This is on America.

I'm happy that Obama realizes that he needs to be able to break out of his Presidential bubble. I was hoping Axelrod and Jarrett would have stayed in Chicago, to be the folks outside the bubble that were close enough to Obama that he trusts them completely and that they were comfortable enough to be able to speak truth to power. Let's hope he figures something out with the Blackberry, and this issue in general.

Biden wasn't lying when he said Obama would be tested and naming a hawkish experienced FP team and keeping Gates on is sending the message not to play games. Given the two wars and then economy is dire straits, Obama has enough on his plate without testing from outside entities.

Getting the soldiers out safely is a huge undertaking. You just can't say "Planes are leaving from Baghdad Airport every hour on the hour on a first come first served basis". We're talking hundreds of thousands of soldiers, contractors, diplomats and all the equipment and weaponry - I can't even wrap my head around the logistics of it all, and it has to be done as safely and orderly as possible all the while trying to make sure civil war doesn't break out in the areas you leave from.

Josh has been beating the Scowcroft connection with Obama for weeks now. The writing was on the wall.

This is about bringing the Bush 41 Republicans around.

I think most folks are moderately right on FP/defense and moderately left on domestic and social issues - If Obama can claim that ground as the "new" Democratic Party territory, the Republican party is in a world of hurt.

It's ludicrous. Tell them to piss off, all of them. So Bush and his cronies can run a hard right administration, but Obama and the Dems need to run a centrist one when he's got strong majorities in the House and Senate and bigger mandate than Bush ever had?

I want arrests and war crime tribunals. I'd sacrifice all Obama's political capital on seeing Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Yoo, Addington, Tenet, Gonzalez held accountable for the world to see.

WASHINGTON: John Brennan, President-elect Barack Obama's top adviser on intelligence, has taken his name out of the running for any intelligence position in the new administration.

In a letter Tuesday, Brennan wrote letter to Obama that he did not want to be a distraction. His potential appointment has raised a firestorm in liberal blogs who associate him with the Bush administration's interrogation, detention and rendition policies.

"The fact that I was not involved in the decisionmaking process for any of these controversial policies and actions has been ignored," he wrote, in a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Wesley Clark questions McCain's readiness and the GOP Outrage Machine comes out in full attack mode, Chickenhawk Shameless compares Max Cleland to Osama Bin Laden and Republicans elect him. Blatant hypocrisy, but par for the course.

The Republican Party stands for nothing anymore except going into the gutter to get elected.

I think Martin should focus on local issues to Ga, and let Chambliss fight the GE battle all over again. Make this a referendum on Chambliss and his gutter campaign tactics.

Obama, save one or two instances, didn't support down ticket Democrats during the GE, so it's not really anything different.

If anything I think Martin should show certain independence from Obama, that he won't be a lap dog automatic vote for Obama but will instead represent Ga. and his constituents.

There really wasn't too many (any??) specifics, and I think that's what folks and the markets are looking for.

I bet Geithner is the first Treasury Secretary who skateboards.

I don't think making it about Obama is the right tact. Martin wasn't able to ride Obama's coattails on Nov 4th, he's much more unlikely to do it now. He should be running a "all politics is local" campaign and making the run-off a referendum on Saxby Shameless, and his campaign tactics - both in 2002 and now.

(Anyways It was Clintoris a mash up of name and anatomy, the feminine of "The Clenis" which has it's own urban dictionary entry in relation to Bill Clinton)

I think a blog on all the different areas laying out your concerns and restating the TOS and what will and will not be acceptable could have went a long way into solving the issues you are having with your board.

If the mods would have addressed this issue rather hitting and running things could have been remedied.

So I guess John McCain and Sarah Palin deserve high ranking cabinet positions. McCain for Secretary of Defense and Palin for Secretary of Energy?