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Gore on Obama: 'Redeems the Revolutionary Promise of Our Declaration of Independence'
Posted by Jason Linkins, Huffington Post on November 22, 2008 at 10:10 AM.

Coming on this Sunday's edition of CNN's Fareed Zakaria: GPS, Former Vice President Al Gore shares his feelings on the election of Barack Obama with Zakaria, enthusing, "I can barely contain my excitement about his election, I just think it's a fabulous new development."

Gore also strikes an ecumenical note, stressing how important it was for the "international audience" to note how Americans of all stripes -- including Obama's political opponents -- were happy to celebrate the historic nature of the election:

I want them to know that right after the election, Republicans who had campaigned strongly against Barack Obama were interviewed everywhere right after the election saying, 'I'm so proud of my country.' You know, regardless of the differences over issues and politics, this was a watershed election that really...just everyone a feeling of great pride in our nation's ability to transcend our past and redeem the revolutionary promise of our Declaration of Independence that every human being is created equal. It's electrifying to redeem that declaration.

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Study Shows 'Center-Right Nation' Narrative Spiked Immediately After Election Day
Posted by David Sirota, Blog for Our Future on November 22, 2008 at 9:19 AM.

When I wrote my first column about the "center-right nation" and subsequently launched the "Center-Right Nation Watch" series on this blog I predicted that the news media would actually increase its usage of this term after Obama won. I did a Lexis-Nexis search of the term, and was the first to note the trend and make the prediction that "if Obama wins, expect more frantic talk from the fringe about how electing a black man billed as an Islamic Karl Marx obviously means our country is more conservative than ever."

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Roadblock Republicans Start Throwing Around the F-Word
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 22, 2008 at 7:22 AM.

In the 110th Congress, the Senate Republican minority, with 49 seats, filibustered more legislation than any Senate minority in congressional history. Can the GOP break its own record in the 111th?

We already know that Republicans aren't shy about throwing around the "f" word. Literally just three days after Barack Obama won the presidential campaign, Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, the second highest ranking Republican in the chamber, publicly vowed to filibuster any prospective Supreme Court nominee he deemed to be too liberal.

Today, the highest ranking Republican in the chamber speculated about another two years of filibusters.

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Conservatism: Trashing Government on Its Way Out
Posted by Terrance Heath, Blog for Our Future on November 22, 2008 at 6:02 AM.

Reading the headlines over the past week, I'm beginning to wonder if there's a single agency in the United States government that conservatives haven't left in worse shape than they found it. I've been reading about demoralized government employees, under-resourced departments, and agencies left in shambles after eight years of Republican rule.

A few days after the election I participated in a telephone survey about the outcome. The surveyor, at one point, asked me how I felt about the Bush administration and the congressional Republicans. After a couple of tries at explaining conservative failure, I finally blurted out, "People hate government, and don't believe it can do any good, just can't govern effectively."

After this week, I think I'd probably amend that statement. Conservatives don't believe government doesn't work. They believe it shouldn't. And when they get elected they make damn sure it can't.

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Will Gen. Jim Jones Be Obama's National Security Advisor?
Posted by Chris Bowers, Open Left on November 21, 2008 at 4:42 PM.

CNN is reporting that retired General Jim Jones is the leading candidate to become Obama's national security advisor. There is good reason to believe this reporting, given that Jones was one of sixteen names on the "semi-short list" for Obama's Vice-President. While Jones was taken out of contention when it was revealed he supported John McCain, in the third debate Obama still mentioned him as an advisor he would "surround" himself with when elected President. So yeah, this report is probably accurate.

Although not as bad as keeping Gates as Secretary of Defense (I'm not sure any cabinet appointment could be that bad), it would still be a very disappointing selection. Jones, as already noted, supported McCain, and was also offered the deputy Secretary of State job in the Bush administration. He turned the offer down, but turning down an offer like that from the Bush administration in mid-2007 isn't exactly a progressive master stroke. Not many people are keen to jump on board an administration with a sub-30% approval rating and only twenty months left in office.

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Obama's (Rumored) Pick for Secretary of the Treasury Makes Wall Street Happy
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 21, 2008 at 3:36 PM.

Of the three apparent cabinet moves this afternoon, we know a lot about Hillary Clinton, quite a bit about Bill Richardson, but comparably less about Timothy Geithner. If he's going to be the Secretary of the Treasury in the midst of a historical financial crisis, it's probably worth taking some time to get to know him.

I've read two solid pieces lately on the likely next Treasury Secretary. The first was back in September, when Robert Kuttner wrote a fascinating item on Geithner's background and expertise.

Unlike many senior Treasury and Fed officials, Geithner is not a high roller from a big bank or investment house but a public-minded civil servant. He has neither a doctorate in economics nor an M.B.A. After receiving a master's degree in international economics from Johns Hopkins University, he worked as a research assistant to Henry Kissinger and then joined the Treasury, where he was posted as an assistant attache in Japan. He came to the attention of both Larry Summers and Robert Rubin and quickly moved up the ladder. He was a key player in the containment of the Asian financial crisis of 1997-1998 and later went to the International Monetary Fund as a top official. Despite being a Democrat, he was named president of the New York Fed after two stronger and more conservative candidates withdrew. 

Geithner's admirers span the spectrum from Republican financial mogul Pete Peterson to liberal Democrat Barney Frank. One can infer from his broad fan base three possible conclusions: Wall Street is so clubby and politically powerful that permissible policy differences just aren't that great; or maybe Geithner is all things to all people; or perhaps, in a deep crisis, truly talented and effective people can earn broad respect.

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Wanted: A New Slogan for Coal
Posted by Bruce Nilles, Sierra Club on November 21, 2008 at 2:33 PM.

With dozens of new coal plants across the country now on hold because of last week's ruling requiring a second look at carbon emissions, the coal industry is stepping up its game. Already in Kansas they've sued the Sebelius administration in an attempt to prevent states from acting to fight global warming. 

We're stepping up our game in response and need your input. 

Already through our new website and online video at CoalIsNotTheAnswer.org, tens of thousands of people have learned the truth about coal -- revealing the reality behind the coal industry's slick $40 million advertising campaign that masks the harmful and polluting nature of coal-fired power plants.

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Franken: Coleman's Lead Is Less Than 100 Votes
Posted by Sam Stein, Huffington Post on November 21, 2008 at 2:04 PM.

Aides to Al Franken's campaign said on Friday that the deficit they face against Norm Coleman in their Senate recount is now less than 100 votes.

"It is fair to say that Norm Coleman's lead is now in the double digits," said Marc Elias, a lawyer for the campaign. He added, more optimistically that, "there are more Democratic areas with votes left to be counted than Republican."

The Franken math is not official. They are basing their findings both on the 51.1 percent of the state-wide recount that they have completed, but which is not reported by the Secretary of State, as well as a portion of the 800-or-so contested ballots that they believe will be easily resolved.

The dwindling margin separating the two camps, however, is making for high political drama. If Franken's numbers are to be believed, the Democratic challenger has more than halved his deficit with just over half the recount completed. The election, in short, could be decided by a single digit difference, though there is no telling if the margin will continue to close at the same pace.

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Reports: Clinton Accepts Secretary of State Nomination; Geithner and Richardson Also Likely Cabinet Choices
Posted by Satyam Khanna, Think Progress on November 21, 2008 at 1:11 PM.

The New York Times reports that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) "has decided to give up her Senate seat and accept the position of secretary of state." According to MSNBC, it is "also expected Monday" that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson will be named Commerce Secretary,” and New York Fed President Tim Geithner is expected to be announced as Treasury Secretary, "barring last minute changes."

Who Is in Charge? Economic Crisis Worsens Because of Transitional Power Vacuum
Posted by Digby, Hullabaloo on November 21, 2008 at 1:02 PM.

Krugman brings up something this morning that I was coincidentally chatting about over dinner with a friend last night -- what are the ramifications of having the lamest of lame ducks visibly uninterested and engaged at this moment of economic crisis, (not to mention a congress that has time to laud convicted felons in their midst but can't seem to stick around to deal with this huge problem developing in Detroit?) I vaguely recalled something similar in 1932 but couldn't remember the details.
Krugman fills in the blanks:

There is, however, another and more disturbing parallel between 2008 and 1932 -- namely, the emergence of a power vacuum at the height of the crisis. The interregnum of 1932-1933, the long stretch between the election and the actual transfer of power, was disastrous for the U.S. economy, at least in part because the outgoing administration had no credibility, the incoming administration had no authority and the ideological chasm between the two sides was too great to allow concerted action. And the same thing is happening now.

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Obama, the Senate, and China ... All Eying the Big 3
Posted by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake on November 21, 2008 at 11:09 AM.

I see the Obama team is already denying this:

"President-Elect Barack Obama's transition team is exploring a swift, prepackaged bankruptcy for automakers as a possible solution to the industry's financial crisis, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Obama's team has already contacted at least one bankruptcy- law firm to say that Daniel Tarullo, a professor at Georgetown University's law school who heads Obama's economic policy working group, would call to discuss the workings of a so-called prepack, according to this person.

Since the election, Team Obama has become "trial balloon central" (if they were genuinely serious about firing the leaker, Rahm Emanuel would hit the Chief Of Staff revolving door post-haste).  They have been strategically using the media to test public opinion, but in this case I'd imagine they also did so with the intent to force the unions, bond holders and other stakeholders in the Big 3 into a more pliant negotiating position.

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Maddow Fails to Question Huckabee On His Recent Anti-Gay Statements. Update: Maddow Responds
Posted by Ali Frick, Think Progress on November 21, 2008 at 10:01 AM.

Since Prop. 8's passage in California, which revoked same-sex couples' right to marry, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has been a powerful outspoken advocate of the rights of gay citizens. "The amendment does not just prohibit gay rights. It takes away rights previously enjoyed," she said. She has also called the vote a "rebuke to the incumbent rights of gay couples." Watch a mashup:

However, last night, Maddow was notably silent on the issue of gay rights when interviewing former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee. On Tuesday, Huckabee had insisted that gay rights and civil rights were totally different because gay rights activists' "skulls" weren't getting "cracked." On Wednesday morning, Huckabee claimed that Prop. 8 "did not prohibit" gay marriage; it "simply affirmed that which already has and forever has existed," he said.

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Minnesota Recount Going Well for Franken
Posted by Matt Stoller, Open Left on November 21, 2008 at 9:02 AM.

Update (From Steve Benen): In Minnesota, Norm Coleman's lead over Al Franken is down to just 136 votes. As of last night, about 46% of the 2.9 million ballots had been counted as part of the statewide recount.

Looks like Norm Coleman is feeling the heat.  Here's Minnesota Monitor reporter Chris Steller being thrown out of a Coleman press conference.

I made it as far as the inside of a small press conference room at a drab office park in St. Paul where I was just about to settle into the chair that seemed least conveniently located to the exit when a staffer asked who I was with. When I said the Minnesota Independent, he said I'd have to leave. To my protest that MnIndy is a news outlet like others represented there, the staffer replied, "Right, and it's funded by George Soros," and he escorted me out.

Franken is picking up votes in GOP areas and doing a bit better than he needs to in order to take the seat.  It's still early but there is a reason Coleman is sweating.

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Iraqi Oil Exports Have 'Nosedived'
Posted by Saadoun al-Jaberi, Azzaman on November 21, 2008 at 7:35 AM.

Iraq's oil exports are decreasing by nearly 100,000 barrels a day every month, said former Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahar al-Uloom.

Uloom said the drastic decline started last May and has slashed exports to 1.65 million barrels a day from about 2 million.

"Iraqi (oil) exports have nosedived 25 per cent since the beginning of 2008," Uloom said in an interview.

"This represents a big challenge to the government," he said.

He said he could not see how the government would be able to meet budgetary expenses for 2009.

"2009 budget has been based on the assumption of exporting two million barrels a day and an estimated price of not less than $80 for a barrel," he said.

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Obama's Team Makes Good on Threat of Bipartisanship
Posted by Steve Benen, Washington Monthly on November 21, 2008 at 5:41 AM.

No one seriously expects congressional Republicans to roll up their sleeves and start working with Democrats on policy solutions. That's just not how this game is played.

The question is how open GOP lawmakers are to outreach. The New York Times reported yesterday morning that the House Republican caucus has "so far balked" at a chance to meet with the incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, but Emanuel spent the day on the Hill anyway, and had some individual meetings with Republicans willing to let him in their offices.

Incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said President-elect Barack Obama wants to work with Republicans, saying the new chief executive will "welcome their ideas" on how to resolve the ongoing financial crisis the country faces.

Emanuel met today with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the entire GOP leadership from that chamber for about 30 minutes, and is currently huddling with House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.). A one-on-one session with House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) will follow the Pence meeting.

Emanuel noted that he personally had spoken to almost two dozen Republicans in the last two weeks to tell them that the new administration is serious about bipartisan cooperation.

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