December 2008

As 2009 approaches, here's a round-up of some of the last political news of 2008:

Fed prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald asks for 90-day extension to indict IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The office of IL Sec of State Jesse White officially rejects Blago's Senate pick. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) reveals that he was Blago's first choice, while Roland Burris reiterates his lack of taint.

Wrapping up their vacation in Hawaii, the Obamas are moving into DC's Hay-Adams hotel this weekend so Sasha and Malia can start their new school on 1/5. Facing snow and subzero wind chills, the Clintons are dropping the ball in Times Square this evening.

DC lobbyist Vicki Iseman sues the New York Times for $27M over an article suggesting a romantic relationship between her and Sen. John McCain. Coming out with a new book, former AG Alberto Gonzales insists that he is a "casualty" in the war on terror. An election judge in MN is shocked that her ballot was rejected by the campaign of Sen. Norm Coleman (who, ironically, she voted for).

(CHRIS BODENNER)

Three weeks away from leaving office, Pres. Bush offers his final New Year's Eve wishes:

"As my time in office comes to a close, I thank the American people for trusting me with the honor of serving our great country. It has been a tremendous privilege, and together we have accomplished a great deal. Among other things, we have advanced the cause of human freedom; we have strengthened our military and our Nation's security; we have empowered parents to demand educational excellence for their children; and we have revolutionized the fight against poverty, corruption, and the scourge of disease around the world."

Bush plans to have a quiet evening with friends on his ranch in Crawford, TX. (Full statement after the jump.)

Things continue to look good for comedian Al Franken (D) in his struggle for Norm Coleman's (R) Senate seat.

Per the latest count, Franken leads Coleman by a mere 49 votes -- his largest lead since Election Day. It was enough for Franken to break his several-week silence with an upbeat statement: "I'm glad to be ahead, and as it appears that we're on track to win, I want Minnesotans to know that I'm ready to get to work for them in Washington on Day One."

Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid's office added to that optimism with its own statement: "At this stage, it appears that Franken will be certified the winner by the State Canvassing Board. We’re keeping abreast of the situation and will make a decision with regard to Senate action at the appropriate point in the process."

But throwing cold water on Franken's good news was Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), incoming-chair of the National Republican Senatorial Cmte (a position Coleman was actually favored to win before becoming embroiled in the recount). Cornyn was particularly upset over recent remarks by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who said in a statement: "If the Canvassing Board declares a winner, that should be our senator. … [The Senate] could seat a senator pending the litigation."

Appearing on CBS's "Early Show" this morning, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) elaborated on his controversial "hang or lynch" remark:

"The recent history of our nation has shown us that sometimes there could be individuals and there could be situations where school children--where you have officials standing in the doorway of school children. You know, I'm talking about all of us back in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas. I'm talking about George Wallace, Bull Connors and I'm sure that the US Senate don't want to see themselves placed in the same position."

UPDATE: Appearing on NBC's "Today," Senate candidate Roland Burris upped the ante on the race card played by Rush: "It is a fact, there are no African-Americans in the United States Senate. ... Is it racism that is taking place? That's a question that someone may raise."

(CHRIS BODENNER)

IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich's shocking selection of Roland Burris for a U.S. Senate yesterday -- complete with IL Rep. Bobby Rush's plea not to "hang or lynch" Burris -- may have finally nuked the fridge for Chicago politics.

At first glance, the Burris appointment seems futile, since nearly the entire Dem establishment has denounced it. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, Blago's likely successor, thinks it was a "mistake" for Burris to accept the appointment. Pres.-elect Obama agrees, as does IL Sen. Dick Durbin. IL Sec of State Jesse White says he simply won't certify the pick. If he does, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his fellow Dems will block the seat.

However, many legal experts concede that Blago and Burris can't be stopped. For one, they say White's refusal to certify the pick is an empty threat. According to the IL state charter, it is the "duty" of the sec/state to "countersign and affix the seal of state to all commissions required by law to be issued by the Governor." In other words, the certification of Burris "is more or less a perfunctory act," ex-FEC attorney Ken Gross told the Huffington Post.

Pres.-elect Barack Obama released a statement tonight via the transition about Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appointment of former state AG Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate:

"Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it. I believe the best resolution would be for the Governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy."

IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris, a 71-year-old former state attorney general and an African American, as Pres.-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the United States Senate this afternoon, daring Democratic leaders to sink the nomination of the man who would be the only sitting black senator.

"He has had a long and distinguished career serving the people of Illinois," Blagojevich said, with Rep. Bobby Rush, a well-known African American congressman from Illinois by his side. "He will be a great United States senator."

But it's highly unlikely Burris will make it that far. IL Sec of State Jesse White has said he won't certify the pick. And Senate Dems -- led by Majority Leader Harry Reid -- have said they won't seat Burris. IL Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn said today that Blagojevich is "unfit to serve" and suggested that Burris should not have participated in Blagojevich's proposal.

"I think he made a mistake in accepting this appointment," Quinn said of Burris.

Blagojevich has been accused, but not convicted, of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat. Among other charges, of course. But state Democratic leaders appear prepared to oust him nonetheless, and state House impeachment hearings continue. Blagojevich is paying his colleagues no mind, showing with the Burris appointment that he intends not to let his party's leaders sully his reputation unanswered. In the process, the governor is also throwing a distraction into the mix, turning media attention to Burris and away, at least temporarily, from his own legal troubles and questionnable political future.

In the meantime, Blagojevich provides the hapless IL GOP -- a state party that had to turn to Marylander Alan Keyes to run against Obama for Senate in 2004 -- with ammunition for a special election. But is a special election the only way out for Democrats as well? It would provide a costly exit -- $30M to $50M, IL Board of Election sources have told On Call. Or should lawmakers allow Burris, who has served his state with no great distinction but without scandal, the opportunity to serve as a placemaker?

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

With Gov. Blagojevich's press conference minutes away, two blistering statements of condemnation have been issued against his reported choice to fill Pres.-elect Obama's Senate seat. First, from his own party, Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D): "It is truly regrettable that despite requests from all 50 Democratic Senators and public officials throughout Illinois, Gov. Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety. We say this without prejudice toward Roland Burris's ability, and we respect his years of public service. But this is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat. Under these circumstances, anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus."

Also coming out against Burris is IL GOP Chair Andy McKenna, who said in a statement today: "Blagojevich Democrat Roland Burris is emblematic of the old-school, pay-to-play culture that has plagued Illinois for generations and this appointment is another embarrassment for the people of Illinois." McKenna reiterated his call for a special election to be held to fill the seat.

And adding to the sense that Blagojevich is proceeding without any Democratic support, Sen. Dick Durbin's (D) DC office is closed for the holidays and his press people in Chicago are not in the office.

(SEAN J. MILLER)

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is set to name former IL AG Roland Burris as Pres.-elect Barack Obama's replacement in the Senate. He made his interest in the seat known shortly after Obama's 11/4 victory. Blagojevich has scheduled a press conference for 3 p.m. EST.

Burris, 71, has had a long career in IL politics, breaking the color barrier as the first African American elected to statewide office. He served as state comptroller from 1983 to 1991, and IL AG from 1991 to 1995. He is currently an attorney with Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, a national law firm.

Burris, who has lost several Democratic primaries, including one for gov. to Blagojevich, has said that Obama's successor should be able to win a statewide election. But it's unclear at this point whether he would serve as a placeholder or run as the '10 Democratic Senate nominee. It's also unclear whether a deal was reached with Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D), who earlier this month said that a Blagojevich appointee wouldn't be seated. Reid's press office is currently preparing a statement on the pending announcement; Obama's transition office also has yet to issue a statement.

In earlier interviews, Blagojevich's attorney Ed Genson had suggested that he didn't expect the Governor to appoint anyone to the seat. At a 12/17 presser Genson's response to the question of whether Blagojevich would appoint a successor, was "No. ... [Senate Maj. Leader] Harry Reid said that they're not going to accept anybody he picks. Why would he do that?" And, in 12/18 interview with MSNBC's Tamron Hall, he said that "My understanding is he's not going to appoint anyone to the seat."

More to come.

(SEAN J. MILLER/ AMY WALTER)

Politico reports that incoming Obama CoS Rahm Emanuel (D-IL 05) will resign from his seat on 1/2. He informed embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) of his decision today.

Blagojevich has five days to set a special election date, which must be held within 115 days. A crowded primary is expected, although several candidates are hoping that Emanuel or Chicago Mayor Richard Daley (D) will weigh in and select a favorite, thereby clearing the field. Dems are almost assured of holding this Chicago-based CD, which gave John Kerry 67% in '04.

(TIM SAHD)

People magazine is reporting that Bristol Palin gave birth to a healthy 7 lb. 7 oz. baby boy on Saturday, December 28. The baby's name is Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.

Gov. David Paterson (D), speaking at a Christmas Day dinner in Harlem, said that those urging a hurried choice of a replacement for Sec/State-designate/Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) will not rush his selection, the AP reports.

Paterson: "Many of those who are calling for a quicker decision would probably help the decision if they would refrain from all the gossip and the atmosphere that's been created."

Paterson said he will make the best possible pick, but added, "I feel less anxiety over the choice because in two years, the public will, in a special election, determine who is the senator."

Paterson returned from a surprise trip to Iraq, a trip on which he was accompanied by Reps. Steve Israel (D-02) and Anthony Weiner (D-09). Israel, according to the New York Post's Fred Dicker, "has made no secret" of his interest in Clinton's seat.

Weiner is contemplating an '09 challenge to NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I), Caroline Kennedy's most prominent backer.

With some NY Dems souring on the sense of inevitability surrounding Kennedy, that Paterson flew halfway across the world with Israel and Weiner bending his ear is not insignificant.

Meanwhile, Kennedy acknowledged the unusual nature of her candidacy in an AP interview today at the Gee Whiz diner in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Manhattan over a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich and coffee.

Kennedy: "I came into this thinking I have to work twice as hard as anybody else. I am an unconventional choice."

She told the AP "that she had been reluctant to appear to be campaigning for the job because it was an appointment, not an election." Kennedy: "I was trying to respect the process. It is not a campaign."

She also "said she believes her approach had been 'misinterpreted.'" Kennedy: "If I were to be selected, I understand that public servants have to be accessible."

(STEVEN SHEPARD)

RNC Chair candidate/ex-Huckabee WH ’08 mgr. Chip Saltsman’s Christmas greeting to RNC members included a 41-track music CD with lyrics from a song called "Barack the Magic Negro," The Hill's Reid Wilson reports. Saltsman is a personal friend of conservative parodist Paul Shanklin, who created the CD, entitled "We Hate the USA."

The CD lampoons liberals with such songs as "John Edwards' Poverty Tour," "Wright place, wrong pastor," "Love Client #9," "Ivory and Ebony" and "The Star Spanglish banner."

In a victory for comedian Al Franken (D), the MN Supreme Court 12/24 unanimously struck down Sen. Norm Coleman’s (R) attempt to prevent local and state canvassing boards from tallying about 130 to 150 votes that Coleman contends may have been counted twice, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

In the ruling, the court said the Coleman camp’s claim of double-counted ballots is better resolved in a court hearing where evidence can be presented, instead of by canvassing boards. For now, the votes, most of which were cast in Dem or DFL strongholds, will remain in the tally.

Coleman atty Fritz Knaak said the court’s decision "virtually guarantees" that the election will be decided in a court contest and that the Coleman camp is prepared to wage one. That case would not begin until early- to mid-Jan., which would leave Coleman’s seat vacant when the 111th Congress meets on 1/6.

Knaak: "Minnesota will be unrepresented by one senator in January.”

IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s (D) lead atty, Ed Genson, asked the IL House cmte investigating Blagojevich on 12/24 to subpoena WH CoS-designate/Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL 05), Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL 02) and Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Genson believes their testimony, based on the 12/23 Obama transition report that cleared his team of any improprieties, would bolster Blagojevich’s contention that he committed no wrongdoing regarding his attempts to appoint someone to Pres.-elect Obama’s former Senate seat.

It was unclear if the chair of the cmte, IL House Maj. Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D), would issue the subpoena.

U.S. Atty Patrick Fitzgerald is still considering handing over his office’s recordings of Blagojevich to the cmte. Fitzgerald extended a Christmas Eve deadline for deciding on that matter. “The move fueled speculation that Fitzgerald could be amenable to turning over what could be damning evidence of Blagojevich” that could be used for impeachment.

With Pres.-elect Barack Obama vacationing in Hawaii and WH Chief of Staff designee Rahm Emanuel bound for a family trip to Africa, the presidential transition team today released a five-page document specifying that Obama had "no contact or communication" with IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich or his staff about candidates to replace him in the U.S. Senate. Overall, the report suggests that Obama's representatives had limited and appropriate dialogue with the governor and his top aide.

The report, drafted by WH counsel-designee Greg Craig, says that Emanuel had one or two conversations with Blagojevich. Emanuel also spoke "about four" times with Blagojevich's chief of staff, John Harris, regarding possible successors. During those talks, Emanuel and Harris, who was arrested with Blagojevich earlier this month and has since resigned, discussed "the merits of potential candidates and the strategic benefit that each candidate" would bring to the job.

After Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett removed herself from consideration, Emanuel suggested that Harris consider: Dan Hynes, IL Veterans Affairs Chief Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.. During a later conversation, Emanuel added IL AG Lisa Madigan and Cheryle Jackson to the list.

"Harris did not make any effort to extract a personal benefit for the Governor in any of these conversations," according to the report. "There was no discussion of a cabinet position, of 501c(4), of a private sector position or of any other personal benefit to the Governor in exchange for the Senate appointment."

The report takes care to note, too, that "the President-Elect had ruled out communicating a preference for any one candidate." Obama, it says, "believed it appropriate to provide the names of multiple candidates to be considered, along with others, who were qualified to hold the seat and able to retain it in a future election."

In discussing Senate candidates with Obama, adviser David Axelrod and Jarrett, Emanuel did not mention any efforts by Blagojevich or his staff to extract a personal benefit in exchange for an appointment, according to the report. The report does not say if Blagojevich made such an appeal to Obama's staff. Only that Emanuel didn't communicate as much. So the biggest question that remains unanswered by the report is if Blagojevich made a plea for some kind of quid pro quo, as U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald charges in his complaint.

We'll know more, of course, when the audio tapes are released. How Emanuel might've responded remains the biggest open practical question.

It's also worth noting that the Craig memorandum says for the first time at that the U.S. Attorney's Office did conduct interviews with Obama (12/18), Jarrett (12/19) and Emanuel (12/20).

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

A Quinnipiac University survey out today shows that NYers are split, 40% – 41%, on whether Caroline Kennedy is qualified to be a U.S. Senator. Offered a choice between Kennedy and NY AG Andrew Cuomo, 33% of voters opt for the former first daughter and 29% say the state's top legal officer deserves the opportunity to fill the Senate seat that will be vacated by Hillary Clinton if she is confirmed as Secretary of State.

Voters largely expect Gov. David Paterson to name Kennedy, however, with 48% - 25% suggesting she'll win out.

Just 4% of voters say they would back Albany-area U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand over Kennedy and Cuomo, while 24% say want someone else and 10% are undecided, according to the independent survey.

There is a notable geographic differential in support for the two scions of political families. Kennedy leads Cuomo 42% – 27% among NYC voters and ties Cuomo at 30% among suburban voters, while Cuomo leads 31% – 27% among upstate voters.

Republicans prefer Cuomo, 33% - 20%, while Democrats back Kennedy, 41% – 27%, and ind voters support Cuomo 33% – 30%.

(JS)

First it was Sarah Palin and the fake phone call from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Now it's the venerable New York Times and the fake letter from Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë.

Why does the French accent carry such an air of truth to us Yanks? It seems like anyone who can pronounce "crepe" correctly can get a direct line into the most exclusive places in our culture: Dozens of some of the most respected respected reporters in America couldn't get a phone call through to Palin for months back on the campaign trail, yet a québécois disc jockey could just by speaking through his nose and saying he was Sarko. And you can bet that your letter to the Times won't get published, but if you pretend you're emailing it from the Champs-Élysées (from where, I assume, the Mayor of Paris always sends his emails...while smoking a Gauloise...and wearing a beret), it'll go straight into the same paper that watches over the random comments it gets on blog posts like a hawk.

Let's just put this to bed now -- the French can fib like anyone else. And they can even be good at it. I mean, haven't these people ever had the waiter at a French place say to them, "it was a pleasure serving you this evening"?

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

In today's Detroit Free Press, UAW pres. Ron Gettelfinger says his group was "shut out of discussions" over the White House-based auto industry bailout package announced last week.

Reporting on an interview Gettelfinger gave to Fox Business Network 12/22, the Free Press says Gettelfinger claims he wasn't consulted about the White House plan, which includes at least one provision that the UAW said it couldn't support during the failed bailout negotiations in the Senate 12/12. That provision calls on automakers participating in the bailout to renegotiate labor contracts to cut the autoworker's wages GOPers have called excessive. According to the Detroit paper, the UAW objects to the provision because "The current national labor contract with Detroit’s automakers, which was considered a landmark contract because of its generosity to the automakers, was ratified just last year." A new round of negotiations with automakers is scheduled for 2011.

Should the UAW refuse to participate in new negotiations, the auto bailout deal could once again stall. GM and Chrysler, the largest and smallest of the Big 3 respectively, have said they need billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to stay open. Any change to the labor contracts would need a majority vote from the UAW's membership, and in the Free Press report, Gettelfinger doesn't say what his organization is planning to do with the White House terms. But the union pres., who came to Washington to support a bailout for Detroit, did suggest it might be tough to sell a contract to his members that called on workers to take a large paycut.

From the Free Press: "Gettelfinger said that 'it doesn’t make sense' for the government to keep pushing the union to sacrifice. 'Look, our research department put pen to paper and come up and said, look, if we work for nothing, nothing, that’s not going to fix the problem,' Gettelfinger said. 'Other stakeholders have to step in here. The management, the suppliers, the dealers, the creditors, everybody’s going to have to step up. You can’t wring it all out of the working men and women.'"

Clearly, there's no final answers from the UAW here. But there are some new questions that could send Pres. Bush's supposedly bipartisan bailout spinning off into a partisan ditch. GOPers in the Senate made it clear that they felt the union stalled the bailout in Congress -- and Union-allied Dems claimed it was the GOP's disdain for organized labor that caused them to poison the package before it could come to a Senate vote. By choosing not to invite the UAW to its bailout negotiations, the White House could have left out a key constituency with a strong voice in DC, one that could cause the bailout to become even more of a thorn in the side for Pres.-elect Obama when he takes office. After all, it will be Obama who'll decide if the automakers have restructured in a way that makes them "viable" to compete and thus eligible for gov't assistance. And since the White House bailout plan says revised union contracts are one metric for viability, what the UAW does could bring the whole auto bailout back into the center of politics just a few short months into Obama's tenure.

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

From a just released CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll:

10. As you may know, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested on charges of corruption. Based on what you have heard or read, which of the following statements best describes your view of any recent contact between Blagojevich and top aides to Barack Obama:

Some Obama aides did something illegal 12%

No Obama aides did anything illegal, but did something unethical 36%

No Obama aides did anything seriously wrong 43%

No opinion 9%

Al Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection and its partners in the Reality Campaign are up with a new anti-coal ad, called simply "Smudge." It's silly -- silly with a heart. Enjoy:

Confirmed by On Call, 11:28 AM: the Obama team's internal report on its contacts with IL Gov. Rob Blagojevich surrounding Obama's vacated Senate seat will not be released today. TV nets say the report is expected tomorrow.

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

Ex-OH Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is preparing to announce what he calls "the most comprehensive reform of the way the RNC operates" as his campaign for RNC chairman reaches the homestretch after New Year's. He calls it his "Conservative Resurgence Plan" and today he teased GOPers with a taste of the reforms he's promising.

From a 12/22 camp release: "please allow me to offer some specific ideas about how we can make the fundamental changes that we need to implement a genuine 50-state strategy and rebuild our party."

Blackwell's four steps toward a resurgent RNC:

-- "Once each quarter, I will hold a 4-person conference call with each state."

-- "Each quarter, the RNC will transfer 10% of its net fundraising proceeds to state party organizations."

-- "I will secure a major speaker for each state party once per year to appear at a fundraising event, with all proceeds going to the state party."

-- "I will allocate millions of dollars to the precinct organizations in our party to rebuild from the ground up ... We will invest the resources in recruitment, training, and development of precinct organizers across the country so that we have the grassroots base required for a successful ground game."

Blackwell says in the release that he plans on copying many of the successful grassroots strategies used by the Pres.-elect Obama's camp in 2008: "The Obama campaign learned in the Wards of Chicago how to organize at the precinct level and we cannot allow them to hold that advantage nationwide. It will take a substantial investment of resources at the local level that is unprecedented in our party's recent history."

Says Blackwell, "small cosmetic changes are not adequate" to fix what's broken at the GOP.

UPDATE, 10:55 AM: MSNBC reports the Obama team will not be releasing the Craig report today.

By now, the general consensus is that Pres.-elect Obama's Chief Of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, has been cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation into Obama transition team contact with IL Gov. Rob Blagojevich. The investigation was completed by incoming WH counsel/ex-Clinton lawyer Greg Craig over a week ago and yesterday, ABC's Stephanopoulos (another ex-Clintonite) reported he got an early look at it. Today, the rest of the media is wondering when it will get the same privilege.

According to the "This Week" host, the report mentions a few contacts between Emanuel and Blago over who could replace Obama in the Senate. Emanuel is said to have pushed Obama family friend/incoming WH Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett for the seat, but Stephanopoulos said the report finds Emanuel refused to participate in Blago's pay-for-play/IL-politics-as usual scheme to ensure Jarrett's selection. Overall, the Stephanopoulos report on the Craig investigation confirms what Obama has been saying about his team's contacts with the IL Gov. all along -- namely that, though there was contact, there was nothing illegal.

Questions remain as to whether the report will silence right wing critics who are picking over Blago's bones, looking for anything that might stick to Obama. It is, after all, an internal investigation conducted by a clear Obama ally. But Stephanopoulos' reporting also mirrors the statements of IL US Atty Patrick Fitzgerald, who said from the get-go that there's no evidence Obama's people knew of Blago's alleged corruption surrounding the Senate seat.

Either way, no questions will be answered until more reporters get to see the Craig report, though you can bet many more will be asked. Light could finally be shed today with a public release from the Obama team (but no one knows for sure). We could have another 24 hours of thumb-twiddling speculation in front of us.

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

Democrat Al Franken seized the lead for the first time in the MN Senate race today, jumping past his Republican rival by 250 votes, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Good news, but no guarantee of a Franken win over Sen. Norm Coleman. The counting continues Monday, and the dispute over how to handle more than 1,000 absentee ballots persists -- though the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that they must be counted.

Coleman's team today petitioned the state's highest court not to tally so-called double counted ballots:

“We are disappointed the Franken Campaign would not join us in finding a resolution to this serious problem. Unfortunately, without that resolution, the State Canvassing Board has made it clear they will have to count some Minnesotan’s votes twice. This means that millions of other Minnesota voters are being disenfranchised by the influence of hundreds of duplicate ballots that simply should not be counted. We respect the decision of the Board Members who have said that without an agreement by the campaigns they are powerless to remedy this matter. In order to ensure the integrity of the final results of the recount, the Canvassing Board must be provided clearer direction by the Supreme Court that such double-counting not only violates the Constitution, but also the sole purpose of the Canvassing Board ... ”

Franken's team called the plea "bogus."

"Now that they realize they are going to lose, they are once again running to court to try to change the rules and disenfranchise hundreds of voters based on a theory they invented and cannot support with any real evidence," writes Franken communications director Andy Barr.

The saga will continue through the holidays. Pressing matters to consider ...

Will either candidate be seated when the 111th Congress convenes Jan. 6?

Will the Democratic leadership rush to seat Franken if such a narrow margin remains?

Should somebody call Bill Gardner in snowy NH for a consult?

As you gather with family and friends over the next days for egg nog, dreidel spinning and general good cheer, don't forget to check in with On Call. While we expect the news will be lighter, we'll be watching for all the latest out of MN and IL and NY, among other captivating ongoing stories. You'll find White House and bailout dish here as well as transition news (How could there not be any?!).

Hotliners Evan McMorris-Santoro, Steven Shepard, Cyra Master, Chris Bodenner and Sean J. Miller will guest blog over the next two weeks. And I'll parachute in as need be. So don't forget to visit early and often. Tips and tidbits are always welcome.

We wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

(JS)

(AP photo)

The Smithsonian today unveiled portraits of President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush that will hang in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. The works are informal. The President is seated, in casual clothes, looking relaxed. The First Lady is awash in a soft light with a book in her lap, seated, reports indicate, in a favorite chair in the private quarters of the White House.

Former Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe sent supporters an email today assessing the success of last weekend's house party event organized across the nation to urge backers to continue their involvement in Obama's efforts to shape the nation's political agenda.

"So far," Plouffe writes, "the response has been remarkable -- 550,000 people completed the online supporter survey. And this past weekend, supporters organized more than 4,000 Change is Coming house meetings in 2,000 cities across all 50 states."

Plouffe notes that house meetings were held in 2,000 cities. He highlights the turnout in three battlegrounds, in particular, noting 302 events were held in FL, 165 in PA and 160 in OH.

Plouffe writes that the feedback received will help shape Obama's policy plans. "After the inauguration, we should be able to announce a clear plan for the future of this movement -- a plan determined by you," Plouffe says.

True or not, the early effort to keep supporters engaged at the grassroots level is nothing short of groundbreaking. How the data Plouffe et al collect is mined, where it's kept and who is tagged as its shepherd remain some of the most interesting post-election political questions.

(JS)

Gov. Rod Blagojevich signaled today that he'd dig in for a fight to keep his job, continuing the messy political scandal that Pres.-elect Barack Obama, bound in coming days for a family vacation in Hawaii and just four weeks from taking his oath of office, would likely prefer to see closed.

The distraction -- and the ensuing drama over if and how Blagojevich should be removed from office -- hangs over an otherwise efficient transition process overseen by the next president. And if it persists -- if the Illinois General Assembly doesn't move quickly to impeach the governor -- it could prove trouble for the incoming administration. After all, as long as Blagojevich is in flux, not only is the Illinois government at a standstill, but the process of determining who should inherit Obama's Senate seat remains tainted.

And how awkward it would be for Obama to have to answer questions from the White House about his replacement.

The problem for Obama's team is that they clearly can't control Blagojevich, and the governor has no incentive to leave office politely, quietly. For the sake of the party.

And the Illinois Republican Party senses opportunity.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna released a statement today chiding Blagojevich for failing to step aside.

"Anything short of resignation today from the Governor was unacceptable," McKenna said. "For the good of the people, Rod Blagojevich should resign from office immediately and spare voters any more heartache than he's already caused. Illinois voters have lost faith that Blagojevich Democrats are going to do the right thing, which is why we called on Lisa Madigan to demand the legislature convene and strip Rod Blagojevich of his senate appointment powers and give a vote to the people."

How thematically debilitating it could be for Obama, as he aims to launch a much-heralded era of post-partisanship and collaborative government, if the battle to replace him sparks not just an intraparty feud in Illinois but allows the GOP an opportunity to seize what should have been a safe Democratic Senate slot. Hardly an ideal home state legacy.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

For those interested in the full piece ...

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

A defiant Gov. Rod Blagojevich told reporters this afternoon that he will fight the charges against him, asserting that he is guilty of nothing and assuring voters he will not quit his job despite the "political lynch mob" out to get him.

"I am not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing," he said, adding "that I intend to stay on the job, and I will fight this thing every step of the way. I will fight. I will fight. I will fight until I take my last breath. I have done nothing wrong, and I'm not going to quit a job the people hired me to do because of false accusations and a political lynch mob."

Wearing a suit, crisp white shirt and deep blue tie, Blagojevich, in his first official remarks since being arrested on corruption charges last week, said during a two-and-a-half minute press conference in Chicago that he is certain he will "be vindicated." And he criticized -- though not by name -- those advocating for his ouster.

"Let me tell you what I'm not going to do," he said. "I'm not going to do what my accusers and political enemies have been doing and that's talk about this case in 30-second soundbites on 'Meet the Press' or on the TV news. Now, I'm dying to answer these charges. I am dying to show you how innocent I am. And I want to assure everyone who's here and everyone who's listening that I intend to answer every allegation that comes my way. However, I intend to answer them in the appropriate forum in a court of law. And when I do, I am absolutely certain that I will be vindicated."

Appearing to have memorized his statement, Blagojevich recited Rudyard Kipling's "If" by memory:

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

Don't give way to hate.

He added: "Now, I know there are some powerful forces allied against me. it's kind of lonely right now. But I have on my side the most powerful ally. And it's the truth. And besides I have the personal knowledge that I have not done anything wrong."

Blagojevich asked his constituents to allow the judicial system to take its course.

"To the people of Illinois, I ask that they wait and be patient, sit back and take a deep breath and please reserve judgment," he said. "Afford me the same rights that you and your children have. Presumption of innocence. The right to defend yourself. The right to your day in court. The same rights that people would expect for yourselves."

Blagojevich thanked those who have prayed for him and his family before wishing viewers a "Merry Christmas, happy holidays."

He did not take questions.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts Sec/State Condoleezza Rice and a roundtable with CNBC's Erin Burnett, Chicago Sun-Times' Carol Marin, NBC's Andrea Mitchell and NPR's Michele Norris.

Face the Nation hosts Kerry Kennedy, Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R-NY), Geraldine Ferraro, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), NYC Dept. of Education Chancellor Joel Klein, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and NY1 pol. anchor Dominic Carter.

This Week hosts VP-elect Biden and a roundtable with ABC's Sam Donaldson, Cokie Roberts, George Will and Dem strategist Donna Brazile.

Fox News Sunday hosts VP Cheney.

Late Edition hosts Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), GOP strategist Ed Rollins, ex-WH adviser David Gergen, Dem strategist James Carville, CNN's Jessica Yellin and CNN's William Schneider.

See other weekend shows after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

In a statement released by the transition, Pres.-elect Barack Obama is backing President Bush's proposal to relieve the auto industry using TARP funds:

"Today's actions are a necessary step to help avoid a collapse in our auto industry that would have devastating consequences for our economy and our workers. With the short-term assistance provided by this package, the auto companies must bring all their stakeholders together -- including labor, dealers, creditors and suppliers -- to make the hard choices necessary to achieve long-term viability. The auto companies must not squander this chance to reform bad management practices and begin the long-term restructuring that is absolutely required to save this critical industry and the millions of American jobs that depend on it."

We heard this morning that former MD Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele has decided to join three of his rivals for Republican National Committee leader in backing the 'Rebuild the Party' platform created by activists looking to jumpstart the sputtering GOP.

Chip Saltsman, Saul Anuzis and Ken Blackwell have already endorsed the program. On Call has learned the RNC chairman Mike Duncan, who is seeking a second term in the job, will endorse the plan soon.

'Rebuild the Party' was launched by a coalition of well-known young Republicans looking to modernize the party, to build its online operation and target the GOP message to a broader audience. Among the big names involved: Erik Erickson, managing editor of Redstate.com; Patrick Ruffini, former Republican National Committee eCampaign Director & co-founder, The Next Right; Mindy Finn, Republican strategist; and Phil Musser, former executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Reacting to President Bush's announcement this morning that the auto industry bailout money should be pulled from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called the proposal "regrettable."

“The action today is disappointing news for autoworkers and taxpayers, who deserve better -- particularly from their Congress, which essentially punted on this difficult issue and is gearing up to move radical environmental legislation next year that will wreak havoc on American jobs," Boehner said. "The no-bailout restructuring plan House Republicans put forth this month, which relied on private funds rather than taxpayer funds, was the responsible way for Washington to respond to the troubles in the American auto industry. By declining to take the responsible approach, Washington has failed both autoworkers and taxpayers. The use of TARP funds is also regrettable, the latest in a growing list of TARP money uses that were not discussed with or envisioned by Congress when the program was authorized. Now that billions in taxpayer funds are being put at risk, it is more essential than ever that our Democratic counterparts back away from threats to impose extreme environmental mandates on the auto industry that will jeopardize millions of American jobs.”

Pres. Bush gave GM and Chrysler the news they've been waiting for today when he announced a $17.4B auto industry emergency loan package at a presser this morning.

"The American people want the auto industry to succeed, and so do I," Bush said.

The loan package mirrors the one the White House and Dem Congressional leaders worked out nearly three weeks ago. GM and Chrysler, the companies expected to participate in the loan program, will get the immediate infusion of billions of dollars they say need to stave off bankruptcy before the end of the year. In return, the companies will have to agree to strict terms that require fundamental restructuring and renegotiation of labor and supplier contracts as well as dealer agreements. The goal of the loan terms is help make American automakers competitive again, Bush said.

"If they don't follow this plan, the only option is bankruptcy," Bush said.

There are some key differences between the White House-run bailout Bush announced and the bill that died in the Senate 12/12. And some could be controversial. A key component of the compromise bill in Congress was where the bailout funds come from -- the WH wanted the money to come from an existing pool of money set aside to help Detroit make more fuel efficient cars, and the Dems wanted the money to come from the $700B Troubled Asset Relief Program fund, known as TARP. The Dems are now getting what they wanted; Bush said today that the money should come from TARP.

But Dems probably aren't going to be celebrating too much. Bush included the provisions suggested by Senate GOPers that killed the bailout agreement in Congress. Chief among them is a requirement that American automakers lower worker salaries to the same level paid by foreign carmakers with factories in the U.S. by the end of '09. GOP lawmakers have been pressuring Bush to include the provision since he announced he would develop a WH-run bailout.

During the Senate negotiations, the UAW said requiring workers to take a salary cut outside of their normal contract negotiations with automakers (scheduled for 2010) was a dealbreaker. It remains to be seen how the unions will react to Bush's plan.

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) agreed, releasing a disapproving statement shortly after Bush's presser: "[I]t is irresponsible during a time of economic crisis for the White House to insist that workers take further wage cuts on top of the historic concessions they have already made."

For carmakers, though, there's some relief today. Despite all the media reports of the past few days, bankruptcy is off the table in Bush's bailout, and as of now, the loan terms seem to be the same ones automakers already agreed to when they went before congress. The Big 3 may live to see New Year's after all.

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

Gov. Rod Blagojevich will make a statement today for the first time. 3 p.m. ET. Stay tuned.

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Much of last night's TV talk focused on Pres.-elect Obama's decision to have Pastor Rick Warren deliver the inaugural invocation.

Human Rights Campaign's Harry Knox: "We were profoundly disappointed in the president-elect's pick because he chose someone who is a divisive person, who has attacked our community and attacked our families. ... We have said to the president-elect today in very strong language, the strongest we can think of and be respectful of the office, you have really slapped us" ("NewsHour," PBS, 12/18).

Ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA): "What Barack Obama is doing -- I think it's brilliant. What he is doing is all of the sophistry to create the image, the first impression of what he is going to be as president as a practical, moderate, mainstream guy" ("On the Record," FNC, 12/18).

Dem strategist Hilary Rosen: "The fact that we are still talking about it and that it still bothers so many people is emblematic of the fact that it wasn't the right choice. ... I don't think this decision is going to change. You know, it's disappointing. And I think they have decided that they had a constituency they just weren't going to worry that much about complaining about this" ("AC 360," CNN, 12/18).

Kerry Kennedy: "I don't think it's appropriate to have somebody who has advocated this sort of hateful stance against people who are gay to be in that position. So, I think it was a regrettable decision" ("1600," MSNBC, 12/18).

More after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

President Bush today in an interview with C-Span's Steve Scully poignantly discusses what he has learned from the books he has read about Abraham Lincoln. Much has been made by reporters of Pres.-elect Barack Obama's efforts to model his administration on that of the nation's 16th president. But Bush's take-away is particularly striking; he said that he learned from Lincoln to avoid self-pity. For Bush, a man who does not partake of public self-reflection, this seemed to me such an uncharacteristically telling personal insight.

Does the full quote hint at a private pain? A deep worry about history's judgment?

Read on.

Q What do you take away from books? I mean, how do you translate what you read into how you make decisions or how you go about your business?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, sometimes books are just to escape, like mysteries, and it's just a chance to get your mind off the moment. Sometimes I read books to -- a lot of history books, and I can take lessons away from the books -- like Abraham Lincoln. I just finished James McPherson's book on Abraham Lincoln and his relationship with his generals, which is an interesting topic for a Commander-in-Chief. One of the lessons of Abraham Lincoln that all Presidents ought to understand, particularly at times of war, is that the President must pay attention to the troops. And Lincoln went out of his way to be with the sergeants and the enlisted personnel as well as the generals, and he -- you know, he visited the wounded a lot and he visited with widows a lot.

And it's a good lesson for any President. And the lesson is, pay attention to your military, and work with your military, and show your military that you care for them. And you go to a hospital and see these wounded kids and word gets out all across the -- you know, all across the system, where -- and I've met with a lot of the families of the fallen, which is my duty, but I think the troops appreciate that, that the President cares enough about their comrades' families that he would meet with them. And, yes, it's an interesting experience to do that. The Comforter-in-Chief is the person who usually gets comforted.

Q You have had a number of events here as we begin to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q His picture is here, obviously, his bust in this office. That's one example about the Lincoln presidency. But what else in the 17 or 18 books that you've read on Lincoln do you take away from what he meant for this office and the country?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, he spoke with moral clarity on certain truths. And one basic truth was, all men are created equal under God; 1864, he could have easily have said, well, maybe not all of us are created equal. But Lincoln spoke with certainty. I think Presidents need to do that, need to speak moral truth, have a set of principles that are inviolate.

Self-pity is a horrible trait, and I'm confident all Presidents have been -- have thought about saying, oh, why me, why do I have to carry this burden? And first of all, I don't believe it is a burden to be President. I don't believe there's -- it's not a burden to deal with problems. But Lincoln keeps things in perspective. If you think you got a lousy time, think about what Abraham Lincoln went through. I mean, it was a tough time for Lincoln: 600,000 people died; he lost his son upstairs, Willie died in the White House; his wife was not happy. And yet, he was a man who stuck to principles and stayed strong, and died not having any earthly idea of where his standing would be in history.

The full transcript is available after the jump.

News tidbits for you and yours this holiday season:

Caroline Kennedy joined the Rev. Al Sharpton today for lunch at the famous Harlem soul food restaurant Sylvia's. On the menu? Chicken and chatter -- and a photo op.

Pres.-elect Barack Obama is set to announce that retired Navy Adm. Dennis Blair will be his intelligence chief.

IL AG Lisa Madigan said today the state will not foot the bill for Gov. Rod Blagojevich's legal fees.

Obama defended his decision to allow evangelical Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inaugural. Gay groups and many on the left have registered their strong disapproval. Warren, senior pastor of the Saddleback Church in Southern California, supported the Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in CA. Obama, today: "I'm a fierce advocate for equality for gay and lesbian Americans. It's something that I have been consistent on and something that I will continue to be consistent on during my presidency. What I've also said is that it is important for America to come together even though we may have disagreements on certain social issues."

President Bush will host a lunch for Obama with all four living former presidents, including, of course, the first President Bush, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Another effort to make the transition move smoothly and amicably.

Paul Weyrich, conservative icon, coiner of the phrase "moral majority," dead at 66.

Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), the daughter of Mexican and Nicaraguan immigrants, is Pres.-elect Barack Obama's pick for Labor Secretary, the AP reported this afternoon.

The AP notes that in 1994 Solis "was the first Latina elected to the California Senate, where she led the battle to increase the state's minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75 an hour in 1996. In Congress, she wrote a measure that authorized $125 million for work force training programs in areas such as energy efficiency retrofitting and "green building" construction."

And the AFL-CIO signed off today on the selection.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney: "We're thrilled at the prospect of having Rep. Hilda Solis as our nation's next labor secretary. We're confident that she will return to the labor department one of its core missions - - to defend workers' basic rights in our nation's workplaces. She's proven to be a passionate leader and advocate for all working families - - in fact, she's voted with working men and women 97 percent of the time. The AFL-CIO looks forward to working with Rep. Solis as she charts new territory for our nation's working men and women."

Change To Win Chair Anna Burger also endorsed Solis for the job: “Change to Win and its affiliated unions would welcome the appointment of Congresswoman Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor, and would be excited to work with her to help restore the economy, rebuild the middle class and renew the American Dream. She would make the Labor Department an agency that once again protects and promotes the well-being of America’s working men and women. President-elect Obama promised to make government work for working Americans and the appointment of Hilda Solis would make that promise real.

“Solis has a life-long record as an advocate and activist for the cause and concerns of working Americans. She has fought to provide working families with a safe workplace, a healthy environment, a decent standard of living, affordable health care and equal opportunity. Congresswoman Solis does not just vote on behalf of workers, she is their unwavering and tireless voice. She has one of the strongest pro-worker voting records in Congress and is a sponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act.

“She has never forgotten where she comes from, and how she got to where she is today."

Pres.-elect Barack Obama today nominated Mary Schapiro as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler as chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Daniel Tarullo for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Their bios, provided by the transition, are available after the jump.

Expect Obama to debut his pick for Transportation Secretary -- IL Rep. Ray LaHood, a Republican -- tomorrow with his selection for Labor Secretary. Those two individuals will round out Obama's Cabinet.

The list of donors to President Clinton's foundation is long and runs the gamut, from the business world to individuals to philanthropies. And, as expected, he has received big money from foreign nations, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which donated between $10M and $25M, and the states of Kuwait and Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman, which each gave between $1M and $5M.

Here are the largest gifts:

Greater than $25,000,000

The Children's Investment Fund Foundation

UNITAID

$10,000,001 to $25,000,000

AUSAID

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Stephen L. Bing

COPRESIDA-Secretariado Tecnico

Fred Eychaner

Frank Giustra, Chief Executive Officer, The Radcliffe Foundation

Tom Golisano

The Hunter Foundation

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The ELMA Foundation

Theodore W. Waitt

$5,000,001 to $10,000,000

Government of Norway

Nationale Postcode Loterij

Haim Saban and The Saban Family Foundation

Michael Schumacher

The Wasserman Foundation

Click the link above to examine the scope of the foundation's monetary ties to foreign nations and the world's richest people. And after the jump, our donor fun fact ... Think ex-wife of a pardoned fugitive financier.

President Clinton released his foundation's donors today. All of them. In light, of course, of Sec. of State-designee Hillary Clinton's upcoming confirmation hearings.

"I want to personally express my deepest appreciation to our many contributors, who remain steadfast partners in our work to impact the lives of so many around the world in measurable and meaningful ways," President Clinton said in a statement. "We have just begun and it is an honor and privilege to be on this journey alongside each and every person who is committed to our foundation's ongoing charitable mission."

Also per the release: The Clinton Foundation has received contributions of all sizes, from people of all means. The median gift amount over the life of the Foundation is $45. Nearly 90% of gifts (179,000 contributors) are valued at $250 or below, with 12,000 individuals contributing $10 or less. In addition, in a sign of the significance of the cause and the effectiveness of the work, a noteworthy 57,000 contributors gave more than once to the Foundation and/or the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.

Looks like the contributor list should be available here. BUT it seems to be overloaded at the moment. We'll browse as soon as it's back up.

Josh Robin, NY1's talented political reporter, was in upstate New York with Caroline Kennedy yesterday. He reported that she was well-received by a number of local mayors, and even one rival -- Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown -- eager to fill the state's soon-to-be open U.S. Senate seat. Brown said Kennedy is a "very strong candidate, is a candidate that would fight for the entire state of New York. And I look forward to us continuing our dialogue."

During Kennedy's day-long listening tour, an abbreviated version of the one conducted by Hillary Clinton in 2000 when she first sought the seat, Kennedy acknowledged the advantage her name carries.

"I know that I'm fortunate to be in a position where people know who I am and I want to put that to work," she said.

Watch Josh's full report here.

Pres.-elect Obama's handling of the IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) scandal continues to dominate TV:

Ex-WH press sec. Joe Lockhart, on Obama probably not releasing the information himself: "We're at the level of nitpicking now. ... I think that somehow that the Obama team and the U.S. attorney conspired to make it a time when he would be in the 50th state is a little silly" ("1600," MSNBC, 12/17).

CNN's Brown: "I get that there's a request from [U.S. atty Patrick] Fitzgerald, but Fitzgerald, as powerful as he is, is not as powerful as the president-elect and there certainly could have been pushback from Obama, who could have said, look, I want to get this out sooner, so that people are aware of all that we know, everything is on the table. I don't want to do this during Christmas week, so let's get it done quicker" ("No Bias, No Bull," 12/17).

Ex-NRCC comm. dir. Karen Hanretty: "The real danger for Obama is not necessarily whatever statement Blagojevich goes out with. It will be the Q & A. I'm really curious to see how Blagojevich handles the pressure of ... what I suspect is obviously a very skeptical press corps who are going to be hammering with question after question. ... He will slip up, and Obama is going to have to answer for it after this press conference. That's when the real drama is going to begin" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 12/17).

Newsweek's Isikoff: "The important thing for when the Obama people do make this public release next week is that they not say anything that could later be contradicted by evidence brought out in a Blagojevich trial by the playing of the tapes" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 12/17).

After the jump, Bush seeks to preserve his legacy.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

You can finally put the 2008 House election to bed. After a recount that ended today, officials in the Charlottesville-based VA-05 declared atty Tom Perriello (D) the winner over Rep. Virgil Goode (R). That result had been widely expected, as recounts in VA have historically yielded just minor changes.

Indeed, going into the recount, Perriello maintained a 745-vote lead. Final results show Perriello with a 727-vote win, meaning Goode picked up just 18 votes in the recount.

Perriello's victory means Dems gained a total of 21 seats this cycle, and with no other '08 House races outstanding, it's time to close the book on the cycle.

(TIM SAHD)

Voter turnout in 37 states and Washington, D.C., increased this year over 2004, and the Democratic party scored sizeable gains in every region of the nation, according to a study released today by American University's Center for the Study of the American Electorate.

Highlights:

-- In total, more than 131M Americans voted for president in 2008, 9M more than cast their ballots last cycle.

-- Turnout records were set in AL, CO, DC, FL, GA NC, SC, TX and VA.

-- Sixty-three percent of eligible voters cast ballots, a 2.4 percentage point increase over 2004, and the highest percentage to turn out since 64.8 percent voted in the 1960 presidential election contest.

-- This year marked the third highest turnout since women were given the right to vote in 1920.

-- Republican turnout declined in 44 states and DC and increased marginally in just six states. Overall, Dems had a 6.6-point turnout advantage. Last cycle, the GOP had a 1.8-point edge.

-- Interestingly, of the 12 states that saw turnout decline in 2008, 10 had some form of early, mail or absentee voting or day of registration. The states with the largest decreases in turnout were ME (-3.6 percentage points, election day registration), WV (-3.5, early voting), OR (-2.8, mail voting), WI (-2.5, election day registration) and SD (-2.4, no-excuse absentee balloting).

-- Conversely, of the 13 states that had the greatest increases in turnout, seven had no form of early, mail or absentee voting or same-day registration.

-- Democrats grew their advantages in regions where they have been strong in recent contests and narrowed the gap where they have trailed. In the west, for example, Democrats had a 14-point edge this year; they led by 6 points in 2004. In the industrial Midwest, the Dems had an approximately 7-point advantage this year, while in 2004, the GOP had a 1.5-point edge.

Click the link above for more.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Pres.-elect Barack Obama is expected to tap Rep. Ray LaHood, an IL Republican, as his Transportation Secretary.

Bloomberg's Tackett and Hughes write that LaHood is "known for his willingness to criticize his own party and to work with Democrats."

LaHood, 63, would be the second GOPer in Obama's Cabinet. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is the first.

More from Bloomberg: "In Congress, LaHood’s record is one of a centrist, willing to cast votes that crossed partisan lines. He voted in favor of raising vehicle fuel economy standards and co-sponsored legislation, with Emanuel, to extend health insurance to those without it. Yet he also has supported his party on core issues, such as putting up a fence along the U.S. border with Mexico and extending a program allowing wiretaps without warrants."

Obama's press event will be held tomorrow morning at -- where else? -- The Drake.

The IL Supreme Court this afternoon rejected AG Lisa Madigan's (D) request to have Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) declared unfit to hold office.

While that avenue to anti-Blagojevich forces may be closed, impeachment proceedings are moving forward in the state legislature.

GOPers, however, are using the Supreme Court's ruling to continue to push for a special election. IL GOP Chair Andy McKenna: "The Supreme Court's decision today is yet another reason the General Assembly must immediately convene a special session and strip Governor Blagojevich of his power to appoint our next United States Senator and give that power to the people in the form of a special election."

Last week, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) was one of many Dems to call for a special election, but the party appears to have backed away from that idea. Some believe an '09 SEN special election may benefit GOPers, as the poisonous cloud that surrounds Blagojevich may still be hovering over Dems.

(TIM SAHD)

AG-designee Eric Holder appears to be the only Cabinet nominee under some scrutiny from the GOP. Ultimately, Republicans don't have the numbers to put the appointment in jeopardy, but they could still make a fuss.

Here is Holder's 47-page questionnaire, submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee in advance of its confirmation hearings. The document includes a range of information, including the basics: education, past employment and board memberships, honors and awards, and a list of published works. It also includes those dates he testified before Congress and the subject matter of his testimony, including these dates, which should be raised during the confirmation hearing:

10/20/1999 Clemency to FALN members, Senate Judiciary
2/8/2001 Pardon of Marc Rich, House Govt. Reform
2/14/2001 Pardon of Marc Rich, Senate Judiciary

Note that if confirmed Holder will resign from Covington & Burling, where he is a partner, and prior to assuming his duties as AG, he will receive repayment of his partner capital account ($632,767), deferred compensation from the firm's prior fiscal year ($680,820), a pro rata share of partner compensation ($484,073) and a separation payment ($1,344,050).

His net worth is $5.7M; Holder, married with three children, has $1.4M cash on hand.

Holder provided a very long list of speeches given and an itemized list of interviews provided. He noted that he had to use Lexis Nexis to recall each conversation and that he undoubtedly missed some.

Holder never served as a judicial clerk or worked as a solo practitioner. In his practice at Covington & Burling, 60% of his court appearances were in federal court, 60% were in state courts. He said his work for the firm is split 70% civil/30% criminal. And he lists those significant cases handled that did not proceed to trial.

He has never argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court but has served as counsel on two petitions of certiorari and as an amicus party in three amicus briefs. Holder provided short summaries of the 10 most significant litigated matters he handled personally (page 29).

Holder said that he doesn't recall ever recusing himself when he served as an associate judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court. And he has never taught a class.

Extensive non profit board memberships. He didn't take payment from the vast majority. He did, however, receive unspecified payment from MCI, c/o Verizon Communications.

Give it a browse.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The New York Times reported today that Aretha Franklin and Rick Warren, an author and leader of the Saddleback Church, are among the select few invited to participate in Pres.-elect Barack Obama's Jan. 20 inaugural ceremonies.

Obama has also selected Elizabeth Alexander, an African-American poet, and world-renowned musicians Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma to join him on the podium.

NYT: "Dr. Warren, of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Cal., will deliver the invocation, followed by musical selections by Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, who sang “Someday We’ll All Be Free” and “Respect” at a concert for Bill Clinton in 1993, but not at the inaugural ceremony."

Barack Obama took three questions at today's presser, one each from CBS, the Denver Post and the Des Moines Register. The regional reporters stuck to home state issues, pertinent to the announcement of the day. The CBS reporter asked Obama if he recognized that his silence about his team's interaction with Gov. Rod Blagojevich contrasts with his pledge to be transparent.

"It's a little bit frustrating," Obama said. "There's been a lot of speculation in the press that I would love to correct immediately. We are abiding by the request of the U.S. attorney's office. But it's not going to be that long. By next week you guys will have the answers to all of your questions."

Pres.-elect Barack Obama today tapped Tom Vilsack as his Agriculture Secretary and Sen. Ken Salazar as his Interior Secretary, saying he is "extraordinarily pleased" to have two men on his team who are fit to meet the "energy and natural resource challenges" facing the nation.

"It is time for a new kind of leadership in Washington that is committed to using all of our land in a responsible way to benefit our families," Obama said.

Obama said Vilsack and Salazar, who donned a cowboy hat and bolo tie for the announcement, will help guide the administration's efforts to use farmlands not only to strengthen the country's agricultrual economy but to advance the production of biofuels. He also noted, about Salazar in particular, that tribal nations will have a voice in that process.

Salazar: "My story in America began more than 400 years ago when my ancestors settled the city of Santa Fe, NM. ... Today, as I stand here, I see their faith shining brightly on Barack Obama."

Salazar said he looks forward to protecting national parks, farm and ranchlands, and restoring the nation's rivers. He also said he aims to help Obama to "take the moonshot on energy independence."

Vilsack said Obama has "articulated a compelling vision" for the Agriculture Department that includes improving profitability for farmers and ranchers while also working to preserve the nation's natural resources.

Given his experience as IA governor, Vilsack said today, "I know these people. America's farmers and ranchers deserve a Secretary of Agriculture who respects them for the contribution they make every day."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Pres.-elect Barack Obama will announce this morning that Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) will serve as his Interior Secretary and former IA governor Tom Vilsack as Agriculture Secretary. Vilsack, you'll recall, endorsed Hillary Clinton for president and campaigned vigorously for her in his first-in-the-nation caucus state.

Two Cabinet posts remain open: Transportation and Labor.

Not surprisingly, it's Barack Obama:

TIME: "It's unlikely that you were surprised to see Obama's face on the cover. He has come to dominate the public sphere so completely that it beggars belief to recall that half the people in America had never heard of him two years ago — that even his campaign manager, at the outset, wasn't sure Obama had what it would take to win the election. He hit the American scene like a thunderclap, upended our politics, shattered decades of conventional wisdom and overcame centuries of the social pecking order."

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

It was reported last night that Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) has been sharing information with the feds since '02.

CNN's Tuchman: "Jackson ... has at least for 10 years given information to federal law enforcement authorities to deal with corruption issues that he sees in his district and in the state of Illinois. Now, when you hear that word that he gives information, you may think that Jesse Jackson, Jr. has been an informant, and indeed that's what one of the sources close to him told us. But we're now being informed by sources close to Jesse Jackson Jr. they object to the connotation of the word informant. They say the connotation means that he was told he had to as part of a deal. They say he merely gave information and has helped federal law enforcement authorities. And that is what any good congressman should do."

More Tuchman: "But what is notable about this is that the information he gave, some of it pertains to Governor Rod Blagojevich, not regarding this particular investigation going on right now. It's a very important point to make" ("No Bias, No Bull," 12/16).

Chicago Tribune's Page, on whether Jackson Jr. is trying to rehabilitate his image by saying he helped fed. investigators: "Anything helps right now, because there was so much suspicion surrounding him and whether or not he had put out a signal of a quid pro quo with Blagojevich. ... You know, this is not exactly related to that investigation. But at the same time, there is that implication that people have now that something was wrong" ("1600," MSNBC, 12/16).

Washington Post's Milbank: "He's bound to antagonize [U.S. atty Patrick] Fitzgerald with this. You know, as we know, Fitzgerald wants people to keep quiet, as we've seen with the Obama side" ("Situation Room," CNN, 12/16).

After the jump, Reid supporting Caroline Kennedy, Duncan as Educ. sec. and Bush on brother Jeb.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Thought you were going to get a bargain price on the remnants of John McCain's presidential campaign? Discounted blackberries and printers and laptops galore. Think again. Seems the McCain fire sale is no more.

One unhappy purchaser tells On Call that he received a call today from a McCain staffer named "Ashley" informing him that the Dell Latitude 620 he bought last week for $417 was no longer available. Our source, a Hill worker who asked not to be named, said he pressed "Ashley" for a reason. He said she confirmed his suspicion -- that reports that a FOX News staffer had scored a couple McCain camp blackberries still stocked with big name contact info had tanked the deal.

"She said that people lost their jobs over it," our source said.

"Ashley" told our laptop buyer, who also purchased two power strips for one dollar each after browsing sale items last week at McCain's Arlington, Va., headquarters, that all sales were canceled. She said, however, that the campaign might still charge our source's credit card $2 for the power strips.

On Call left a message for "Ashley" this evening. We'll let you know what we learn. Our frustrated source said he is pondering whether to return the power strips. Just to make a point.

Bargain hunters beware.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Pres.-elect Barack Obama will, as expected, name Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) tomorrow as his Secretary of the Interior. Salazar would vacate his Senate seat for the job. CO Gov. Bill Ritter is expected to appoint a replacement for Salazar, who would be the second Latino in Obama's Cabinet. Among those rumored to be in the mix: Denver Mayor John Hinkenlooper and Rep. John Salazar, brother of the expected Interior nom.

Whoever gets the nod will have to run again in 2010, so fundraising ability and statewide name recognition are critical. Especially in a Western state that could prove a target for a GOP none too pleased to see CO trend Democratic in recent years.

Obama's presser is scheduled for 11:45 ET at The Drake hotel.

The Illinois Constitution is as hazy as can be on the subject of impeachment. One might ask: Hey, what's an impeachable offense? Well, Go Fish.

The state Constitution specifies, in the lone paragraph addressing the matter, that the state House of Representatives has the sole power to conduct an investigation to determine "the existence of cause for impeachment" for Executive and Judicial officers. A majority vote of the House is required to launch impeachment proceedings. If the House votes as such, the state Senate would then bring an indiviudal to trial and "do justice according to the law."

"If the Governor is tried, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall preside," the Constitution says.

A two-thirds vote of the Senate, or 40 of 59 members, is required for impeachment. Judgment should not extend beyond removal from office and disqualification to serve. However, an impeached individual is liable "to prosecution, trial, judgment and punishment according to law."

"You don’t have to have been guilty of a crime to be impeached," said Dawn Clark Netsch, Northwestern University professor of law emerita.

Netsch, a 1994 Democratic candidate for IL governor and a former IL state senator from Chicago, also noted that the House can "set up any kind of rules and procedures" it sees fit to explore the merits of impeachment.

That's it. The sum total explanation of why and how an elected official, or justice, can be impeached in Illinois. Might be the reason why so few individuals have been impeached in Illinois history. Not one of them was a governor.

Supreme Court Justice Theophilus Smith holds the distinction of being the only IL official to be impeached, according to Raymond Collins, a reference librarian with the Illinois State Library. Smith was impeached in 1832 for a series of infractions, but he was never convicted. He served from 1825-1842.

In 1997, Chief Justice James Heiple was arrested for resisting arrest during a traffic stop. But after many weeks of hearings, the House declined to impeach him.

So if Blagojevich is impeached and convicted, he could stand alone in IL history.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Illinois lawmakers seemed content late last week to call for a special election to determine who will fill Pres.-elect Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat -- an effort, of course, to circumvent Gov. Rod Blagojevich's constitutional right to appoint a replacement. But news comes today that the emergency General Assembly session held in Springfield to outline the terms of that special election ended in stalemate, with a new push instead by some Democratic leaders for the governor to be impeached, a move that would clear the way for Democratic Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to pick a new senator.

Why the shift?

I first reported last week that a special election would carry a hefty pricetag, between $31 million and $50 million, according to a source with the Illinois Board of Elections. In the time since, officials for IL's counties, which would bear the brunt of the cost, have said they don't have cash at the ready to foot the bill.

So money is one hurdle to a special election. But there's another still. With the Blagojevich storyline reminding of the machine tradition of state Democratic politics, perhaps even IL's blue state voters would opt for a change of leadership. A special election could open the door to a GOP candidate -- and might allow the state Republican Party to use the Blagojevich pay-for-play scandal to their organizational advantage. The IL GOP is hardly a powerhouse. State Democrats dominate at every level of government in the Land of Lincoln. But Blagojevich's apparent abuse of power -- selling a U.S. Senate seat, among other bold attempts -- could prove distasteful enough to change some minds. Likely not enough to flip the seat, but anything's possible.

With both matters taking proposals for a special election, a 21-member impeachment panel composed of a dozen Democrats and nine Republicans began meeting today to determine if the tarnished governor should be ousted.

Stay tuned.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Jay Carney, Washington bureau chief for TIME Magazine since September 2005 and a 20-year TIME writer and editor, is leaving journalism to run VP-elect Joe Biden's press shop. Carney will serve as Asst. to the Vice President and Dir. of Comm. Carney is married to ABC's Claire Shipman. His full bio is available after the jump.

Note, too, that Biden vets Elizabeth Alexander will serve as press secretary to the VP-elect, and Annie Tomasini will sign on as deputy press secretary.

Pres.-elect Barack Obama is rolling out his pick this morning for Education Sec., Chicago Public Schools Chief Arne Duncan. Mayor Richard M. Daley named Duncan CEO of the Chicago Public Schools in June 2001. Chicago is the nation's third largest school district.

A few Duncan factoids:

-- He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1987, majoring in sociology.

-- He was co-captain of Harvard’s basketball team and was named a first team Academic All-American.

-- From 1987-1991, Mr. Duncan played professional basketball in Australia, where he also worked with children who were wards of the state.

-- He serves on the Board of Overseers for Harvard College and the visiting committees for Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.

More to come. Obama's prepared remarks about Duncan available after the jump.

Pres.-elect Obama's presser to announce his energy team was overshadowed by questions surrounding the IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) scandal. Obama said an internal review revealed no inappropriate discussions between his staff and the office of Blagojevich.

Newsweek's Isikoff, on U.S. atty Patrick Fitzgerald requesting the Obama team to hold off for a week: "It's a little curious, because prosecutors like Fitzgerald generally don't put deadlines on their work. You know, their investigations are complete when they're complete, when they bring charges. ... The most innocent reading of it would be that the contacts between Obama's staff and Blagojevich were so innocuous, that just a couple of interviews that Fitzgerald does should wrap it up. ... The more interesting scenario might be that he is close to bringing criminal charges and needs just another few days to wrap that up. ... My guess is it's probably closer to the former than the latter based on everything we know" ("1600," MSNBC, 12/15).

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer: "I can't imagine that Rahm [Emanuel] would have engaged in illegalities here. It's inconceivable. But what they are worried about is the question of tone. You know, the selling of offices is an old business, but in the past there were no tape recorders and the theatrical elements of replaying the way things are discussed. If his tone was indignant, which is what you would expect from someone within an administration that is presuming to bring a new standard of ethics, that's fine. But if it's less than indignant, it might be damaging. I don't think it would be fatal, but it could be embarrassing" ("Special Report," FNC, 12/15).

Weekly Standard's Hayes, on why GOPers should not attack Obama for the Blagojevich scandal: "I don't think this is an issue that Republicans are likely to gain a lot of traction on. ... It seems like they're setting themselves up for disappointment. If they're harping on this sort of constantly and then there's not much there, then they just look sort of foolish" ("No Bias, No Bull," CNN, 12/15).

After the jump, Obama's energy team, Caroline Kennedy's bid and Bush's legacy.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Pres.-elect Barack Obama will announce his pick for Education Sec. during a press conference tomorrow at the Dodge Renaissance Academy in Chicago.

Club For Growth's Pat Toomey is backing former OH Sec. of State Ken Blackwell for RNC chairman:

Dear Friend,

Pat Toomey

A very Barney Bush Christmas:

And President Bush, In Iraq over the weekend, ably ducks as an Iraqi journalist chucks his shoes at him during a presser:

Pres.-elect Barack Obama's transition comm. dir. Dan Pfeiffer released a statement this afternoon noting that a review has been completed of all staff contact with Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But in an effort to comply with the U.S. attorney's office, release of the transition's findings will be delayed to 12/22. A specific reason for the wait was not specified.

There is no mention in the Pfeiffer statement of Rep. Rahm Emanuel's interaction with the governor. Emanuel, tapped to be Obama's WH chief of staff, provided the governor with a list of candidates sanctioned by the Pres.-elect. But note the line below asserting that no member of Obama's staff was involved in any "inappropriate discussions."

Pfeiffer's statement:

"At the direction of the President-elect, a review of Transition staff contacts with Governor Blagojevich and his office has been conducted and completed and is ready for release. That review affirmed the public statements of the President-elect that he had no contact with the governor or his staff, and that the President-elect's staff was not involved in inappropriate discussions with the governor or his staff over the selection of his successor as US Senator.

"Also at the President-elect's direction, Gregory Graig, counsel to the Transition, has kept the US Attorney's office informed of this fact-gathering process in order to ensure our full cooperation with the investigation.

"In the course of those discussions, the US Attorney's office requested the public release of the Transition review be deferred until the week of December 22, in order not to impede their investigation of the governor. The Transition has agreed to this revised timetable for release."

The New York Times is reporting that Caroline Kennedy will seek Hillary Clinton's NY Senate seat, despite grumbling from other Democratic officials that she has name recognition but no government experience. Kennedy has been calling state political officials to let them know of her intentions, the paper reports.

Gov. David Paterson will make the appointment. He was traveling today, however, and was not available for comment.

Others in the mix include: NY AG Andrew Cuomo (who was until recently married to Kennedy's cousin Kerry), Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, "a rising star in the Democratic party who represents an upstate district" and Tom Suozzi, Nassau County chief executive and a former candidate for governor.

Kennedy, a lawyer and Manhattan resident, has lived a largely private life. A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School, she is an author and mother of three who has largely worked in the private sphere, as president of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and a member of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Committee. She is a director of the Commission on Presidential Debates, and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and serves as Honorary Chairman of the American Ballet Theatre.

Marc Elias, counsel to Democrat Al Franken's campaign for Senate in MN, told reporters today that they'll leave fewer than 500 ballot challenges in place for the state Canvassing Board to consider when it meets tomorrow.

"We are confident that we have made more meritorious challenges than the Coleman campaign," Elias said.

The Canvassing Board meeting marks the latest chapter in the ongoing MN Senate contest recount. The latest related development was prompted by Coleman's team, who asked the state Supreme Court to halt the board's count until uniform standards are established for judging intent.

The Franken team today deemed that move a ploy, however, calling it "a cynical and desperate attempt from the Coleman campaign to stop this train from moving."

With the Canvassing Board count set to launch tomorrow, Elias said the MN Secretary of State has guidelines in place allowing the parties to make arguments for or against counting each ballot and to respond to the other camp's challenges.

As many as 1,600 absentee ballots are in play, reports indicate.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Fritz Knaak, lead counsel for Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign, expressed concern today that some ballots cast in the MN Senate race will be double counted, and he renewed the GOPer's call for a "consistent or uniform standard" for tallying challenged ballots.

Knaak said he would like the Canvassing Board, which meets tomorrow, to hold off on counting rejected ballots without such standards -- and the Coleman campaign has appealed to the state Supreme Court to halt counting in the meantime. Knaak said guidelines are instrumental in preventing the Senate contest "from ending up like the debacle in Florida," a reference, of course, to the contested 2000 presidential race.

The Coleman camp is also reducing its number of challenges to 1,000 or less; Democrat Al Franken's team has reduced theirs to fewer than 500. At one point the two camps were challenging a total of 6K ballots.

Knaak was less clear about the number of double-counted ballots in play.

"We have found where in fact duplicate ballots were cast," he said on a call with reporters. "I can't give you an exact number right now, but it's well into the low hundreds."

He said in situations where the original and duplicate ballots are being counted, those voters are given an "unfair" advantage. The camp is asking the state Supreme Court to reject including duplicate ballots in the final count.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Pres-elect Barack Obama is holding a national security meeting in Chicago today with his team:

Vice President-elect Joe Biden; Secretary of State designee Hillary Clinton; Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Attorney General designee Eric Holder; Secretary of Homeland Security designee Janet Napolitano; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen; Ambassador to the United Nations designee Susan Rice; National Security Advisor designee Jim Jones; Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell; White House Chief of Staff designee Rahm Emanuel; and White House Counsel designee Greg Craig.

Later in the day, Obama will also front a press conference at the Drake Hotel to announce additional Cabinet picks:

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Chu to head Energy, Lisa Jackson to lead the EPA, Carol Browner to be Energy Czar and Nancy Sutley to head the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Pres.-elect Barack Obama and VP-elect Joe Biden and their families will travel to Washington via train in the days preceding the inaugural celebration.

The day-long trip will include stops in Philadelphia, Wilmington (where the Bidens will hop aboard) and Baltimore -- cities, the Presidential Inaugural Committee suggests, that were instrumental in the founding and defense of the nation.

More information is available after the jump.

Sunday Snapshot closes out a busy '08 with talk of the IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) scandal and the auto industry bailout. IL AG Lisa Madigan appeared on "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press" to discuss Blagojevich.

Madigan, asked if Blagojevich will resign: "We have heard rumors in the media that he's thinking of possibly doing something, or at least announcing something, tomorrow. But at this point, we're really in a situation, here in the state of Illinois, where we don't have a governor who can legitimate govern. And so it has been imperative that we find a way to move forward. That's the reason for filing this really extraordinary lawsuit in front of the Illinois Supreme Court. ... The Illinois legislature also comes back into session tomorrow, and they are going to be considering, I hope, moving forward with impeachment proceedings."

CBS' Schieffer: "Are you investigating him as well as filing this lawsuit? Or are you just going on what the federal prosecutor has made public so far?"

Madigan: "Well, when Patrick Fitzgerald, the U.S. attorney, here, filed those criminal charges earlier this week, he made it very clear that one of the reasons behind his decision to do so was that there was a continuing political corruption crime spree going on out of the governor's office. ... So, obviously, that basis alone would be sufficient. What I can tell you, in terms of our office's involvement is that we have been providing assistance and information to federal law enforcement authorities all along."

More after the jump, including a McCain appearance.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

In a development that's been rumored for weeks, The Hill's Wilson reports that Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI 02) will announce his retirement today. Hoekstra is also thought to be seriously considering a MI GOV bid in '10.

At first glance, Hoekstra's western MI CD should be a relatively easy hold for the GOP. It was one of the few that gave John McCain a victory on 11/4, and Pres. Bush took 60% here in '04. But as we saw in '06 and '08, these types of open seats were not locks for the GOP, and with the MI economy suffering the brunt of this economic downturn, this is no gimmie for the GOP, although their nominee should be favored.

(TIM SAHD)

President Bush told graduates of Texas A&M University today that they're not the only ones who might not know what comes next in life. And he had this bit of advice:

"Develop a set of principles to live by, convictions and ideals to guide your course. Remember that popularity is as fleeting as the Texas wind. Character and conscience are as sturdy as the oaks on this campus. If you go home at night, look at the mirror and be satisfied that you have done what is right, you will pass the only test that matters."

Democrat Al Franken got some long-awaited good news today when the MN Canvassing Board, which is supervising a recount of the state's Senate contest between Franken and Sen. Norm Coleman, voted unanimously to ask election officials in MN's 87 counties to identify and count improperly rejected absentee ballots.

MN Star Tribune:

"Several hundred absentee ballots have been wrongfully rejected in the Nov. 4 election and that total could more than double by the time all Minnesota counties turn in their reviews, the secretary of state's office told the board this morning.

"The board was told that 49 counties have examined 4,823 rejected absentee ballots and that 638 of those were determined by local officials to have been wrongfully rejected."

But Coleman's camp is challenging the decision, asking the state Supreme Court "to order counties to follow a standard procedure in identifying wrongfully rejected absentee ballots." The GOPer's team argues that any counting of rejected absentee ballots should wait until the court can rule.

Stay tuned.

Barack Obama's Presidential Inaugural Committee released another round of donors today. The list included actress Halle Berry ($50K), Chicago media mogul Fred Eychaner ($50K) and philanthropist/gazillionaire George Soros ($50K).

More on the committee's searchable online database available after the jump.

So the auto bailout is, in fact, getting a bailout. But it didn't happen the way I said it might. That's ok, though -- the only real government bailout for Detroit actually guaranteed to happen at this point is coming from a place few were looking.

From yesterday's Detroit News:

The Swedish government presented a 28 billion kronor ($3.4 billion) support package Thursday to help the nation's ailing auto industry. ... Carmakers Volvo and Saab have been appealing to the government for support because of the financial woes of their U.S. owners, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp.

The Swedish government said its support package was needed to safeguard "the continued success of the Swedish automotive industry," even if the industry's crisis deepens. It also called for quicker development of green technology.

And from the Wall Street Journal today (sub req'd):

One in every five cars sold in Sweden last year was a Volvo and Saab is the exclusive supplier to King Carl XVI Gustaf ... But while Thursday's promise of a 28 billion Swedish kronor ($3.44 billion) aid package offers Sweden's car-makers a lifeline, it may not be enough to ensure their long term survival.

Sound familiar?

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

Lots of action today around the pay-for-play scandal in the Land of Lincoln:

IL AG Lisa Madigan asked the IL Supreme Court to "temporarily" remove Gov. Rod Blagojevich from office to that the state's business can continue. Persuant to the Succession Act, she asked the court to appoint the lt. gov instead. Vid above.

"We think it is very clear he is incapable of serving," Madigan said of the governor during a news conference today in downtown Chicago. She said, "We want to make sure the people of Illinois have a governor who can legitimately fulfill the duties of that office."

Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) appeared today to temper his call for an emergency session of the General Assembly to pass legislation sanctioning a special election to fill Pres.-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat. Instead, Durbin suggested that it would be perhaps more efficient for Blagojevich to be removed from office and for Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn to be elevated to governor.

Could be several reasons for Durbin's shift in position. A special election gives the GOP an opening the party wouldn't have if an appointment is made by the Dem lt. gov. After all, voters might want to send a message to the IL Dem Party that the state's second Senate seat is not for sale. Also note that I first reported earlier this week on On Call that a special election for Obama's Senate seat could cost the state as much as $50 million, according to state Board of Elections officials. That's a staggering sum in good economic times. But with the nation on the brink of fiscal disaster it seems ever more burdensome.

Blagojevich's chief of staff, John Harris, resigned today. Harris was arrested with Blagojevich. Both were released on bond.

And finally, in as much as we're suspect about polls conducted with robocalls, we'll note that a new Rasmussen survey shows that Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. has fallen out of favor with the public since being identified as 'Senate Candidate 5' in the complaint against Blagojevich. Jackson has denied any wrongdoing or involvement in any offers to trade money for the seat, as is outlined in the document. But the survey shows that while 36 percent viewed the South Side Rep. as their choice to succeed Obama last week, only 18 percent say this week that Jackson deserves the seat. The new leader? Lisa Madigan.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts IL AG Lisa Madigan (D), MI Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R), ex-Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Wal-Mart Pres./CEO Lee Scott, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and a roundtable with Chicago Sun-Times' Mary Mitchell and NBC pol. dir. Chuck Todd.

Face the Nation hosts Madigan, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Georgetown Univ.'s Michael Eric Dyson.

This Week hosts Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and a roundtable with PBS' Gwen Ifill, New York Times' Paul Krugman, Wall Street Journal's Gerald Seib and George Will.

Fox News Sunday hosts Corker and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). The "Power Player" is Worcester Wreath pres. Morrill Worcester.

Late Edition hosts Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), ex-Clinton economic adviser Gene Sperling, Wall Street Journal's Stephen Moore, GOP strategist Ed Rollins, Dem strategist James Carville, ex-WH adviser David Gergen, CNN's Dana Bash, CNN's Bill Schneider and CNN's John King.

See other weekend shows after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Pres.-elect Obama's second attempt to address the IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) controversy was fully reviewed:

Weekly Standard's Hayes, asked if Obama did enough in his presser to tamp down this controversy: "I think he sort of hit pause. I don't think we learned a ton new in terms of the facts of the case or the facts of the, you know, potential contacts between his staff and the governor's staff. But I think, you know, he sort of properly recalibrated what he said a couple days ago, when he said he was saddened about the news to today, when he said he was appalled, which I think is sort of where everybody else was when they first got the news" ("No Bias, No Bull," CNN, 12/11).

Newsweek's Wolffe, on whether Obama should continue to call for Blagojevich's resignation: "I don't think he can repeat it enough. ... The question here, again, is separating himself in terms of conduct from everything that's gone on in Illinois. He does not want this narrative to bed down that he has come from a corrupt place and that, therefore, he's tainted by it. Because the first whiff of corruption that comes from the Obama administration, and that story will develop at some point, is going to be linked back to these kinds of events" ("Countdown," MSNBC, 12/11).

Chicago Tribune's Kass: "The guy who was not at the Obama news conference today was the fellow who's usually at his left immediately, Rahm Emanuel. I wonder why he wasn't there. Maybe he could have answered some questions about what was going on" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 12/11).

More after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

IL Senate Republican Leader-Elect Christine Radogno released a statement today suggesting that IL Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn's assertion that he could appoint a replacement senator if Gov. Rod Blagojevich resigns is "ludicrous."

"It is ludicrous to talk about anyone appointing the next United States Senator," Radogno said. "This decision absolutely must be made by the voters of Illinois. The only way to do that is to establish a Special Election that puts the power where it belongs -- in the hands of Illinois citizens."

"There is no way that an appointment process can be free from the stench of this corrupt Administration," she added.

Nor, she fails to note, would a Republican be appointed by the Democratic lt. gov. The only way to get a GOPer in the seat is to allow the citizens of IL to vote. Even then, it's a longshot in this reliably blue state.

Radogno said she is reviewing draft legislation that would allow for a special election to be conducted in conjunction with the already-established municipal elections in February and April -- a proposal state Democrats have already floated.

"By piggy-backing onto the municipal elections, we can help save the taxpayers millions while at the same time providing voters the opportunity to make their choice," said Radogno, who has called for Blagojevich's resignation.

"We must address this quickly to remove Gov. Blagojevich and his Administration from the process," she said.

An Election 2008 "war stories" panel featuring the principal players in this year's presidential contest quickly turned into a discussion of how John McCain lost the race earlier this evening at the Harvard Institute of Politics.

As part of a quadrennial symposium assessing the battle for the White House, "Washington Week" host Gwen Ifill moderated an affable discussion this year between Barack Obama chief strategist David Axelrod, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe, McCain manager Rick Davis and former McCain chief pollster Bill McInturff. McCain chief strategist Steve Schmidt was originally scheduled to appear instead of McInturff but did not attend.

Over the course of the event, the group mused about one Alaska governor, McCain's campaign suspension, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Iraq, and experience v. change, among other matters.

A massive audience of political journalists (CNN's John King and Newsweek's Richard Wolffe, among others), Harvard affiliates (Kennedy School professors Graham Allison and David Gergen), and college students watched as IOP Director and former Nashville Mayor Bill Purcells (D) introduced Ifill as the author of an Obama-themed book that has "received some early attention."

Relatedly, Ifill quipped: "In a year when we elected our first African American president, I get to share the stage with four white guys."

Other lines of the night:

Axelrod, asked when he last spoke to IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D): "Thankfully, a long time ago."

Davis, immediately before defending AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) as McCain's VP pick, had this to say about her high-end wardrobe: "You get what you pay for."

Plouffe and Axelrod on the subject of McCain's brief campaign suspension during the financial crisis: "Can we put air quotes around that?"

Throughout the evening, there was a contrast between the Obama staff's upbeat recollections and the slight melancholy of the McCain men. As McInturff said when asked if the McCain campaign simply ran out of time to close the polling gap: "No, no. We lost."

Davis agreed "to a large degree" with Axelrod's assertion that the "Faustian bargains" McCain made with the Republican base in exchange for the nomination eventually cost the GOPer the general election.

Foremost among these, Davis said, was the war in Iraq. With his early support of the surge, McCain set himself up as "the chief opponent" of the Bush Administration's Iraq policy – but when the White House began to negotiate the terms for make the troop surge a reality, McInturff said, it became impossible for McCain to adequately distance himself from Bush.

"John McCain essentially became the Bush Administration spokesperson on Iraq," McInturff said. "In typical John McCain fashion, we managed to alienate every side of our political party."

Davis said that the campaign "by and large" thought the Palin pick was "a good decision," and McInturff added that Palin will certainly be "a player over the next 4-8 years."

But Davis also justified offering Palin the VP slot on the grounds that McCain faced an uphill climb that looked ever steeper as the summer wore on. "We were losing, and the prospects for winning were not that great in July and August," he said.

Looking to the future of GOP, he added: "We've got to work on our bench."

Holding court with audience members after the panel concluded, Davis further defended the VP selection process, saying that "99% of the list" of short-list candidates that "the press are talking about is totally false."

"That was the only thing that didn't leak in our campaign," he added.

Davis also said Obama's historic candidacy played a role in Palin's selection:

"You feel the tug of history; it was a historic election, and to some degree you have to fit into that narrative."

However, during the panel, Axelrod said that Palin's attempt at a "change" message helped sink McCain's chances. "Their campaign was predicated on the celebrity thing, and in one stroke, they blew up the month before, and now they were fighting on our turf," he said.

The campaign suspension later also made it onto Davis's list of regrets. He said the most damaging act of the campaign was "pissing off [CBS Late Show host David] Letterman," and that "the last thing I thought I was going to do in August was lobbying Congress."

The discussion also revealed a stark contrast between how the two campaigns functioned internally. Early in the event, Davis remarked: "The days when you could sit in a room and make plans and not read them on a blog post an hour later are over." Less than an hour later, he and McInturff glanced knowingly at each other as Plouffe described the "sense of mission" that pervaded the Obama ranks. The campaign, Plouffe said, "did not have a conversation or a phone call" during which they worried about a leak.

Speaking after the event, Davis said the Republican Party has "got to change its attitude versus Hispanics" in order to win in the future. Given the "really crazy things said on talk radio" in the name of the GOP, Davis said, "I don't blame Hispanics for not voting for us."

"California, Colorado, Texas, Florida – we can't win in these states any more," he added.

Davis also lamented the regionalization of the GOP. "We have three senators, three governors, and three congressmen north of Virginia," he said. "That's a problem. We as a party don't exist in the Northeast."

Other event highlights:

McInturff, asked if he believed the poll analysis he issued at the end of the campaign: "You could still see improvement from the second-to-last week to the last week. … I felt we were watching a race close."

Plouffe, on Davis's comment that the election was "not about character." "We had some fun with Rick's comment. It is about character of course," but issues also play a part.

Davis, on McCain's "fundamentals are strong" comment regarding the economy: "I think at the time he was trying to be the cheerleader for the American public and the American businessman."

Axelrod: "I understand being a cheerleader, but when your team's down 70-6, it's tough to do."

Plouffe on the Rev. Wright controversy: "We failed as a campaign to do the proper research there. … We hadn't looked through every page of every sermon. … The ferocity of it took us by surprise, and I think the press could see we were taken by surprise." The initial round of videotape of Wright, he added was as bad as when Wright "went on his little media tour" thereafter. By the general election, however, "the public had digested Rev. Wright. I don't want to minimize it; it gave them some indigestion, but they'd digested it."

Axelrod, after receiving a draft of Obama's race speech at 2 a.m.: "I e-mailed him back and said, 'This is why you should be President."

(NICHOLAS TABOR)

Like AAA to a car stalled on the side of a darkened highway, the U.S. Senate is now looking like it could come to the rescue of the Big Three automakers. But it's a longshot.

Let's review some of the drama that's gotten us to this point:

Bailout stories filed last night and published in this morning's papers told the tale of a bill in crisis. A number of Senate Republicans were preparing to block the proposal, claiming its provisions didn't do enough to force the flailing US automakers to reform. But there were hints in the coverage of a potential for compromise that would keep the deal alive; GOP supporters of the bailout, including OH Sen. George Voinovich, hinted that it might be possible to win the votes of some of the bailout's critics if the Senate were allowed to alter the bill through amendments on the floor.

But then, mid-morning, Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid offered an ultimatum to the bill's opponents. He said he'd give critics one chance to put their own version of a bailout up for a vote before pushing through the House-passed bill as is, with no amendments. Reid said the Senate would adjourn without a bailout if members couldn't pass a plan by Friday morning.

Reid, in Roll Call: "If there’s no agreement reached on [what to vote on], then we have danced this tune long enough ... If we’re not allowed to proceed on that, then we’ll be through with this."

So, it was not looking good for Detroit, and then things got worse. Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell -- who, though disparaging of the House bill, had not officially taken a position on it -- was reported in The Hill as having joined the side of the bill's opponents. As The Hill put it, the announcement "dealt [the bailout] a substantial blow."

But now it seems that compromise has broken out at the last minute. Shortly after noon, Roll Call published a piece suggesting that Reid and McConnell are negotiating an agreement that could win the Senate's approval. Details of the negotiations are sketchy. According to the article, the goal is still to hold the vote tomorrow, which doesn't give lawmakers anxious to go home for the holidays a lot of time for more extended negotiations.

Supposing a Senate bill is crafted and then passed, Detroit's journey to fiscal stability would still be far from over. Speaker Nancy Pelosi would likely have to call the House back for one last session to vote on the Senate bill before new members take their oath early January, something "senior" Dem aides told the Washington Post the House had "no intention of doing." It might then be a while before the House reconvenes, and then, of course, the negotiations could start again. And for GM and Chrysler officials who have said they'll run out of money at the end of December, an extra day or two or more could have serious consequences.

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan pushed again today for Pres.-elect Barack Obama to provide more specifics about his team's interaction with IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“President-elect Barack Obama continues to provide less than forthcoming answers to simple questions related to Governor Rod Blagojevich. While it is encouraging that the President-elect has stated his office will disclose contacts with the scandal-ridden governor, it remains disappointing that his actions are in response to political pressure. Americans expect the highest degree of transparency from their elected leaders, rather than promises of openness on the campaign trail.”

Duncan, who announced officially this week that he would seek another term as his party's chief, is talking tough. But Obama did note today that he hadn't had any conversations about his successor with Blagojevich, and Obama said that he's "absolutely certain" his team was not engaged in any deal-making for his seat. He also pledged to release details of any meetings or conversations between his staff and Blagojevich.

What more exactly does Duncan want?

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, cheered the nomination today of former SD senator Tom Daschle to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She said she's confident that Daschle will back proposals protecting the reproductive health rights of women. Richards also applauded the appointment of Jeanne Lambrew as deputy director of the WH Office of Health Reform. Lambrew's brief bio, provided by the transition, is available after the jump.

Richards:

“Tom Daschle is an excellent choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Former Sen. Daschle is a strong advocate for health care reform and understands the need to improve access to quality, affordable health care. We are delighted by his nomination and look forward to working closely with Sen. Daschle on promoting and protecting the full range of women’s health care, including family planning and prevention services.

“We’ve worked closely with Sen. Daschle during his time in the U.S. Senate. Former Sen. Daschle has a strong record of standing up for women’s health and women’s rights and supporting commonsense policies that improve health outcomes for women.

“We also applaud the appointment of Jeanne Lambrew as deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. She is one of the leading health policy experts in the country, and someone who is an advocate for women’s health issues and prevention measures.

“We are confident that President-elect Barack Obama, incoming HHS Secretary Daschle, and Jeanne Lambrew will represent an administration committed to ensuring women’s access to affordable, high-quality health care, family planning and prevention services, and to protecting a women's right to choose. Planned Parenthood is excited about the opportunity of having true partners in the White House and HHS committed to promoting and protecting women’s health."

Here are Pres.-elect Barack Obama's additional comments about the Gov. Rod Blagojevich pay-for-play scandal that has engulfed Illinois politics. After making a public statement on the matter and then introducing his pick for Health and Human Services Sec., Obama took four questions. Three pertained to the Blagojevich arrest, one to health care.

Resign

"I do not think that the governor at this point can effectively serve the people of Illinois. The legislature is going down to Springfield to make a determination as to how to resolve this issue. I think they’re going to the same conclusion. I hope that the governor himself comes to the conclusion that he can no longer effectively serve and that he does resign."

No Involvement

"Our office had no involvement in any deal-making around my Senate seat. That I’m absolutely certain of. That would be a violation of everything that this campaign has been about, and that’s not how we do business. I think like the rest of the people of Illinois what I want to see is a quick resolution of this issue."

No Deal-making

"I have not been contacted by any federal officials, and we have not been interviewed by them, as is reflected in the U.S. attorney’s report. We were not, I think, perceived by the governor’s office as amenable to any deal-making."

(JS)

Pres.-elect Barack Obama said this morning that his team has not been "part of any deals" related to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's efforts to trade Obama's Senate seat for political contributions.

"I have never spoken to the governor on this subject," Obama said, adding that he has asked his staff to collect the facts about their contact with Blagojevich on the matter.

"This Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade," Obama said. "It belongs to the people of Illinois."

Obama's comments came at the outset of a Chicago press conference announcing former SD senator Tom Daschle as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Obama called Daschle one of "America's foremost health care experts." He said that the senator, who had served as a close campaign adviser to Obama, brings the respect he earned during years in Congress.

"A gifted manager, Tom is the orginial no drama guy," Obama said.

Daschle said he will endeavor to "make health care reform an open and inclusive process that goes from the grassroots up."

"I'm honored by your trust, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve our nation once again," Daschle said.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s (D-IL) public denial of offering money to IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) in exchange for an appointment to Pres.-elect Obama's Senate seat was the talk of the TV.

Chicago Sun-Times' Sweet: "He was the most overt campaigner for the job in a election where there was one voter, Blagojevich. He had gone around the state looking for endorsements, drumming up support, organizing. ... I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt right now. ... The denial that Jesse Jackson Jr. gave is about as strong as you could get. ... So I think that so many things that Blagojevich said just were out of the ballpark" ("1600," MSNBC, 12/10).

FNC's Hannity: "He came off as very credible and believable to me, but there's always a skeptical side of me. You know in the back of my mind, I hear that voice, 'I did not have sex.' I hear Bill Clinton" ("Hannity & Colmes," 12/10).

New York Daily News' Louis, on whether Jackson Jr. should still be running for the seat: "Oh, well, he is, whether anybody wants him to be or not. It was kind of a baffling part of his news conference. It almost sounded like a job interview. He started talking about his resume and what a good guy he is and how much people like him and what a good job he could do as a senator. But I think that ship has sailed. And he's going to learn that I think in the next few days" ("No Bias, No Bull," CNN, 12/10).

After the jump, more Blagojevich and the House passes auto bailout.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Caddo Parish DA Paul Carmouche (D) conceded defeat to physician John Fleming (R) in the 12/6 LA-04 race this p.m. Fleming's lead was 350 votes. Carmouche, in a statement: "Of more than 92,000 votes cast throughout the 13 parishes of this district, it appears that our campaign has fallen slightly short. I will not ask for a recount of any of the paper ballots, and I offer my warmest congratulations to Dr. Fleming."

There was mixed signals out of Carmouche's camp as to whether he'd seek a recount, but tonight's statement puts an end to this race. Only a recount in VA-05 (where atty Tom Perriello (D) is almost certain to hold his 700+ -vote lead) remains to be decided in this fall's House contests. If that result does hold, Dems will have picked up 21 seats this fall. That would give Dems 257 seats to the GOP's 178.

(TIM SAHD)

Pres.-elect Barack Obama is expected to announce tomorrow during a press conference in Chicago that former senator Tom Daschle will lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. ET.

Ken Menzel, an elections specialist with the Illinois State Board of Elections, revised down today his prior estimate for the cost of a special U.S. Senate contest to replace Pres.-elect Barack Obama.

Menzel yesterday told On Call that the election, which lawmakers are hoping to sanction next week during a special session of the IL General Assembly, could cost between $45 million and $50 million. Today, upon closer examination of the precinct expenses in the special House race earlier this year to replace Rep. J. Dennis Hastert in IL-14, Menzel predicted that a statewide contest would cost about $31 million.

He said that the March race to replace Hastert cost about $2,700 per precinct in Kane County, one pocket of the then-congressman's district. There are 11,539 precincts in Illinois. Simple multiplication brings the total for a statewide contest to $31 million, Menzel said. That money would go to printing ballots, programming and testing machines, paying election judges, renting some (but not all) polling places and more.

Lawmakers have said today they would like to cut costs by conducting the race on 2/24 and 4/7, days already set aside for municipal elections. There are calendar matters, however, that might make that difficult to pull off.

First and most notably, Blagojevich would, of course, have to sign off on any legislation passed by state lawmakers. He has 60 days to do so. Another potential problem? The filing deadline for that 2/24 local election primary race is 12/15. That's Monday. When the General Assembly is first meeting to discuss a bill to call for a special election.

Filing calendars can be shortened, but petitions to run must still be filed, and major party candidates are required by law to get 5,000 signatures. With the holidays and the legal requirements for windows allowed for absentee voting and in-person early voting, it'll be a tight squeeze.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. emphatically denied this afternoon that neither he nor an emissary for him offered money to IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich in exchange for an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat held by Pres.-elect Barack Obama.

"I want to make this fact plain, I reject and denounce pay-to-play politics and have no involvement whatsoever in any wrongdoing," he said.

Though Jackson's attorney -- James Montgomery -- said earlier that the congressman is indeed 'Senate Candidate 5' as outlined in the sweeping corruption complaint against Blagojevich, Jackson expressed "outrage at the thought that Illinois' now vacant Senate seat might have been put up for sale, offered to the highest bidder."

"Clearly the people of Illinois deserve better," he said during a press conference in Washington. "They deserve to have their trust and their confidence in government restored."

In U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's complaint, 'Senate Candidate 5' was willing to provide $500,000 in political payoff for the Senate seat, and a representative for that individual promised $1 million, according to comments Blagojevich made that were captured by a wiretap.

Jackson said he met just once with Blagojevich to discuss the opening -- Monday for 90 minutes. The congressman said he "presented my record, my qualifications and my vision."

"To spite what he may have been looking for," Jackson added of the governor, "that's all I had to offer, and that's what we discussed."

Jackson also noted that the Monday meeting was his first in four years with the governor.

Saying he was "shocked and saddened" by the "pay-to-play schemes hatched at the highest levels of Illinois state government," Jackson suggested that Blagojevich resign and forfeit his authority to nominate a successor to Obama. He said the governor is too severely tainted to "serve the state effectively and without suspicion."

Jackson focused today as much on the politics in play, as the case in which he appears a key player. He suggested boldly that of all the Illinois politicians being considered for the Senate seat, he has served the longest -- noting one exception, Rep. Luis Gutierrez. He noted that he has missed just two votes in his congressional career and mentioned his "13 years of hard work" on behalf of his constituents.

"I thought mistakenly I had a chance and I was considered because I had earned it," Jackson said.

He also noted by name a handful of Illinois newspapers that have said he should be named to replace Obama.

He wrapped Obama into his speech, what amounted to a defiant political plea to the public for their consideration, saying the senator had inspired him over the last few years. And he asked that he be measured based, to paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., "on the content of my character."

Jackson also said he has been assured by Fitzgerald's office that he is not a target of the investigation.

He closed on an emotional note, recounting a text message he received this morning from his little sister, who said that she was proud of him.

"I've tried to honor this institution," he said. "And I've tried to honor public service because I believe it is a noble profession."

He did not take questions.

Earlier, Montgomery said that the complaint does not indicate any wrongdoing on his client's behalf.

"I'm suggesting that this that the information contained in the affadavit does not in any way make Jesse Jackson, Jr. complicit in any pay-for-play transaction," Montgomery said.

And then in case there was any remaining questions about Jackson's interest in the job, Montgomery, too, made the congressman's interest clear.

"He's campaigned for it," he said. "He wants it. He's entitled to it. He's qualified for it. Yes, he would accept it."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The nets identified Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. today as 'Senate Candidate 5' -- the unnamed individual cited in the complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich who Blagojevich said was willing to give him $500K:

On December 4, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke to Advisor B and informed Advisor B that he was giving Senate Candidate 5 greater consideration for the Senate seat because, among other reasons, if ROD BLAGOJEVICH ran for re-election Senate Candidate 5 would “raise[] money” for ROD BLAGOJEVICH, although ROD BLAGOJEVICH said he might “get some (money) up front, maybe” from Senate Candidate 5 to insure Senate Candidate 5 kept his promise about raising money for ROD BLAGOJEVICH. (In a recorded conversation on October 31, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH described an earlier approach by an associate of Senate Candidate Five as follows: “We were approached ‘pay to play.’ That, you know, he’d raise me 500 grand. An emissary came. Then the other guy would raise a million, if I made him (Senate Candidate 5) a Senator.”)

Jackson, Jr., son of the civil rights leader of the same name, is holding a press conference in an hour to respond to reports.

The arrest of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has far-ranging implications for the state, the Democratic Party and maybe even Pres.-Elect Barack Obama. But for a certain group of Chicagoans, the scandal strikes particularly close to home. Literally. Local reporters have fanned out across Ravenswood Manor, Blagojevich's neighborhood, to get reaction to the corruption charges levied against the governor from the people who live closest to him.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Reaction from neighbors was mixed, ranging from sadness for Blagojevich's family and support for him, to outrage.

"Are we nuts in this state?" said Suzy Thomas, who has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. "Selling the Senate seat? I find that ludicrous. . . . I guess they think they can get away with it."

"I think [neighbors] were just waiting for it to happen," said Noreen McGowan, who lives in the area, of Tuesday's arrest.

Chicago public radio giant WBEZ sent a reporter to Blagojevich's block, too, and captured an anonymous audio montage of a neighborhood where all politics is local.

Excerpts from the multiple interviews:

"There's something wrong with politics in this city. In this state. And I've enough of it."

"It's very sad...I mean you think that he would have learned his lesson with what happened to Gov. Ryan. I mean, let that be a lesson to you, right?"

"Acutally, this is kind of politics as usual in Chicago, unfortunately. And in Illinois. I think now we have the record for the number of governors that have been indicted -- I don't know, that's kind of a bad record to have."

"Oh yeah, we would see him all the time and, you know, he'd always be jogging and say hello as he'd go by...a couple of times I almost hit him with my car 'cause he would just kind of run down the middle of the streets. When he first became governor, he would come around on Halloween with his kids. Yeah, he's just kind of part of the neighborhood now."

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

Pres.-elect Barack Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs said today that Obama believes IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich should resign.

"The President-elect agrees with Lt. Governor Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the Governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois," Gibbs said in a statement, forwarded by the transition.

He was asked as well if Obama supports a special election. "The President-elect believes that the General Assembly should consider the issue and put in place a process to select a new senator that will have the trust and confidence of the the people of Illinois," Gibbs said.

Here are a few practical facts of note, however, as IL lawmakers consider the best path forward:

-- Even if the IL General Assembly meets Monday, as is possible if not probable, to pass a bill amending state statutes to sanction a special U.S. Senate election, Blagojevich must sign that legislation. And as long as he remains the state's governor, he has 60 days to do it.

-- IL is holding municipal elections across the state early next year, with primaries scheduled for Feb. 24 and a general election for April 7. Some Democrats are suggesting privately that a special U.S. Senate election to replace Obama could, for the sake of cost savings, piggyback on these contests. But note that the candidates running in these races must file by 12/15. There is no conceivable way that those individuals interested in succeeding Obama could file by then; petitions require 5,000 signatures. Also, the city of Chicago, the most densely populated pocket of the state, is not holding local elections next year, complicating the ballot process.

-- Also, voters can apply starting 1/15 for absentee ballots for those municipal contests. And in-person voting begins 2/2. So even if the General Assembly passes a bill calling for a special election, and even if Blagojevich promptly signs it, in order to run a Senate race in tandem with those local elections, petitions for office would have to be filed in very short order so that ballots could be prepared.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) today unveiled the official theme for the inauguration of Pres.-elect Barack Obama, "Renewing America's Promise." It's "a vision that underscores the President-elect and Vice President-elect's commitment to restoring opportunity and possibility for all and re-establishing America's standing as a beacon of hope around the world," the committee said in a release.

"At this moment of great challenge and great change, renewing the promise of America begins with renewing the idea that in America, we rise or fall as one nation and one people," Obama said in a statement. "That sense of unity and shared purpose is what this Inauguration will reflect."

The PIC also outlined a preliminary schedule of official inaugural events:

Sunday, January 18th

The schedule of official inaugural activities will begin with a welcome event on Sunday afternoon that is open to the public.

Monday, January 19th - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

In 1994, to further commemorate a man who lived his life in service to others, Congress transformed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday into a national day of community service. To honor Dr. King's legacy, the President-elect and Vice President-elect and their families, like Americans in communities all across the country, will participate in activities dedicated to serving others in communities across the Washington, D.C. area.

Tuesday, January 20th - Inauguration Day

The President-elect and Vice President-elect and their families will participate in the traditional inaugural ceremonies and events, including the swearing-in ceremony on the West Front of the United States Capitol, a luncheon in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, the 56th Inaugural Parade, and official Inaugural Balls. Details about the Inaugural Balls will be released at a later date.

Wednesday, January 21st

The newly-inaugurated President and Vice President of the United States will participate in a prayer service.

Under the subject line -- Call-To-Action: Please Contact Your Senators in the Next Few Hours -- GM is urging its employees to contact their elected officials. Here's the message:

Dear GM Dealership Employees:

Your efforts to call legislators have been crucial in getting us to this point. Please urge everyone you know in these key states to place their phone calls in the next few hours and remind legislators that their vote is about the survival of America’s auto industry and they will be held accountable for job losses in their states.

Last night's TV was dominated by the arrest of IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) on federal corruption charges, with much of the talk focusing on whether or not it impacts Pres.-elect Obama.

NBC pol. dir. Chuck Todd: "A lot of concentric circles between Blagojevich and Obama. There's no question that there's going to be some folks that Obama's bringing from Chicago to Washington, some that might have actually had conversations with the governor that are going to be in tape recordings that the FBI was wiretapping with. But there's clearly no evidence that anything was going on, and if anything, the quotes from Blagojevich in that amazing indictment are the most exculpatory thing there for the president-elect" ("Nightly News," 12/9).

Karl Rove: "I don't think this touches him, and we all ought to accept him at his word particularly since, [U.S. Atty Patrick] Fitzgerald, if there was any indication at all that it did touch Obama, I think we would have gotten a pretty clear indication of that today. ... But the problem I've got is that he said he was sad for the people of Illinois. I would have felt a lot more comfortable if he'd said this is ... despicable and unacceptable" ("Hannity & Colmes," FNC, 12/9).

Ex-WH adviser David Gergen: "The larger question here is, will the Republicans, will conservatives, will bloggers, will others go after Obama, coming from a culture of corruption in Illinois, and given his relationship with Tony Rezko. ... Will they use that in some way? I personally think that would be very, very unfair. But I will have to tell you that I think it removes one layer of protection for him in the next few months. And that is, if something else were to happen around him, he's a little more vulnerable. His team is a little more vulnerable today than it was yesterday" ("AC 360," CNN, 12/9).

More after the jump.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Don't count on any MN-like recount in the Shreveport-based LA-04 House race. Even as yesterday's official vote tally showed Caddo Parish DA Paul Carmouche (D) picking up six votes from election night (12/6), Carmouche's team was preparing to concede. Physician John Fleming (R) still leads Carmouche by 350 votes.

That's because the Shreveport Times reports that even if all the uncounted provisional and spoiled ballots went to Carmouche, he'd still fall about 150 votes shy of beating Fleming. The state is expected to certify the results 12/11. Carmouche spokesperson Bert Kaufman: "As soon as the election results are certified by the secretary of state, we will concede."

This result likely means Dems officially picked up 21 seats this cycle. A recount is scheduled for next week in VA-05, but the atty Tom Perriello (D) is likely to prevail there, giving Dems their 21st pickup of the cycle.

UPDATE: It appears some wires on team Carmouche are crossed. Carmouche told KSLA-TV yesterday that the DNC wants him to "pursue the recount at all costs." Which is it? We'll know in a few days when the vote is certified.

(TIM SAHD)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

A special election to fill Pres.-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat could cost the state of Illinois between $45 million and $50 million, a state Board of Elections official told On Call this afternooon.

Ken Menzel, an elections specialist with the board, called the figure a "gross guestimate" based on the cost per precinct of running a special election earlier this year to fill the 14th District seat vacated by retiring Rep. J. Dennis Hastert.

"We don't do specials for statewide offices," Menzel said. "This is one of the reasons we appoint to them. It's expensive to do these things."

Menzel said the counties will largely be tasked with covering the costs.

"If it isn't there, I don't know where it would come from," he said.

After consulting with State Board of Elections Executive Dir. Dan White, Menzel said he based his Senate contest estimate on the cost per precinct -- $10,000 -- to conduct the race to replace Hastert. He said that at approximately half that rate per precinct, with 11,600 precincts statewide, it could run as much as $50 million to hold a special Senate election.

In the wake of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest today on sweeping corruption charges, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin proposed that the state General Assembly pass a law as soon as possible sanctioning a special election to fill Pres.-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat. And Illinois Senate President Emil Jones and House Speaker Michael J. Madison responded by suggesting lawmakers reconvene as soon as possible -- as early as Monday perhaps -- to discuss the matter.

State statutes do not outline a process for a special U.S. Senate contest. That responsibility falls exclusively to the governor. If Blagojevich were impeached, however, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn would assume the state's highest office -- and be tasked with appointing Obama's successor.

Likely the less expensive route.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

David Plouffe sent a new video message to Barack Obama's supporters this afternoon urging them to join their friends and neighbors this weekend for a series of 'Change is Coming' house parties. The goal? To reflect on the campaign and plan for the future, and to urge Americans who helped Obama get elected to stay involved.

"It's only with your hard work over the next four years that we're going to make progress on issues like the economy, energy and health care," Plouffe says, the White House in the background of the shot.

Watching this I can't help but wonder if Plouffe is the natural fit to replace former VT governor Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Seems to make perfect sense for several reasons:

1. Plouffe was instrumental in crafting and executing the outreach strategy that prompted millions of Americans to sign up on Obama's Facebook page, to donate their spare dollars to the campaign, and to send their emails and text messages to build a 10M-voter strong email list.

2. Even in the toughest moments of the campaign, he proved himself to be a steady steward of Obama's message.

3. Plouffe is the keeper of that voter list. If he goes to the DNC, he prevents any potential intraparty feuding for that information. And Obama's tentacles will, as expected, reach deep into the party apparatus.

The Democrats have been mum so far about who will lead the party into the next term. Dean has said he's done. But speculation has been scattered. Among those mentioned: Donna Brazile and Sen. Claire McCaskill. Talk has turned on whether it would make sense to have a public figurehead type work jointly with a COO, of sorts, to govern the party.

But Plouffe might satisfy both requirements. With Obama's victory, Plouffe's national profile has risen. And he clearly has the micromanagement skills and vision to handle the organizational nuts and bolts of fundraising that's critical to the party's longer-term success. And then, most importantly, Obama trusts him.

He's also set to write a book about the campaign. But a person could do both, no? Just a thought.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

(source: pro.corbis.com)

Will the Senate be the place where the auto industry bailout goes to die, even after House Democrats and White House officials spent all weekend working to resuscitate it?

The compromise proposal Democrats are negotiating -- in the words of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a TV interview this morning "as we speak" -- contains a number of provisions aimed at making the Democrat-supported short-term loan package for domestic car companies palatable to bailout-weary Republicans. GM and Chrysler say they need the loans to keep the doors open (and millions of workers employed) through January, and Pres. Bush said on TV last night "hopefully we'll get something done" this week on a bailout.

But none of that has swayed some GOP senators, who are wary of propping up companies they say should be allowed to fail.

As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal this morning, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) criticized the compromise bailout "as a further move toward 'socializing' the economy" and told CNBC that he might block the bailout plan if it gets to the Senate. Ensign, on preventing passage of the bailout: "We're looking at that very hard, because I have some serious, serious problems with this package as it currently stands. Unless we see some serious give by the other side, I think that not only myself but several of us will be looking at possibly blocking this package."

Just an hour or so ago, Roll Call confirmed that a blockage could be in the works, reporting that "a Republican Senator, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that short of significant changes to the deal, he would place a hold on the legislation" (sub req'd). The senator told the paper that "a lack of Republican participation" in bill negotiations "is a major problem with the agreement that is coming together." Senate GOP leaders Mitch McConnell (KY) and Richard Shelby (AL) "were invited to the negotiations," but declined to participate or send a proxy, Roll Call reports.

The anonymous senator: "If you want a bill to pass, you don’t bring a bill that was only written by the Democrats. ... I have to represent what I think is right and what is good for my constituents."

What happens if the bailout doesn't pass this week? At least two of the Big Three (GM and Chrysler) have said that without an immediate cash infusion they'll go bankrupt before the end of the year. And Ford, the most stable of the domestic manufacturers, has said that it, too, could be caught up in a domino effect caused by a collapse at GM and find itself in bankruptcy, too. With signs of trouble for the bailout in the Senate increasing, those predictions of doom and gloom from Detroit may get put to the test.

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

In light of the federal corruption charges against IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called for a special election to determine who will fill the Senate seat vacated by Pres.-elect Barack Obama.

“This is a sad day for Illinois," Durbin said in a statement. "Our system of justice gives anyone accused of a crime the right to defend himself in court. The Governor will have that opportunity. But if the allegations in the criminal complaint against Governor Blagojevich are proven true, he has clearly abused the public trust.”

Durbin called on the IL General Assembly to enact a law "as soon as possible" calling for a special election. “No appointment by this governor could produce a credible replacement,” said Durbin, the state's senior senator and a close confidant of Obama.

The transition has not issued a statement responding to the 76-page criminal complaint against Blagojevich, nor has Obama made any public remarks. Requests to the transition office for comment have repeatedly been turned down.

Some IL Dem sources are suggesting that a statewide special election could be held in conjunction with the special election to replace Rep. Rahm Emanuel in the Fifth District. Emanuel is, of course, signing on as Obama's chief of staff. He has not yet resigned his seat, however, so an election date hasn't been scheduled.

Ken Menzel, an elections specialist with the Illinois Board of Elections, said that the state does not have a statutory provision on the books sanctioning a special election for U.S. Senate as it does for U.S. House vacancies. The March 2008 contest to replace Rep. J. Dennis Hastert in IL-14 was the last special election for the House held in the state.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The IL Constitution requires that the sitting governor alone has the power to appoint Pres.-elect Barack Obama's Senate replacement.

Unless Gov. Rod Blagojevich decides to step aside pending a trial, he will name Obama's successor. Or, of course, the state Legislature could move to impeach him.

So ... who would want to be named by that guy? How loaded now is that appointment?

"Thank you, Gov. Blagojevich, for the opportunity to serve the great state of Illinois in the United States Senate ..."

Awkward.

(JS)

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's attempt to use the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Pres.-elect Barack Obama for personal gain marks conduct that "would make (Abraham) Lincoln roll over in his grave."

"This is a sad day for government," he said during a press conference in Chicago. "It's a very sad day for Illinois government. Governor Blagojevich has taken us to a truly new low."

Fitzgerald called Blagojevich's conduct -- which he said included efforts to reap a quid pro quo for Obama's Senate seat, to extort the Chicago Tribune to force out adversarial editors in exchange for assistance in the sale of Tribune-owned Wrigley Field, and to squeeze state contractors for political donations -- a "political corruption crime spree."

"We acted to stop that crime spree," Fitzgerald said, noting that Blagojevich "attempted to sell a Senate seat."

Federal authorities planted a bug at Blagojevich's office and tapped his home phone, Fitzgerald said.

An FBI official standing by Fitzgerald's side noted that "if (Illinois) it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor." He said his agents were "thoroughly disgusted and revolted by what they heard" on the wiretaps.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich is chock full of shocking details. For a sitting governor, already under investigation, to talk so openly, so brazenly of using Barack Obama's Senate seat for personal gain indicates either a sheer ignorance of his own vulnerability or colossal arrogance. Maybe both.

A snippet:

On November 3, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Deputy Governor A. This discussion occurred the day before the United States Presidential election. ROD BLAGOJEVICH and Deputy Governor A discussed the potential Senate seat vacancy. During the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Deputy Governor A that if he is not going to get anything of value for the open Senate seat, then ROD BLAGOJEVICH will take the Senate seat himself: “if . . . they’re not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take it.”

Later, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the Senate seat “is a f*cking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

Here's the 76-page complaint against Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Federal authorities today arrested IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, on corruption charges, a move that's been brewing for some time but that has thrown a wrench into the governor's process for selecting a replacement for Sen. Barack Obama.

"The breadth of corruption laid out in these charges is staggering," U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement, reports the Chicago Tribune. "They allege that Blagojevich put a 'for sale' sign on the naming of a United States senator; involved himself personally in pay-to-play schemes with the urgency of a salesman meeting his annual sales target; and corruptly used his office in an effort to trample editorial voices of criticism."

The Feds are alleging that Blagojevich was seeking campaign contributions in exchange for naming an individual as Obama's successor, among other charges. Here's a question -- Were any of the Dem contenders for the Senate seat playing along?

Pat Quinn, the lieutenant governor of IL, is also a Dem, so the Senate seat will stay safely with the party. The whole sordid Windy City mess, however, has the potential to hang over Obama's transition process and taint, at least to the extent that the Pres.-elect is also a product of rough and tumble Chicago politics, his message of good government.

Also worth noting that former IL Gov. George Ryan, who was convicted in 2006 on sweeping corruption charges, is one individual whose name comes up in talk about whom President Bush might pardon before leaving office next month. A Republican, Ryan's fate might now be affected by his Democratic successor.

More to come. In the meantime, here's the Trib's timeline of the investigation.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The auto industry bailout continued to be the hot topic on TV. ABC's McFadden spoke with Pres. Bush about the issue yesterday.

Bush, asked if an auto bailout is close to a resolution: "It's hard to tell because there are some pretty strict standards. One is that anything that's done would as best as possible guarantee the taxpayers get their money back. In other words, there needs to be viability. Of course, the definition of viability is open to discussion. I believe that viability means that all aspects of the companies need to be re-examined to make sure that they can survive in the long term. Hopefully we'll get something done."

Bush, asked if one of the conditions should be that the people at the top have to step down: "I think that viability is a broad term. It includes an analysis of business plans, dealerships, product lines, and labor contracts as well as the internal dealings of the company."

After the jump, more auto bailout, Caroline Kennedy speculation and an old McCain ad resurfaces.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

A Senate update:

-- Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg "can do anything" she sets out to do, said NY Mayor Mike Bloomberg today, boosting buzz that the former first daughter is the leading contender to take over Hillary Clinton's NY Senate seat. She -- or anyone who succeeds Clinton -- would serve for two years before running for a special electioni n 2010 and then again for re-election in 2012. Clinton is expected to stay in her seat until she is confirmed as Sec of State.

-- Democrat Al Franken's campaign pulled another 425 ballot challenges today, a campaign spokesman tells On Call, bringing the total yanked to 1058. Sen. Norm Coleman's camp has dropped about 650. And that search for the missing 133 Minneapolis ballots was called off today. The state canvassing board will decide if those ballots are ultimately counted.

-- IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich met with Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. today to discuss his interest in succeeding Barack Obama as the state's junior senator. Jackson, son of the civil rights leader, has made an open pitch for the job. Blagojevich isn't talking, but reports indicate that there are many others in the mix. Among them: state AG Lisa Madigan, state Vets chief Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Jan Schakowsky.

Dinner for two:

-- The New York Times reported today that HRC will dine at The Watergate this evening with Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Rice lives in the storied building. Will she tickle the ivories for the next queen of Foggy Bottom?

Made In The USA:

-- The Supreme Court opted today to bypass a challenge to Obama's citizenship. A New Jersey voter argued that he had joint citizenship at birth, the whole Kenyan father, Kansan mother pitch, you'll recall, and was therefore not a "natural born citizen." But the highest court in the land thought better of it, and the rumors will have to live on in cyberspace, not in the American legal system.

Former VP Al Gore will meet with Pres.-elect Barack Obama tomorrow in Chicago, sources close to Gore confirm for On Call.

Dem sources say the purpose of the meeting is to discuss energy and climate matters and to talk about how policies in these areas can stimulate the economy and help create jobs. Gore is not visiting the Windy City to talk about a position in Obama's Cabinet.

(photo source: JFK Library)

Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg has been called "private" and "non-political." She has laughed off repeated entreaties to run for office and has only tentatively stepped out on the political stage at party conventions, preferring to devote her public energies to the New York City public schools, John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award Committee and American Ballet Theatre, among other groups, or to promoting her books on the law and poetry.

She broke this year with personal past tradition of staying off the frontlines of American politics when she joined her uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, to endorse Barack Obama for president. And now reports abound that she has reached out to NY Gov. David Paterson to express an interest in succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama's nominee for Secretary of State, as New York's junior senator.

Perhaps given the Massachusetts senator's battle against brain cancer, the thought of a United States Senate without a Kennedy has prompted Kennedy Schlossberg to open a door to public service that many believed she'd closed.

There are, of course, other Kennedys of her generation involved in political life. Cousin Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was MD's lieutenant governor and launched an unsuccessful 2002 gubernatorial bid. Cousin Patrick Kennedy is a member of the U.S. House from Rhode Island. Cousin Maria Shriver, a particularly close pal, is the first lady of California. But no other Kennedy harkens back to the days of Camelot like Kennedy Schlossberg.

In light of the news, we thought we'd take a look at some of Kennedy Schlossberg's past statements declining an interest in running for office.

In May 2002, Kennedy Schlossberg told The Seattle Times' Jerry Large, interviewing her about her new book "Profiles in Courage for Our Time," that she enjoyed being home in the afternoon for her three children, Tatiana, Rose and Jack.

"I don't have any plans to run for office," she said, adding, "when I say that, people say, 'Oh, you're definitely going to do it.' I enjoy writing and editing. I'm interested in the issues, but there are many ways to serve and contribute."

Kennedy Schlossberg told Large that she didn't consider running for office essential. "You don't have to be in Washington, you don't have to be a senator," she said. "All of us will face moments in our life where we are called upon to do the right thing."

In July 2004, during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, NBC's Tom Brokaw at the end of an interview with the former first daughter urged her to return to the program when she decides to run for office. She, in turn, suggested he was more likely to enter public life.

Brokaw: We wish you all the best.

CKS: Thank you.

Brokaw: Come back any time.

CKS: Excellent.

Brokaw: And when you decide to run for office you can announce it right here.

CKS: Thank you, I thank you. After you.

But perhaps it was a column Kennedy Schlossberg wrote for Newsweek in June 1992, marking what would have been her father's 75th birthday, that best conveys her deep admiration for what politicians do -- and the sacrifice they make to serve. The piece also hints at an openess to participating in the family tradition.

"When today's politicians are condemned just for wanting to run for office, we are missing a chance to make our government a source of pride," she wrote in also touting the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award. "Our greatest leaders have also been our greatest politicians, and my father believed that politics was not only a noble profession, but the best way to solve our common problems. When I see people suffering on the street, kids hopeless in school, racial violence on TV -- and I think about how short my father's life was -- I'm reminded again that we don't have time to waste.

"My family has always tried to remember my father by honoring what he cared about and by working for the things he believed in. But as it seemed that others were focused increasingly on his death, we asked ourselves what more we could to do celebrate his life."

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

(Lincoln taking the oath at his second inauguration,
March 4, 1865, Harper's Weekly, 1865)

I recently interviewed Ron White, the author of "A. Lincoln: A Biography," published in January 2009 by Random House, to learn more about the true parallels between the 16th American president and Pres.-elect Barack Obama.

Q: Many comparisons have been made between Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln. From their long, lanky physiques to their Illinois roots to their lawyer backgrounds to the great, sweeping challenges Lincoln faced and Obama will tackle in the near future. As Obama assembles a ‘Team of Rivals’ Cabinet modeled on Lincoln’s advisers, which of these many linkages are valid? And are there other connections between the two men that you see that we in the media might be missing?

A: The focus on Barack Obama’s intention to appoint a “Team of Rivals” is valid in so far as it lifts up Obama’s desire to emulate the political spirit of Abraham Lincoln. But Lincoln, it appears, went even further. In his first cabinet he appointed four former Democrats.

Apart from the “Team of Rivals,” the press has largely focused on Obama’s invocation of Lincoln’s words. Many recent politicians have quoted Lincoln in campaign speeches. In reading Obama's "The Audacity of Hope," however, published in 2006, I am struck by how deeply Obama has immersed himself in Lincoln’s ideas. In discussing the Constitution, Obama says, “I’m left then with Lincoln, who like no man before or since understood both the deliberative function of our democracy and the limits of such deliberation.”

What has not been mentioned in the many comparisons of the men are the ways, much as Lincoln did, that Obama understands the relationship between politics and religion. Lincoln, who never joined a church, offered in his Second Inaugural Address a most profound statement on the activity of God and the role of faith in American life: “The Almighty has His own purposes.”

Likewise, Obama, in his chapter on faith in "The Audacity of Hope, challenges his fellow Democrats: “I think Democrats are wrong to run away from a debate about values.” If the Bill of Rights codifies the separation of church and state, Obama affirms that America, “as a religious people,” has never divided politics and religion. He couples the story of his own journey from skepticism to “embrace the Christian faith” with his admonition “to acknowledge the power of faith in the lives of the American people.”

Q: How has Obama included Lincoln – overtly or not – in his most seminal speeches of the campaign?

A: At the beginning and at the end of his presidential campaign, Obama invoked Lincoln. He began his presidential campaign on February 10, 2007, “in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together.” Obama went on to say that it was time for this generation of Americans to change the country they love because, “That’s what Abraham Lincoln understood. He had his doubts. He had his defeats. He had his setbacks. But through his will and words, he moved a nation and helped free a people."

On November 4, 2008, Obama concluded his campaign with an eloquent speech that again invoked Lincoln:

“As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, ‘We are not enemies, but friends—though passion may have strained it must not break our affections.'”

Q: What do we know about how Lincoln prepared his inaugural addresses?

A: We know much more about the preparation of the First Inaugural Address. It is often not appreciated how much Lincoln edited and revised. In this case he showed the speech to several close friends -- and one new colleague who was not yet a friend: William Seward, his chief rival for the Republican nomination, and his new Secretary of State. Lincoln was surely surprised when Seward responded with six pages of suggestions. He told Lincoln to forget his last paragraph, and consider two paragraphs he included. Lincoln chose one of Seward’s options.

Our most eloquent President demonstrated his brilliance by editing Seward’s words to make them his own. We know one of Lincoln's most memorable paragraphs, which he revised to read like poetry, included the phrases “the mystic chords of memory” and “the better angels of our nature.”

Q: What instruction might Obama take from Lincoln’s two inaugural speeches, and would one of Lincoln’s inaugural addresses over the other provide more appropriate guidance for modern times?

A: Some of the instruction Obama has already learned. Write prose poetry and not political agendas. Invoke the best of America’s past. Show don't tell—Obama is very good at showing the stories of ordinary people he has met in his campaign. I like to say Lincoln disappeared in his two finest speeches—the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address. I mean that he used not one personal pronoun at Gettysburg and only two in the Second Inaugural. Lincoln did away with the “I” word. He pointed beyond himself to hopes and dreams that all Americans could embrace.

Q: Lincoln’s greatest challenge was, of course, slavery, a domestic woe that divided the nation. When Obama speaks Jan. 20 from the steps of the Capitol, his worries will span a global community – the war on terror, conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and an international economy in crisis. His inaugural address will reach the world in an instant. How were Lincoln’s speeches – perhaps particularly his second address – received by other countries?

A: During the early part of his presidency, Lincoln was portrayed as an unlearned country lawyer. In Europe and Great Britain, perhaps envious of upstart America, notables put down Lincoln as a product of a rude American culture. The Times of London wrote of Gettysburg, “The ceremony was rendered ludicrous by some of the sallies of the poor President Lincoln.”

Foreign reaction changed with Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. The Saturday Review began by contrasting Lincoln, regarded as weak, with the usual posture it had come to expect from its American cousin. “If it had been composed by any other prominent American politician, it would have been boastful, confident, and menacing.” The London Spectator opined that Lincoln “seems destined to be one of those ‘foolish things of the world’ which are destined to confound the wise, one of those weak things which shall ‘confound the things which are mighty.”

From France, John Bigelow wrote from the United States Legation in Paris, “The President’s inaugural has enjoyed a rare distinction for an American state paper of being correctly translated and almost universally copied here.” Bigelow offered his opinion as to why the address was so well-received. Its success was “less due to its brevity than to its almost inspired simplicity and Christian dignity.”

Ronald C. White Jr. is the author of "Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural and The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words." His new book, "A. Lincoln: A Biography," will be published in January 2009 by Random House.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

A busy weekend for Pres.-elect Barack Obama:

-- In his Saturday radio address, Obama outlined the most sweeping economic stimulus package -- an effort to create 2.5M jobs that includes proposals to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, invest in school construction and retrofit public buildings to make them more energy efficient, among other measures -- since the New Deal. So far, he hasn't attached a price tag to the plan, but economic experts -- and none other than former President Clinton -- have said Obama can't worry about driving up the deficit, that he has to spend money to keep the markets afloat and create jobs.

-- Obama nominated retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki to head of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Shinseki, 66, is a decorated Vietnam War vet who hails from Hawaii. His selection marks a direct repudiation of the Bush administration's failed Iraq war policy; Shinseki, you'll recall, testified before Congress in 2003 that successful military action in Iraq required at least 200,000 troops, a figure shot down by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Shinseki was forced to resign. He was, of course, spot on in his assessment.

The pick also marks an effort by the Obama transition reach out to the uniformed military, many of whom have been critical of the Bush admin. There has been much reported tension between the uniform and civilian heads of DOD, and by picking Shinseki, Obama is bringing the uniformed military back into the power fold.

Obama yesterday said of Shinseki that there is "no one more distinguished, more determined or more qualified" to lead Veterans Affairs. Obama also called for his nominee to modernize the department to meet the challenges of the day. And at a press conference in Chicago with Shinseki by his side, the Pres.-elect, quoted Abraham Lincoln, as he's been apt to do throughout the campaign and the transition, in noting his administration will care for all who have "borne the battle," a pull from Lincoln's second Inaugural Address.

Shinseki, for his part, said that there is "no higher responsibility" than the post.

-- Obama also appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" during which he cautioned that fixing the nation's economic woes will not happen overnight.

Obama: "Well, fortunately, as tough as times are right now--and things are going to get worse before they get better--there is a convergence between circumstances and agenda. The key for us is making sure that we jump-start that economy in a way that doesn't just deal with the short term, doesn't just create jobs immediately, but also puts us on a glide path for long-term, sustainable economic growth. And that's why I spoke in my radio address on Saturday about the importance of investing in the largest infrastructure program--in roads and bridges and, and other traditional infrastructure--since the building of the federal highway system in the 1950s; rebuilding our schools and making sure that they're energy efficient; making sure that we're investing in electronic medical records and other technologies that can drive down health care costs. All those things are not only immediate--part of an immediate stimulus package to the economy, but they're also down payments on the kind of long-term, sustainable growth that we need."

Watch here:

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

NBC's Brokaw sat down with Pres.-elect Obama in Chicago 12/6. The interview aired on yesterday's "Meet the Press" for the full hour.

Obama, on the recession: "First of all, I think it's important for us to remember that as tough as times are right now, they're nothing compared to what my grandparents went through, what the 'greatest generation' went through. ... This is a big problem and it's going to get worse. And, and one of the things that I'm constantly mindful of are all the people I met during the campaign who were already struggling before things got worse. ... That's why my number one priority coming in is making sure that we've got an economic recovery plan that is equal to the task."

Brokaw: "On this program about a year ago, you said that being a president is 90 percent circumstances and about 10 percent agenda. The circumstances now are, as you say, very unpopular in terms of the decisions that have to be made. Which are the most unpopular ones that the country's going to have to deal with?"

Obama: "Well, fortunately, as tough as times are right now -- and things are going to get worse before they get better -- there is a convergence between circumstances and agenda. The key for us is making sure that we jump-start that economy in a way that doesn't just deal with the short term, doesn't just create jobs immediately, but also puts us on a glide path for long-term, sustainable economic growth."

After the jump, Rice talks about her successor, pols on the auto bailout and Brokaw bids farewell.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

Updates from our Hotline Political Network Affiliates

The votes have finally been tallied in Columbus, and '06 nominee Mary Jo Kilroy (D) has been declared the winner over state Sen. Steve Stivers (R) in the GOP open seat. Kilroy defeated Stivers by 2,311 votes, outside of the .5% margin needed for an automatic recount, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The Franklin Co. Board of Elections has scheduled a 12/8 meeting to certify the results.

Stivers had a 594-vote lead heading into the weekend. But that count included just the final tallies from two GOP-leaning counties, and not the CD's base, Franklin Co. The OH Supreme Court cleared the way for over 30K votes to be tallied in Franklin Co. 12/5 after it sided with Stivers' supporters and decided not to allow 1K disputed provisional ballots to be counted. Franklin Co. had held up on counting any of its provisional and late absentee ballots until that case was decided.

Kilroy was counting on the uncounted ballots in her home county to propel her to victory, despite the fact that Stivers has led, albeit by a very small margin, from Election Day on. In '06, provisional ballots from Franklin Co. gave Kilroy a bump of several thousand votes, although it wasn't enough to give her a victory over Rep. Deborah Pryce (R). This time, Kilroy picked up over 2.5K votes in the provisional ballot count, and it was enough to overcome Stivers' small lead.

Dems now have a net gain of 20 seats this cycle, with a recount pending in VA-05 and possibly in LA-04.

(TIM SAHD)

In a shocker, there will be a GOP Rep. in New Orleans. In a surprising twist, GOPers won a sweep in LA tonight in two general elections, picking up embattled Rep. Bill Jefferson's (D-LA 02) seat in New Orleans, and holding retiring Rep. Jim McCrery's (R) seat in the Shreveport-based Fourth District.

But the surprise of the night, and possibly the cycle, was in the Big Easy. Atty Ahn “Joseph” Cao (R) defeated Jefferson 50-47%. Dems outnumber GOPers here 6-1, and African Americans make up 61% of the vote. But the NRCC must've had an inkling that something was up here, as they dumped about $60K into the CD earlier this week. They attacked Jefferson in automated phone calls for the bribery and corruption charges he faces in an upcoming trial. Dems cried foul, but apparently the message hit home.

While Cao was earning the support of GOPers nationally and in LA -- he was backed by popular Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) -- Jefferson saw no such support from Dems. Indeed, unlike in the GA SEN runoff and in LA-04, Pres-elect Obama stayed out of the contest altogether. The DCCC didn't contribute any funds here, either.

This race was all about Jefferson's ethics problems, and Cao ran a very effective campaign to take advantage of the Dem's weaknesses. While the odds are stacked against Cao holding this seat past the '10 cycle, this win has got to be a shot in the arm for GOPers looking for a morale boost after two disastrous cycles.

In the other LA race that was supposed to be the marquee matchup tonight, physician/Subway restaurant owner John Fleming (R) leads Caddo Parish DA Paul Carmouche (D) by 356 votes, will all the precincts reporting. The AP has yet to call the race, and may wait until provisional ballots are counted to declare a winner.

Dems had hoped that Carmouche's social conservatism, along with the law-and-order credentials gained as DA, would carry him to victory here. But while Carmouche performed better than most Dems -- he carried six of the CD's counties, while Obama carried just one -- it still was not enough to overcome the huge GOP leanings of this CD. On 11/4, John McCain carried it by over 60%.

The race featured two very high-profile surrogates that potentially could match up in '12 WH race. Obama recorded a radio ad for Carmouche, and claimed that, "To change America and to get Louisiana's economy back on track - I need leaders like Paul Carmouche working with me in Washington." Obama's camp also sent out a call for volunteers and a fundraising e-mail to their LA list. Meanwhile, popular LA Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) endorsed Fleming, which Fleming touted in a TV ad during the campaign's final days.

In spending nearly $1.2M, the DCCC drubbed Fleming on a familiar topic -- his support for a 23% nat'l sales tax, or the "Fair" tax. Dems have been successful in ID, PA and VA in using the issue to turn the tables on the GOP, who usually own the tax issue. The NRCC, which dumped over $970K into the CD, hit Carmouche for his tenure as Caddo Parish DA. In one TV ad, the cmte hit Carmouche for not prosecuting a criminal, who was arrested 53 times, under the state's repeat offender law. After his release, the criminal committed 20 more crimes in the span of the next three weeks.

But despite the efforts of Carmouche and Dems to portray Fleming as out-of-step with even GOPers, he was still apparently able to hold on, albeit by the slightest of margins.

With these results, Dems have gained a net of 19 seats this cycle. They could potentially pick up two more in VA-05 and OH-15, although votes are still being tallied in both contests.

Tonight's GOP wins are big for a party that has been demoralized by two difficult cycles. We'll see in the coming months if tonight's results represent a true shift towards the GOP heading into the '10 midterms, or whether they were just a blip on the road to another successful cycle for Dems.

(TIM SAHD)

-- Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg is reportedly mulling over an appointment to Hillary Clinton's NY Senate seat. Her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has taken himself out of the running. No family feud there.

-- VP-elect Joe Biden will have his very own economic adviser, a sign of the depth and likely length of the country's woes. Jared Bernstein will serve as Biden's chief economist and economic policy advisor. Bernstein, according to the bio dispersed by the transition, is an expert in the areas of federal, state and international economic policies, specifically the middle-class squeeze, income inequality and mobility, trends in employment and earnings, low-wage labor markets, poverty and international comparisons. Bernstein has been an economist at the Economic Policy Institute since 1992 and has also authored several books and academic treatises on the economy and the middle class. From 1995-1996, he served as deputy chief economist for the Department of Labor under Sec. Robert Reich.

-- Two new White House staff hires announced today: Christina M. Tchen, director of public liaison, and Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff to the assistant to the President for intergovernmental relations and public liaison. Their bios are available after the jump.

-- Dorothy Rodham is peddling a book about her daughter to help Clinton erase her campaign debt. For $50, you'll get a copy of "Hillary Rodham Clinton, Dreams Taking Flight." For $250, you can have a copy signed by the next Sec of State.

Today marked the end, of sorts, in the long, slow slog that is the Minnesota Senate race. A month after Election Day, MN Sec/State Mark Ritchie (D) announced the completion of hand count of the 2.9M ballots cast on 11/4. That is, except for 133 missing ballots in a Minneapolis precinct .

So, what's the final tally in the race between GOP Sen. Norm Coleman and his Dem challenger, comedian, writer, actor, activist Al Franken? As with everything in the wild world of recounts, it depends on whom you ask.

Ritchie's office has Coleman leading Franken by 687 votes, a total that not only excludes every challenged ballot, but also every vote cast in Minneapolis Ward 3, Precinct 1, the precinct with the missing envelope of ballots. Franken originally won that precinct by a margin of 495 votes (which accounts for the lower Star-Tribune tally below).

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune assumes the original results from that precinct will stand, but it too removes any challenged ballot from its count. The paper's tally? Coleman leads by 192.

Franken's camp is using yet another number to determine the results of the hand count, and, not surprisingly, a spokesman called it the only "objective" total out there. By their measure, which assumes all challenges on both sides will be tossed, Franken is ahead by four votes.

Coleman's camp isn't releasing its own official tally, but camp. mgr. Cullen Sheehan said in a statement today:

"We are pleased that we remain ahead in this recount."

In any event, with a thousands of ballots under challenge by both camps, that number will start to change as the canvassing board begins to review challenged ballots, starting 12/16. The number of challenged ballot originally stood at 6,655, however Franken has agreed to withdraw 633 challenges and Coleman 650 challenges.

Whom should we believe? There's one thing about which everyone agrees -- the completion of the hand count today does not signal the end of the process. Both camps are "welcoming" (Team Franken) the move "to the next phase" (Team Coleman) in the process today, and neither is declaring victory. That's probably wise -- there's still the matter of the 133 missing ballots and the review of the challenged ballots.

In addition, the Franken camp believes many absentee ballots were "improperly rejected" on Election Day. According to Ritchie's office, what to do with those ballots will be taken up by the state canvassing board 12/12. Then comes the 12/16 canvassing board meeting where the challenged ballots will begin to be reviewed. It's only after that's over that we'll have a sense of the final official count in this race. And by then we could see one or both campaigns drag the whole mess into court for yet another round of decisions (and maybe counting).

The end of the hand count is certainly a milestone in this last and longest U.S. Senate battle of the '08 cycle. But it's probably just a sign post whipping by on a journey that's far from finished.

(EVAN McMORRIS-SANTORO)

We may finally be nearing an end to the saga that is the Columbus, OH-based OH-15th House race. Today, the OH Supreme Court ruled that 1K disputed ballots will not be counted, siding with supporters of state Sen. Steve Stivers' (R), who brought the lawsuit.

Several weeks ago, Sec/State Jennifer Brunner (D) ordered Franklin Co. to count the disputed provisional ballots, even though they contained flaws, such as the lack of a signature. But supporters of Stivers disputed Brunner's order and took the case to court, arguing that Franklin Co. should disallow the ballots. Today, the OH court -- dominated by GOP-appointed judges -- agreed with Stivers' supporters.

Barred from counting its outstanding ballots until this ruling came down, Franklin Co. is the only jurisdiction in the CD not to report its final tally. Currently, Stivers holds a 594-vote lead over '06 nominee Mary Jo Kilroy (D), but Kilroy's camp is expecting to pick up many votes through the 37K uncounted provisional, late absentee and military ballots that have yet to be counted. In votes already tallied in the county, Kilroy leads Stivers, 48-43%.

Officials expect it to take two to three days to count the remaining ballots. But if neither candidate is ahead by more than .5%, there would be a mandatory recount of ballots. That process "could take another two weeks," according to the Columbus Dispatch.

(TIM SAHD)

Here are the scheduled guests for the Sunday public affairs shows and other weekend programs:

SUNDAY:

Meet the Press hosts Pres.-elect Barack Obama.

Face the Nation hosts Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and New York Times' Thomas Friedman.

This Week hosts TBD.

Fox News Sunday hosts Sec/State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). The "Power Player" is Obama transition team personnel dir./Incoming WH Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina.

Late Edition hosts MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), PA Gov. Ed Rendell (D), GOP strategist Ed Rollins, Dem strategist Donna Brazile, CNN's Gloria Borger, CNN's Bill Schneider and CNN's Joe Johns.

See other weekend shows after the jump.

(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX)

President Bush gave a brief statement this morning at the White House about the latest job data showing unemployment rose to 6.7% last month. He also urged Congress to pass an auto industry bailout plan next week but advised that all taxpayer money be repaid. The president did not take questions.

His full statement:

"Today's job data reflects the fact that our economy is in a recession. This is in large part because of severe problems in our housing, credit and financial markets, which have resulted in significant job losses. I'm concerned about our workers who have lost jobs during this downturn, and I'm -- as we work to -- as we work to address the problems of this economy, we've extended unemployment insurance benefits to those who have lost their jobs during this downturn.

"We are focusing on the root causes of the economic downturn in order to return our economy to health. The most urgent issue facing the economy is the problem in the credit markets. Businesses and consumers need access to credit at affordable rates to spend and invest. And so we're working to stabilize the markets and make credit more affordable and available. We're working with the Federal Reserve and FDIC, and credit is beginning to move. A market that was frozen is thawing. There's still more work to do. But there are some encouraging signs.

"A root cause of the slowdown is housing, and so we continue to take actions that will avoid preventable foreclosures and speed a return to a healthy housing market. Interest rates help the housing market recover, and interest rates, mortgage rates, are going down. And plus there's a number of programs in place to help Americans stay in their homes, to limit the preventable foreclosures.

"I am concerned about the viability of the automobile companies. I'm concerned about those who work for the automobile companies and their families. And likewise, I am concerned about taxpayer money being provided to those companies that may not survive. Put out a detailed plan recently that uses money that Congress appropriated last fall for the auto industry -- money that can be used so long as the companies make hard choices on all aspects of their business to prove that they can not only survive but thrive.

"It is important that Congress act next week on this plan. And it's important to make sure that taxpayers' money be paid back if any is given to the companies.

"It's going to take time for all the actions we have taken to have their full impact. But I am confident that the steps we're taking will help fix the problems in our economy and return it to strength. My administration is committed to ensuring that our economy succeeds. And I know the incoming administration shares the same commitment.

"Thank you very much."

Ann Romney, wife of former MA governor and 2008 presidential candidate Mitt Romney, today released the following statement:

"Last week, following my annual mammogram at Brigham and Women's Hospital, I was diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma In Sutu (DCIS). While this is commonly referred to as early stage breast cancer, it is technically not cancer but rather pre-cancer, as it has not become invasive. Today, I have had a lumpectomy. This procedure does not require hospitalization. Mitt and I feel fortunate to have caught this so early. And, it reminds us how important it is for women to have regular mammograms. As in all cases of cancer, early detection is critical. Many families are facing medical hardships--our hearts go out to all of you and also our wishes for healing holidays."

Barack Obama, who abandoned a promise to accept public financing, raised $750M over the course of the 2008 campaign. Coupled with the Democratic National Committee's fundraising, the Democrat raised $1B.

The scope of Obama's fundraising prowess must be of great consideration to members of the Republican National Committee as they weigh who will lead the party into the next election cycle. The RNC meets next month in Washington to vote for a new chairman. Several people have expressed interest: MI GOP chairman Saul Anuzis, SC GOP chairman Katon Dawson, former MD lt. gov. and FOX News contributor Michael Steele, Newt Gingrigh, former Mike Huckabee campaign mgr. Chip Saltsman and current RNC chairman Mike Duncan.

Surely, the committee's 168 members will assess which of these men can best build an email list and online operation to rival Obama's. Grassroots organizing experience must be paramount for the next chairman. Today's Democratic money news confirms that for the RNC, a chief cheerleader or figurehead type is not the order of the day.

Here are some of the more practical rules governing the group's selection process:

-- To win the chairmanship, a member must secure a majority of the 168 members -- or 85 votes.

-- Voting can be conducted by a variety of methods, including secret ballot, if approved by the RNC by a majority vote.

-- And to be placed into nomination, a candidate must receive the support of a majority of RNC members from at least three states, meaning at least two RNC members from three states.

To date, party members have been stunningly mum about their preferences. But note that while the field is crowded, the rules don't require much to get in the mix. Are their other GOPers who might match the party's organizational needs?

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Rep. Barney Frank is fuming because Barack Obama has not provided lawmakers with more guidance about the auto bailout.

"At a time of great crisis with mortgage foreclosures and autos, he says we only have one president at a time," Frank said Thursday, according to the Associated Press. "I'm afraid that overstates the number of presidents we have. He's got to remedy that situation."

Over the course of the transition, Obama has said repeatedly that the nation has just one president at a time. Some clearly see his stance as an effort not to step on President Bush's toes in the waning days of his term; others, however, are expressing private concern, which Frank voiced publicly, that Obama must at least address the specifics of any auto bailout proposal, the ramifications of which will be felt well into his administration. Members of Congress, torn over the merits of bailing out the BIg Three automakers, are looking for back-up.

Asked about Frank's remarks on MSNBC this morning, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said Obama has done a "great job in this transition."

"But make no mistake about it," he cautioned, "the inauguration is over a month away."

A transition source tells On Call that the administration-to-be hasn't given a firm position on the auto bailout, offering this written statement:

"It's encouraging that the companies are coming forward with their business plans. Congress needs to evaluate these plans and hear from these companies directly. Once that process is complete, next steps will be determined. As the President-elect has repeatedly said, the government should provide assistance to the auto industry if all the constituents are willing to make the tough choices necessary to achieve long-term success."

Not exactly firm. Politically, of course, there is not much for Obama to gain in gambling with the auto bailout. The public is experiencing bailout fatigue and feels little sympathy for the American auto industry, which continues to develop and push gas guzzling SUVs above environmentally friendly vehicles, even as fuel prices have skyrocketed. On the heels of a $700B congressional bailout package, there is a growing public skepticism that the promise of one bailout after another doesn't appear to be steadying a flagging economy.

Meanwhile, more bad economic news greeted the next president this morning in the form of higher unemployment, which rose to 6.7% last month.

"The 533,000 jobs lost last month, the worst job loss in 34 years, is more than a dramatic reflection of the growing economic crisis we face," Obama said in a statement released by the transition. "Each of those lost jobs represents a personal crisis for a family somewhere in America. Our economy has already lost nearly 2 million jobs during this recession, which is why we need an Economic Recovery Plan that will save or create at least 2.5 million more jobs over two years while we act decisively to maintain the flows of credit on which so many American families and American businesses depend.

"There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis, which has been many years in the making, and it's likely to get worse before it gets better. But now is the time to respond with urgent resolve to put people back to work and get our economy moving again. At the same time, this painful crisis also provides us with an opportunity to transform our economy to improve the lives of ordinary people by rebuilding roads and modernizing schools for our children, investing in clean energy solutions to break our dependence on imported oil, and making an early down payment on the long-term reforms that will grow and strengthen our economy for all Americans for years to come."

The last thing Obama needs in weighing the best course forward for the economy is internal Democratic Party strife.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The bailout the Big 3 auto companies are asking for from Congress was the talk of TV, with Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli sitting down with CBS' Katie Couric on "Evening News."

Nardelli, on how he thinks he can convince Americans opposed to the deal that the bailout should go through: "I think part of today and hopefully through our discussion here we can provide a differing perspective. A million people count on Chrysler's success if you look more broadly about one out of 10 Americans here either work for or support the auto industry. So if the auto industry collapsed, it would be a cataclysmic collapse of between 2 million and 3.5 million jobs."

Nardelli, on whether the companies will come back next year to ask for more money, even if this bailout is approved: "We did not present a plan today with the expectations that we would come back in six months or one year. They asked us to present a plan that had viability for the long term, and that's what we submitted."

More, on whether Chrysler can survive bankruptcy: "If we went into bankruptcy it would cause tremendous dislocation in health care, pension cost. It would cost us in bankruptcy two to three times more than what we're asking for up front."

Couric: "You came from Home Depot to run Chrysler. You had to be a quick study, but from what you've learned, what was the U.S. auto industry's biggest mistake?"

Nardelli: Well look, we've all made mistakes. I've been in business for 38 years and whether I was at GE, Home Depot or Chrysler. I think the important thing now is to look at this crisis. How do we make sure that we are reposition ourselves that we break from some of those old paradigms that we are making new products that we are delivering service to customers, the kinds of cars and trucks they want to drive and will tell their friends about it" (CBS, 12/4).

After the jump, more on the bailout, and questions about AG-designate/ex-Dep. AG Eric Holder's nomination.

(RACHELLE DOUILLARD-PROULX)

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush have purchased a home in the city's exclusive Preston Hollow neighborhood:

The president's accountant in Midland, Robert McCleskey, purchased the house at 10141 Daria Place as a trustee on Oct. 3, according to records on file with the Dallas Central Appraisal District, which values the home at $2,078,660.

Built in 1959, the home sits on 1.13 acres, has four bedrooms, 4 ½ baths, a wet bar, a fireplace and 8,501 square feet of living space, including 896 square feet of servant quarters.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced today that the entire length of the National Mall will be open to the public so that as many visitors as possible are able to watch Pres.-elect Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony. It's a first apparently.

Full release is available after the jump, and for more inaugural event info, check out the committee's Web site.

What happens when counting is completed later this month in the Minnesota Senate contest, the margin is still as narrow as can be and disputes remain about the validity of rejected absentee ballots?

Could Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken design a job share? For six months, one sits at a desk in the venerable Senate chamber while the other drives carpool, and then they switch? Not likely.

But one longshot possiblity -- Senate intervention in the matter -- does exist, and has historic precedent.

In 1974, New Hampshire voters were practically deadlocked in the Senate contest between Republican Rep. Louis C. Wyman and Democrat John A. Durkin, who had served as state insurance commissioner. The 355-vote margin out of 200K votes cast prompted a recount that ended in a 10-vote win for Durkin, who was certified by the governor. Wyman appealed to the NH Ballot Law Commission, which then embarked on its own partial recount, a process that ended with Wyman winning by two votes, according to a recounting offered by the U.S. Senate Historical Office. Wyman was then certified by the governor.

Durkin filed a petition of contest with the Senate, which referred the mess to the Rules and Administration Committee's Subcommittee on Privileges and Elections. In the meantime, the sitting senator -- Norris Cotton -- resigned, and NH Gov. Mel Thomson, a Republican, appointed Wyman to the Senate for the remaining days of Cotton's term, allowing Wyman to assume the title even though Congress was not in session.

Ultimately, the subcommittee passed the matter to the Committee on Rules Administration, which was composed of five Democrats and three Republicans. Believing that Wyman had been fairly certified and seated, one Democrat on the committee voted with his GOP colleagues. So the committee agreed the issue should be brought to the full Senate.

When the Senate convened in January 1975, Durkin and Wyman sat at separate tables at the back of the chamber. They watched. Their lawyers watched. But a suitable conclusion proved elusive, and by the end of the month, the NH Legislature adopted a measure allowing for a new election if the Senate declared the seat vacant. The Democrat-dominated Senate, however, did not cooperate, tossing the mess back to the Rules Committee for months of wrangling over counting disputed ballots, a process fraught with partisan conflict.

The matter dragged through the summer. By August, as a congressional recess loomed large, members remained unable to find consensus. Wyman wrote to Durkin suggesting that they consent to a new election, and Durkin reluctantly agreed. The Senate voted to declare the seat vacant as of Aug. 8, 1975. And the state held a special election Sept. 16, 1975.

Turnout was record breaking, and the winner indisputable; Durkin prevailed by more than 27K votes.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, who served as a state representative from Manchester in 1974, sat on the House committee that drafted the legislation sanctioning the special election. He said the Senate intervened at the time because there were two certificates declaring two different victors.

"They could have picked one side or the other, they could have said we're going to accept this one or we're going to accept that one," Gardner said in an interview today. "But they didn't."

Gardner called the 1974 NH mess "an impossible situation." At one point, he recalled, the Senate toyed with the idea of having each of its 100 members review every ballot cast in the NH election. A hand recount of the highest order. But it wasn't feasible. Bigger issues of the day required members' attention.

"In the end, they probably wished they hadn't" gotten involved, Gardner said of the senators.

So Senate intervention is possible but carries with it the potential for even greater chaos. Though Democrats dominate this chamber, too, given the post partisan tone set by Pres.-elect Barack Obama, how likely are they to push for Franken to prevail if he trails, even modestly, after the recount? Their reticence seems ever more predictable this week given Sen. Saxby Chambliss' win in the Georgia runoff -- a development that dashed Democratic hopes for a 60-vote filibuster proof majority.

If it's any indication of their aversion to such a move, Senate Democrats have quieted. A spokesman for Sen. Chuck Schumer passed a question this week about the MN matter to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. And a DSCC spokesman failed to return a call. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said his boss stands by his Nov. 26 statement urging that absentee votes are counted and has nothing more at the moment to say on the issue.

Today, meanwhile, the Coleman and Franken camps are trading press releases. Franken's team is demanding a search for 133 lost Minneapolis ballots while Coleman's camp, following Franken's lead earlier this week, has withdrawn 650 ballot challenges.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Per the transition: Pres.-elect Barack Obama and Michelle Obama will host a thank-you event for the members of the Illinois finance committee. There will be a print pool in attendance for his remarks. VP-elect Joe Biden will be in Delaware hosting private meetings and has no public events scheduled.

The latest effort by Barack Obama to raise money for the Democratic National Committee arrived in my in-box this a.m:

This holiday season, celebrate the historic accomplishment of our movement for change. Treat yourself or a loved one to a limited edition Obama coffee mug.

Thank you,
Obama for America

What next? Valentine's Day chocolates for Howard Dean in lieu of a Cabinet appointment?

Pres.-elect Obama announcing NM Gov./ex-UN Amb./ex-Energy Sec. Bill Richardson (D) as his nominee for Commerce sec. was the talk of TV:

CNBC's Harwood: "Some of that is flattery. You're trying to make somebody who aspired to be secretary of state, himself, feel better about the job that he ended up getting. But look, I think the consistent pattern we're seeing from Barack Obama is he is picking people who by the traditional standards with which we measure these things are bigger than the jobs they're getting" ("1600," MSNBC, 12/3).

FNC's Garrett: "Richardson's most immediate tasks are these, overseeing the conversion from analogue to digital TV on February 18 and preparing for the census in 2010. Governor Richardson, welcome to the Commerce Department" ("Special Report," 12/3).

Chicago Tribune's Page: "Ronald Reagan wanted to get rid of the Commerce Department until he realized it was a great place to park people you owe favors to" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 12/3).

New York Daily News' Louis, on some Hispanics saying, even with Richardson, there aren't enough Hispanics in Obama's Cabinet: "I think people who are complaining are, number one, jumping the gun a little bit. That plumb book of all the top appointments is 8,000 deep. There's lots of commissions and sub-Cabinet positions that are very high-profile, EPA, FCC. ... So, we're not done yet" ("No Bias, No Bull," CNN, 12/3).

After the jump, B. Clinton's role in the admin. and the return of Jeb Bush.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

'Tis the season, but it won't be a Charlie Brown Christmas, at least not in N. CA. Tonight, '06 nominee Charlie Brown (D) conceded the race for CA's Fourth District to state Sen. Tom McClintock (R). McClintock, for his part, declared victory 12/1 after the official vote tally showed him leading by 1,576 votes.

In an e-mail to supporters, Brown said the vote count, from the canvassing of provisional and absentee ballots to the recounts, has been "fair, accurate and transparent." He said the outcome of the election is "no longer in question." Brown: "a short time ago, I called Senator Tom McClintock to congratulate him on a hard fought victory, and to wish him well in Congress."

McClintock's hold of retiring Rep. John Doolittle's (R) seat means that the net gain for Dems this election remains at +20. Four races are still outstanding: In VA-05, Rep. Virgil Goode (R) has requested a recount in a race where atty Tom Perriello (D) leads by 745 votes. And in OH-15, '06 nominee Mary Jo Kilroy (D) hopes that more than 10K uncounted provisional ballots will overturn state Sen. Steve Stivers' (R) 500-vote lead.

For the two remaining races, LA will host two general elections 12/6. Embattled Rep. Bill Jefferson (D-LA 02) faces an upstart challenge from underdog Anh Cao (R), while Dems hope Caddo Parish DA Paul Carmouche (D) can flip a GOP open seat in the Shreveport-based LA-04. He'll face physician John Fleming (R) in that race.

(TIM SAHD)

(photo: UK Telegraph)

The Republican National Committee is scheduled to file a campaign report with the Federal Election Commission Thursday disclosing that the committee spent additional funds to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

In October, Politico revealed that the RNC had spent approximately $150,000 on clothing and accessories for Palin and her family after she was selected as Sen. John McCain’s running mate. The story provoked a storm of criticism of the Alaska governor, a mother of five and favorite of the conservative wing of the GOP.

While not providing much in details, Republican officials say that the RNC’s post-election financial report will include information on other “accessories’’ purchased for Palin before the Nov. 4 election.

“The amount to be reported is significantly less than $150,000,’’ one RNC official told National Journal. “The accessories on the report are less than $30,000.’’

The clothing, the official says, is in the committee’s possession and “will be dispersed to national and local charities at the appropriate time.’’

(National Journal's EDWARD T. POUND)

"Access Hollywood" is reporting that Oprah Winfrey will tape her show in Washington during inauguration week.

"I'm going to break that right here; that's where I'm going to be," Winfrey exclusively told "Access Hollywood." "See you there . . . that's the place to be."

Winfrey also confirmed to "Access Hollywood" that she has rented out the Opera House at the Kennedy Center to film the show.

Winfrey has, of course, been a big Barack Obama booster, stumping for him in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina before those critical early state contests. She was spotted in the crowd at Grant Park on Election Night, tears streaming down her face.

The White House released information this morning about its many holiday soirees -- from the menu for all receptions to the musical groups featured at events. First Lady Laura Bush's office also offered up a string of 2008 holiday trivia.

Ever wonder, for example, how many holiday cards President Bush and the First Lady mail to friends and associates?

1.25M this year.

The number of poinsettias sprucing up the White House?

412.

The origin of the White House Christmas tree?

The 18 ½-foot tall Fraser fir hails from North Carolina. It was presented to Mrs. Bush by Jessie Davis and Russell Estes of River Ridge Tree Farms in Crumpler, NC.

Gallons of egg nog served at the White House during the holiday season?

700.

Yum. I digress.

The White House wil host 25 holiday receptions and seven dinners as part of its themed "Red, White and Blue Christmas." After the jump, browse the music makers who will lend their songs to the festivities. Also take a gander at the extensive holiday buffet menu (think Miss Beazley and Barney cookies, among other treats).

MT Gov. Brian Schweitzer -- a huge hit at the Democratic National Convention in Denver -- will lead the Democratic Governors Association. MD Gov. Martin O'Malley, an early backer of Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, was elected vice chair yesterday.

Schweitzer's election marks an effort by party laders to continue to expand Democratic influence in the Western states that helped carry Barack Obama to victory. O'Malley, the former Baltimore mayor who plays in an Irish band, is widely viewed as having future designs on national office.

Full release after the jump.

Will the last one in the House turn out the lights?

It might not be that bad -- Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) is the only Rep. so far to definitively say he is leaving -- but several others are looking to follow him out the door.

Pres-elect Obama has reportedly offered Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) the job of Trade Rep. in his admin. It's not yet clear if Becerra has accepted. But Dems need not worry: Becerra's Los Angeles-based seat, as well as Emanuel's Chicago-based CD, are solid blue territory in any Special Election.

But there are also several Reps. who are looking to move up in '10. Late yesterday came word from sources that Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) would retire in order to run for GOV. And Reps. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) and Artur Davis (D-AL) are also mulling gubernatorial bids in their states. An open seat in MI or AL would not give party operatives heartburn, but if Herseth Sandlin does run for GOV, an open seat would be a big headache for Dems.

There are lots of Reps. looking at Senate bids, too. Reps. Allen Boyd (D) and Vern Buchanan (R) both appear to be strongly considering a run for Sen. Mel Martinez's (R) seat. Martinez announced 12/2 that he won't seek re-election in '10. Reps. Adam Putnam (R) and Kendrick Meek (D) have also been mentioned for that race.

Others publicly considering moves to the upper chamber include Heath Shuler (D-NC), Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) and Jerry Moran (R-KS).

But not everybody who has their eyes on the door is looking to more up. Earlier this week, we reported that sources close to Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS) say he probably will retire. That seat would be a barnburner, as both parties would likely field strong candidates in a CD that leans GOP.

It may have only been a month since these guys (and gal) won re-election, but many of them are already looking for ways to get out of dodge.

(TIM SAHD)

The New Yorker's 12/8 cover. Perfection.

VP-elect Joe Biden will be in Washington today for a briefing by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, led by former Sens. Bob Graham of FL and Jim Talent of MO.

Biden will be joined at the meeting by AZ Gov. Janet Napolitano, who has been nominated as Pres.-elect Barack Obama's Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Congress tasked the bipartisan commission with reviewing the country's work to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and their use by terrorist groups.

Pres.-elect Barack Obama named NM Gov. Bill Richardson as his Commerce Secretary this morning, saying the former UN Ambassador and Energy Secretary will be the "leading economic diplomat for America."

Obama emphasized that Richardson, who is widely believed to have preferred the Secretary of State job given to Hillary Clinton, has the "international stature and a deep understanding of today's global economy" to help the nation emerge from a deepening recession. Richardson's success will be gauged, Obama said, on how he helps create jobs, grow incomes and advocates for American goods around the globe.

"Bill Richardson has been selected because he is the best person for the job," Obama said in response to a reporter's question about whether the Commerce appointment is a consolation prize for the State Department.

The only Hispanic to be named so far to Obama's Cabinet, Richardson said Obama's team does not represent a team of rivals, as some have suggested.

"Past competitors, yes, but rivals implies something harder-edged and less forgiving," Richardson said. "... You open markets and minds not with rivalry but instead with partnership and innovation and hard work."

Richardson, who gave a portion of his brief acceptance speech in Spanish, said Commerce will serve "as the programmatic nerve center" for plans to rejuvenate the nation's economy. He said he will work ensure the nation is at the forefront of innovation around the globe, especially in the areas of energy independence and new technologies.

"Boosting commerce between states and nations is not just a path to solvency and growth, it's the only path," he said.

Richardson also said he is grateful the nation has a new president "who recognizes that America's diverse heritage is its greatest strength."

Obama urged patience to those in the Hispanic community who have expressed concern that Richardson is the only Latino appointed thus far to the Cabinet. He said he has only named half of his top advisers. News reports today suggest that Rep. Xavier Becerra is in the mix, if not the leading contender, to be the nation's top trade representative.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

The Republican National Committee will meet at the Capitol Hilton in Washington 1/28-1/31 to, among other issue items, elect a new (or re-elect the current) chairman.

For those keeping score:

With 97% of precincts reporting ...

Sen. Saxby Chambliss won 1,220,856 votes or 57.4%

Democrat Jim Martin won 905,637 votes or 42.6%

For anyone wondering about the extent of Barack Obama's influence on turnout in congressional contests, note that 2.12M people cast ballots yesterday in the GA Senate runoff, compared with 3.75M people who voted in the 11/4 Senate contest.

Dem hopes of gaining a filibuster-proof majority in the U.S. Senate were squashed when Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) was projected to win reelection in the GA SEN runoff.

CNN's Bash: "This is a very rare moment of glory and victory in a very, very bad year for Republicans. So, the national party, they are looking at this particular race, this particular victory ... and saying, you know, wow. This gives us a little bit of hope now" ("AC 360," 12/2).

Washington Post's Bacon: "Barack Obama did not come here, but he left his 25 campaign offices open and they became Martin for Senate offices. So it appears that Obama's network, you know, which did a good job for him both in Georgia and around the country, was not able to elect Jim Martin down here" ("On the Record," FNC, 12/2).

Time's Cox: "It's pretty well recognized among Democratic circles or in Democratic circles that Martin was not an especially strong candidate. He made it as far as he did because of the 'Obama machine.' And I would call it an 'Obama machine' and not a Democratic machine. ... What this does suggest, however, is that in 2010, the mid-terms are going to be a struggle because Obama's name will not be on the ballot" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 12/2).

After the jump, more GA SEN and govs. discuss Obama meeting.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

With the nets and AP projecting that Sen. Saxby Chambliss will hold on to his GA Senate seat, shattering the Democrats' shot at a 60-vote filibuster proof majority, consider this:

In as much as any special election could be a test of Barack Obama's coattails before he has even been sworn in (hello!), does the vote actually reflect voters' desire to keep some check on the party's power?

And another thing -- Sorry Jim Martin, but Al Franken might be the biggest loser tonight. How likely is it that Democratic senators will push for Franken -- or vote not to seat Sen. Norm Coleman should the MN race remain tight after a recount -- now that the filibuster-proof advantage has eluded the party? Such a move is a rare happening, but tonight's GA results seems to make an aggressive move on Franken's behalf less likely.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

With 59% of GA precincts reporting, Sen. Saxby Chambliss still holds a firm double-digit advantage over Democrat Jim Martin, 721,534 to 470,201 votes, or 60.5% to 39.5%.

With 30% of GA precincts reporting, Sen. Saxby Chambliss leads Democrat Jim Martin, 354,459 to 218,498 votes, or 61.9% to 38.1%. Note that results from heavily Democratic DeKalb and Fulton (Atlanta) counties remain outstanding. When they're in, Martin should get a boost.

The votes are being counted this evening in Georgia's Senate runoff. The latest, per the GA Sec of State:

With just 13% of precincts reporting, Sen. Saxby Chambliss leads Democrat Jim Martin, 183,999 to 91,945 votes.

Rep. Allen Boyd (D), the latest FL pol to release a statement responding to Sen. Mel Martinez's (R-FL) decision to retire in '10, devoted exactly one sentence to Martinez before highlighting his qualifications for the job and mentioning that he could jump into the race.

"I want to join my fellow Floridians in thanking Senator Martinez for his service," the Blue Dog Democrat said. "I am a fifth generation Floridian with deep roots in the state, and I want to see the state I love and my fellow Floridians thrive. Right now, our state and our nation are experiencing challenging times. President-elect Obama and Senator Bill Nelson will need a strong, steady partner in the U.S. Senate. We need aggressive, bipartisan solutions to the economic, domestic, and foreign policy challenges that face the country."

"I have been considering a run for the U.S. Senate in 2010, prior to Sen. Martinez's announcement today. I will continue to discuss the race with state and national party leaders and with my supporters in North Florida and throughout the state. Most importantly, I'll talk about this with my family, and I expect we'll make a final decision very early next year."

NM Gov. Bill Richardson, who endorsed Barack Obama in March, before Hillary Clinton pulled of the race, will be the first Hispanic named to the new Cabinet. An announcement is expected tomorrow in Chicago.

At a press conference a few moments ago, Defense Sec. Robert M. Gates, who was formally reappointed yesterday by Pres.-elect Barack Obama, confirms that he does indeed have a party affiliation.

"I felt when I was at the CIA that as a professional intelligence officer, like a military officer, I should be apolitical, so I didn't register with a party," he said, adding,"... I consider myself a Republican. Until yesterday, all of my senior appointments have been for Republicans."

Gates also said he has not determined how long he'll stay on in the position. In other words, he hasn't agreed to a set leave date. "I've thrown away the clock because it was absolutely useless at the end of the day," he said with a chuckle.

... to send Hillary Clinton your congratulations -- and your email address and zip code.

FL AG Bill McCollum released the following statement today responding to news that Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) won't seek a second term:

“I was surprised to learn today that Senator Mel Martinez will not be seeking re-election for his post in 2010. Senator Martinez has served his constituents and our state admirably, and with his decision not to seek another term the people of Florida are losing a dedicated public servant.

“I have been asked today whether this announcement will have any effect on my plans for the future. At this point, my plan is – at the appropriate time – to announce my intention to seek re-election as Florida's Attorney General. However, given today's development, I will seriously consider and discuss with my family a race for this U.S. Senate seat, and we will share our decision at a later date.”

Pres-elect Obama may not be on the ballot, but he'll be on the airwaves in LA-04 for the 12/6 general election. "The Fix" reports that Obama has cut a new radio ad for Caddo Parish DA Paul Carmouche (D), who's hoping to win the open Shreveport-based seat and give Dems another pickup this cycle. He'll face physician John Fleming (R) in the neck-and-neck race.

In the ad, Obama said he needs "leaders like Paul Carmouche working with me in Washington." The pres-elect also sent two e-mails to his LA list: one calling for volunteers and another seeking to raise money. "The Fix" also notes that Obama has recorded an automated phone call to voters in the CD.

Obama has also cut a radio ad for Jim Martin (D), who's facing Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R) in a runoff today. Earlier this cycle, he also lent his support to Reps. John Barrow (D-GA 12) and Don Cazayoux (D-LA 06), along with IL-10 challenger Dan Seals (D) and CT-04 challenger Jim Himes (D). Barrow and Himes were victorious.

Carmouche may need Obama's vocal support to motivate African-Americans to get to the polls. Statistics show that blacks comprised just 19% of the electorate in the early voting period. In this GOP-leaning CD, African-Americans comprise 31% of the CD's vote, and Carmouche needs a significant bump from that 19% if he's going to take this seat for Dems.

There will be general elections in LA-04 and in Rep. Bill Jefferson's (D-LA 02) New Orleans-centered CD on 12/4. They were delayed because of Hurricane Gustav.

(TIM SAHD)

The surest sign yet that Mike Huckabee '12 is in development? His vigorous pitch for GA Sen. Saxby Chambliss -- which continues today, even as voters go to the polls, in the form of an online phonebanking effort.

Huck stumped last month for Chambliss, who has been locked in a runoff contest with Democrat Jim Martin. And today, Huckabee's PAC is conducting an 11th hour cyber campaign to push supporters around the country to phonebank for the Republican incumbent. Interestingly, in order to sign up to make calls to GA residents, a user has to enter his or her contact information on Huck's Web site. So Huck builds a database -- emails and the like -- while also doing a good deed for a GOP colleague.

Seems the disorganized, penny-pinching Huck '08 is a thing of the past. The new and improved Huck is drafting a bigger, broader national email list. Eyes on the '12 prize.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Louis Caldera will serve as director of the White House Military Office, the presidential transition team announced today. The office coordinates all military support for presidential operations.

“Louis has served his country with distinction in uniform and in government, and his pedigree is second-to-none," Pres.-elect Barack Obama said in a statement. "I know he’ll bring to the White House the same dedication and integrity that have earned him the highest praise in every post, from Secretary of the Army to university president."

Caldera's bio, per the transition:

Caldera has had a distinguished 30-year career as a soldier, lawyer, legislator, high ranking government official, university president and professor of law. In 1992, Caldera was elected to the California State Assembly, and later served in the Clinton administration. From 1997 to 1998, Caldera was managing director and chief operating officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service. From 1998 to 2001, he served as the nation’s 17th Secretary of the Army. He has served as a vice chancellor for the California State University system and president of the University of New Mexico, after which he joined the faculty of the UNM School of Law as a tenured professor. Caldera is a member of the Board of Trustees of Claremont McKenna College and of The National World War II Museum, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Caldera is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned his law and business degrees at Harvard University in 1987, later practicing law in Los Angeles.

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) will not seek another term, creating the GOP's second open seat of the 2010 contest, reports The Washington Post's Cillizza. A source told the paper that Martinez's decision "was based on a desire for more free time and a less scheduled life."

Who might make a bid to replace him?

On the Democratic side, Democratic Reps. Ron Klein and Kendrick Meek and state Sen. Dan Gelber could run. The GOPers? Former Gov. Jeb Bush, FL AG Bill McCollum, Senate President Jeff Atwater and former state House speaker Marco Rubio.

Pres.-elect Barack Obama is in Philly this morning with VP-elect Joe Biden addressing a meeting of the nation's governors. Obama, with Biden seated to his left and Gov. Ed Rendell to his right, promised to listen to state leaders of both parties.

"We are not going to be hampered by ideology in trying to get this country back on track," Obama said, before quoting Justice Louis Brandeis:

"A single courageous state, may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory."

Obama's full prepared remarks are available after the jump.

Pres.-elect Obama's unveiling of his nat'l security team was the talk of the TV, with a lot of the analysis focusing on Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) being named sec/state.

NPR's Liasson: "A lot of continuity, a lot of strong people. ... It doesn't sound like he's going to make a radical departure in foreign policy from the last phase of the Bush foreign policy" ("Special Report," FNC, 12/1).

Ex-Sec/State Madeleine Albright: "I think that Hillary Clinton is somebody who is so smart and so dedicated to restoring America's image and being somebody that will provide advice, but ultimately be a terrific team player" ("Situation Room," CNN, 12/1).

More Albright: "I have traveled with her a lot. I know how highly leaders think about her and how strongly she feels about diplomacy and making the State Department play an active role. ... We went to the same college. She's 10 years younger than I am, but, at least, I know where she got her study habits" ("Rachel Maddow Show," MSNBC, 12/1).

UVA prof. Philip Zelikow: "This is not a team that's being picked because they've hit particular litmus tests" ("NewsHour," PBS, 12/1).

After the jump, Chambliss on the GA SEN runoff and the Bushes open up.

(KATHERINE LEHR)

As GA voters go to the polls tomorrow to cast ballots in the runoff election between Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin, they hold one of two keys to the Democrats securing a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority. If Chambliss wins, the Dems will fall at least one vote shy of the margin; the party has secured 58 seats to date, with the GA and MN contests outstanding.

MN is, of course, still mired in a complicated recount of the race between Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Coleman holds a 270-vote edge today with about 90% of ballots counted. Franken's lawyer, Marc Elias, pushed today during a call with reporters for the state canvassing board, which has jurisdiction over the recount, to count any "wrongfully rejected" absentee ballots. MN's secretary of state, Elias said, has advised that as many as 1K such ballots have not been tallied.

"Will Sen. Coleman choose to argue that in fact Minnesotans' legally cast votes should not be counted?" Elias said.

Mark Drake, a spokesman for Coleman's campaign, sent his response to Elias' absentee argument via email: “Absolutely no one knows that number, including Marc Elias. What is clear is that the Franken campaign doesn’t care about the recount and plan [sic] to take this to the courts and the U.S. Senate.”

Elias also said on the call that the campaign would withdraw several legal ballot challenges levied across the state. Both campaigns have filed ballot challenges. There are more than 5,700 challenged ballots in play today, according to the MST.

A final MN count is expected sometime later this month, though the Franken camp teased today that they're willing to go to the mat -- court perhaps? -- for those absentee ballots.

Meanwhile, from Bill Clinton to Sarah Palin, a Who's Who of Dem and GOP headliners have traipsed through the Peach State over the last month to stump for their preferred candidates. Even Ludacris, the hip hop star, was expected to show tonight with Martin. Barack Obama, it's worth noting, never turned out, preferring, we imagine, not to spend precious early political capital on a contest that could go against the Dems.

So Georgians will have the first final say tomorrow about how much power Senate Democrats will have going into the 111th Congress. And we'll have the results here tomorrow eve. Check back.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

Various interest groups and lawmakers issued statements today reacting to Barack Obama's six-person national security team. Three advocacy groups for women weighed in positively on the three female nominees: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Dr. Susan Rice and AZ Gov. Janet Napolitano:

Planned Parenthood's Cecile Richards:

“Today, President-elect Obama announced a strong foreign policy team that will approach issues of women’s health and rights, family planning, and global poverty with the seriousness and commitment they deserve. Planned Parenthood applauds the nomination of Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador.

“Throughout her extensive career in international affairs, Susan Rice has consistently affirmed the responsibility to address the burdens of poverty around the globe and their impact on global health. In addition, she understands the important role the United Nations plays in promoting and protecting women’s health around the world, especially in developing countries. Susan Rice is a passionate and committed advocate for poor women and families around the world. We expect that she will work effectively with other countries to fulfill the UN’s development agenda, including the Millennium Development Goals on maternal health, gender equality and AIDS reduction."

National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy:

"As a candidate, President-elect Barack Obama made clear his commitment to equal opportunity, and today's cabinet announcements begin to fulfill those values. I know from personal experience that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is admired and trusted around the world and, as she carries out the responsibilities of Secretary of State, I am confident that the well-being of the world's women will be on her mind.

"Finally, Susan Rice will bring foreign policy depth as ambassador to the United Nations, and the intended return of that position to Cabinet rank will bring the count to three women (of nearly two dozen possible) at that level. We hope that the diversity of today's nominations will be mirrored in future selections, and look forward to working with the Obama-Biden administration to expand equality and human rights at home and abroad."

Emily's List's Ellen Malcolm:

“EMILY’s List and our members strongly commend President-elect Obama’s nominations of these exceptional women to top posts on his national security team.

"EMILY’s List and its members celebrate the nominations of Senator Clinton and Governor Napolitano, along with Dr. Susan Rice, who will serve as the next Ambassador to the United Nations. President-elect Obama deserves much credit for his strong choices to lead these critical departments and for his commitment to adding great women to his administration.”

A dramatization of David Frost's 1977 interview with the 37th President has been popping up all over the pop culture radar lately, first as a "Frost/Nixon,"
a hit show on Broadway, then as a Oscar-buzzworthy movie of the same name scheduled to release in 12/08. That's not especially interesting -- both have (largely the same) casts of well-respected actors and award-winning directors behind them. And the plot is a good one: It's hard to go wrong with the story of a scrappy journalist betting all he has on one shot to speak truth to power (I saw a production of the play at The Kennedy Center in 11/08 with a completely different cast than the movie, and it was plenty entertaining). Good cast, good director, good plot? Any play or movie can get buzz with that.

But what's different about Frost/Nixon is the interest it has sparked in the original material behind it. After all, Jon Stewart didn't host the cast of the movie or its director, Ron Howard, to talk about Frost/Nixon. He brought on Sir David himself. Because what's truly riveting about the interviews isn't what happened behind the scenes -- it's what took place right on screen.

Sources close to Rep. Dennis Moore (KS-03) say he will not run for re-election in '10. It's unclear if he will launch a SEN bid instead; Sen. Sam Brownback (R) is stepping down and is expected to run for GOV.

Via a spokeswoman, Moore said today: "I am honored to be serving the people of the Third District and have every intention of continuing my work in Congress on their behalf."

The district will likely be a tough one for Dems to hold. Even though Moore won re-election with 56%, John McCain carried Johnson Co., which makes up three-quarters of the district, with 54%.

Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that Rep. Nancy Boyda, the freshman Dem from KS-02, was one of the few member of her party to fall this cycle.

Moore, a former Johnson Co. DA and Army reservist, was re-elected in November to his sixth term.

On the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, President-elect Barack Obama delivered taped remarks to the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health hosted by Pastor Rick Warren in Washington, D.C. Watch here.

Putting their bitter campaign rivalry firmly in the past, Barack Obama announced his selection of Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state this morning, calling her, "a friend, a colleague, a source of counsel."

"She is an American of tremendous stature who will have my complete confidence," Obama said during a press conference in Chicago.

Clinton thanked her fellow New Yorkers for allowing her to serve as their senator for the last eight years. The choice to leave a job she loves was a tough one, Clinton said. But she said that in weighing the move over the last many weeks, she thought often of the security of the nation's troops serving around the globe.

"If confirmed, I will give this assignment, your administration and our country my all," Clinton said to Obama.

She added: "The fate of our nation and the future of our children will be forged in the crucible of these global challenges."

As an aside, as secretary of state, Clinton would be fourth in line to the presidency behind the vice president, House Speaker and Senate president pro temore. Meanwhile, former President Clinton issued a statement expressing his deep pride in her selection.

"She is the right person for the job of helping to restore America's image abroad, end the war in Iraq, advance peace and increase our security, by building a future for our children with more partners and fewer adversaries, one of shared responsibilities and opportunities," he said. "She has already earned the respect of foreign leaders and diplomats through her work to promote human rights and the empowerment of women through access to education, healthcare and economic opportunity. And Americans know, from her leadership in the Senate on national security, that she will always put the security, values and the interests of our people first."

The former president's full statement is available after the jump.

(JENNIFER SKALKA)

As we await Barack Obama's presser in Chicago, browse the transition's official release announcing Sen. Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, that Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain as Secretary of Defense, that pending Senate approval Eric Holder will serve as the first African American Attorney General, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Susan Rice as Ambassador to the United Nations (a position that Obama will elevate to Cabinet level) and Gen. Jim Jones, USMC (Ret) as National Security Adviser.

Available after the jump.