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6:40 PM ET, January 5, 2009

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
The Caucus:
Panetta to Be Named C.I.A. Director  —  President-elect Barack Obama has selected Leon E. Panetta, the former congressman and White House chief of staff, to take over the Central Intelligence Agency, an organization that Mr. Obama criticized during the campaign for using interrogation methods …
RELATED:
Glenn Greenwald / Salon:
Obama's impressive new OLC chief  —  The Office of Legal Counsel, inside the Justice Department, is probably the most consequential federal government office that remains relatively obscure.  The legal opinions which it issues become, more or less automatically, the official legal position of the Executive Branch.
Marc Ambinder:
Panetta On Torture  —  Here's Central Intelligence Agency director-designate Leon E. Panetta, writing about torture, in the Washington Monthly.  Actually, no — he's writing in the Washington Monthly about torture:
Discussion: Washington Monthly and Donklephant
Fox News:
Leon Panetta Tapped to Head CIA
The Politico:   Panetta, Blair land top intel posts
Siobhan Gorman / Wall Street Journal:   Panetta Tapped for CIA Director
Brian Faughnan / BrianFaughnan's blog:
Obama's CIA Designee Sought CIA Cuts, Threatened Director
Discussion: The Opinionator
David Corn / MoJoBlog:
Obama Picks Anti-Torture Advocate for CIA Chief
Discussion: Democrats.com and Hullabaloo
Wall Street Journal:
Funny Business in Minnesota  —  In which every dubious ruling seems to help Al Franken.  —  Strange things keep happening in Minnesota, where the disputed recount in the Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken may be nearing a dubious outcome.  Thanks to the machinations …
RELATED:
Pat / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Court rejects Coleman bid to consider rejected absentee ballots  —  The ruling clears the way for election officials to certify results showing Democrat Al Franken in the lead.  —  The Minnesota Supreme Court today rejected a bid by Norm Coleman in the disputed U.S. Senate election …
Michael O'Brien / The Hill:
Minnesota elections board says Franken won  —  The Minnesota Board of Canvassers certified Democrat Al Franken as winner of the state's Senate race, but incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman's (R) attorneys have vowed to challenge the decision.  —  After two months of political and legal wrangling …
Pat Doyle / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Recount results certified with Franken on top
Discussion: The Swamp
Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:   Minnesota Supremes Reject Coleman Lawsuit, Clearing Way For Franken Win Later Today
CNN:
Secretary of the Senate rejects Burris appointment  —  (CNN) — An aide to Secretary of the Senate Nancy Erickson tells CNN that this morning she rejected Roland Burris' certificate of appointment to the Senate.  —  Robert Baxter says Erickson rejected Burris' appointment because it does …
RELATED:
Chicago Sun Times:
Secretary of the Senate rejects Burris' appointment  —  Judge also grants prosecutors 90-day extension to indict Blagojevich, former chief of staff  —  Firing the first shot in Washington in the fight over the appointment of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, Gov. Blagojevich's acting chief …
New York Times:
Restore the Senate's Treaty Power  —  THE Constitution's Treaty Clause has long been seen, rightly, as a bulwark against presidential inclinations to lock the United States into unwise foreign commitments.  The clause will likely be tested by Barack Obama's administration …
RELATED:
Change.gov:
President-elect Obama announces key Department of Justice posts  —  WASHINGTON—Today, President-elect Barack Obama announced that he intends to nominate the following individuals for key posts at the United States Department of Justice: David Ogden, Deputy Attorney General; Elena Kagan …
RELATED:
Foon Rhee / Boston Globe:
Kagan nominated for solicitor general
Discussion: The Caucus
Connie Hair / Human Events:
Pelosi Erases Gingrich's Long-Standing Fairness Rules  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to re-write House rules today to ensure that the Republican minority is unable to have any influence on legislation.  Pelosi's proposals are so draconian, and will so polarize the Capitol …
Discussion: Balloon Juice
RELATED:
Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:   GOP protests term limit change
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
SNAKES  —  We're watching the Republican leadership's press conference on the Stimulus bill.  I think I got about all I needed to know watching Mitch McConnell (R) talking and seeing a smirking Rep. Eric Cantor (R) hovering over his shoulder.  McConnell's angle seemed about what you'd expect.
RELATED:
Paul Krugman:
Is Obama relying too much on tax cuts?
Judy Lin / Associated Press:
Ex eBay CEO prepares run for Calif. governor  —  Former eBay Inc. chief executive Meg Whitman has edged closer to a run for California governor, with a spokesman confirming on Monday that she has resigned from three corporate boards.  —  Whitman's spokesman, Henry Gomez …
Discussion: TechCrunch
RELATED:
Washington Wire:
Meg Whitman Considers Run for California Governor
CNN:
Republican party showdown today  —  WASHINGTON DC (CNN) - Call it a first step in the Republican Party's push to return from the political wilderness.  —  The six candidates running to lead the GOP's national committee face off today at a debate in Washington.
Discussion: The Politico
RELATED:
Ben Smith / Ben Smith's Blogs:   RNC Chair: Iraq conduct Bush's biggest failure
William Beutler / Blog P.I.:
Obama's Twitter Account Hacked  —  As TechCrunch reported this morning, someone has been hacking into high-profile Twitter accounts and posting amusingly defamatory tweets.  But here's one they missed:  —  This tweet stayed up longer than the others.  I learned about it just after noon today …
RELATED:
Eric Kleefeld / TPM Election Central:
Poll: Caroline Kennedy's Support Collapses  —  The last month's publicity hasn't been kind to Caroline Kennedy, with a new survey from Public Policy Polling (D) showing that she's now being trounced by state Atty. Gen. Andrew Cuomo as the choice of New York voters.
Discussion: Firedoglake
Right Wing News:
The 7th Annual “20 Most Annoying Liberals Of 2008”  —  Honorable Mentions: Bill Ayers, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Juan Cole, Kent Conrad, The Daily Kos, Bill Delahunt, Glenn Greenwald, Alcee Hastings, Christopher Hitchens, The Huffington Post, Jesse Jackson, Jesse Jackson Jr. Caroline Kennedy …
Ben McGrath / New Yorker:
CORRECTING CAROLINE  —  In 2001, shortly after being sworn into the Senate, Hillary Clinton gave a press conference to address questions related to her husband's Presidential pardons.  The Times observed that she used the word “disappointed” ten times, in reference to her brother, Hugh Rodham …
Discussion: Commentary and Gothamist
 
 
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 More Items: 
Fred Barnes / Weekly Standard:
The End of the Line  —  Lunch with President George W. Bush.
Discussion: Think Progress
Janice Lloyd / USA Today:
Home schooling grows
Bob Barr / Los Angeles Times:
No defending the Defense of Marriage Act
Discussion: Don Surber and Opinion L.A.
 Earlier Items: 
Michael Goldfarb / Weekly Standard:
The Unserious Left  —  The ground invasion of Gaza has begun.
Myglesias / Matthew Yglesias:
The Cuteness Stimulus  —  Obama transition team acts …
David J. Lynch / USA Today:
Investors dump $89B in U.S. securities in historic fire sale
George Selgin / Wall Street Journal:
Argentina Is Short of Cash - Literally