Eric Holder Officially Confirmed As Attorney General, 75 to 21

According to Wolf Blitzer on the CNN Situation Room, Eric Holder was just officially confirmed as U.S. Attorney General by the Senate, 75 for to 21 against.  Holder becomes the first African American AG.

Obama Inauguration - L'Enfant Plaza Hotel Is A Warm Place

It was so cold on Inauguration Day that I sought refuge and found it at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, where Lynn Lashbrook, the Director of Sales and the staff was all too kind and helped thousands of freezing lobby visitors.

Barack Oblogger: Cursed Purple Tickets (or, how I worked for two years to get Obama elected and then couldn't view the Inauguration)”

More at Barack Oblogger I can personally attest to the hard work and determination of Lonnee Hamilton, who's been a valued contributor to my blog network, and a tireless worker.

To learn that she was in the tunnel is saddening to me. Here's part of her account:

: “I'm one of those Obamaites some people hate. Since the day he announced his candidacy, I have been working full-bore to get this man elected. I've been a volunteer and a staff member. My family has been brought to the verge of economic collapse due to my dedication toward the campaign and its untold volunteer hours. Life has been put on hold, household repairs have gone undone, there has been tension in my relationship with an extremely supportive and patient spouse, who would have loved to see my passion for Obama put into a proper financial perspective. My two children have sold bumper stickers, buttons, and have put up with Mom blogging for Obama in her "spare time" for almost two years.

And you know what, there are thousands of people throughout the country who have worked as hard as I have, if not harder

And that's why my let-down about the Inauguration is that much greater. Because I was unlucky enough, along with thousands of other Obama volunteers, to have been given one of the "Purple Tickets of Doom."”

Franken Camp: Coleman Is Desperate, Knows He's Going To Lose TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo |

TPM Election Central | Talking Points Memo | Franken Camp: Coleman Is Desperate, Knows He's Going To Lose: “In a press briefing just now, a very exuberant Franken campaign put forward a clear message about today's big news that the wrongly-rejected absentee ballots can be counted, which the Coleman campaign is trying to halt by going to court: Norm Coleman is desperate, because he knows he's going to lose.

The shift in tone from the Franken camp, compared to their more defensive posture in previous calls, reflects just how suddenly the dynamics of the race have shifted in his favor today.”

Obama Preserves Political Capital for Stimulus Plan - WSJ.com

Obama Preserves Political Capital for Stimulus Plan - WSJ.com: “WASHINGTON -- Barack Obama's transition team is resisting Bush administration overtures to coordinate more on the financial-sector rescue, convinced that neither the lame-duck President George W. Bush nor the president-elect has the clout to win a smooth congressional release of more bailout funds.

With the first $350 billion of the bailout money nearly allocated, transition aides are pressing Treasury officials to convene a bipartisan meeting on Capitol Hill this week. Obama aides say the Treasury needs to sound out congressional leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers on what information they need to release the second, $350 billion tranche from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.”

TNR Reports No Media Love Affair With Obama; McCain Proved Wrong Again

In a revealing online article, The New Republic's Gabriel Sherman writes about the changing relationship between the press and the Obama camp, proving in the process, there's no media love for the Obama staff.