Top Items:
The Politico:
Obama to list staff contact with Blago — President-elect Barack Obama said Thursday morning that he is “confident” no one representing him took part in any pay-to-play dealings with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich over filling Obama's U.S. Senate seat, and pledged to release details …
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Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Depends on how you define “contact”; Update: Blago newsletter photo included — Barack Obama has gone out of his way to make his incoming administration Clintonesque. Not only has he built 63% of his transition team from Clinton administration officials, he even picked Hillary Clinton for a Cabinet post.
Discussion:
Michelle Malkin, Club for Growth, The Politico, Trust, But Verify, Riehl World View, Hotline On Call and Macsmind
Rasmussen Reports:
84% of Illinois Voters Say Blagojevich Should Resign — Eighty-four percent (84%) of Illinois voters say indicted Governor Rod Blagojevich should resign, according to a Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state Wednesday night. Just nine percent (9%) disagree.
New York Times:
Scandal Is an Early Test for Obama Team — WASHINGTON — When Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat, began exploring whether she might fill Barack Obama's seat in the United States Senate, she called Rahm Emanuel. They served in the House together and, more important …
Discussion:
Rough Sketch, The Caucus, The Politico, Washington Post, The Moderate Voice, The Campaign Spot, Chicago Tribune, Gateway Pundit, Slate, Ben Smith's Blogs, Commentary, Time, AmSpecBlog, NY Daily News, The Note, Political Machine, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Trust, But Verify, Buck Naked Politics, Progress Illinois and Jules Crittenden
New York Times:
Auto Bailout Appears Dead in Senate as G.O.P. Resists — WASHINGTON — The prospects of a $14 billion government rescue of the American auto industry seemed to vaporize Thursday morning as the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, spoke out forcefully against the bill …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, naked capitalism, Washington Post, Balkinization, TIME.com and BAGnewsNotes
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David Rogers / The Politico:
McConnell deals major blow to bailout — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell broke with the White House Thursday over a proposed $14 billion loan package for ailing automakers, all but assuring its defeat this week and forcing the administration to consider other emergency steps …
Discussion:
Washington Post, Hot Air, Associated Press, D-Day, Wall Street Journal, Trust, But Verify, Below The Beltway and The Politico
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:McConnell opposes auto bailout
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Think Progress, McClatchy Washington Bureau, Telegraph and Bloomberg
Robert Block / The Write Stuff:
NASA has become a transition problem for Obama — CAPE CANAVERAL - NASA administrator Mike Griffin is not cooperating with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team, is obstructing its efforts to get information and has told its leader that she is “not qualified” to judge his rocket program, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.
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Charles Lane / Washington Post:
The Unreal Bill Ayers — Three Decades After the Weather Underground's End, He's Still Justifying Its Means — I never thought Barack Obama's acquaintance with former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers disqualified him for the White House. And now that Obama has been elected …
Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:
FIRST THOUGHTS: NO ORDINARY HONEYMOON — From Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Carrie Dann — *** No ordinary honeymoon: While the political world continues to focus on the Blagojevich scandal, which at this point has been only a headache for the incoming Obama administration …
Aluf Benn / Haaretz:
Obama's atomic umbrella: U.S. nuclear strike if Iran nukes Israel — U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's administration will offer Israel a “nuclear umbrella” against the threat of a nuclear attack by Iran, a well-placed American source said earlier this week.
New York Times:
Obama's Health Care Briefing — The following is a transcript of Barack Obama's press conference about his health care team and the Blagojevich scandal, as transcribed by CQ Transcriptions. — Speakers: — President-elect Barack Obama — Former Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / TPM Election Central:Obama Promises Health Care Reform “This Year”
Discussion:
Washington Wire, The New Republic, Washington Monthly, New York Times, MyDD, The Politico and Booman Tribune
John Fritze / USA Today:
North Dakota tops analysis of corruption — WASHINGTON — Its largest city is legendary for machine-style politics and its elected leaders have been under investigation for years, but by one measure, Illinois is not even close to the nation's most-corrupt state. — North Dakota, it turns out, may hold that distinction instead.
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Karl Rove / Wall Street Journal:
How the GOP Should Prepare for a Comeback — Organization and ideas are what matters. — What a difference a month makes. Since November's election, the GOP is three wins, no losses. — The first win came in Georgia, where Sen. Saxby Chambliss crushed his Democratic opponent by 15 points in a run-off election on Dec. 2.
Discussion:
The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, The Politico, Commentary, Democracy in America and Wonkette
Fredric U. Dicker / New York Post:
CAROLINE ‘EQUALS J.LO’: DEM — REP. TAKES SWIPE AT CAMELOT CELEB POWER — ALBANY - A prominent New York Democratic congressman publicly questioned Caroline Kennedy's credentials to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, saying she's no more qualified to hold office than Jennifer Lopez.
Karen Brooks / Dallas Morning News:
Web mistake costly for George W. Bush Library — kmbrooks@dallasnews.com — AUSTIN - After losing a valuable piece of online real estate to enterprising cyber-squatters, the Bush presidential library has replanted its flag into that e-territory. — But the squatters …
Wall Street Journal:
The Mattress Stuffers — As the financial crisis swept across the nation these past few months, one of the first microtrend groups to emerge is the New Mattress Stuffers — people who have lost their trust in the financial world, and are preparing for the next meltdown.
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
A Spy CEO for Obama — What should President-elect Barack Obama do about the intelligence community? He has appointed the other top members of his national security team, but intrigue still surrounds his choices for director of national intelligence and director of the CIA.
Steven Greenhouse / New York Times:
Union Linked to Corruption Scandal — The Service Employees International Union has long boasted that it is on the cutting edge of the labor movement. But it found itself badly embarrassed this week when it was linked by name to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich's maneuvering to secure some financial gain …
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