Keepingitreal

Senate Votes to Open Health Care Debate

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted on Saturday to begin full debate on major health care legislation, propelling President Obama’s top domestic initiative over a crucial, preliminary hurdle in a formidable display of muscle-flexing by the Democratic majority.

“Tonight we have the opportunity, the historic opportunity to reform health care once and for all,” said Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, and a chief architect of the legislation. “History is knocking on the door. Let’s open it. Let’s begin the debate.”

The 60-to-39 vote, along party lines, clears the way for weeks of rowdy floor proceedings that will begin after Thanksgiving and last through much of December. But even as the Democrats succeeded in uniting their caucus by winning over the last two holdouts, big disagreements remained, making final approval of the bill far from certain.

Two reluctant Democratic senators, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, warned that their support for a motion to open debate did not guarantee that they would ultimately vote for the bill. Their remarks echoed previous comments by several other senators, including Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska, and Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut.

Those comments made clear that more horse-trading lies ahead and that major changes might be required if the bill is to be approved. And it suggested that the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, who relied only on members aligned with his party to bring the bill to the floor, may yet have to sway one or more Republicans to his side to get the bill adopted.

The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said his party’s opposition would persist. “The battle has just begun,” he said.

In a rare ceremonial gesture reserved for major votes, senators cast their yeas and nays from their desks in the chamber, each one rising to voice his or her position. Senator George V. Voinovich, Republican of Ohio, was not present and did not vote. CONTINUE READING...

MSNBC Presses Obama on Campaign Promises

If President Obama happened to glance at “The Rachel MaddowShow” last Monday, he might have winced.Ms. Maddow pretended to celebrate the passage of a health care overhaul bill in the House, calling it “potentially a huge generational win for theDemocratic Party” — but then halted the triumphant music and called it an “electoral defeat.” The Stupak amendment, she said, was “the biggest restriction on abortion rights in a generation.” Then she wondered aloud about the consequences for Democrats “if they don’t get women or anybody who’s pro-choice to ever vote for them again.” She returned to the subject the next four evenings in a row. This is how it looks to have a television network pressuring President Obama from the left. While much attention has been paid to the feud between the Fox News Channel and the White House, the Obama administration is now facing criticism of a different sort from Ms. Maddow, Keith Olbermann and other progressive hosts on MSNBC, who are using their nightly news-and-views-casts to measure what she calls “the distance between Obama’s rhetoric and his actions.” 

While they may agree with much of what Mr. Obama says, they have pressed him to keep his campaign promises about health care, civil liberties and other issues. “I don’t think our audience is looking for unequivocal ‘rah-rah,’ ” said Ms. Maddow, who calls herself a liberal but not a Democrat.

The spectacle of Democrats sniping at one another is not new, but having a TV home for it is. MSNBC — sometimes critically called the “home team” for supporters of Mr. Obama — has even hit upon the theme with a promotional tagline, “pushing back on the president,” in commercials for “Hardball,” Chris Matthews’s political hour. CONTINUE READING...

Obama's win unique among presidents

CNN) -- In winning the Nobel Peace Prize, President Obama joins an elite group of U.S. presidents. He is the fourth to win the prize, the third to win it while in office and the first to receive it during his first year in office.

Unlike his predecessors, Obama was selected not for substantive accomplishments, but for his "vision" and inspiring "hope" at the beginning of his presidency.

"For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman," the committee said, explaining its decision.

In comments at the White House on Friday, Obama said he did not view the award "as a recognition of my own accomplishments. But rather as an affirmation of American leadership. ... I will accept this award as a call to action." Watch Obama react to receiving the prize »

Obama will donate the roughly $1.4 million award to charity, a White House spokesman said Friday.

President Theodore Roosevelt won the prize in 1906, as did President Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Former President Carter had been out of office for more than 20 years when he won in 2002.

Former Vice President Al Gore shared the prize in 2007.

The Nobel committee's Web site describes Roosevelt as president and "collaborator of various peace treaties." The site points out that he "took the initiative in opening the international Court of Arbitration at The Hague." The United States and Mexico presented a difference before the court, and, "When this example was followed by other powers, the arbitration machinery ... was finally called into operation."

Roosevelt also "played a prominent part in extending the use of arbitration to international problems in the Western Hemisphere" and "offered his good offices as mediator between Russia and Japan," which helped lead to a 1905 peace treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War, the Web site said. SOURCE: CNN.COM

Rep. Wilson heckles Obama 0:46

Obama's health care reform is under intense scrutiny

As skepticism about the president's health-care reform effort increases on Capitol Hill, the Obama administration has launched a new phase of its strategy aimed to drastically increase public pressure on Congress.Late Friday, the Congressional Budget Office delivered an assessment of one of the House versions of the health care bill, which said it would add $239 billion to the deficit if passed. "We do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount and, on the contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs," the CBO's director Douglas Elmendorf said last week.Elmendorf said long-term costs would rise at an unsustainable pace even if the legislation doesn't add to the federal deficit immediately. In his effort to reshape how Americans receive health care, Obama refuses to accept a tax on high-cost health insurance plans as part of the overhaul.The Obama administration officials promptly took to the airwaves refuting the claims saying that the evaluation is premature. On Sunday White House officials defended Obama's health care proposals, emphasizing that Congress has not written the final draft of legislation, and urges skeptics to wait for the final bill. "At the end of the day, we'll have significant cost controls," said Presidential adviser David Axelrod. Critics of the reform say the cost and timing are too problematic to get the votes needed to pass the president's legislation. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele lashed out today at President Barack Obama's efforts to reform the national health care system."The President tells us he doesn't want to spend more than we have ... he doesn't want to live off borrowed money, but he also told us he didn't want to run an auto industry," Steele said. "President Obama justifies this spending by saying the devil made him do it. He doesn't want to spend trillions we can't afford and then he says he just can't help it." CONTINUE READING...

Sotomayor pushes back hard on racial bias charges

Sonia Sotomayor pushed back vigorously Tuesday against Republican charges that she would bring bias and a liberal agenda to her seat as the first Hispanic woman on the Supreme Court, insisting repeatedly she would be impartial as GOP senators tried to undercut her with her own words from past speeches.For all the pointed questioning in a grueling, daylong hearing, there was little doubt that President Barack Obama's first high court choice — with solid backing from the Democrats and their lopsided Senate majority — would be confirmed. Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said as much — and predicted she would receive at least some Republican backing. Sotomayor, 55, kept her composure — judge-like, supporters said — during the intense day of questions and answer, listening intently and scribbling notes as senators peppered her with queries, then leaning into her microphone and gesturing for emphasis as she responded. She returns for another full day of questioning on Wednesday. "My record shows that at no point or time have I ever permitted my personal views or sympathies to influence the outcome of a case," the appeals court judge declared during a tense exchange with Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the committee that is conducting this week's confirmation hearings. He repeatedly questioned her ability to be objective as a Supreme Court justice, citing her own comments. Sotomayor backed away from perhaps the most damaging words that had been brought up since Obama nominated her seven weeks ago — a 2001 comment suggesting that a "wise Latina" judge would usually reach better conclusions than a white man. She called the remark "a rhetorical flourish that fell flat." 

It was bad because it left an impression that I believed that life experiences commanded a result in a case, but that's clearly not what I do as a judge," Sotomayor said. SOURCE: SFGATE.COM

Defeat is sharp rebuke to governor, Legislature

(05-19) 22:42 PDT Sacramento -- California voters on Tuesday soundly rejected a package of ballot measures that would have reduced the state's projected budget deficit of $21.3 billion to something slightly less overwhelming: $15.4 billion.The defeat of the measures means that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature will have to consider deeper cuts to education, public safety, and health and human services, officials have said.Propositions 1A through 1E - which would have changed the state's budgeting system, ensured money to schools in future years and generated billions of dollars of revenue for the state's general fund - fell well behind in early returns and never recovered.The only measure that voters approved was Proposition 1F, which will freeze salaries of top state officials including lawmakers and the governor during tough budget years.In a written statement Tuesday night, Schwarzenegger said that he believes Californians are simply frustrated with the state's dysfunctional budget system."Now we must move forward from this point to begin to address our fiscal crisis with constructive solutions," the governor said.Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said voter rejection of the propositions reflects the fact that people are facing difficult economic times and he is prepared to return to the budget negotiating table today."We're going to get right to work ... and finish by June 30," before the new fiscal year begins, he said. "It's not going to be a long, hot summer."Opponents of the measures on Tuesday labeled the package as "flawed proposals.""The governor and the Legislature must develop budget solutions that put California on a real path to fiscal stability," said Lillian Taiz, president of California Faculty Association.The six ballot measures stemmed from a budget deal Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders brokered in February to close a nearly $42 billion budget shortfall through June 2010.Budget fixes included $17 billion in cuts, more than $12 billion in temporary tax increases, reliance on billions of dollars in federal economic stimulus funds - and asking voters to approve ballot measures to generate more revenue for the cash-strapped state. CONTINUE READING..

Obama say his, graduates' best work ahead

President Barack Obama didn't shy away from the "snub" by Arizona State University officials who said he hadn't accomplished enough yet to earn an honorary degree. In a commencement speech Wednesday to a stadium full of young graduates, he said the officials were right. "I come here not to dispute the suggestion that I haven't yet achieved enough in my life," Obama said. With a smile he added: "First of all, (first lady) Michelle (Obama) concurs with that assessment. She has a long list of things that I have not yet done waiting for me when I get home.""But more than that I come to embrace the notion that I haven't done enough in my life. I heartily concur," the president said. "I come to affirm that one's title, even a title like 'president of the United States,' says very little about how well one's life has been led."Obama challenged the graduating class to find new sources of energy, improve failing schools and never to rely on past achievement. He congratulated them on earning a degree, and said the next steps mattered more than a piece of paper or a tassel."I want to say to you today, graduates, class of 2009, that despite having achieved a remarkable milestone in your life — despite the fact that you and your families are so rightfully proud — you, too, cannot rest on your laurels. ... Your own body of work is also yet to come," the president said, wearing a black gown with red embellishments and a blue color.Commencement speakers typically are awarded honorary degrees as a sign of respect and appreciation. Arizona State officials, however, did not award any such degrees this year."His body of work is yet to come. That's why we're not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency," university spokeswoman Sharon Keeler said after the school's student newspaper first reported the decision.To quell the controversy, the university instead renamed a scholarship for the nation's 44th president. At the beginning of his remarks, Obama thanked the school for the gesture.He also met six recipients of the scholarship named for him and commissioned a group of Army and Air Force cadets.While the dispute over Obama's honorary degree colored the buildup to the ceremony, a sweltering — and packed — Sun Devil Stadium seemed to care little. About 63,000 people crowded into the stadium to send 9,000 students into a marketplace that has lost 1.3 million jobs since February. SOURCE:SFGATE.COM

Investigators Take Closer Look at Rep. Jackson in Blagojevich Case

CHICAGO — Representative Jesse L. Jackson Jr. went to see the Illinois governor in December to press for an appointment to the United States Senate seat being vacated by Barack Obama. Mr. Jackson took along a black binder filled with letters of support, poll numbers and lists of his accomplishments over 13 years in Congress. By dawn the next morning, the governor, Rod R. Blagojevich, was under arrest and accused of trying to sell his appointment to the seat. And Mr. Jackson landed in his own political hot seat as federal prosecutors revealed wiretap evidence that one of his fund-raisers had promised to raise $1.5 million for Mr. Blagojevich in exchange for the appointment. Mr. Jackson asserts he has done nothing wrong and had not known about the fund-raiser’s activities. But with new indications that federal prosecutors and Congressional ethics investigators are stepping up their interest in Mr. Jackson, a nagging question follows him: Was that December meeting with Mr. Blagojevich a good-faith effort to land the Senate job or a charade to conceal behind-the-scenes maneuvers with Mr. Blagojevich to pay to play? Federal prosecutors would not comment on the investigation, but lawyers who are familiar with it said Mr. Jackson was pressed earlier this month about his contacts with Mr. Blagojevich, who has since been removed from office and indicted on racketeering and other charges. Prosecutors want to know whether Mr. Jackson had initiated any deals with Mr. Blagojevich or his staff, the lawyers said, and whether he knew that anyone was working on his behalf to secure the seat. Mr. Jackson, who said in a statement that he had cooperated with the federal authorities, declined to be interviewed for this article. His lawyer, James D. Montgomery, did not return calls for comment. Rick Bryant, a spokesman for Mr. Jackson, said the congressman had been focused lately on finding more jobs for his South Side constituents and pushing for economic-development projects, like construction of another airport in Chicago.Even some of Mr. Jackson’s allies say that his political star has been tarnished by the continuing scrutiny — and uncertainty — and that Mr. Jackson has emerged as the politician outside of Mr. Blagojevich’s inner circle with the most to lose from the former governor’s troubles. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Obama and the Confidence Game

WASHINGTON — As he cashiered the head of one of America’s storied automakers last week, President Obama declared that he remained “confident that G.M. can rise again.” Then he flew to London to meet with counterparts to try to turn the world economy around, vowing once again to restore “confidence in the financial markets.”By the time he got to France, he told a town hall meeting that he was “confident that we can meet any challenge as long as we are together.” For good measure, he repeated the phrase twice more in his opening remarks. And in case the folks back home missed it, Mr. Obama taped a message for broadcast Saturday declaring that “I am confident that we will meet this challenge.” Confidence is the name of the game for a new president trying to calibrate his message to match the moment, searching for a way to inspire a recession-weary country and convey hope that better times are ahead. It is a tricky balance to strike. If he sounds too gloomy, he could further depress a nation desperate for any sign of progress. If he sounds too optimistic, he risks looking as if he’s trying to pull something over on the nation, a different sort of Confidence Man. “You don’t want to overlook the misery and not look like you’re in touch with the challenges they’re facing,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. “On the other hand, you’ve got to give them a sense that there’s a light on the horizon that you’re pointing to and it’s visible.” Mr. Obama finds himself the leader of a nation with depleted confidence in all sorts of institutions of American life, from the banks and auto industry to government and the news media. America’s very place in the world seems in doubt to some, as China and Russia push to create a new international currency to replace the dollar and others challenge the nation’s economic, military and cultural dominance.

This is hardly the first time a president has confronted such a challenge. Franklin D. Roosevelt arguably turned around the mood of a country that appreciated his buoyant style, reassuring fireside chats and certitude that the only thing to fear was “fear itself,” even as the Great Depression raged on for years. Ronald Reagan took over a country following Vietnam and Watergate that suffered what Jimmy Carter had called a “crisis of confidence” and proceeded to emulate Roosevelt with a series of radio addresses and speeches expressing restless faith in the American spirit. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Obama, in Europe, Faces Big Challenges to Agenda

LONDON — For nearly 30 years, American presidents have arrived at economic summit meetings with nearly identical talking points: the solution to most ailments lies in more economic integration, unleashing free markets and using a light touch to tame capitalism. As President Obama landed here Tuesday night to attend the Group of 20 summit meeting, almost every one of those principles appeared up for debate. Economic integration is in retreat. Some countries have tried to wall themselves off from the troubles sweeping the world, noting that those less tied to the global economy have suffered less. Heavy regulation is back, this time with Washington’s agreement. On Tuesday the French hinted they would walk out of the Thursday Group of 20 summit meeting if other nations did not agree to set up a robust international financial regulatory agency. For all of Mr. Obama’s early optimism that the rest of the world would follow his lead on big stimulus packages, there is no clear move in that direction. By last weekend the White House was signaling that it would not confront the nations, notably Germany, that resisted more deficit spending. All of this suggests a rebuke of American economic leadership. Yet Mr. Obama is still likely to dominate the discussions here. And there is no clear alternative to his strategy for reviving the world economy. Many in Europe and Asia who depend heavily on the United States market favor Mr. Obama’s spending, hoping an American rebound will revive their economies — and ease the pressure on them to spend more. “Here’s the central paradox,” said Jeffrey E. Garten, a professor at the Yale School of Management and a former top Commerce Department official in the Clinton administration. “Everyone has lost confidence in the U.S. system because the more that is revealed, the more it feels as if we pursued capitalism in a very irresponsible way. But everyone is now waiting for the U.S. to bail them out.” SOURCE:NYT.COM

Obama’s Interactive Town Hall Meeting

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Bush defends presidency in farewell speech

Outgoing president calls inauguration of Obama 'moment of hope and pride'WASHINGTON - Unpopular but unbowed, President George W. Bush defended his tumultuous two terms in a farewell address to the nation Thursday night, claiming a series of successes at home and abroad. Reaching back to the Sept. 11 attacks, when the public rallied behind him, Bush declared the United States will "never tire, never falter and never fail."

Leaving office with the highest disapproval rating since Richard Nixon, Bush said, "You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions." A bookend to eight years indelibly marked by terrorism, two wars and recessions, the brief speech offered Bush one last chance before he leaves office Tuesday to defend his presidency and craft a first draft of his legacy for historians. He spoke from the East Room of the White House with just 112 hours left in office. It was his final public appearance until he greets President-elect Barack Obama on Inauguration Day at the White House's North Portico. Bush called the inauguration of Obama, the first black president, a "moment of hope and pride" for America. "Standing on the steps of the Capitol will be a man whose story reflects the enduring promise of our land," he said. Bush's presidency began with the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil and ends with the worst economic collapse in three generations. "Facing the prospect of a financial collapse, we took decisive measures to safeguard our economy," he said. "These are very tough times for hardworking families, but the toll would be far worse if we had not acted. All Americans are in this together. And together, with determination and hard work, we will restore our economy to the path of growth. We will show the world once again the resilience of America's free enterprise system." An audience of about 200 people was assembled to listen to the speech at the White House. They include about 45 people chosen for their personal stories, a practice normally reserved for a State of the Union address. The venue was a break from farewell addresses by Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan, who spoke to the nation from the Oval Office. 'Followed my conscience' "Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks," said Bush. "There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right." Bush also prodded the nation to lead the cause of freedom and maintain its "moral clarity" in what he described as a choice between good and evil. "I have often spoken to you about good and evil," he added. "This has made some uncomfortable. But good and evil are present in this world, and between the two there can be no compromise." Not all presidents give goodbye addresses. Bush's father, President George H.W. Bush, did not. But the president's advisers said Bush wanted to thank the nation for the opportunity to serve and defend his legacy in his own terms. On national security, he highlighted his administration's efforts to equip the nation with new tools to monitor terrorists, freeze their finances and foil their plots. But he also acknowledged some of his controversial policies, including the terrorist surveillance program and harsh interrogation of suspected terrorists. "There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions, but there can be little debate about the results," said Bush, who also reiterated his belief that spreading human liberty and freedom offers an alternative to extremism. "America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil." CONTINUE READING..

Obama Says He Will Seek Overhaul of Retiree Spending

WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama said Wednesday that overhauling Social Security and Medicare would be “a central part” of his administration’s efforts to contain federal spending, signaling for the first time that he would wade into the thorny politics of entitlement programs.jected a record $1.2 trillion budget deficit for this year even before the costs of the nearly $800 billion economic stimulus package being taken up by the House and the Senate, Mr. Obama stepped up his effort to reassure lawmakers and the financial markets that he plans a vigorous effort to keep the government’s finances from deteriorating further. Speaking at a news conference in Washington, he provided no details of his approach to rein in Social Security and Medicare, which are projected to consume a growing share of government spending as the baby boom generation ages into retirement over the next two decades. But he said he would have more to say about the issue when he unveiled a budget next month. Should he follow through with a serious effort to cut back the rates of growth of the two programs, he would be opening up a potentially risky battle that neither party has shown much stomach for. The programs have proved almost sacrosanct in political terms, even as they threaten to grow so large as to be unsustainable in the long run. President Bush failed in his effort to overhaul Social Security, and Medicare only grew larger during his administration with the addition of prescription drug coverage for retirees.Mr. Obama also promised a more intensive effort to weed inefficient and bloated programs out of the federal budget in the short run, creating a White House position to “scour this budget, line by line, eliminating what we don’t need, or what doesn’t work, and improving the things that do.” He named Nancy Killefer to the post, called chief performance officer. CONTINUE READING...

Defiant Burris Says Senate Seat Is His

CHICAGO — Even as Senate leaders continued to challenge his appointment to the seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama, Roland W. Burris headed to Washington on Monday, setting the stage for a public showdown on Capitol Hill.In a news conference at Midway airport in Chicago before his scheduled 2:20 p.m. flight to Baltimore, a defiant Mr. Burris told reporters that he was not concerned about the fact that the Illinois secretary of state, Jesse White, has rejected the paperwork that would officially send Mr. Burris to the Senate.“Why don’t you all understand that what has been done here is legal?” he said. “I am the junior senator from Illinois, and I wish my colleagues in the press would recognize that.”He later added, “This is all politics and theater, but I am the junior senator according to every law book in the nation.” Senate leaders have repeatedly said that they intend to block Mr. Burris from joining the chamber, given his appointment last week by this state’s embattled governor, Rod R. Blagojevich. Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, has said that the Senate has the legal right to bar Mr. Burris from the new session, which begins Tuesday. And CNN reported Monday that an aide to Nancy Erickson, the secretary of the United States Senate, said that Ms. Erickson had rejected Mr. Burris’s certificate of appointment because, though it was signed by Mr. Blagojevich, it was not cosigned by Mr. White, as the Senate’s rules require. While Senate leaders weighed their options concerning an appointment they say is tainted by Mr. Blagojevich, a two-term Democrat who was charged last month with, among other things, trying to sell the Senate seat for personal gain, Mr. Burris’s allies here stood firmly behind him. CONTINUE READING...

Defiant Illinois Governor Names Pick for Obama Seat

CHICAGO — Defying Senate leaders in Washington and a galaxy of political leaders here, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois announced Tuesday that he would fill the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama, which he has been accused of trying to sell.Mr. Blagojevich said he would appoint Roland W. Burris, a former state attorney general who was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Illinois. The decision set off efforts to block the move by state legislators, the secretary of state, and, most significantly, Democratic leaders in the United States Senate who said they would not seat anyone Mr. Blagojevich chose.Still, even as the selection was clearly destined for battles on many fronts, Mr. Blagojevich sounded breezily confident as he introduced his appointee to reporters as the “next United States senator from Illinois.” Having been charged this month with conspiracy to commit fraud and bribery, he said the accusations against him should not taint Mr. Burris, whom he called “a good and honest man.”Standing beside him, Mr. Burris, who, at 71, is seen by many here as an elder statesman in Democratic politics, seemed to brush aside gaping questions about how federal criminal charges against Mr. Blagojevich might tarnish his potential Senate tenure — and whether he would really ever make it to the Senate chamber in the first place.“I’m honored that I have been appointed,” Mr. Burris said, “and we will deal with the next step in the process.” Of the criminal case against Mr. Blagojevich, Mr. Burris said, “I have no relationship with that situation.”Mr. Obama, on vacation in Hawaii and who, aides said, was surprised by the news of the appointment, issued a statement condemning the move.“Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat,” Mr. Obama said. “I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it.”The Senate Democratic caucus, which controls the chamber, issued a statement saying that no one appointed by the governor could be an effective representative, and that Mr. Burris would not be seated. It is not clear, however, whether the caucus can bar a qualified appointee, and the issue may be headed to court.The choice of Mr. Burris immediately injected the issue of race into the appointment process, which may very well have been part of the governor’s calculation. Representative Bobby L. Rush, Democrat of Illinois, who was called to the lectern at the news conference by Mr. Burris, noted that there were no blacks in the Senate and said that he did not believe any senator “wants to go on record to deny one African-American from being seated in the U.S. Senate.” SOURCE:NYTIMES.COM

Clinton Moves to Widen Role of State Dept.

WASHINGTON — Even before taking office, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking to build a more powerful State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis.Mrs. Clinton is recruiting Jacob J. Lew, the budget director under President Bill Clinton, as one of two deputies, according to people close to the Obama transition team. Mr. Lew’s focus, they said, will be on increasing the share of financing that goes to the diplomatic corps. He and James B. Steinberg, a deputy national security adviser in the Clinton administration, are to be Mrs. Clinton’s chief lieutenants.Nominations of deputy secretaries, like Mrs. Clinton’s, would be subject to confirmation by the Senate.The incoming administration is also likely to name several envoys, officials said, reviving a practice of the Clinton administration, when Richard C. Holbrooke, Dennis Ross and other diplomats played a central role in mediating disputes in the Balkans and the Middle East.As Mrs. Clinton puts together her senior team, officials said, she is also trying to carve out a bigger role for the State Department in economic affairs, where the Treasury has dominated during the Bush years. She has sought advice from Laura D’Andrea Tyson, an economist who headed Mr. Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisers.The steps seem intended to strengthen the role of diplomacy after a long stretch, particularly under Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, in which the Pentagon, the vice president’s office and even the intelligence agencies held considerable sway over American foreign policy.Given Mrs. Clinton’s prominence, expanding the department’s portfolio could bring on conflict with other powerful cabinet members.Mrs. Clinton and President-elect Barack Obama have not settled on specific envoys or missions, although Mr. Ross’s name has been mentioned as a possible Middle East envoy, as have those of Mr. Holbrooke and Martin Indyk, a former United States ambassador to Israel.The Bush administration has made relatively little use of special envoys. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has personally handled most peacemaking initiatives, which has meant a punishing schedule of Middle East missions, often with meager results. CONTINUE READING...

One More Round of Voting, as Electors Do Their Duty

WASHINGTON — In state capitals across the country, a select group of Americans who make up the Electoral College met on Monday to cement President-elect Barack Obama’s victory, in a year when new figures showed that voter turnout reached its highest level since 1968. In a quadrennial ritual that has been criticized by some as an outdated part of the American political system, 538 electors, chosen for their party loyalty, cast their votes on Monday. Mr. Obama was expected to receive 365 votes to 173 for Senator John McCain, his Republican challenger, although the tally will not be made official by Congress until January. This year’s vote included an Electoral College oddity: Nebraska split its votes for the first time as Mr. Obama became the first Democrat since 1964 to pick up one of its electoral votes, having won the Second Congressional District, which includes Omaha. While most states apportion their votes in a winner-take-all system, Nebraska and Maine award them on different formulas. In terms of voter turnout, with all 50 states and the District of Columbia now reporting official or certified ballots, 61.6 percent of Americans eligible to vote went to the polls this year, the highest since Richard M. Nixon beat Hubert H. Humphrey in the close 1968 race. Despite much talk of voter apathy in recent years, turnout has been on the rise. In 2000, 54.2 percent of those eligible to vote did so, while 60.1 percent voted in 2004. The Electoral College voting, while lacking drama, included some elaborate ceremonies, like the one at the Statehouse in Albany, where the meeting opened with a marching color guard and included a musical performance. Others, like the one in Hawaii, where Mr. Obama was born, had little pomp and circumstance. But that did not stop Amy Agbayani, one of Hawaii’s four Democratic electors, from inviting more than a dozen friends to the Capitol in Honolulu to watch her sign the forms that helped seal Mr. Obama’s victory. “It may be pro forma,” said Ms. Agbayani, an administrator at the University of Hawaii, “but I’m very excited to be a part of history.”Electors are not legally bound to vote for the candidate to whom they are pledged, but they generally do. The votes they cast Monday will be sent to Washington and counted in early January at a joint session of Congress. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Sorry, Obamas, Early Check-In Isn’t Available

CHICAGO — To the list of people having trouble finding somewhere in Washington to stay in early January, there can now be added one more entry: the Obama family.President Bush’s aides have turned down a request from President-elect Barack Obama to move from Chicago into Blair House, the official guest residence across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, in time for Mr. Obama’s daughters to start school in Washington on Jan. 5.The Obamas were told that they could move into Blair House on Jan. 15, but no earlier, because it is booked, an Obama transition official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “We explored the idea so that the girls could start school on schedule,” the official said. “But there were previously scheduled events and guests that couldn’t be displaced.”White House officials declined to disclose specifically who is using Blair House during that period, for what purpose or how they could take precedence over the president-elect of the United States when it came to government housing; one White House official would say only that it had been booked for “receptions and gatherings” by members of the departing Bush administration. Those receptions, the official said, “don’t make it suitable for full-time occupancy by the Obamas yet.”So the Obamas are now looking for an alternative place to stay for a few weeks, though they presumably are not searching Craigslist for a sublet.Obama transition officials, who have been trying hard to highlight how well the Bush and the Obama families have been getting along, were quick to say that they were not angry about being turned away. “The White House has been extremely accommodating to the Obama family needs — and the entire process has been smooth and friendly,” a transition official said.White House officials said the protocol was that Blair House is available to presidents-elect starting Jan. 15, five days before the inauguration.“You’re trying to make a story out of something that’s not a story,” said Sally McDonough, spokeswoman for the first lady, Laura Bush. “It’s not a question of outranking the Obamas. Blair House will be available to them on Jan. 15.”But the issue goes beyond pique; as president-elect, Mr. Obama receives a level of Secret Service protection that is almost equal to that of a sitting president. Several blocks around his house in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago have been cordoned off with concrete barriers and round-the-clock police protection. Area residents often have to show identification to go home. SOURCE:NYT.COM

Jackson says he didn't 'pay to play' Illinois politics

(CNN) -- A law enforcement official connected to the investigation into Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich confirmed Wednesday that the person referred to in the criminal complaint against the governor as "Senate Candidate 5" is Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.The law enforcement official said there was no evidence -- other than the governor's taped remarks -- that Jackson or others on his behalf ever approached the governor in an improper way.The official also emphasized that no conversations with Jackson were ever picked up on bugs or wiretaps, and there is no evidence that he was aware of anything improper.Jackson denied Wednesday participating in the "pay to play" politics federal prosecutors allege Blagojevich conducted in his search to fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat."I want to make this fact plain: I reject and denounce pay-to-play politics and have no involvement whatsoever in any wrongdoing. I did not initiate or authorize anyone at any time to promise anything to Gov. Blagojevich," Jackson, an Illinois Democrat, said during a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday. Watch: Jackson denies involvement with Blagojevich »Jackson said he was informed by the office of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald -- tasked with investigating Gov. Blagojevich's alleged misconduct -- that he was not a target of the investigation."In the days ahead, federal law enforcement officials want to meet and discuss what I know about the Senate selection process," Jackson said. "I look forward to cooperating with the hardworking men and women of the United States Attorney's Office and the Justice Department."Jackson said Blagojevich, "in the best interests of our state, should resign and forfeit his authority to make the Senate appointment."While defending his innocence, Jackson said he was qualified to fill the vacant Senate seat in large part due to his previous experience in Washington.Jackson noted he has missed only two votes during his 13 years in Congress, and has served in the U.S. House longer than almost all of the other members of the Illinois congressional delegation being mentioned as possible replacements for Obama."I thought, mistakenly, that the process was fair, above board and on the merits," Jackson said. "I thought, mistakenly, that the governor was evaluating me and other Senate hopefuls based upon our credentials and qualifications." SOURCE:CNN.COM