All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

President-elect OBAMA will ring in the New Year in Hawaii as he begins to wind down his holiday vacation with his family. Tuesday, Mr. Obama’s transition office announced that he will move to Washington over the weekend. He and his family will live in an undisclosed D.C. hotel until Jan. 15, when the Obamas will move to Blair House, across the street from the White House – the traditional pre-inaugural accommodations for incoming presidents. Mr. Obama’s daughters begin class at Sidwell Friends School on Monday; Mr. Obama himself will spend his time working with Congress on the stimulus package he’s looking to sign after he’s inaugurated on the 20th. Mr. Obama will also attend a lunch with President Bush and former Presidents Carter, Bush and Clinton at the White House next Wednesday.


BLAGO
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday defiantly announced a replacement for Mr. Obama’s vacant Senate seat: 71-year-old former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris, the first African-American to win statewide office in Illinois. Senate Democrats vowed not to seat Burris when they reconvene next Tuesday; Mr. Obama agreed with them. “Burris does not appear to have deep or longtime connections to Blagojevich, nor was he among the five candidates the governor and his top aide were heard discussing as potential appointees on FBI surveillance recordings, portions of which were included in criminal filings accusing the governor of several felonies. For the past decade, Burris has been a partner in a consulting firm and a law firm that have received some government work, mostly, he said, to ensure that the state government was complying with regulations requiring that a certain portion of its contracts are awarded to minority-owned businesses,” writes Paul Kane in The Washington Post. This morning, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., repeated his suggestion that racism might be a factor here – Burris is African-American and would be the only African-American in the U.S. Senate if he’s seated. "All these folks opposed to Gov. Blagojevich, they need to take a chill pill," Rush said this morning on CBS’ The Early Show. "The people of the state of Illinois should not be deprived of a representative in the U.S. Senate."

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A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News, written by Maria Gavrilovic:

President-elect OBAMA continues his vacation in Hawaii. There are no public events scheduled.

EMANUEL

Chicago Sun Times, “Letter to Gov seals Emanuel's exit from Congress”: Emanuel, first elected to the House in 2002, formally announced Monday he would end his House career Jan. 2 to join the Obama administration as White House chief of staff. He was the fourth ranking Democrat in the House, given the post after he ran the political operation that won back control of the House for Democrats in 2006. He informed residents of his 5th Congressional District, anchored in Chicago's North and Northwest Side neighborhoods, with robo calls on Monday. Emanuel is on a long-planned vacation to Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, traveling with his wife, Amy, their three children and friends.

AP, “Ill. governor must set election to replace Emanuel”: Rep. Rahm Emanuel said Monday that he will resign his congressional seat this week, a development that draws further attention to Illinois' embattled governor and his role in filling vacancies in the state's legislative delegation. The Democratic congressman delivered the news in automated telephone calls to constituents. He is leaving office to become President-elect Barack Obama's new chief of staff. He said he will resign his congressional seat Friday.


INAUGURATION

USA TODAY, “Obama Inauguration Seeks Essayists”: The hottest ticket in town — a chance to witness President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration — will be the jackpot in an essay contest being announced today by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. In exchange, participants will be encouraged to donate to the inauguration, though organizers say that is not required.

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A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News, written by Maria Gavrilovic:

President-elect OBAMA continues his vacation in Hawaii. There are no public events scheduled.


MIDEAST

New York Times, “Middle East Interlude”: President-elect Barack Obama interrupted his Hawaiian vacation to huddle with advisers and receive briefings on the air strikes launched by Israel at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The president-elect also spoke by telephone for eight minutes with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and while Mr. Obama is said to be “closely monitoring global events,” a spokeswoman for the transition team emphasized “there is one president at a time.”

New York Times, “Gaza Crisis Is Another Challenge for Obama, Who Defers to Bush for Now”: Since his election, Mr. Obama has said little specific about his foreign policy — in contrast to more expansive remarks about the economy. He and his advisers have deferred questions — critics could say, ducked them — by saying that until Jan. 20, only President Bush would speak for the nation as president and commander in chief. “The fact is that there is only one president at a time,” David Axelrod , Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, reiterating a phrase that has become a mantra of the transition. “And that president now is George Bush.”

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A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News, written by Maria Gavrilovic:

President-elect OBAMA continues his vacation in Hawaii. There are no public events scheduled.


MIDEAST

New York Times, “Middle East Interlude”: President-elect Barack Obama interrupted his Hawaiian vacation to huddle with advisers and receive briefings on the air strikes launched by Israel at Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. The president-elect also spoke by telephone for eight minutes with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and while Mr. Obama is said to be “closely monitoring global events,” a spokeswoman for the transition team emphasized “there is one president at a time.”

New York Times, “Gaza Crisis Is Another Challenge for Obama, Who Defers to Bush for Now”: Since his election, Mr. Obama has said little specific about his foreign policy — in contrast to more expansive remarks about the economy. He and his advisers have deferred questions — critics could say, ducked them — by saying that until Jan. 20, only President Bush would speak for the nation as president and commander in chief. “The fact is that there is only one president at a time,” David Axelrod , Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, reiterating a phrase that has become a mantra of the transition. “And that president now is George Bush.”

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A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News, written by Maria Gavrilovic:

President-elect Obama continues his vacation in Hawaii. There are no public events scheduled today. Vice President-elect Biden will spend the holidays in Wilmington, Delaware.

BLAGOJEVICH REPORT/AFTERMATH

Chicago Sun-Times, “Emanuel wanted to keep his seat 'warm'”: In addition to talking with Gov. Blagojevich about who would fill President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat, Obama's newly minted chief of staff had something else on his mind: his own congressional seat. Just after accepting the top post with Obama, Rahm Emanuel discussed with Blagojevich the possibility of keeping his congressional seat "warm" for him for a couple of years, the Sun-Times has learned. Emanuel expressed interest in returning one day to his elected position because he was on track to become U.S. House speaker, the Sun-Times previously reported.

Politico, “Obama's five rules of scandal response”: Tuesday's report from the transition, detailing contacts between members of Obama's inner circle and embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and concluding that "nothing at all inappropriate" was discussed, won't be the final word on the subject—but it did provide some telling insight into the way the White House's new occupant will operate. Here are five rules of Obama scandal-management based on his team's handling of its first post-election crisis.

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A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News, written by Maria Gavrilovic:

President-elect Obama will release an internal report detailing contact between his staff and Governor Rod Blagojevich today at 4:30 PM EST. The report is expected to show that Obama aides, including Rahm Emanuel, had limited contact with Blagojevich’s office however there was no wrongdoing.

Mr. Obama is not planning on speaking publicly about the report. Emanuel departs for Africa today for a family vacation.

Also on the schedule:

Vice President-elect Biden will host a meeting with the transition team’s top economic advisers, including Larry Summers, Director of the National Economic Council. The meeting is at 10:35 AM EST at the transition office.

TRANSITION

NYT, “Obama Is to Report on Blagojevich Contacts”: Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman selected by Mr. Obama as his White House chief of staff, had a handful of contacts with the governor’s office. At least two other names also are expected to be mentioned in the review, including Michael Strautmanis, a longtime aide to Mr. Obama who once worked for Mr. Blagojevich.

Wash Post, “Obama Report on Blagojevich Contacts Set for Release Tues.”: A source close to the Obama transition said the review to be released Tuesday was written by advisers who did not have access to the taped recordings made by Fitzgerald during the investigation.

WSJ, “Report Arrives on Obama-Blagojevich Staff Contacts”: Regardless of how clean the Obama camp is, the release of the report isn't likely to be clean. Thursday, former President Bill Clinton released a list of 205,000 donors -- many of them foreign governments -- to his foundation, which he had promised to do as a condition for his wife Sen. Hillary Clinton's nomination as secretary of state. That set off a scramble to tie donors to policy predicaments facing the Obama administration.

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A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News, written by Maria Gavrilovic:

President-elect Obama kicked off his 12 day Hawaiian holiday this weekend with family and friends. Senior White House Advisor, Valerie Jarrett, is among the small contingent of Chicago friends who accompanied the Obamas on their trip.

Although he spent most of Sunday on the golf course, aides say Mr. Obama will continue to work on transition matters from Hawaii.

Aides are expected to release a document by Tuesday afternoon detailing Obama staff contacts with Gov. Rod Blagojevich and/or his administration.

HAWAII

Star Bulletin, “Barack Obama wows 'em in Waimanalo”: President-elect Barack Obama spent the first full day of his winter vacation at the gym, the golf course and his rental house on Kailua Bay. At Olomana Golf Links in Waimanalo yesterday, Obama wished several residents "Merry Christmas" and added, "Mele Kalikimaka," the Hawaiian Christmas greeting.


TRANSITION
AP, “Obama increases jobs goal to 3 million”: President-elect Barack Obama has increased his employment goal with the nation's economic outlook worsening, seeking to create or save 3 million jobs in the next two years instead of the 2.5 million he proposed last month. Obama set the more ambitious target earlier this week after meeting with top economic advisers who cautioned that the nation's unemployment rate could exceed 9 percent given the current pace of job losses, Obama transition officials said Saturday.

AP, “Obama's Blagojevich report to explain staff's role”: President-elect Barack Obama's review of his staff's contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich did not include records of conversations taped by federal prosecutors, a Democratic official said. Obama will release his report by Tuesday explaining his staff's discussions with Blagojevich and the governor's aides about appointing Obama's Senate successor, according to a Democratic official who requested anonymity because the report is not yet public.

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A roundup of news, schedules, and key stories from CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

President-elect Obama holds a news conference at 2:15pm ET in Chicago where it’s expected he’ll roll out his choices for Labor Secretary, U.S. Trade Representative and Transportation Secretary. CBS News has confirmed that Mr. Obama will name Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif., for Labor, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk for USTR and retiring Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., for Transportation. Tomorrow, Mr. Obama departs for Hawaii for a Christmas vacation with his family.

***NY Times, “Picks for Labor and Trade Positions Disagree on Policy”: “With his choices of a labor secretary and a trade representative, Mr. Obama appears to have sought to appeal to each side in the battle over free trade. Ms. Solis, a longtime labor advocate who is of Central American heritage, has been skeptical about free-trade agreements, while Mr. Kirk, a lawyer with a political bent, comes from the Texas establishment and has spoken out in favor of the North American Free Trade Agreement... Although Mr. Obama said in his primary campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton that Nafta should be re-negotiated, he did not emphasize that approach during the general election campaign. Free-trade proponents remain hopeful that Mr. Obama will moderate his stance, as his predecessors did, now that he has been elected president... Labor activists who would speak only on condition of anonymity expressed wariness about Mr. Kirk, but made clear their strong support for Ms. Solis, a close ally of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Ms. Solis was first elected to Congress in 2000 and represents a largely Hispanic and Asian district of working-class suburbs east of Los Angeles as well as part of East Los Angeles.”

Vice President-elect Biden is in Delaware today and has no public events scheduled.

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President-elect Obama holds a news conference at 10:45am ET today in Chicago to announce his choice of Mary Schapiro to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, replacing Christopher Cox, who has said that he will leave the post at the end of the Bush Administration. CBS News has also confirmed that Obama will name retiring Republican U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Illinois to be his Transportation Secretary. That announcement is expected to happen tomorrow. Vice President-elect Biden is in Delaware today for private meetings.

***Wall Street Journal, “Regulator Schapiro to Run SEC for Obama”: “Ms. Schapiro, 53 years old, will take over an agency beset by problems, from its failure to catch red flags in the alleged $50 billion Madoff fraud to accusations of lax oversight of Wall Street banks. The announcement is expected Thursday in Chicago. She was credited with beefing up enforcement while at the National Association of Securities Dealers and guiding the creation of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, which she now leads. But some in the industry questioned whether she would be strong enough to get the SEC back on track.”

***Wall Street Journal, “LaHood to Get Transportation Post”: ”Mr. LaHood would be the second Republican picked to serve in President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet, helping to fullfill a pledge for a bipartisan panel of advisers. The first was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, whom Mr. Obama has asked to stay on in that role. Mr. LaHood's resume on transport matters was seen as thin by some critics. He does not currently serve on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, although he has in the past. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee he did not work on transportation funding. But Mr. LaHood, who is retiring from Congress, is very close to Mr. Emanuel and won high praise from key Democratic lawmakers for his efforts to bridge the sometimes bitter partisan divide in Congress. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D., Minn.) said Mr. LaHood's skills as an arbitrator will be essential at the Transportation Department.”

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President-elect Obama holds a news conference at 11:45am ET today in Chicago to unveil his nominees for Interior Secretary and Agriculture Secretary. CBS News has confirmed that Mr. Obama has chosen Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., for Interior and former Gov. Tom Vilsack, D-Iowa, for Agriculture. Vice President-elect Biden is in Delaware and has no public events scheduled.


OBAMA & BLAGOJEVICH

Newsweek’s Howard Fineman, “The Blago Distraction”: “Political pros know that the best time of the year in which to bury a scandal is Christmas week. People are busy. Reporters are on vacation. Almost no one is watching the news. So perhaps you can excuse me for being a little suspicious about a recent announcement from Barack Obama's office. It said that he would release an internal report about his team's contacts with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich—the man the Feds allege is a one-man influence-peddling crime spree—in ‘the week of Dec. 22.’ I'm betting on Boxing Day, Friday, Dec. 26. Or maybe at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve... Obama has said, publicly and repeatedly, that he is sure that no one on his staff did anything wrong. Emanuel, according to reports, has hired a lawyer to help him deal with the Feds—a prudent move—though Obama's staff won't confirm that or even identify the attorney. A source in the Obama inner circle told me Tuesday that Emanuel is on legally safe ground ‘100 percent.’ Emanuel's famously foul-mouthed style may be heard, but that will do nothing more than ‘authenticate the tapes,’ said the source, who declined to be quoted because he was commenting about an ongoing legal matter... Still, however justifiable the silence and caution, Emanuel (and, by extension, Obama) could pay a price for both as the Chicago mess simmers on. Emanuel already has blown up at members of the Chicago press corps—a newspaper reporter and a cameraman. Obama's transition team, eager to show its openness and focus on naming cabinet nominees, has been forced to spend day after day dealing with the Blago story. There's too much focus on Emanuel, whose naturally abrasive personality clashes with his boss's cool demeanor. And Republicans are now piling on Emanuel—and are likely to continue to do so. At this point, there seems little doubt that Emanuel will survive, and will take his place on Jan. 20 as chief of staff in the Oval Office. But he is already a bigger story than is good for either him or his boss—and delay, however legally justified, just makes it bigger. We'll know more next week—at least those of us who are paying attention.”

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