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- As expected, Joe Lieberman will be staying in the Democratic caucus and retaining his Homeland Security chair, his only punishment being the loss of the chairmanship of a less consequential subcommittee. According to Howard Dean, this was largely the result of the intervention of Barack Obama -- the DNC chair said Obama "called the shots, and that's fine." I'd say that both Marc Ambinder and Mike Tomasky have the right take on this: The Democratic/Obama agenda is too big to waste time on the relatively minor issue of Lieberman and to understand the nature of the Lieberman dilemma is to understand Senate itself -- a very exclusive club that doesn't take expulsion lightly.
- The Washington Post has a great piece on Bush administration appointees "burrowing" into non-political positions within the federal bureaucracy, making them very difficult to remove.
- Michael Isikoff reports in Newsweek that Obama has decided to name Washington lawyer and former Clinton deputy AG Eric Holder for Attorney General. Tim and Adam have more on the pros and cons of a Holder appointment. Meanwhile, Jake Tapper calls Hillary Clinton for SoS almost a done deal, citing Democratic sources who say the formal announcement could come as early as next week. Glenn Thrush is more cautious, saying Clinton is "conflicted" over the decision.
- Mark Murray reports that Chuck Schumer will step down from his post as head of the DSCC and be replaced by heir-apparent Bob Menendez. On the other side of the aisle, Carrie Dann reports, "Big Bad" John Cornyn will ascend to top of the NRSC.
- As Georgia gears up for a runoff rumble between Saxby Chambliss and Jim Martin, the state continues to host high-profile surrogates, including Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Mitt Romney. Early voting has begun in the state, even drawing some lines at polling stations.
- Barack Obama made a surprise video appearance at the Governors Global Climate Summit, promising action and urging cooperation.
- Beau Biden, long groomed to replace his father in the Delaware Senate, has declined to fill the vacancy, even as he prepares for a tour in Iraq. Chris Cillizza has a roundup of the possible replacements on the Dem bench and potential Republican challengers.
- And finally, Sarah Palin is the first confirmed speaker at the 2009 CPAC convention in Washington D.C.. Based on what I saw at CPAC this year, she's likely to achieve demigod status amongst the participants next February.
--Mori Dinauer
