Lieberman pondering 'options' after Reid meeting

From CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett

Lieberman met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Thursday.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said Thursday he needs a few days to ponder "the options that I have before me" after a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Lieberman did not explain what those options were when he made brief remarks to reporters, and Reid said afterward that no decisions have been made.
Watch: 'We must unite' Lieberman says
Lieberman, the Democratic Party's 2000 vice presidential nominee, supported Republican Sen. John McCain in Tuesday's presidential election. But after Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's victory over McCain, the Connecticut senator said it was time to unite behind the incoming president.
"I decided in that election that partisanship should take a back seat to doing what I believed was best for our country," he said. "But the election is over, and I completely agree with President-elect Obama that we must now unite to get the economy going again and keep the American people safe."
Lieberman's continued allegiance to the Democratic caucus has given the party a 51-49 majority in the Senate since 2006, and he holds the chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. But his support of McCain — and sometimes-harsh criticism of Obama — angered many of his colleagues.
Updated with Reid statement
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Filed under: Joe Lieberman
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Emanuel can 'get things done,' Obama says
Posted: 04:10 PM ET

Obama named Rahm Emanuel chief of staff Thursday.
(CNN) – Rep. Rahm Emanuel, a top House Democrat, has agreed to be Barack Obama's chief of staff, Obama announced Thursday.
"No one I know is better at getting things done than Rahm Emanuel," Obama said in a statement announcing the appointment.
Emanuel responded, also in a written statement, "I'm leaving a job I love to join your White House for one simple reason — I want to do everything I can to help deliver the change America needs."
Emanuel, a former top aide to President Bill Clinton, choked up earlier in the day as he said how glad he was his parents are alive to see him have the choice of becoming chief of staff for the first African-American president.
Related: Emanuel expected to bring 'tough minded' approach to White House
Emanuel, 48, was elected to Congress in 2002 after having been a top aide to President Bill Clinton.
He later helped the Democrats wrest majority control of the House from the Republicans in 2006, when he ran the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Obama and Emanuel are both from Chicago.
The Republican leader in the House criticized the choice of Emanuel — who has a reputation as a tough political infighter — even before it was confirmed.
"This is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center," Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a written statement.
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Filed under: Barack Obama • Transition 2008
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Cafferty: African-American as Pres. before a female?
Posted: 03:29 PM ET
From CNN's Jack Cafferty

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.
Barack Obama made history Tuesday night, after voters came out in record numbers to support him and many voting for the first time.
It was a stunning rise to the presidency for a 47 year-old freshman senator, let alone one who is African-American.
Along the way, he beat out a handful of familiar Washington names for the top spot on the Democratic ticket…Former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Joe Biden who eventually became his running mate and, of course, most notably, Senator Hillary Clinton.
Her star power and powerful ties weren't enough to beat out Obama, but was there something more at play?
To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion click here
Filed under: The Cafferty File
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Computers of Obama, McCain campaigns hacked
Posted: 03:09 PM ET
From CNN Correspondent Brian Todd, CNN Senior Producer Kevin Bohn

Computers at the headquarters of the Obama and McCain campaigns were hacked CNN confirms.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – Computers at the headquarters of the Barack Obama and John McCain campaigns were hacked in mid-summer by a foreign government or organization, a source with knowledge of the incidents confirms to CNN.
Another source, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation, says federal investigators approached both campaigns with information the U.S. government had about the hacking, and the campaigns then hired private companies to mitigate the problem.
U.S. authorities, according to one of the sources, believe they know who the foreign entity responsible for the hacking is, but refused to identify it in any way, including what country.
The source, confirming the attacks that were first reported by Newsweek, said the sophisticated intrusions appeared aimed at gaining information about the evolution of policy positions in order to gain leverage in future dealings with whoever was elected.
The FBI is investigating, one of the sources confirmed to CNN. The FBI and Secret Service refused comment on the incidents.
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Filed under: Barack Obama • John McCain
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Source: Axelrod to be named presidential adviser
Posted: 03:09 PM ET

A source tells Candy Crowley that David Axelrod will be named Senior Adviser to the President-elect.
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) – A source with the Obama Transition team tells CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley that a plan to name David Axelrod a Senior Adviser to the incoming President is "in the works."
Axelrod was the Obama presidential campaign's chief strategist, and a top adviser to Obama during his run for the Senate in 2004.
Filed under: Barack Obama • David Axelrod • Transition 2008
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Blunt to step down as whip
Posted: 02:47 PM ET
From CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh

House Minority Whip Roy Blunt said Obama appears 'much better prepared' than President Clinton had been.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, who will step down from his leadership post in the next Congress, said Thursday that President-elect Obama appears “much better prepared” heading into his first term than President Clinton had been.
The Missouri Republican — who served as Majority Whip when Republicans controlled the chamber — joked with reporters that he was relieved to be relinquishing his leadership role. "I can tell you more problems about members of Congress that you ever wanted to hear," he said, adding "Ten years of asking people things they don't want to do is a long time." But Blunt also sounded nostalgic about leaving leadership. “I will miss it all. …It is fun to be in the middle of every fight every day," he said.
Blunt admitted he was impressed with President-elect Barack Obama's campaign "in terms of discipline, planning, and lack of mistakes." He added, "I think he's much better prepared for this in terms as a manager that President Clinton may have been."Thursday afternoon, House GOP leader John Boehner – who has said he intends to keep his leadership post — said he had asked conservative Indiana Republican Mike Pence to run for the post of Republican Conference Chairman. Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas — who told his colleagues earlier this week that he was running for the Chairman position — is now taking himself out of the race, according to his spokesman.
Pence ran against Boehner for minority leader in 2006, but lost by a substantial margin.
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Filed under: Barack Obama • Congress • Missouri
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Obama, Biden to meet with economic advisers Friday
Posted: 02:36 PM ET

Obama and Biden will meet with a team of economic advisers Friday.
(CNN) — President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden will meet with their Transition Economic Advisory Board in Chicago Friday, followed by the pair's first official press conference since winning the White House, the transition team announced Thursday.
The members of the advisory board — which include former Treasry Secretaries Lawrence Summers and Robert Rubin, former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker, and billionaire businessman Warren Buffett — are listed after the jump.
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Filed under: Barack Obama • Joe Biden • Transition 2008
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Pentagon prepares for first war-time transition since Vietnam
Posted: 02:30 PM ET
From CNN Senior Pentagon Producer Mike Mount

The Pentagon is preparing for a war-time transition.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – As administration transition teams around Washington crank into high gear, Pentagon officials are insisting that the complicated transfer of power from the Bush administration to the Obama administration — the first during a time of war since Vietnam — will go smoothly.
Teams in both Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' office, as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, have been working on the transition for months now, according to Pentagon officials.
"We are preparing to make this as smooth a transition as we can," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said earlier this week.
While officials say the transition is in good hands, little is being said about what discussions will occur between the Pentagon teams and President-elect Barack Obama's transition teams when they begin showing up within days or weeks.
"There is a recognition that given that we are a nation at war, that energy and effort [should] be sufficiently placed to ensure that we don't drop any balls, because national security and supporting our fielded forces that are engaged in combat is of paramount importance to this country," Whitman explained.
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Filed under: Barack Obama • Transition 2008
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Obama, Bush set for Oval Office meeting
Posted: 02:07 PM ET
From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Obama and Bush are set to meet in the White House.
(CNN) – President-elect Barack Obama and President Bush are set to meet in the White House on Monday, a get-together both men say they are looking forward to.
“Michelle and I look forward to meeting with President Bush and the First Lady on Monday to begin the process of a smooth, effective transition," Obama said in a statement. "I thank him for reaching out in the spirit of bipartisanship that will be required to meet the many challenges we face as a nation."
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the two men will sit down in the Oval Office.
"The President and Mrs. Bush look forward to welcoming President-elect and Mrs. Obama to the White House on Monday afternoon. The Bushes will greet the Obamas, and then the President will visit with the President-elect in the Oval Office," she said. "Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Obama will meet in and tour the Private Residence. We understand that the Obama children will not be accompanying them on this visit, but we very much look forward to meeting them."
Filed under: Barack Obama • John McCain • Transition 2008
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Obama launches official transition Web site
Posted: 02:06 PM ET
From CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby

Barack Obama launched an official government Web site Thursday.
(CNN) – Barack Obama launched the official government Web site for the presidential transition on Thursday, giving it a look and feel that suggests the new president will utilize the Internet to a much greater degree than his predecessor.
The site is a slightly more formal-looking incarnation of Obama’s campaign web site that features a blue-shaded presidential seal and a countdown clock to the Inauguration on January 20. There are biographies not only of Obama and Joe Biden, but also the directors of his transition team: John Podesta, Valerie Jarrett and Pete Rouse. The web site outlines Obama’s policy agenda, on issues from Iraq to social security to urban policy.
While the site lacks the innovative community organizing tools that helped propel the Illinois senator to the presidency, one section of the site does ask for user-generated content, asking Americans to submit stories about “what this campaign and this election means to you” and “where President-Elect Obama should lead this country.”
There is a transition blog, which at the moment only features a video of Obama’s Tuesday victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park.
One link on the site is sure to get a flood of clicks: the “Jobs” section.
“All staff appointments chosen for this administration will be committed to fulfilling Obama’s campaign promises, to rebuilding our government, and to serving the American people again,” the site says.
Filed under: Barack Obama • Obama transition team
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Biden talks transition, says McCain's 'still my friend'
Posted: 02:05 PM ET
From CNN Political Producer Alexander Marquardt

Vice President-elect Biden said Thursday that he has not spoken to Sen. McCain since the election but also said he was still friends with McCain.
GEORGETOWN, Delaware (CNN) – As he headed back to Delaware to ceremonially “bury the hatchet” Thursday as part of a state tradition, Vice President-elect Joe Biden told reporters that John McCain was “still my friend.”
He also said that he and President-elect Obama had begun meeting daily to “flesh out the transition” – and did not deny speculation that Sen. John Kerry could be under consideration for a position in the new administration.
Last week, Biden had told reporters he was not sure if the friendship could be saved. “I don’t know, I hope [the friendship] is intact, John and I have not had a chance to speak,” Biden said. “I hope [it’s] intact because I still admire him, I still like him. … I believe when this is over, win or lose, John and I are likely to be around in one form or another, in one job or another, and I hope, my hope is we can work together.”
The Delaware native said he hasn’t spoken to McCain – his friend of over three decades – since the Democratic ticket’s victory. Asked what he’d say to McCain and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin if they were on hand, Biden seemed to reach out to his Senate colleague, but did not seem as eager to make peace with the Arizona senator’s running mate.
“I’d say John, we’re still friends,” he said, adding “I don’t know Sarah Palin. I’m not being a wiseguy, you know, it’s over. I mean, I think it’s pretty remarkable, for the all the ups and downs, [a] pretty remarkable run for her. I mean, here’s a woman who is out of Wasilla as a mayor and then governor for two years. I think it’s pretty remarkable, pretty remarkable.
“But John’s still my friend. I say, John, I need you. We need you. This is an opportunity. We really mean what we said…. Barack and I met yesterday, and we’ll be meeting every day for a while until we flesh out this cabinet and everybody else. But we really mean it. We’ve got to reach out, man. You can’t get from here to there with just Democrats, you can’t do it. And I, and I’m…well anyway, when I talk to John, that is, that’s my, that’s what I’m going to tell him.”
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Filed under: Joe Biden • John McCain • Sarah Palin • Transition 2008
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Report: '08 turnout same as or only slightly higher than '04
Posted: 01:55 PM ET
From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

North Carolina had the highest increase in voter turnout, according to a report released Thursday.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – A new report from American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate concludes that voter turnout in Tuesday’s election was the same in percentage terms as it was four years ago — or at most has risen by less than 1 percent.
Click here to read the entire report.
The report released Thursday estimates that between 126.5 and 128.5 million Americans cast ballots in the presidential election earlier this week. Those figures represent 60.7 percent or, at most, 61.7 percent of those eligible to vote in the country.
“A downturn in the number and percentage of Republican voters going to the polls seemed to be the primary explanation for the lower than predicted turnout,” the report said. Compared to 2004, Republican turnout declined by 1.3 percentage points to 28.7 percent, while Democratic turnout increased by 2.6 points from 28.7 percent in 2004 to 31.3 percent in 2008.
“Many people were fooled (including this student of politics although less so than many others) by this year’s increase in registration (more than 10 million added to the rolls), citizens’ willingness to stand for hours even in inclement weather to vote early, the likely rise in youth and African American voting, and the extensive grassroots organizing network of the Obama campaign into believing that turnout would be substantially higher than in 2004,” Curtis Gans, the center’s director, said in the report. “But we failed to realize that the registration increase was driven by Democratic and independent registration and that the long lines at the polls were mostly populated by Democrats.”
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Filed under: 2008 Election • Early voting
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Beam me up, Wolf! CNN debuts election-night hologram
Posted: 01:00 PM ET
From CNN Political Producer Chris Welch

CNN's Jessica Yellin appeared live as a hologram before anchor Wolf Blitzer Tuesday night in New York.
(CNN) — It was an election night like none other, in every sense of the phrase. In addition to the obvious — the selection of the nation's first black president — Tuesday night's coverage on CNN showcased groundbreaking technology.
"I want you to watch what we're about to do," CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer told viewers early in the evening's coverage, "because you've never seen anything like this on television."
And he was right. Cue CNN political correspondent Jessica Yellin.
"Hi Wolf!" said Yellin, waving to Blitzer as she stood a few feet in front of him in the network's New York City studios. Or at least, that's the way it appeared at first glance.
In reality, Yellin — a correspondent who had been covering Sen. Barack Obama's campaign — was at the now president-elect's mega-rally along the lakefront in Chicago, Illinois, more than 700 miles away from CNN's Election Center in New York.
It looked like a scene straight out of "Star Wars." Here was Yellin, partially translucent with a glowing blue haze around her, appearing to materialize in thin air. She even referenced the classic movie on her own, saying, "It's like I follow in the tradition of Princess Leia. It's something else."
Full story
Filed under: CNN
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