President-elect Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., met in Chicago Monday and pledged to work together to find common ground after a "productive conversation" (Politico).
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., D-Ill., a top contender for Obama's Senate seat, said he doesn't think "it's that important at all" that the vacancy be filled by an African-American (Roll Call -- subscription).
Foreign Affairs
President-elect Obama must prepare the military for three big challenges -- Islamic extremism, the rise of China and more nuclear-armed powers -- the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments reports (GovExec).
Obama has called Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to assure the tiny nation, an object of Moscow's ire, that it has Washington's continued support (Reuters).
Making His Mark
Obama will get the chance early on in his presidency to weigh in on issues surrounding presidential power and civil liberties (New York Times).
Obama is hoping to fill more than 300 technology positions that are presidentially appointed (NextGov).
The president-elect and congressional Democrats will likely get to decide how to divvy up the second half of the $700 billion federal bailout package (The Hill).
As Obama prepares to take office, the stars may be aligning for universal health care (Los Angeles Times).
Secretary of State Sweepstakes
If Obama taps Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., for secretary of State, he risks alienating Democrats like Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (Washington Times).
The possibility of Secretary of State Clinton is all the more interesting because foreign policy is the area she and Obama clashed the most over during the primaries (Boston Globe).
Former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke is pushing his own candidacy for secretary of State (Los Angeles Times).
The Inner Circle
Obama's White House team is being filled with pugnacious characters, despite the president-elect's own distaste for drama (New York Times).
An unpaid Obama transition adviser, Thomas E. Donilon, earned millions lobbying against increased oversight of troubled mortgage giant Fannie Mae (Washington Times).
Obama talked of bringing a fresh perspective to Washington, but the president-elect is surrounding himself with plenty of Hill insiders, such as Rahm Emanuel and Pete Rouse (Washington Post).
The vetting process has become so intense that some potential Obama appointees hired lawyers in the spring and summer to "pre-vet" them and dig up any old skeletons (Washington Post).
Inauguration Fever
The congressional committee overseeing the inauguration is exploring options to expand the number of people who will be able to attend the Jan. 20 swearing-in (New York Times).
The estimated number of attendees for January's inauguration is now pushing 4 million (Washington Post).
Mr. Obama Goes To Washington
After Rev. Jeremiah Wright put a dent in Obama's candidacy during the primaries, the president-elect's church choice is "likely to be scrutinized" (AP).
The Clintons cut Chelsea off from media access, President Kennedy welcomed it for his two children, and the Obamas will likely fall somewhere in between for Malia and Sasha (Los Angeles Times).
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