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Obama Wants Journalist Gupta for Surgeon General — President-elect Barack Obama has offered the job of surgeon general to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the neurosurgeon and correspondent for CNN and CBS, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. — Gupta has told administration officials …
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Washington Monthly, The Raw Story, The Reaction, On Deadline, The Corner, The Swamp, NewsBusters.org, Political Machine, RHRealityCheck.org blogs, Outside The Beltway, TIME.com, CBS News, Michelle Malkin, Spin Cycle, Hot Air, TVNewser, The New Republic, The Sundries Shack and The Hill's Blog Briefing Room
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Burris Backs Reid Into a Corner — Lost amid the scads of cameras and scrambling reporters seeking to get a glimpse or a word from former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris over the last 24 hours is one simple fact: Burris — and, by extension, embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich …
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Burris denied entry to Senate — (CNN) — Roland Burris was denied entry to the Senate chambers on Tuesday as he tried to claim the seat once held by President-elect Barack Obama. — Burris said the secretary of the Senate rejected his credentials, and therefore he would not be allowed access to the floor.
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Wizbang, Commentary, WebNewser, AmSpecBlog, Chicago Tribune, Connecting.the.Dots, ColoradoPols.com and Gothamist


Burris, Blocked From Taking Seat, Gains New Support — WASHINGTON — Roland W. Burris, the would-be junior senator from Illinois, picked up the support of a key Democrat late Tuesday afternoon in his bid to occupy the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Discussion:
The Politico, The Swamp, Hot Air, About.com US Politics, Chicago Breaking News, The World Newser and rubber hose

THE FIRST TEN SENATE BILLS. — A Democratic aide on the hill passes along the first ten bills that Majority Leader Harry Reid will put in the hopper this evening to kick off the new session of Congress, as sent by leadership to various Senate Legislative Directors.
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Feinstein Explains Her Reticence* About Panetta Nomination — Just talked with Dianne Feinstein outside the Senate chamber about her qualms with the Leon Panetta nomination. The incoming Senate intelligence committee chairman said that both President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden called …

'I don't work for Obama' — Democrats must be “very, very careful” to avoid overreaching and will not rubber-stamp President-elect Obama's policies, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Tuesday. — In an interview with The Hill, Reid said it is essential for Obama …

The World's Pornographic Interest in Jewish Moral Failure — Okay, yesterday I was depressed. Today, I'm just pissed off. It's absolutely astonishing to me how interested the world is in Israel's failings. This is the source of a bitter but hilarious observation I once heard a Kurdish leader make …

40 Palestinians killed in IDF strike on UN school — Israel Defense Forces tank fire killed up to 40 Palestinians at a United Nations school in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, medical sources at two hospitals said. — The attack brought the Palestinian death toll to nearly 600 in Israel's 11 …
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Coleman sues over Minnesota Senate recount result — Republican Norm Coleman, who received 225 fewer votes than DFLer Al Franken in the U.S. Senate recount, will challenge the result in court. He told reporters at a state Capitol news conference that a lawsuit, known as an election contest, would proceed.
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Associated Press, The Caucus, Hotline On Call, Daily Kos, The Washington Independent and On Deadline
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Reid calls on Coleman to concede
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Minnesota Independent, Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune, TIME.com, Sister Toldjah and Power Line

Quin-essential cases: Re-nominating Keisler would be change GOP can believe — For all of Barack Obama's lofty talk about bipartisanship, the incoming president has yet to do anything of real substance on the domestic political front to lessen the Capitol's partisan toxicity.
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Power Line
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End Times — VIRTUALLY ALL THE predictions about the death of old media have assumed a comfortingly long time frame for the end of print—the moment when, amid a panoply of flashing lights, press conferences, and elegiac reminiscences, the newspaper presses stop rolling and news goes entirely digital.


‘Senator’ Biden's trip raises concerns — Joe Biden has always had a flair for doing things differently - but his upcoming trip to South Asia may set a new standard. — The vice president-elect will be traveling to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But he won't really be traveling …
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Associated Press
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Biden will visit Asia hot spots before Jan. 20 inauguration
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The Huffington Post

“We have no grand political scheme” — I spent the morning at a lecture organized by GWU's outstanding Homeland Security Policy Institute's Ambassador's Roundtable Series featuring Israel's Ambassador to the United States Sallai Meridor. It was a profoundly dismaying experience.
Discussion:
Newshoggers.com

Obama to ride in style in GM limo — Armored '09 Cadillac to carry new president in inaugural parade. — WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama is getting a new ride to go with his new address on Jan. 20. — General Motors Corp. recently delivered to the U.S. Secret Service a brand …

Stimulus arithmetic (wonkish but important) — Bit by bit we're getting information on the Obama stimulus plan, enough to start making back-of-the-envelope estimates of impact. The bottom line is this: we're probably looking at a plan that will shave less than 2 percentage points off …


240,000 dollars awarded to man forced to cover Arab T-shirt — NEW YORK (AFP) - An airline passenger forced to cover his T-shirt because it displayed Arabic script has been awarded 240,000 dollars in compensation, campaigners said Monday. — Raed Jarrar received the pay out on Friday …
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TigerHawk, Raed in the Middle, Jihad Watch, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Stop The ACLU, Swampland and Sister Toldjah

Obama deplores civilian deaths in Gaza, Israel — Breaking his silence on the conflict in Gaza, the president-elect deplored the civilian casualties, which have been overwhelmingly on the Palestinian side, after a meeting with fiscal and economic advisors today.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard

Panetta a ‘Brave’ Choice, Says Former CIA Agent — “Ishmael Jones” is a former deep-cover officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. He is author of The Human Factor: Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture, published last year by Encounter Books.

Coulter booked for ‘Today’ show — Conservative author Ann Coulter will appear on Wednesday's “Today” show, according to an NBC spokesperson. — Coulter has been talking up being bumped by NBC for the past two days, both on other networks and the radio. A controversy erupted …