44 - Politics and Policy in Obama's Washington - November 16, 2008

Obama Picks White House Communications Team

By Eric Pianin President-elect Barack Obama formally announced his communications team today -- as expected,...

By Eric Pianin | November 22, 2008; 5:55 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)

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Obama Pledges to Create 2.5 Million Jobs

By Lori Montgomery President-elect Barack Obama has instructed his economic team to develop a plan...

By Eric Pianin | November 22, 2008; 3:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)

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Bush Praises Obama's Campaign

President Bush praised his successor for a "very effective campaign" in an interview.

By Washington Post Editors | November 21, 2008; 8:38 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: 43
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Grijalva in Running for Interior

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has emerged as a leading contender for Interior Secretary in the next administration, according to sources familiar with the transition.

By Washington Post Editors | November 21, 2008; 7:19 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)

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Clinton and Jones Close to Joining Obama National Security Team

President-elect Barack Obama appeared close today to landing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as his secretary of state and retired Marine Gen. James Jones as his national security adviser, sources said.

By Washington Post Editors | November 21, 2008; 4:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (43)

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Patrick Gaspard to be Obama's Political Director

Patrick Gaspard, a longtime labor operative, will be the White House political director for President-elect Barack Obama

By Washington Post Editors | November 21, 2008; 1:32 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Sarah Palin Pardons a Turkey

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visited a turkey farm in her home town of Wasilla yesterday to grant the traditional Thanksgiving pardon to one turkey.

By Washington Post Editors | November 21, 2008; 12:18 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (108)

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Hillarywatch, Interrupted

Breaking away briefly from Hillarywatch to keep an eye on Mukasey's health, Wall Street's health and Michigan's continued decline.

By Washington Post Editor | November 21, 2008; 9:14 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: The Rundown
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Hillary Clinton Nomination Is On Track

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is on track to be nominated for secretary of state in the Obama administration, transition aides said on Thursday night.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 10:23 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (92)
Categories: B_Blog, Cabinet, Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Ohio IG Report: Joe the Plumber's Records Were Improperly Searched

The director of an Ohio human services agency has been suspended for a month without pay and faces review by a county prosecutor for using confidential state databases to find personal information on "Joe the Plumber." She will also face review for using her state e-mail address to help Barack Obama's fundraising by identifying potential contributors and offering her own $2,500 donation.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 8:33 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Barack Obama, Battlegrounds
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Obama Raised Half a Billion Online

Barack Obama raised half a billion dollars online in his 21-month campaign for the White House, dramatically ushering in a new digital era in presidential fundraising.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 8:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: B_Blog, Barack Obama, The Clickocracy, The Green Zone
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Salt Lake County, Utah, Goes for Obama

On Tuesday, the official results certified in Salt Lake County, Utah, gave President-elect Barack Obama a 296-vote edge in the county, the most populous in the state.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 7:45 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Election Day
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Latino Leaders Looking Beyond Richardson

Anxiety is high among Latino leaders that Obama has not yet named a Latino to a top White House or Cabinet position.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 7:08 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Cabinet, Cast of Characters
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Hatch Supports Holder, but...

Orrin Hatch is backing Eric Holder for AG. Tell that to Zoe Baird.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 5:25 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: In the Loop
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Pritzker: I Am Not a Candidate for Commerce Secretary

President-elect Barack Obama's campaign finance chairman and longtime friend Penny Pritzker will not seek the job of commerce secretary, she said in a statement released today.

By Washington Post Editor | November 20, 2008; 2:30 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: B_Blog, Cabinet, Cast of Characters
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Michelle Obama Taps Jackie Norris for Chief of Staff

Incoming first lady Michelle Obama has tapped Jackie Norris, President-elect Barack Obama's Iowa state director, to be her chief of staff.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 2:23 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: In the Loop
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Leahy Backs Holder

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) just appeared on the Senate floor to declare his support for Eric H. Holder Jr., the leading candidate to become the next attorney general.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 2:18 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cabinet
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Dunn Stays Out of the White House

Anita Dunn, one of Barack Obama's closest political advisers, is returning to her media consulting practice -- bypassing the chance to serve in the first incoming Democratic White House in more than a decade.

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 11:53 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cast of Characters
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Meetings with Republican Leaders on Emanuel Agenda

By Michael A. Fletcher President-elect Barack Obama will continue his efforts to reach across the...

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 8:37 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: The Daybook
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Obama's Transition Defying Expectations

By Ben Pershing When Barack Obama's transition began two short weeks ago, we thought we...

By Web Politics Editor | November 20, 2008; 8:08 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: The Rundown
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Mitt Romney Takes on Detroit

The race for 2012 is already on in the Republican Party, and today failed 2008 contender Mitt Romney appeared to take a stand sure to complicate any future presidential bid. In an op-ed bluntly titled, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt," the former Massachusetts governor argued against the automobile salaries and pension systems that have for decades helped define the good life in industrial Michigan, where Romney won the GOP primary this winter and where his father was once governor.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 7:58 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Mitt Romney
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Obama Adds Brown and Lu to White House Staff

President-elect Barack Obama continued assembling his White House team today, naming Lisa Brown, a former counsel to Vice President Gore, staff secretary and tapping his former Senate legislative director, Christopher P. Lu, to be Cabinet secretary.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 5:49 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cast of Characters
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Hillary Clinton's Fix

Section Six of Article One of the Constitution may impede Clinton's ascension to the secretary of state post.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 5:20 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Cabinet, Cast of Characters, Hillary Rodham Clinton, In the Loop
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Defense Secretary to Meet with Transition Agency Review Team Thursday

"We are totally committed to ensuring the transition of leadership in this department is as smooth and seamless as can be. The troops on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve it and our nation's security demands it," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell during a press briefing this morning.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 5:01 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Cabinet, National Security
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McCain Takes Missouri

McCain has won Missouri's 11 outstanding electoral votes, taking victory in the state by a fraction of a percent.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 4:35 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Election Day
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U.N. Relationship Should Be a Priority, Say Foreign Policy Figures

A high-powered group of foreign policy figures from both parties are urging President-elect Barack Obama to revitalize the U.S. relationship with the United Nations as one of his early priorities on the international front.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 2:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Barack Obama
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Obama Picks Daschle for HHS

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen his close confidant and former Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, according to several sources close to the transition.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 1:18 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (97)
Categories: B_Blog, Cabinet
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Bill Clinton Offers Concessions to Obama Team

Former president Bill Clinton has agreed to several concessions requested by President-elect Barack Obama's transition lawyers that could pave the way for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) to become the next secretary of state.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 1:11 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (60)
Categories: B_Blog, Cabinet
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Al-Qaida No. 2 Insults Obama with Racial Epithet

Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites.

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 11:28 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Barack Obama
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Private Meetings on Agenda, Public Cheering Expected

By Garance Franke-Ruta President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden are holding private meetings...

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 8:40 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: 44 The Obama Presidency
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Clinton Weighing Her Options

By Ben Pershing Like the moon blotting out the sun, the Clintons and their attendant...

By Web Politics Editor | November 19, 2008; 8:32 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: The Rundown
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Emanuel Bids House Dems Farewell, Promises $600K from Obama for DCCC

In a farewell address to House Democrats, outgoing Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) promised the incoming White House would sweeten the coffers of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee by $600,000.

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 7:34 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Cast of Characters, Democratic Party
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Peter Orszag on OMB Short List

Peter R. Orszag, who has headed the Congressional Budget Office for nearly the past two years, has emerged as a top choice to be the next director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, sources said.

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 6:25 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Cast of Characters
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Clinton Takes the Lead -- on Health Insurance Reform

While President-elect Barack Obama weighs whether to give his former rival a Cabinet post, Kennedy today deputized Clinton to run a special Senate task force on health insurance reform.

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 5:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Hillary Rodham Clinton
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Obama Web Sites Give Calif. Volunteers a Boost

In a sign of how he may marshal the power of the vast online network he built during the campaign, President-elect Barack Obama today gave prominent display on his campaign and transition home pages to efforts to help the victims of wildfires burning across Southern California.

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 4:55 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: New Media
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Obama's Grandmother Honored at Tribute Friday

About 200 people turned out Friday in Honolulu for a public tribute to Barack Obama's grandmother Madelyn Dunham, who passed away at the age of 86 on the eve of his election as elected president.

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 4:09 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Barack Obama
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Holder Top Prospect for Attorney General

Eric H. Holder Jr., a former second in command at the Justice Department who served as President-elect Barack Obama's campaign co-chairman, is almost certain to be selected as U.S. attorney general, according to knowledgeable Democratic sources.

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 3:53 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (102)
Categories: B_Blog, Cabinet
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Obama Sends a Message to Governors on Climate Change

Updated 3:42 p.m. By Juliet Eilperin President-elect Barack Obama surprised -- and thrilled --...

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 3:40 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: 44 The Obama Presidency
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Obama Girls Get a White House Tour

Sasha and Malia on their way to school in Chicago last week. (AP Photo/Charles...

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 3:36 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Washington Life
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Think Tank Urges a Trust in Government Initiative Along with Obama Agenda

"The issue is not being bold versus being cautious," a report author said. "The issue is where to be bold and, in particular, where to be bold first."

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 3:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Transition
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HRC Chatter Continues to Dominate

By Ben Pershing Will he or won't he? That question -- whether Barack Obama will...

By Web Politics Editor | November 18, 2008; 8:13 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: The Rundown
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Quiet Day Expected for Obama

With nothing on his public calendar, President-elect Obama is expected to continue briefings, meetings and White House staff appointments. No big cabinet announcements are anticipated before the weekend.

By Washington Post Editor | November 18, 2008; 6:23 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: 44 The Obama Presidency
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Obama School Search Heats Up With Girls' Visit

Malia, Sasha and Michelle Obama visited Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., today.

By Web Politics Editor | November 17, 2008; 7:03 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: B_Blog, Washington Life
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All Eyes on Bill Clinton

Former president Bill Clinton's business and international work is being closely examined in hopes of clearing the way for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to become secretary of state.

By Web Politics Editor | November 17, 2008; 3:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (107)
Categories: B_Blog, Cabinet, Hillary Rodham Clinton
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The Battle for Energy and Commerce

By Al Kamen An intense intraparty battle between Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Rep. Henry...

By Web Politics Editor | November 17, 2008; 3:09 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: In the Loop
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Obama and McCain Hold Photo Op and Issue Joint Statement on Meeting

President-elect Barack Obama and Sen John McCain (R-Ariz.) smile during their meeting at Obama's transition...

By Web Politics Editor | November 17, 2008; 2:41 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Barack Obama, Hill Transition
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Setting Aside Rivalry, Obama to Meet with McCain

President-elect Barack Obama, continuing his efforts to reach out to former rivals as he plans his transition, is scheduled to meet today with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), whom he defeated in the Nov. 4 presidential election, in downtown Chicago.

By Web Politics Editor | November 17, 2008; 8:53 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: The Daybook
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Obama on the Presidency -- and the First Family -- on '60 Minutes'

Excerpts from the CBS interviews.

By Web Politics Editor | November 17, 2008; 8:43 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: 44 The Obama Presidency, In Case You Missed It
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McCain and Clinton, Still on the Obama Agenda

By Ben Pershing Much of what has been mostly talk since Election Day will turn...

By Web Politics Editor | November 17, 2008; 8:09 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: The Rundown
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Greg Craig Selected as White House Counsel

President-elect Barack Obama has chosen Washington lawyer Greg Craig, who served as President Bill Clinton's lead attorney during the impeachment proceedings against him, to be his White House counsel, according to an individual involved with the transition.

By Web Politics Editor | November 16, 2008; 11:59 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (103)
Categories: B_Blog, Cast of Characters
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Network News

44: November 16, 2008 - November 22, 2008