THE BACK STORY OF VALERIE JARRETT, ILLINOIS U.S. SENATE SEAT AND THE WHITE HOUSE  —  No one with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has identified his close friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett as Senate candidate #1, as mentioned in the criminal complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich …

GOP: ‘ACTION ALERT - AUTO BAILOUT’  —  Countdown has obtained a memo entitled “Action Alert - Auto Bailout,” and sent Wednesday at 9:12am, to Senate Republicans.  The names of the sender(s) and recipient(s) have been redacted in the copy Countdown obtained.

UK caused cholera, says Zimbabwe  —  The cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe which has left hundreds dead was caused by the UK, an ally of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has said.  —  Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu described the outbreak as a “genocidal onslaught on the people of Zimbabwe by the British”.

Absentee vote issue headed for state Supreme Court  —  Minneapolis election director Cindy Reichert addressed members of the state Canvassing Board at the State Capitol on Friday morning.  Members (l to r) are: Kathleen R. Gearin, Chief Judge, Second Judicial District; Eric J. Magnuson …

A Bailout Plan the GOP Can Support  —  Inspired by a commenter, I have come up with an auto industry bailout plan.  For years, we have been treated to the following comments: … And this: … Rep. Steve King (R-IA) was even dedicated enough to run the numbers:

McCain Campaign Sells Info-Loaded Blackberry to FOX 5 Reporter  —  Exclusive FOX 5 Investigation  —  ARLINGTON, Va. - Private information at bargain prices.  It was a high-tech flub at the McCain-Palin campaign headquarters in Arlington when Fox 5's Investigative Reporter Tisha Thompson bought …

22 Pounds of UAW Rules and Regulations  —  Ever wondered what a UAW contract looks like?  Here is all 22 pounds of it (in this case, Ford's 2,215 page 2007 master contract; Coke can is for scale and because I was thirsty).  —  I'll tell you this much, those 2,215 pages don't include much regarding efficiency and competitiveness.

Sorry, We're Booked, White House Tells Obamas  —  Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama met Barack Obama's campaign plane in Colorado on Nov. 1.  (Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times)  —  Updated |  3:12 p.m. CHICAGO—The White House has turned down a request from the family …

Soderbergh on Che Guevara's Continuing Relevance: The Butcher of La Cabana's “dream of a classless society, a society that isn't built on the profit motive.”  —  Che director Steven Soderbergh tells Politico why his new four-hour, two-part epic about Ernesto Guevara is relevant in 2008:

Exclusive: Pentagon Pro-Troop Group Misspent Millions, Report Says  —  While the Pentagon preps for a new administration, a scandal from an earlier era is rearing its head.  —  A Defense Department project, supposedly designed to support U.S. troops, was used instead to channel millions …

Using the courts to oust Blagojevich on the theory that he's “disabled” from serving as governor.  —  Illinois AG Lisa Madigan makes the move to oust Blagojevich that we were talking about yesterday. … Oh, the irony!  Grabbing power to oust someone for grabbing power.

Meatier Stimulus Plan in Works  —  Obama Team Considering Beefing Up Earlier Goals; $1 Trillion Is Possible  —  President-elect Barack Obama's economic team is considering an economic-stimulus program that will be far larger than the two-year, half-trillion-dollar plan under consideration two weeks ago …

The Pragmatist  —  In case you haven't heard, Barack Obama is a pragmatist.  Everybody agrees on this.  Joe Biden, accepting Obama's nod as VP at his unveiling event in Springfield, Illinois, called him a “clear-eyed pragmatist.”  Describing Obama's rise through Chicago politics …