WASHINGTON  – In the first week of 2008, Barack Obama rocked the political world with a win in the Iowa caucuses. But the question remained: Could this black man with a rich personal history and sparse elective resume make it all the way to the presidency?
Yes, he could.
Obama took us along on a wild ride, [...]

President-elect Barack Obama is “ridiculously happy, according to http://happytweets.com/, a site that monitors the “happiness” of people’s twitter accounts.
Twitter is a social networking site that allows people to tell their followers what they are doing in 140 characters or less. As of this posting, Barack Obama had 156,873 followers. His last tweet, posted Nov. 5, [...]

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday will name former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate, sources familiar with the decision say.

Congressional Republicans objected yesterday to hurried consideration of President-elect Barack Obama’s emerging stimulus proposal, questioning the economic value of many of the projects being floated for inclusion and voicing support for a more methodical process that might delay the legislation’s passage well into February.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The campaigns of Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken wrangled Monday over hundreds of unopened absentee ballots that could still tip Minnesota’s Senate race.
Lawyers ended a testy public negotiation session convened by the secretary of state’s office without agreement on which ballots to open or how many should be under [...]

RALEIGH, N.C. – Outgoing Gov. Mike Easley is complaining about how he and his administration have been treated by newspapers in North Carolina.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Tuesday that Easley said in an interview published Christmas Day by the News & Record of Greensboro that newspapers often publish stories that prompt questions from [...]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has given birth in Alaska to a son.
People magazine reports that Bristol Palin gave birth to Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston on Sunday. He weighed 7 pounds, 4 ounces.
Relative Colleen Jones tells the magazine the baby is fine and Bristol is “doing [...]

RALEIGH, N.C. — While Americans await the arrival of the nation’s First Dog to move in with the Obama family, North Carolina’s Governor-elect Beverly Perdue is bringing two First Dogs into the elegant ambience of the state’s 1891 Victorian-style Governor’s Mansion in Raleigh.
Carroll Leggett, author of Raleigh Metro Magazine’s “Between You and Me”  column, offers [...]

Representative Rahm Emanuel initiated another contact with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich today – this one to formally resign his House seat.