memeorandum: WAXMAN WINS. — Secret Twitter sources say that Henry Waxman … (Ezra Klein/American Prospect)

6:10 PM ET, November 20, 2008

Top Items:

Patrick O'Connor / The Politico:

Waxman dethrones Dingell as chairman — California Rep. Henry A. Waxman on Thursday officially dethroned longtime Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, upending a seniority system that has governed Democratic politics in the House for decades. — In a secret ballot vote in the Cannon Caucus Room …

Discussion: Associated Press, Gristmill, Bloomberg, The New Republic, TIME.com, Reuters, Newshoggers.com and Swampland

Mike Soraghan / The Hill:

Waxman wrestles gavel from Dingell — Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will become the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee after House Democrats voted to replace current Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.). — Waxman won 137-122 in the secret ballot vote.

Discussion: The Crypt's Blogs, The Swamp, The Huffington Post, Firedoglake, PoliGazette, Booman Tribune, Washington Monthly, The Reaction, Think Progress, AMERICAblog News and DownWithTyranny!

Ezra Klein / American Prospect:

WAXMAN WINS. — Secret Twitter sources say that Henry Waxman — who, according to my Google image search, is shorter than Arianne Huffington by a startling margin — just beat John Dingell for chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee by 15 votes. If you care about action on global warming, that's a very big deal indeed.

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias

TPM Election Central:

In Big Win For Liberals, Waxman Ousts Dingell As Energy And Commerce Chair — This is big, big, big. In a victory for the Democratic left, Rep. Henry Waxman has just successfully ousted Rep. John Dingell from his longtime perch as head of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Discussion: The New Republic and DownWithTyranny!

Harold Meyerson / Washington Post:
A Job for Henry Waxman

Discussion: TPM Election Central, Open Left, Matthew Yglesias and Beyond Green

John M. Broder / New York Times:
Longtime Head of House Energy Panel Is Ousted

Discussion: The Crypt's Blogs, Wonkette and Climate Progress

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Most Americans Back Idea of Clinton as Secretary of State — Nearly 8 in 10 Democrats favor the possibility — USA - Election 2008 - Elections - Government - Party Affiliation - The Presidency - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — A new Gallup Poll finds a majority of Americans …

Discussion: NO QUARTER, TIME.com and Taylor Marsh

New York Times:
Discussions With Clintons as Obama Creates Team

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Post, The Reaction, Taylor Marsh, TIME.com, The Caucus, Weekly Standard, TalkLeft, Matthew Yglesias and TPM Election Central

Kenneth R. Bazinet / NY Daily News:
Team Obama thinks Hil's people to blame for State speculation

Discussion: Townhall.com, Associated Press and The Politico

Paul Richter / Los Angeles Times:
Antiwar groups fear Barack Obama may create hawkish Cabinet

Discussion: Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, This ain't Hell …, normblog, Flopping Aces, Associated Press, The Heretik, The Reaction and Say Anything

Helene Cooper / New York Times:
Clinton Decision Holding Up Other Obama Choices

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Democratic Strategist

William Glaberson / New York Times:

Judge Orders Five Detainees Freed From Guantánamo — In the first hearing on the government's justification for holding detainees at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp, a federal judge ruled Thursday that five Algerian men were held unlawfully for nearly seven years and ordered their release.

Discussion: The Corner, The Daily Dish, MoJoBlog, SCOTUSblog, The Washington Independent, ACSBlog, Discourse.net and Incertus

Del Quentin Wilber / Washington Post:

Federal Judge Orders Release of 5 Guantanamo Detainees — Ruling Comes After Landmark Supreme Court Ruling on Right to Habeas Corpus — For the first time, a federal judge today ordered the release of enemy combatants from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba …

Discussion: Salon, Stop The ACLU, Think Progress, Associated Press, Law Blog, The Heretik, The Agitator, This ain't Hell … and The Washington Independent

Lydia Saad / Gallup:

GOP Takes Another Image Hit Post-Election — Republicans favor tacking right; independents offer mixed guidance — USA - Democrats - Favorability - Government and Politics - Political Parties - Republicans - Americas - Northern America — PRINCETON, NJ — The Republican Party's image …

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, Washington Monthly, MyDD, Boston Globe, The Swamp, Oxdown Gazette and Shakesville

Marin Cogan / The New Republic:

Bum Rush — Obama's secret plan to muzzle talk radio. Very, very secret. — Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and other friends have spent the past year screaming about the horrors of Barack Obama. And, while it's true that they talked ad nauseam about socialism and the Weathermen and Jeremiah Wright …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias and Newshoggers.com

Steve Benen / Washington Monthly:
THE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE, PARANOIA, AND RIGHT-WING SELF-PITY. …

Discussion: Human Events, Midwest Voices, PoliGazette, The Anonymous Liberal and Lawyers, Guns and Money

Minnesota Public Radio:

Challenged ballots: You be the judge — Representatives from the campaigns of Sen. Norm Coleman and Al Franken have been challenging ballots across the state. — It's your turn to play election judge. Tell us how you would rule in the case of these challenged ballots.

Discussion: Washington Wire, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room, Rachel Lucas, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air, Bob Cesca's Goddamn …, Gawker, TPM Election Central, Sister Toldjah, MSNBC, Betsy's Page, Alas, a blog, MoJoBlog, No More Mister Nice Blog and Swing State Project

The Politico:

Senate GOP in big funk — A day after losing Ted Stevens' seat, along with their best hope for getting Joe Lieberman to cross over, Senate GOP leaders preached party unity as the key to surviving the Obama years. — If that doesn't work, there's always psychotherapy.

Andy Barr / The Politico:
Stevens leaves to a standing ovation

Discussion: Associated Press, Reuters and The Swamp

Amanda Terkel / Think Progress:
Senate Throws Good-Bye Party For Ted Stevens, Gives Convicted Felon …

Discussion: Matthew Yglesias, KTUU-TV and Washington Monthly

Laurie Kellman / Associated Press: Staffers weep as Ted Stevens gives last Senate speech

The Huffington Post:

McCain Pollster Explains Loss, Calls Frank Luntz A Moron — The chief pollster for John McCain's presidential campaign offered a candid diagnosis of how his candidate was done in, on occasion reserving harsh words for fellow Republicans. — Bill McInturff, speaking at a National Journal breakfast …

Patt Morrison / Los Angeles Times:

California Rep. Linda Sanchez's baby announcement — It was planned, and so is a wedding in the future with the father. — When was the last time you read a baby announcement on the Op-Ed pages? — Exactly. So this is obviously more than baby news. It's about how far we've come, and where we may still fall short.

Discussion: The Other McCain, The Sleuth and American Power

Reliable Source: Rep. Linda Sanchez: Pregnant Now, Marriage Later

Andrew Sullivan / The Daily Dish:

What's Your Type? — This site claims to be able to analyze a blog and determine its “type.” I plugged the Dish in and it spat back this: … Take that, Patterico! Out of curiosity, I tried Reynolds: … And Yglesias: … And Hewitt: … Not too shabby, is it?

Discussion: Outside The Beltway, Kevin Drum and StephenBainbridge.com

Mike Allen / The Politico:

Exclusive: Pritzker turns down Commerce — Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, national campaign finance chairwoman for the Obama campaign, has taken herself out of the running to be secretary of Commerce because of vetting issues, a Democratic official said.

Discussion: Washington Post, Top of the Ticket, Commentary, Lynn Sweet, Hot Air, TIME.com and The New Republic

Wall Street Journal:

Mad Max and the Meltdown — How we went from Christmas to crisis. — Notwithstanding the cardboard Santas who seem to have arrived in stores this year near Halloween, the holiday season starts in seven days with Thanksgiving. And so it will come to pass once again that many people …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Opinion Journal, Hullabaloo and Think Progress

The Trail / Washington Post:

Michelle Obama Taps Jackie Norris for Chief of Staff — Incoming first lady Michelle Obama has tapped Jackie Norris, President-elect Barack Obama's Iowa state director, to be her chief of staff. Norris, a high school government and history teacher and longtime Iowa Democrat …

Discussion: TIME.com

Sen. Russ Feingold / Salon:

An unpardonable use of power — A departing president probably can't help thinking about the judgment of history. At the end of eight years, President Bush likely isn't any different. With the nation's attention focused on his successor, it may seem as if there is little opportunity left …

Discussion: The Raw Story, Democrats.com and The Washington Independent

Matthew Rothschild / The Progressive Magazine Feed:

Obama Throws No Bones to Progressive Base — When is Obama going to appoint someone who reflects the progressive base that brought him to the White House? — He won the crucial Iowa caucuses on the strength of his anti-Iraq War stance, and many progressive peace and justice activists worked hard for him against John McCain.

Discussion: Eunomia, Flopping Aces and NewsBusters.org

The Huffington Post:

World Leaders Don't Shake Bush's Hand At G20 Summit (VIDEO) — It appears in this video that President Bush's approval is in a sorrier state than polls indicate. In a video taken at the G20 summit, Bush walks across a line of world leaders without shaking or being asked to shake any of their hands.

Discussion: Washington Monthly and Taylor Marsh

New York Times:

Iran Said to Have Nuclear Fuel for One Weapon — Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors. — The figures detailing Iran's progress …

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Think Progress, Hot Air, Commentary, Washington Post, Newshoggers.com, ThreatsWatch, Outside The Beltway, Soccer Dad, Stop The ACLU, democracyarsenal.org, The Foundry and Democracy in America

Mort Kondracke / Real Clear Politics:

First Steps to GOP Recovery — How can the Republican Party rebound? The first step would be to quit letting Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham set its agenda. — A second step would be for Congressional Republicans to actually try to help President-elect Barack Obama succeed …

Discussion: The Swamp, Examiner and Hot Air