memeorandum: Making It To America — A video that shows immigration to the US from 1820 to 2007. (Andrew Sullivan/The Daily Dish)

4:00 PM ET, December 17, 2008

Top Items:

Person of the Year 2008 — INSIDE:

Discussion: Liberal Values, The Reaction, Wilshire & Washington, Democracy in America, Anchorage Daily News, MyDD, The Gun Toting Liberal, The Caucus, RedState, AMERICAblog News, Daily Kos, Entertainment Weekly's …, Fausta's Blog, The Curious Capitalist and Gothamist

Callie Shell / Time:

Person of the Year 2008 — INSIDE: — Why History Can't Wait

Discussion: Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Don Surber, Political Machine and Washington Monthly

Domenico Montanaro / MSNBC:

First Read: Obama appeared on half of TIME's covers — From NBC's Domenico Montanaro — In light of Barack Obama (predictably) being named Time's Person of the Year, First Read took a look back to see which magazine — Time or Newsweek — won the battle of who put Obama on the cover the most in 2008.

Discussion: Weekly Standard

Ed Morrissey / Hot Air:
Time opts for the obvious

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and Below The Beltway

Katharine Q. Seelye / The Caucus:

Aretha Franklin to Participate in Inaugural Ceremony — Aretha Franklin and Dr. Rick Warren, an author and leader of the Saddleback Church, are among the select group of people who will participate in Barack Obama's inaugural swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 20.

Discussion: Firedoglake, Right Wing Watch and Ben Smith's Blogs

Alexander Mooney / CNN:

Rick Warren to give inaugural invocation — (CNN) — President-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony will feature big names like minister Rick Warren and legendary singer Aretha Franklin, the Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced Wednesday.

Discussion: Box Turtle Bulletin, AMERICAblog News and Towleroad

Aretha Franklin / CBN.com:
Pro-Life Rick Warren to Give Invocation at Obama Inauguration

Discussion: The Daily Dish, Salon and AmSpecBlog

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
WARREN TO GIVE INVOCATION.... Barack Obama is, for the time being …

Discussion: Marc Ambinder and Spin Cycle

Chris Cillizza / The Fix:

Republicans Revolt on RNC's Obama-Blago Strategy — As the Republican National Committee continues its attempt to tie disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich to President-elect Barack Obama, more high-profile GOPers are rebelling against the strategy. — Newt Gingrich (Ga.), the former Speaker …

Discussion: Behind the Numbers, Gallup, Hullabaloo and MyDD

Chicago Sun Times:

Blago drama for Obama — President-elect Barack Obama's incoming chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, was pushing for Obama's successor just days after the Nov. 4 election, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times. — Emanuel privately urged Gov. Blagojevich's administration to appoint Obama confidante Valerie Jarrett …

Discussion: NY Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Buck Naked Politics, The Politico, Newsweek, MSNBC, Pajamas Media, The Note and Political Punch

Marc Ambinder:
Understanding Power In Washington: Who's Afraid Of Rahm Right Now?

Discussion: Commentary

Mike Dorning / The Swamp:
Obama: Wait until Hawaii for answers

Discussion: The Politico

New York Times:

In Appearance Upstate, Kennedy Says Little — SYRACUSE — In a carefully controlled strategy reminiscent of the vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin, aides to Caroline Kennedy interrupted her on Wednesday and whisked her away when she was asked what her qualifications are to be a United States senator.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, Washington Post, The Daily Politics, Taylor Marsh and Althouse

Charles Mahtesian / The Politico:

Nepotism Nation: Dems embrace dynasty politics — Barack Obama's path to the presidency included beating what had been one of the nation's most powerful families. But, in an unusual twist, his election last month is helping accelerate the trend toward dynasty politics.

Discussion: Agence France Presse, The Huffington Post, New York Times, NY Daily News, Outside The Beltway, The Next Right, Donklephant, Hot Air, Washington Monthly, The Note, Daily Kos, The Swamp and theheretik.us

Syracuse Post-Standard:
CENTRAL NEW YORK NEWS

Discussion: Weekly Standard, The Daily Politics, Ben Smith's Blogs, NY Daily News and Spin Cycle

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

Obama's Pressers: No Comment — and NoDoz — A month from now, the nation will say farewell to its sports-obsessed president who doesn't like tough questions. And it will replace him with, well, another sports-obsessed president who doesn't like tough questions.

Discussion: Michael Calderone's Blogs, The New Republic, DailyHowler.com, Taylor Marsh, Newshoggers.com and Wizbang

Charlie / Explorations:

US Bankrupt? — Glenn posts this: … They're not accurate: … They palmed a card, actually two cards: the first one is they're using household net worth ... but that leaves out corporate net worth, so they're ignoring, eg, Exxon. The second is that they're comparing future obligations …

www.dcexaminer.com:
Who Will Bail Out Uncle Sam?

Discussion: Right Wing News and TigerHawk

Eamon Javers / The Politico:
Four really, really bad scenarios

Discussion: Riehl World View

Susan Crabtree / The Hill:

LaHood considered for Cabinet post — Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) is in discussions with the Obama administration to take a Cabinet-level post — most likely secretary of the Department of Transportation, according to knowledgeable GOP sources. — When reached on his cell phone …

Discussion: The Caucus and Matthew Yglesias

Mike Dorning / The Swamp:
LaHood asked to be Transportation Sec

Discussion: Washington Wire and The New Republic

Chuck Goudie / WLS-TV:

Blagojevich was bookie, says federal informant — The ABC7 I-Team has learned that an attorney who went undercover for the FBI in the late 1980's says he told federal authorities years ago about wrongdoing by Blagojevich. — His name is Robert Cooley. — Cooley was a criminal defense lawyer …

Discussion: The Hill's Blog Briefing Room and The Raw Story

Huma Khan / The Note:
Blago Set to Break His Silence

Discussion: Associated Press, Hot Air, JammieWearingFool and Political Punch

Glenn Greenwald / Salon:

Prostitution vs. war crimes: The real moral offense — In October, the extremely pro-war, neoconservative New York Sun ceased operations, and its journalists are now finding a warm and welcoming home, appropriately and revealingly enough, at The New Republic.

Discussion: The New Republic, AmSpecBlog, The Daily Politics, The Washington Independent, NewsBusters.org, Guardian and Reason

Marc Ambinder:

Card Checkin' Across The Universe — That's.... 57 votes in favor of cloture now. In-cycle Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas formally opposes the Employee Free Choice Act. She says it's “not necessary” right now. BTW: Lincoln's potential GOP opponent? Tim Griffin, the former White …

Discussion: Firedoglake, Hot Air, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Weekly Standard and Blog entry

Associated Press:
Lincoln: ‘Card-check’ proposal not necessary

Discussion: Marc Ambinder, Think Progress, Matthew Yglesias, Facing South and Wonk Room

San Francisco Peninsula / San Francisco Peninsula …:

Rep. Eshoo to push for Fairness Doctrine — Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (pictured), D-Palo Alto, said Monday she will work to restore the Fairness Doctrine and have it apply to cable and satellite programming as well as radio and TV. — “I'll work on bringing it back.

Discussion: Broadcasting & Cable, Washington Monthly, Commentary, The Campaign Spot and Vodkapundit

Associated Press:

Justice Kennedy rejects 2 more challenges to Obama — Featured Topics: — AP - President-elect Barack Obama speaks during a news conference in Chicago, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008, where ... - Slideshow: President-elect Barack Obama — Play Video U.S. Courts Video: N.C. Supreme Court hears year-round school case WRAL Raleigh

Discussion: Hot Air

Fox News:

Scientists Call AP Report on Global Warming ‘Hysteria’ — Scientists skeptical of the assertion that climate change is the result of man's activites are criticizing a recent Associated Press report on global warming, calling it “irrational hysteria,” “horrifically bad” and “incredibly biased.”

Discussion: Moonbattery, QandO and Hot Air

Jeffrey Goldberg:

George Tenet, Drunk in Bandar's Pool, Screaming about Jews — I just picked up Patrick Tyler's forthcoming book, A World of Trouble, about America's tortured relations with the Middle East, and the prologue contains this whopper of a scene, one that is quite devastating, if true …

Discussion: Think Progress, DownWithTyranny! and Majikthise

Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:

The Great Unraveling — The stranger, a Western businessman, slipped into the chair next to me at an Asia Society lunch here in Hong Kong and asked me a question that I can honestly say I've never been asked before: “So, just how corrupt is America?” — His question was occasioned …

Discussion: USA Today

Mark Leibovich / New York Times:

Between Obama and the Press — ROBERT GIBBS'S HEADY WASHINGTON RISE was certified on a humid day in June when a procession of media and political fancies gathered in tribute to Tim Russert, the “Meet the Press” host who died of a heart attack several days earlier.

Discussion: Anne Schroeder's Blogs, Michael Calderone's Blogs, Gawker and TPM Election Central

Chicago Breaking News:

Court refuses to hear Blagojevich fitness case — SPRINGFIELD—The Illinois Supreme Court has rejected Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan's attempt to have Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared unfit to hold office, court officials said. — The high court issued the order without comment. — More details to come.

Discussion: Hotline On Call and The Reaction