (Democrats.senate.gov)

8:30 PM ET, December 10, 2008

Top Items:

Brian Ross / ABCNEWS:

Sources Say Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is ‘Senate Candidate #5’ — Feds Plan to Interview Chicago Congressman as Part of Blagojevich Probe — Chicago Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) is the anonymous “Senate Candidate #5” whose emissaries Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich reportedly claimed offered …

Chicago Sun Times:

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is ‘Senate Candidate 5’ in Blagojevich criminal complaint — Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. is “Senate Candidate 5,” who — through an emissary — allegedly offered to raise money for Gov. Blagojevich in return for being appointed as Barack Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times.

Discussion: Balloon Juice, Shakesville, CANNONFIRE and Taylor Marsh

Carrie Budoff Brown / The Politico:
Jackson gets pulled deeper into scandal

Discussion: Wizbang, The Crypt's Blogs and The Capitol Fax Blog

David Johnston / New York Times:
Officials Say Jackson Was ‘Candidate 5’ in Case

Discussion: CNN, The Strata-Sphere and Wonkette

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
First Read: NBC — ‘Candidate 5’ is Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Discussion: Think Progress and The Washington Independent

Reid Wilson / The Hill:
Clues to identity of candidates #1-6

Discussion: The Politico, The Swamp, The Crypt's Blogs, Washington Post, Don Surber, Firedoglake, George's Bottom Line and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Chicago Breaking News:
Rep. Jackson: No pay-to-play deal

Discussion: The Swamp and On Deadline

Chicago Tribune:
Rod Blagojevich case: Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. has been identified …

Discussion: Washington Post, NewsBusters.org and Los Angeles Times

Matthew Bigg / Reuters:

Conservatives gleeful over governor's arrest — ATLANTA (Reuters) - U.S. conservatives rubbed their hands with glee on Wednesday over news that the Democratic governor of Illinois has been accused of attempting to sell the U.S. Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama.

Discussion: The Hill, Michelle Malkin, DownWithTyranny!, Hot Air and No More Mister Nice Blog

Democrats.senate.gov:

Senate Democrats Call On Governor Blagojevich To Resign — Washington, DC—In a letter sent today by all 50 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus, Senate Democrats called on Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to step down as Governor of Illinois and under no circumstance make an appointment to fill the vacant Illinois Senate seat.

Discussion: Firedoglake and The Agonist

Jim Oliphant / The Swamp:
Breaking: Senate Dems ask Blago to quit

Discussion: The Crypt's Blogs, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Liberal Values, Clout St, Taylor Marsh, The Capitol Fax Blog, Chicago Sun Times and TIME.com

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:
Reid Prefers Senate Appointment to Special Election

Discussion: Blue Crab Boulevard and Hot Air

The Huffington Post:
Reid: Blagojevich Must Go, Must Not Make Appointment

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Raw Story and TPM Election Central

Scott Turow / New York Times:
State of Shame

Discussion: The Caucus, Donklephant and The Nation

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:

CHU TO BE ENERGY SECRETARY — From NBC's Savannah Guthrie — Obama will name Steven Chu his choice for Energy secretary, Lisa Jackson for EPA administrator and Carol Browner as energy “czar” reporting to the president. — It is unclear whether the Browner position is cabinet level.

Discussion: Gristmill, Think Progress, Ben Smith's Blogs, The New Republic, TIME.com, Wonk Room and Open Left

Wall Street Journal:

Obama Picks Team to Guide Energy Agenda — President-elect Barack Obama has picked a Nobel laureate, a former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and officials from New Jersey and Los Angeles to run his energy and environmental initiatives, putting heft into roles likely …

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, rubber hose and Open Left

Mark Silva / The Swamp:
Obama's Energy, EPA picks: Names here

Discussion: Top of the Ticket

Brian Beutler / Guardian:
To tackle climate change, Obama must revitalise the US department of energy

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, The Politico and Salon

Erika Lovley / The Politico:
Browner to be named new energy czar

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:

Jindal says no — Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, seen by many Republicans as the most promising standard-bearer for a remade party, said at a Richmond, Va press conference that he isn't running for president in 2012. — At a news conference Wednesday with Bob McDonnell …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, The Opinionator, TIME.com, Kevin Drum and MyDD

Alexander Mooney / CNN: Jindal says not interested in being president

The Trail / Washington Post:

Obama: Blagojevich Should Resign — Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2005. (James A. Finley/Associated Press) — By Anne E. Kornblut — President-elect Barack Obama believes that Gov. Rod Blagojevich should resign, his advisers said on Wednesday.

Discussion: The Caucus, Chicago Tribune, Associated Press, Pajamas Media, TIME.com, Commentary, Lynn Sweet and Washington Monthly

The Politico:
In scandal, risks for Obama

Discussion: NewsBusters.org, Lance Mannion, The XX Factor, Associated Press, Marc Ambinder, The Crypt's Blogs, Reuters, Tom Watson, The Capitol Fax Blog, Gateway Pundit, Hullabaloo, Bob Cesca's Awesome Blog!, RedState, Progress Illinois and Booman Tribune

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE INEVITABLE PUSH.... It's only been 24 hours, and it's pretty obvious …

Discussion: Political Machine, Firedoglake, Agence France Presse, Balloon Juice, PERRspectives Blog, Media Matters for America and TPM Election Central

The Sun:

Fem-bot's my love machine — Inventor Le Trung, 33, created Aiko, said to be “in her 20s” with a stunning 32, 23, 33 figure, shiny hair and delicate features. — She even remembers his favourite drink and does simple cleaning and household tasks. — “Fem-bot” Aiko, who has cost £14,000 …

Discussion: Hot Air

New York Times:

White House Struggles to Find G.O.P. Support for Auto Bailout — WASHINGTON — Even as House Democrats pressed for a vote Wednesday afternoon on a government rescue of the automobile industry, the Bush administration failed to generate enough support for the measure among Senate Republicans …

Discussion: Firedoglake and Gristmill

Washington Post: Vote on Auto Bailout in Limbo as GOP Resists Measure

Mark Z. Barabak / Los Angeles Times:
Obama enjoys strong public support as president-elect

Discussion: MyDD

Martin Kady II / The Crypt's Blogs:

Specter calls for delay in Holder hearings — Sen. Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, has just thrown a wrench into the Eric Holder hearings planned for early January, saying Holder's involvement in the Marc Rich pardon is a “red flag” and a “very serious matter.”

Discussion: Firedoglake, The Raw Story, Hullabaloo and Commentary

J. Taylor Rushing / The Hill:
Specter seeks to slow down Holder confirmation

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Talking Points Memo and TPMMuckraker

Chris Strohm / GovExec.com:

House Democrat urges Obama to keep Bush's intelligence chiefs — The House Intelligence Committee's top Democrat said Tuesday he has recommended that President-elect Barack Obama keep the country's current national intelligence director and CIA chief in place for some time to ensure continuity …

Discussion: Salon, Think Progress, The Washington Independent and Political Radar

Marc Ambinder:
Obama Still Mulling Over CIA/DNI

Discussion: The Anonymous Liberal

Foreign Policy:

The 10 Worst Predictions for 2008 — Prognostication is by far the riskiest form of punditry. The 10 commentators and leaders on this list learned that the hard way when their confident predictions about politics, war, the economy, and even the end of humanity itself completely missed the mark.

Discussion: The Reaction and Washington Monthly

Mary Ann Akers / The Sleuth:

Fire Sale on All McCain-Palin Campaign Equipment — Run, don't walk, to John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., for an amazing Blowout Sale! Computers, blackberries, televisions, desks, you name it - everything must go. Hurry while the offer lasts!

Discussion: DCist

New York Times:

Kerrey Gets Vote of No-Confidence at New School — Bob Kerrey, the former Nebraska governor and senator known for his acerbic tongue and iconoclastic tendencies, earned an overwhelming vote of no-confidence on Wednesday afternoon from the senior faculty at the New School, the Greenwich Village university he has run since 2001.

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:

Hit by Recession, NPR to Lay Off Seven Percent of Staff — Faced with a sharp decline in revenue, National Public Radio said today it will pare back its once-flourishing operations, and institute its first organization-wide layoffs in 25 years. — Washington-based NPR said it would lay off …

Discussion: Associated Press, Between the Lines, The Feed and On Deadline

Jerry Remmers / The Moderate Voice:

Our Dirty Little Secret: The Mexican Drug Wars — It was less than two years ago outrage spread through U.S. cities on the pretext illegal immigrants from Mexico were taking jobs from Americans. — Today, the Mexican drug cartels are killing more people on an average day than in the Iraq …

Discussion: Newshoggers.com