President-elect Obama

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Obama Inspires Young Black Pols to Take Risks for 2010

Candidates to abandon sure wins for ambitious positions

(Newser) - Young black politicians inspired by Barack Obama’s astonishingly quick ascent are pursuing riskier, more ambitious strategies for the 2010 elections, Chris Cillizza writes in the Washington Post. Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek, for example, a 42-year-old African-American, is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez, though Meek...

Obama Will Issue Order to Close Gitmo

Exec edict may come as soon as Jan. 20: transition team

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to issue an executive order in his first week in office—perhaps his first day—to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, according to two transition-team advisers, the AP reports. Nonethless, it is unlikely the detention facility at the US Navy base in...

Wall Street Dominates List of Inaugural Donors

Big banks (yeah, those big banks) have bundled huge donations for the bash

(Newser) - Private donations to defray the cost of Barack Obama's inauguration festivities total $27.3 million—and large donors, including Wall Street executives flush with bailout cash, chipped in $24.8 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. That runs counter to the vow to remain independent of special interests that led...

39, 41, 42, 43, 44 Have Lunch at the White House

Bush wishes Obama success in the future

(Newser) - Barack Obama met with a pair of George Bushes, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter today for a photo-op and lunch at the White House, the Chicago Tribune reports. "I want to thank the president-elect for joining the ex-presidents for lunch,'' Bush said, looking to Obama. "And one...

Pelosi Sacks Fla. Rep's Plea to Delay Votes for Gator Game

Ocala pol wanted to suspend biz for football

(Newser) - A Florida congressman asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to postpone certifying the election of Barack Obama and other business so the Florida and Oklahoma delegations can attend the Gators and Sooners BCS championship game tomorrow, AP reports. "Madam Speaker, kindly consider," Republican Cliff Stearns pleaded in a handwritten...

Big Lunch Date: Obama, Bush, Bush, Clinton, Carter

(Newser) - Barack Obama is moving to DC this weekend, and he's already got an interesting lunch date lined up next week with some fellows named George Bush (both of them), Clinton, and Carter, ABC News reports. Wednesday's meeting at the White House will bring together the president-elect with all the living...

As Presidential 'Bubble' Closes, Obama Pokes Back

President-elect ditches the reporter pool to take daughters to a water park

(Newser) - There's a growing gaggle of press and Secret Service standing between Barack Obama and the outside world—not to mention the corner hotdog stand—and the president-elect is showing signs that the presidential "bubble" is wearing on him, Politico reports. Obama ditched the pool of reporters assigned to follow...

Aretha, Rick Warren on Tap for Inauguration Day

John Williams will compose new music for Obama's landmark occasion

(Newser) - Aretha Franklin will participate in Barack Obama’s inauguration next month, the New York Times reports, with the Queen of Soul hitting the stage after evangelical leader Rick Warren gives the invocation. Obama has also commissioned composer John Williams to write a new piece of music for the ceremony—to...

Hillary to Supporters: Lay Off Caroline

Clinton's not holding any primary grudges, and not taking sides

(Newser) - To those Clintonites bashing Caroline Kennedy—the Democratic scion who threw her weight behind Barack Obama in the hard-fought primaries—Hillary Clinton has a message: Pipe down, the New York Daily News reports. Clinton insiders say the soon-to-be secretary of State understands "She's got to be part of the...

More Deja Vu: Betty Currie on Obama Team

Bill Clinton's secretary is now answering phones for Podesta

(Newser) - Yet another link with the Clinton White House: Betty Currie, the secretary to Bill Clinton who became embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, has rolled up her sleeves and is now manning the phones for John Podesta, the co-chairman of Obama’s transition team and former Clinton chief of staff,...

Obama Dials GOP Just to Say Hi
 Obama Dials GOP Just to Say Hi 
Dec 17, 2008 9:10 AM CST

Obama Dials GOP Just to Say Hi

Prez-elect on charm offensive with key Republican legislators

(Newser) - As Barack Obama readies a massive agenda, he’s been keeping key Republicans on speed-dial, the Hill reports. Though he seemed more comfortable with big crowds during the campaign, the prez-elect is reaching out to touch Republicans likely to be both adversaries and collaborators alike. “I think this seems...

McCain 'Can't Promise' to Support Palin for Prez

Tells ABC his 'corpse is still warm,' and there are other 'great governors'

(Newser) - John McCain can't guarantee that he would back his own vice presidential candidate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin if she ran for president in 2012, he conceded in a surprisingly weak show of support on ABC's This Week. McCain praised Palin, but repeatedly ducked questions about backing her in a future...

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