"The French newspaper Le Monde on Saturday took the Obama team by surprise by publishing an interview with Barack and Michelle Obama from 1996 in which the two spoke at length about their marriage, only four years after they were wed, and two years before their oldest daughter Malia was born."
A Power Couple for the White House from Der Spiegel [in English]
"An African-American couple from Chicago will move into the White House on January 20. Like her husband, President-elect Barack Obama's wife Michelle comes to Washington loaded with expectations and she has already become a symbol in her own right. Who is Michelle Obama, what is her role and how much power will she wield?"
"The source for this news was a near-final draft of an as-yet-unpublished 513-page federal history of this nation-building fiasco. The document was assembled by the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction — led by a Bush appointee, no less. It pinpoints, among other transgressions, a governmental Ponzi scheme concocted to bamboozle Americans into believing they were accruing steady dividends on their investment in a “new” Iraq."
Inauguration Watching, in a Place of their Own from the Washington Post
"Like many who don't want to brave the crowds and cold downtown on Inauguration Day, but also don't want to stay home and watch it alone, Simmons has embraced a middle ground. She plans to attend a viewing party at Friendship Baptist Church in Southwest Washington."
Our Lincoln (Eric Foner) from the Nation
"As a politician, Lincoln's greatness lay in his capacity for growth. Can Barack Obama, who claims him as a mentor, follow suit?"
Obama Family Visits Lincoln Memorial from the Associated Press
"President-elect Barack Obama made an unannounced visit Saturday night with his family to see the Lincoln Memorial, paying tribute to a former president he frequently invokes as an inspiration."
All the President's Literature from the Wall Street Journal
"Rare is the leader who can actually write well, but those who do offer a window into their governing style. Jonathan Raban on the best presidential writers, and what Barack Obama's memoirs say about how he'll lead."
A Return to Professionalism from Slate
"What Obama's Pentagon hires say about his presidential style."
"After Barack Obama is sworn in on Jan. 20, he and his family will move into the White House. But how exactly will the president-elect get all his belongings into his new home? Will he hire movers?"
Obama Fans Get Creative to Attend Inauguration from the Boston Globe
"Throughout the Boston area, throngs are making their way to Washington for the historic Jan. 20 inauguration. But because more than 2 million people are expected, many hopefuls are flying into distant airports and staying at overpriced motels from Baltimore to Richmond."
Obama Era Forces Republicans to Take Stock from the McClatchy News Service
"For Republican activists across the country, Barack Obama's inauguration as the first black president produces dread, bewilderment and grudging admiration."
How Bush Damaged the GOP from the Philadelphia Inquirer
"We already know that George W. Bush will walk away from his wreckage nine days hence, having bequeathed us record budget deficits, a tanking economy, a needless war costing half a trillion dollars and thousands of lives, a sullied global image, and so much more. But one other facet of his legacy is widely overlooked: He wrecked his own Republican Party."
Inaugurations Past and Present (Larry Sabato) from the VA Center for Politics
"How best to balance the need for change with the assurance of continuity? Ceremony. Of all our national rites of passage, none has more significance than the inauguration of a President. The simple oath of office, stretching back 220 years, links Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, and Founders in an unbroken line. Now there's a security blanket for an anxious citizenry, especially those who didn't vote for the new President."
BLOGOSPHERE NUGGETS!
Earlier this week I posted Daily Kos's overview of next year's elections -- but it was Part IV of a series. I don't think I ever posted the first three parts. Here they are.
Next Year's Model: Kentucky through Nevada from Daily Kos
"In the third installment of our look at coming 2010 races, we look at potentially hot races in Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska and Nevada."
Next Year's Model: 2010 Races, Florida through Kansas from Daily Kos
"In the second installment of our look at coming 2010 races, we look at potentially hot races in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas."
Next Year's Model: An Early Look at Next Cycle's Races from Daily Kos
"So here's an early look at how 2009-2010 races appear at the outset. Everything is speculation at this point, of course, but if you're curious about specific races and possible candidates, here's a little bit of information."
No comments:
Post a Comment