Bidenism

(Newser) - The 111th Congress is going to be a lot more than just a rubber stamp for Barack Obama's policies, Harry Reid tells the Hill . The Senate majority leader says Democrats must take care to avoid over-reaching. "If Obama steps over the bounds, I will tell him," the Democrat says. "I do not work for Barack Obama. I work with him.” More »

(Newser) - Joe Biden defended the pick of Leon Panetta to head the CIA but offered an apology of sorts for the way it was handled, Politico reports. “I think it was just a mistake,” Biden said of not informing top Democrats of the choice, which led to a chiding by Dianne Feinstein yesterday. "I think it's always good to talk to the requisite members of Congress,” Biden continued. “I’m still a Senate man.” More »

(Newser) - Joe Biden’s new communications director will be top political journalist Jay Carney, who’s worked at Time magazine for two decades, Politico reports. The magazine’s Washington bureau chief, a frequent TV analyst, had already decided to follow a new path after the election, a Democratic source said, adding, “It's an adventure. Everybody thought it was an interesting idea and worth the risk.” More »

(Newser) - The Obama girls don’t have their puppy yet, but Joe Biden wasted no time in picking out his new veep's best friend, the (Delaware)  News Journal reports. The vice president-elect has chosen a six-week-old male German shepherd—the “pick of the litter,” says the Pennsylvania breeder. Biden’s wife Jill had promised him a “big dog” if he got elected. Biden says his grandkids will get the naming honors. More »

(Newser) - Jill Biden is not your typical vice presidential spouse. She has four degrees, three kids, and a teaching career that’s unlikely to take a back seat to her Washington duties, Politico reports. “She’ll still teach in the spring, but hopefully near Washington,” said a colleague at the Delaware community college where she works now. "She’s had some offers I think from four-year schools, but she said, ‘That’s not me.'" More »

(Newser) - The nation's last two vice presidents loomed large in Washington—Al Gore leading on the environment and technology and Dick Cheney practically a shadow president. But when Joe Biden succeeds arguably the most powerful No. 2 in American history, the job is expected to shrink back to its original size. As the New York Times reports, Biden will serve primarily as a counselor and adviser to Barack Obama, and he will not receive a portfolio. More »