×
- After dining with a group of conservative pundits at George Will's house last night, Barack Obama met with the "liberal" equivalent this morning at Obama's transition headquarters. Oddly, the only outrage being expressed in the blogosphere (outrage being its defining feature, as all responsible journalists know) is on the Right because, apparently, last night's guests weren't really all that conservative. Regardless, my advice to anyone who finds it offensive that Obama would meet with the opposition: get used to it. Throughout his presidential campaign, he made a point of reaching out to the opposition, and continues to do so (see Warren, Rick) out of a belief that he can bridge the political divide. There's plenty of good reasons to be skeptical but it's not as if he's going to stop trying -- it's how he wants to conduct his presidency.
- Transitions: Eric Shinseki and Lisa Jackson had their confirmation hearings today to head, respectively, Veterans' Affairs and the EPA, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration has been asked to head up NASA, the president-elect and vice president-elect pay a visit to John Roberts' Supreme Court, and Obama writes a letter to his daughters.
- The Washington Post has a front-page story that confirms a Saudi detainee was tortured on the say-so of the Bush administration, according to Susan J. Crawford, who was put in charge of reviewing military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2007.
- Marc Ambinder suggests that yesterday's parliamentary maneuvers by Democrats in the Tennessee state House actually represents another skirmish in a low-level civil war between moderate and conservative Republicans. Meanwhile, Harry Reid manages to wrangle a 3-seat Democratic advantage for most Senate committees, despite the still-unresolved Minnesota Senate election.
- It's comforting to know there are certainties in life, such as James Inhofe being consistently insane and Republicans suggesting the novel idea of suspending payroll taxes to stimulate the economy.
- The U.S. House voted for a third time in recent memory to expand SCHIP coverage, this time recognizing that George Bush's veto pen won't be able to touch it. Elana Schor notices that six Republicans who previously opposed the bill now support it.
- Recommended Reading: Peter Wallsten in The Los Angeles Times on "Barack Obama 2.0"
--Mori Dinauer
