Day's End Round-Up

The possibility of having Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) serve as Secretary of State is scrutinized by an old Clinton foe on the left but supported by new friends on the right. If President-elect Barack Obama adds Clinton to his Cabinet, he risks undercutting his "no-drama" reputation, bloggers write. And conservative bloggers go after former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) for attacking fellow Republicans in his upcoming book.

Obama would be playing with fire by naming Clinton to head the State Department, since he would be perpetuating the "Clinton dominion" in U.S. politics, writes The New Republic's Marty Peretz. Clinton, who is more hawkish than Obama, would be a better fit for Secretary of Defense, according to The Plank's Noam Scheiber. But The Weekly Standard's Michael Goldfarb suggests that her hawkishness and the potential for her being a nuisance to the president make her a good choice.

The "exasperation" expressed by Obama sources over vetting Clinton's husband doesn't mesh with the "No-Drama Obama" theme, writes TalkLeft's Big Tent Democrat. But the idea that Obama's disciplined campaign has anything to do with governing is wrong, writes Contentions' Jennifer Rubin. Obama won't be able to rely on his ability to "look thoughtful" when he's actually the president, Rubin writes.

Huckabee knocks former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R), Christian conservative leaders and anti-tax groups in his book, which hits shelves Tuesday. The book provides a nice jolt of post-election campaign drama and presages a potential 2012 showdown for evangelical voters between Huckabee and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), writes Hot Air's Allahpundit. Huckabee's tough attacks, however, will make it hard for him to smooth things over with Republicans in time for the next campaign, writes Townhall's Matt Lewis. What's worse is that Huckabee's criticism of small-government, libertarian positions is in opposition to the views of Ronald Reagan, notes AmSpecBlog's John Tabin.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Kissinger is For Her! I'm Not. - Marty Peretz, The Spine
Make Hillary Defense Secretary - Noam Scheiber, The Plank
Hail Clinton - Michael Goldfarb, Weekly Standard
The Lion is Back - Taylor Marsh
Vetting [Bill] Clinton - Alex Koppelman, War Room
The Campaign Was the Easy Part - Jennifer Rubin, Contentions
High Drama ObamaNOTS - Big Tent Democrat, TalkLeft
Huckabee Reflects, Picks His Targets - Steve Benen, Political Animal
Huckabee Hits in New Book - Matt Lewis, Townhall
Huckabee Rips Pretty Much Everyone - Allahpundit, Hot Air
Huckabee's Heartless, Soulless Conservatism - J. Tabin, AmSpecBlog

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama, McCain Vow to Work On 'D.C.'s Bad Habits' - Associated Press
Obama-Pelosi Stimulus Mail Fail to Reignite Economy - Bloomberg
Ted Kennedy Returns to Work - The Hill

Continued debate on whether or not Congress will approve a bailout for U.S. automakers draws bloggers on both sides to weigh in today, while reports of President-elect Barack Obama's plans for Israel and the mideast bring conservative complaints.

The challenge to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) draws conservatives' attention Saturday, while criticism by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) of Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign brings scrutiny from others. Meanwhile, protests for gay rights across the country today are a lesson in First Amendment rights, liberals say today.

Rep. Dan Lungren's (R-Calif.) challenge to Boehner draws a mixed reaction from Hot Air's Ed Morrissey, who says that while Lungren may not have any more youthful appeal than Boehner, but Republicans may simply act out their frustration for losing two straight elections against Boehner. The fight between the two appears not to be starting out ugly, notes The Corner's Ramesh Ponnuru, pointing to Boehner's deferential statement calling Lungren a "respected member" of the GOP conference.

While McCain

A leadership race between Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.) and current House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) draws scrutiny from liberal bloggers today, while conservatives pounce on the first interview with William Ayers published today. Meanwhile, both sides debate the most recent developments over whether Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will keep his Senate chairmanship.

In choosing Lungren, Republicans would be opting for someone defined by poor electoral leadership, MyDD

News that President-elect Barack Obama will resign from his Senate seat Sunday has bloggers buzzing about Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's (D) options for Obama's replacement. And Sen Evan Bayh's (D-Ind.) call for Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to apologize for criticizing Obama during the campaign may fall on deaf ears, bloggers agree.

Obama's resignation announcement has heated up the race for his seat, John Nichols declares at The Beat.

As Democratic leaders press for an auto industry rescue plan, liberal bloggers are skeptical of ideas for how to help the Big Three.

The first White House leak from President-elect Barack Obama's team earns top billing on the Drudge Report and criticism from conservative bloggers. Bloggers on the right also don't buy David Brooks's latest column, which divides conservatives into traditionalists and reformers. Liberal bloggers begin assessing where senators stand ahead of next week's vote to strip Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) of his Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairmanship.

There's "Bush anger" at the Obama team for leaking to reporters details about the president and president-elect's White House meeting on Monday, according to the Drudge Report. The leak about what was supposed to be a confidential meeting is a preview of the ruthlessness that Obama will engage in as president, writes Townhall's Carol Platt Liebau. The efficacy of the leak, which led to stories about Obama's lobbying for aid for automakers, isn't clear, writes Firedoglake's Emptywheel.

Brooks, in his New York Times column, writes that backward-looking, Rush Limbaugh-loving traditionalists will rule the Republican Party in the short term until forward-looking reformers come in and fix things. Those reformists, however, will never get anything done without the support of the Religious Right, according to Crunchy Con's Rod Dreher. Brooks's dichotomy doesn't hold for many unresolved issues within the party, such as illegal immigration, writes Contentions' Jennifer Rubin.

Whether Lieberman keeps his committee gavel depends on a vote by the Senate Democratic Caucus. According to Chris Bowers's whip count on Open Left, Lieberman will get the backing of Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) and the seven centrist members of the Gang of 14, while he'll be opposed by the caucus's top three members, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.). The most likely senators to vote against Lieberman are the ones who backed Democrat Ned Lamont in Lieberman's 2006 race, writes Bowers. A compromise that could work for kos would be to strip Lieberman of the Homeland Security chairmanship and give him the top post on a lesser committee, such as the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Bush Anger: Obama Aides Leak Details - Drudge Report
Sign of Things to Come? - Carol Platt Liebau, Townhall.com
New Obama-Rahm Leak Policy? - Emptywheel, Firedoglake
Class V. Campaigning - Moe Lane, RedState
Conservative Reform Won't Come Soon - Rod Dreher, Crunchy Con
Conservative Coalition Building - Jim Manzi, The Corner
Brooks and Plight of Reformist Republicans - N. Scheiber, The Stump
Traditionalists V. Reformers - Jennifer Rubin, Contentions
Lieberman Whip Counting - Chris Bowers, Open Left
Caucus Will Vote on Whether Joe Keeps Chair - Josh Orton, MyDD
'Compromise' and the Lieberman Fiasco - kos, Daily Kos

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Transition Team Announcing Lobbyist Ethics Rules - The Hill
Most in Poll Confident Obama Will Fix Economy - Associated Press
Pelosi Calls for Emergency Aid for Autoworkers - Associated Press

On the day that President-elect Barack Obama first visits the Oval Office, liberal bloggers take stock of the historically poor ratings for President Bush. The bloggers on the left lament the Democratic Party's loss of Howard Dean as its chairman and Obama's desire to have Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) back in the Democratic fold.

With a new Gallup poll shwoing a 66 percent job disapproval rating for Bush and a 70 percent favorability rating for Obama, Monday's meeting was a remarkable contrast, writes Think Progress's Amanda Terkel. Bush's disapproval rating is even worse in a CNN poll -- 76 percent -- which is a number that's higher than President Richard Nixon's when he resigned amid scandal, writes The Campaign Silo's Lisa Derrick. But one thing Obama should learn from Bush is the willingness to go beyond the political conventional wisdom in pressing for his goals, writes The Plank's Jonathan Cohn.

Dean, who said he won't seek a second term, has accomplished his mission of making his party stronger and able to compete from coast to coast, writes Oliver Willis. After running his presidential campaign in 2004 into the ground, Dean has proved his critics wrong by transforming his party into a success through technology, writes Hot Air's Ed Morrissey. But Dean's departure and the appointment of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), a Dean critic, as Obama's White House chief of staff means that the 50-state strategy that Dean and liberal bloggers pushed for will soon be dead, writes Open Left's Chris Bowers.

Obama's openness to having Lieberman remain in the Senate Democratic Caucus isn't "change we can believe in," writes Open Left's David Sirota. Kagro X urges his Daily Kos readers to tell Democratic senators not to allow Lieberman, an opponent of Democrats on torture, telecom immunity and the war, to remain as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Least Popular President Meets Popular Pres.-Elect - Terkel, Think Prog.
W. More Unpopular Than Nixon - Lisa Derrick, The Campaign Silo
Why Obama Should Copy Bush - Jonathan Cohn, The Plank
Howard Dean: Mission Accomplished - Oliver Willis
Dean Retiring from DNC - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
50-State Strategy Likely Done - Chris Bowers, Open Left
Joe Must Go. Call Dem Sens. - Kagro X, Daily Kos
Changeiness Watch - Obama Backs Lieberman - D. Sirota, Open Left
Lieberdem - Joe Klein, Swampland

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama, Bush Complete Historic WH Meeting - Associated Press
Dean Not To Seek 2nd Term as DNC Chairman - Associated Press
Reps. Larson, Becerra Lock Up Endorsements - The Hill

President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, wins praise from liberals for rejecting the White House's suggestion that its free trade agreement with Colombia should be included in a second economic stimulus package. The possibility of Obama swiftly reversing President Bush's executive orders, meanwhile, sees debate from liberals and conservatives.

Emanuel sent a message that Democrats aren't concerned with President Bush's opinions on a second economic stimulus bill, Matthew Yglesias declares after Emanuel's appearance today on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Emanuel said a package should only address "essential needs" like unemployment insurance and healthcare assistance for states, and Open Left's David Sirota congratulates Emanuel for standing up for Obama's agenda.

Obama's apparent desire to reverse hundreds of Bush executive orders once in office proves that the Democrat means what he says, Spencer Ackerman writes at ATTACKERMAN. Obama's transition advisers have compiled a list of policies that could be swiftly undone, The Washington Post reported today, and Hot Air's Ed Morrissey warns that Obama could be in for some big controversies if he upends Bush policies on stem cell research and foreign aid to organizations that counsel women on abortion.

Former Vice President Al Gore's New York Times op-ed today on climate change, meanwhile, gets mixed reviews. Gore has once again ignored the possibilities of nuclear energy, contentions' Abe Greenwald charges after reading the op-ed, in which Gore outlined his own plan for America to produce 100 percent of its energy from carbon-free sources in 10 years. On the left, The Vine's Bradford Plumer says Gore was simply trying to broaden the discussion of what's possible for clean energy in America.

FROM THE BLOGS:
The Climate Change Reformation - Abe Greenwald, contentions
Quid Pro Quo - Matthew Yglesas
Update on the Minn. Senate Race - A. Carpenter, Townhall.com
Bailout Watch: Bush's Subtle Scheme - David Sirota, Open Left
Russia's in a Hurry - Skanderberg, RedState
Big Government & Taxes - Todd Beeton, MyDD
Bad News, Good News - Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Corner
No Boosted Turnout This Election - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Deeper - Christopher Orr, The Plank
Bigger Than 1992 - Jed Lewison, The Jed Report

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Preparing for the Obama Era - Washington Post
Emanuel Urges Aid for Auto Industry - NY Times
Lieberman Can Still Help Dems, Reid Says - CNN

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's (R) counterpunch at the anonymous John McCain aides who have maligned her in the media gets mixed reactions from bloggers on the left and right, while liberals question Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-Minn.) attempt to stop some absentee votes from being counted in his narrow reelection race.

Palin has slammed the aides who have slammed her, Ann Althouse declares after Palin told reporters Friday that the anonymous aides are "jerks," and that allegations that Palin didn't know Africa was a continent or the members of NAFTA were "cruel" and "mean-spirited." Palin finally got something right by calling the aides out for what they are, AMERICAblog's Joe Sudbay declares, while Political Animal's Steve Benen says it was a mistake for Palin to keep the story in the news. And it seems everyone is out to get Palin, Hot Air's Allahpundit suggests, citing rumors that several McCain aides, in addition to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's (R) campaign, could have made the allegations.

Coleman is out for a repeat of the 2000 presidential election, TalkingPointsMemo's Josh Marshall decides after news that Coleman filed an injunction to stop the counting of 32 absentee ballots in Minneapolis. Open Left's Matt Stoller says Coleman's injunction proves Republicans don't care about Democracy, while Power Line's Scott Hinderaker thinks Democrat Al Franken's campaign could be trying to influence the vote-counting process.

And Anchorage Mayer Mark Begich (D) could surpass incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) as votes are counted in their narrow race, Nate Silver predicts at FiveThirtyEight. Stevens leads by 3,200 votes as ballots are still being counted, and Silver says Begich's lead among early voters could help him as those ballots are counted.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Coleman Trying to Stop Vote Counting - Matt Stoller, Open Left
Stop Trashing Palin - M.J. Rosenberg, TPM Cafe
McCain's Web Campaign - Dan Riehl, Riehl World View
Another State Chair Defends Palin - A. Carpenter, Townhall.com
Palin and Africa, Etc. - Dan Lowry, The Corner
Norm Gettin Squirelly - Josh Marshall, TalkingPointsMemo
On Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin - RedState
Chambliss Uses 9/11 Footage in Latest Ad - SusanG, Daily Kos
Blue Dogs Want a Seat at the Table - Ed Morrissey, Hot Air

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Aims to Act Swiftly Once in Office - Washington Post
Stinging Talk about Obama? Never Mind Now. - NY Times
Pelosi, Reid Urge for Extended Aid to Carmakers - Bloomberg