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- Transitions: Barack Obama named Leon E. Panetta to head the CIA, Tim Kaine to head the DNC, and filled out more spots in the Justice department. Adam and Tim have more on the very encouraging news of Dawn Johnsen heading up the Office of Legal Council, where the most odious lawbreaking decisions of the Bush years were approved and used to sell such novelties as the torture of enemy combatants and warrantless surveillance of American citizens.
- Roland Burris isn't backing down in his conviction that he is Illinois' new junior senator, despite being subpoenaed by the Illinois House to testify in the Blagojevich impeachment hearings on Wednesday (when Burris expects to be meeting with Senate Democrats) and despite the IL SoS rejecting the Blagojevich appointment.
- Al Franken has been certified the winner of Minnesota's Senate election, although Norm Coleman is ready to challenge the decision in court, delaying official certification by the governor and Minnesota secretary of state.
- Bill Richardson withdrew himself as nominee for Commerce secretary over the weekend. Steve Clemons suggests Leo Hindery as his replacement.
- Obama met with Nancy Pelosi today to discuss the details of the forthcoming economic stimulus package but it's unclear what form the legislation will take or when it will be ready for a vote. The Wall St. Journal reports that part of the stimulus will be a $300 billion tax cut targeted at individuals and businesses. Mike Allen reported on Saturday that Congress could "fast-track" the legislation but The Washington Post reports today that the package faces significant obstacles to being passed. Whether it will be ready for Obama to sign on January 20 as originally proclaimed seems very much up in the air at this point.
- CQ Politics writes that "Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to move a rules package that would curb the GOP’s ability to derail legislation through a parliamentary maneuver it has used over the past two years."
- Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has declined interest in running for Governor of Tennessee, but former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe is definitely making a run for the Virginia statehouse.
- Meanwhile, the quest for RNC chair, currently a six-way race, is drawing the attention of the "rightroots" but Julian Sanchez convincingly argues that the focus on technology fetishism isn't going to be nearly enough to resurrect the GOP as a majority party.
- DemConWatch has a heartwarming list of all the Bush appointees whose bids died in committee at the end of the 110th Congress.
--Mori Dinauer
