When Vice President-elect Joe Biden was shown on the big screen at the Philadelphia Eagles' game Sunday night, boosfilled the stadium. But not all of the catcalls were for Biden.
The Democrat was shown right after the referees appeared to miss a penalty by the Eagles' opponent, the New York Giants.
Lest President-elect Barack Obama forget that he will soon hear passionate calls on a wide range of issues, Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) today called on the Democrat to pardon imprisoned border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean--a hot-button issue for immigration activists.
The agents' case has been a rallying cry for immigration hard-liners like Tancredo, but it has garnered attention from centrists and liberals as well -- Democrats Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), joined calls for an examination of the case.
Ramos and Compean are serving prison sentences for shooting a man near the Texas-Mexico border in 2005. They shot a man in the buttocks after he waved what appeared to be a gun at them, the agents said. Nearly 800 pounds of marijuana were found in the van he abandoned as he fled, according to news reports on the case.
Tancredo had this to say in a letter to Obama today:
President-elect Obama:
Congratulations on your electoral victory of last week; I hope that you do bring some needed changes to Washington. One such change that would bring hope to the men and women who protect America
Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic Party chairman and tireless surrogate for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), filed the paperwork necessary for a run for governor in Virginia on Monday.
McAuliffe told the Associated Press that he has started a campaign committee and that he'll travel the state for the next two months. He has yet to make a final decision on whether to run.
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (D) can't run for another term next year. Two Democrats, state House Democratic Leader Brian Moran and state Sen. Creigh Deeds, have already said they'll seek their party's nomination.
A robust 70 percent of voters say they favorably view President-elect Barack Obama, just less than a week after the Illinois Senator bested Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the presidential election.
A Gallup poll conducted November 6-8 found that a large majority views the incoming president favorably, though Obama's successor, President George W. Bush, maintains a 27 percent approval rating. A quarter of those who were surveyed said they viewed the president-elect unfavorably. Obama and Bush meet together at the White House at 2 p.m. this afternoon.
Similar majorities expressed confidence in Obama's ability to be a good president. 65 percent of those surveyed said they were confident in Obama's ability to lead, while 28 percent of those surveyed said they were less confident.
Barack Obama's victory in the presidential election has inspired new songs by Jay-Z and a host of other artists.
Jay-Z and his producer, Kanye West, are streaming "We Made History" online ahead of the album that they're working on, reports Spin.
"Where are you victory?" Jay-Z raps. "I need you desperately / Not just for the moment / To make history."
Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, remixed his 2006 song, "Harrowdown Hill" in honor of Obama. And Nas and Will.I.Am, who starred in the popular "Yes We Can" video, also have new Obama songs.
See the YouTube clip of Nas's song, "Election Night," below.
Giving scant details about what will be discussed at the first meeting between President Bush and President-elect Obama at the White House this afternoon, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said Bush wants to focus on the economy and the threat of terrorist attacks at the private, one-on-one meeting.
"I know one thing that the President will want to talk about is what he's been talking about in the phone call that he had with the President-elect and in his radio address and in the two statements he gave to you all last week, which is the transition of power this time around is so critically important -- one, in regards to the economy, and two, in regards to the attacks -- the threat of attack that we currently live under," Perino told reporters at a news conference today.
Perino said America could be vulnerable to attacks (presumably from terrorists or enemy nations) during the transition of power, hitting on a theme first expressed by Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) during the presidential campaign--that America's enemies may test a new President Obama. "
"We all know that as we've seen in other countries that that period of transition can be one where a country is vulnerable to attack," Perino said "And we really want to make sure that we work with them through joint exercises, through providing briefings, so that when we hand the baton to them they're able to move forward and continue to protect the country.
Perino stressed that the meeting, where Obama and Bush will be alone in the Oval Office without the presence of aides, will be private.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) wasn't seriously considered as a running mate for John McCain, according to The Fix's Chris Cillizza.
Pundits had considered Jindal, 37, a possible vice presidential pick for McCain because of his youth, popularity, social conservative credentials and background as the country's first Indian-American governor. But a source close to Jindal said that the governor wasn't interested in joining the GOP ticket because he wanted to focus on current job. The reason given meshes with Jindal's answers last summer to questions over whether he would serve as vice president.
Confirmation of his lack of interest in the veep job comes as chatter over a possible Jindal presidential bid in 2012 has increased. He is scheduled to visit Iowa, site of the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, later this month. Jindal, who has touted his pro-life stance and stressed competence in handling the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, plans to speak before the Iowa Family Policy Center and tour areas damaged by recent flooding.
Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich would be open to leading the Republican National Committee (RNC) if the organization were willing to have him as its next chairman.
Gingrich cautiously expressed interest in the job, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Sunday, but may back out if Republicans opt for a more centrist approach rather than a conservative one.
President-elect Barack Obama won't name his Treasury Secretary or other members of his cabinet this week, according to two reports.
Obama won't name his top economic advisers before the economic summit that President Bush has scheduled for this weekend, reports Bloomberg, which cites people familiar with the matter. The candidates most often mentioned for the top Treasury post are Lawrence Summers, former Harvard University president and the Treasury Secretary during the Clinton administration, and Timothy Geithner, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.
Obama won't name other members of his cabinet this week, either, according to Marc Ambinder, who speaks to an aide on Obama's transition team.
Two Kansas Republican congressmen, Reps. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt, are considering making bids to succeed Sen. Sam Brownback (R) in 2010, reports the Kansas City Star.
With Brownback saying that he'll honor his pledge not to run for another term, Moran filed paperwork Friday that will allow him to accept contributions for a Senate campaign.
"Jerry was on the ballot for the U.S. House for the last time," Moran spokesman Travis Murphy told the Star. "He's made his intentions known for some time that this was his plan."
Tiahrt has been traveling the state to raise his profile. He took a shot at Moran's chances, telling the Star that he didn't think the state would have two senators from the same congressional district. Sen. Pat Roberts (R) comes from the same Western Kansas district as Moran.
Tiahrt added: "I can guarantee there will be others who will get into this race."
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