From The Hotline for Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008

His Bridge To The 20th Century

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008


If, as they say, three examples make a trend, then we've officially got one today: With his decision to name Holder as AG, Pres.-elect Obama is moving quickly to revive the Clinton era. (First Emanuel as CoS, then HRC as (possible) sec/state and now Holder). Can Obama install the players but avoid the drama and still remain sincere to his mantra of "change"?

-- Early forecasts are cloudy. It speaks volumes, for example, that early coverage of the Holder nom focuses mostly on his role in the Marc Rich pardons, not the historic appointment of the first black AG. Two weeks after Obama's landmark election, has the media moved past its focus on race? Or is the press just more drawn to potential conflict?

-- Then again, Obama's team is taking a pro-active approach to reducing Clinton meshugas. The WSJ reports today that B. Clinton has offered to submit future charitable and biz activities for ethics reviews if HRC gets State and, for the first time, to disclose previous donors to his efforts. If he could secure similar concessions from Detroit, Obama might be able to guarantee a bailout for the Big 3.

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