McCain Vows Lifetime Lobby Ban on Aides

He's losing good people for hard-to-fill administration spots

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s campaign pledge to run a lobbyist-free White House is coming back to haunt him, writes Jonathan Martin in Politico. The problem is that there’s an army of Democratic specialists in hard-to-master policy areas who worked as lobbyists during the Bush administration—and they're all off-limits. “This town is filled with crackerjack tax attorneys, but you can go bowling in the Treasury hallway and not hit anybody,” says one lobbyist. More»

Last state to be called leaves tally at Obama 365, McCain 173

(NEWSER) - Missouri, the last state up for grabs, looks to have gone Republican by less than a 1% margin, leaving John McCain with 173 electoral votes to Barack Obama’s 365, the Kansas City Star reports. There are still 3,000 uncounted provisional ballots, but McCain’s margin is large enough to declare him the winner of the state’s 11 electoral votes. More»

(NEWSER) - President-elect Barack Obama addressed the country and the world for the first time tonight, vowing to unite a nation beset by trouble at home and abroad, the Chicago Tribune reports. "Change has come to America," Obama told a crowd of tens of thousands at Chicago's Grant Park and millions more watching around the world. "Our stories are singular, but our destinies are shared." More»

Early results likely to set tone

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama won the crucial battleground states of Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania to clinch victory over John McCain and secure his place in history, MSNBC reports. The 47-year-old Illinois senator will become the nation's first black president when he succeeds George W. Bush in January. Obama reached the 270 electoral votes needed at 11pm ET when he won the states of California, Washington, and Oregon. More»

Obama supporters collect in Chicago; McCain staff relaxed and confident

(NEWSER) - Hundreds of thousands of Barack Obama supporters have been collecting in Chicago's Grant Park, watching results come in on a Jumbotron screen while they await the candidate's rally tonight. The Lollapalooza-like atmosphere includes blankets spread out on the grass and vendors offering t-shirts and buttons, reports the Chicago Tribune. Obama is dining at home with his family, who will move to the rally site later tonight. More»