Choosing Clinton for Secretary of State Would be a Mistake?

President Obama is obviously trying to appease the whining Hillary Clinton supporters by seriously considering her for Secretary of State? He might also be trying to prevent a potential adversary in 2012. Either way it is a serious mistake. The Clintons cannot be trusted. They are crooked to the core. It was they whom used race and anti-Muslim rhetoric to try and defeat Obama is the primaries. What will be Bill's role in all this? The primaries showed that the former president is all about himself. He will most certainly say things in the next 4 years that will embarrass the administration, if not compromise it. Bill Clinton's dirty business dealings will eventually come to light and cause a major scandal. It will also give Republicans an easy target. The Clintons are a favor of the right wing. There will be all kinds of conspiracy theories about the deals made by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. President Obama will disappoint many of his supporters who believed he would be break from the corrupt past.

He are some other perspectives:

NY Times take:

Still, the fact that Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton had even met to discuss such a possibility left even some of their closest advisers and allies talking about the pros and cons of so close a partnership, and about how it would be complicated by a third wheel: Mrs. Clinton’s globe-trotting husband, former President Bill Clinton.

[...]That said, there are clear dangers for Mr. Obama as well, not least of them any lingering rivalry between the two of them after an often-contentious primary campaign. The drama-averse president-elect would also inevitably be sharing the stage with both Clintons, with all of the attention and baggage that accompany them wherever they go. And her appointment could undercut his argument that he is bringing true change to Washington.

It is not clear what room Mrs. Clinton’s presence as the nation’s top diplomat would leave for Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to be an influential player in his specialty of foreign policy. And now that his consideration of Mrs. Clinton has become so public, he faces another danger: the risk of reopening old wounds in the party and among Democratic women in particular if he does not appoint her to a top job.

[...]One potential downside for Mrs. Clinton taking a top job in the cabinet: she would presumably have to disclose much more about Mr. Clinton’s earnings, especially from foreign sources, and donors to his presidential library than they have been willing to disclose so far.

The Provocateur:

First of all, Hillary Clinton, unfortunately, comes as a package deal with her husband and ex President, Bill Clinton. If the new President wants to assure a dysfunctional Presidency allow the ex President to have a seat at the table of advisors. More than that, the ex President has been an awfully naughty boy since leaving the White House. This is an entirely different sort of naughty than his exploits in the White House. He has befriended all sorts of wily characters throughout the Middle East and even in China since leaving the White House. We still have no idea who exactly donated to the Clinton Library.

If, after all the lurid details of Bill's post Presidential life come out, Hillary is actually confirmed, then we will be spending the next four years or so analyzing whether or not each and every move she makes as Secretary of State was a payback to some befriended Middle East Shiek. Does President Obama really want his foreign policy to be viewed as some sort of a lackey for the UAE? If that is his goal, a good way to accomplish that is to pick Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State.

Also, President Elect Obama, fooling the folks into thinking you are experienced doesn't actually mean you are. Hillary Clinton spent Bill's years having tea and cake with the wives of dignitaries. Her foreign policy experience is slightly more "impressive" than yours. During a campaign, you might be able to fool the folks, but once you govern, reality sets in. Hillary Clinton is no foreign policy heavyweight, she's a foreign policy lightweight in sheep's clothing. On top of this, she derided your entire foreign policy platform. She called your idea of meeting unconditionally with foreign dictators "naive". Are you really willing to cede your political opponents fodder with uncomfortable press conferences as your Secretary of State is forced to defend you against her own words?

Senators Question Bankers About Hoarding Taxpayer Dollars

Are the banks using the government bailout money to pay bonuses to executives, hoarding it, rather than making loans to homeowners, which is what was expected when the tax dollars were distributed?

Some of the nation's largest banks sharing in the $700 billion government bailout of the financial industry tried to assure lawmakers Thursday they are using the money to make more loans and help financially strapped homeowners avoid foreclosure.

Barry L. Zubrow, chief risk officer with JP Morgan Chase & Co., told the Senate Banking Committee that a portion of the $25 billion capital infusion it received from the Treasury Department was being deployed to "expand the flow of credit" and to assist with rewriting residential mortgages for up to 400,000 families.

Zubrow and executives with Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co. told the committee that none of the $75 billion they have received collectively from the government is being used to pay salaries or bonuses.

"The committee has asked whether (bailout) funds would be spent on executive compensation," said Jon Campbell, regional banking president for Wells Fargo & Co. in his testimony. "The answer is no. Wells Fargo doesn't need the government investment to pay for bonuses or compensation."

Some of the executives said bonuses this year will be lower because of the economic downturn.

"Employee compensation will be dramatically affected by changes in the overall economic and financial environment and our performance for the full year, but it certainly will not increase as a result of receiving TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) funds," said Gregory Palm, general counsel for Goldman Sachs.

Bank of America's board has decided that this year's bonus compensation pool will be reduced by more than 50 percent, Anne Finucane, a marketing and corporate affairs executive, told the committee.

Where is the money going?

The US government has staged a U-turn on its plans for bailing out the country's financial system, saying that it no longer intends to buy the toxic mortgage assets at the heart of the credit crisis.

The announcement came less than six weeks after the Treasury won a gruelling battle with Congress for the authority to conduct the purchases. Hank Paulson, Treasury secretary, said that the remainder of the $700bn bail-out fund will instead be used to buy more direct stakes in banks and other financial firms.

As he spoke, the Federal Reserve and other banking regulators made an unprecedented joint statement urging banks to use money already received from the government to issue new loans, rather than hoarding the cash to pay dividends and staff bonuses.

The change of plan reflected the speed with which the credit crisis has overwhelmed government efforts to restore order to debt markets. They continue to be gummed up in a way that is starving businesses and consumers of loans and are throttling the US economy.

Mr Paulson's new statement did little to reassure markets, which remain confused over the scope and ultimate effectiveness of government intervention. "I will never apologise for changing an approach or a strategy when the facts change," he said. "During the two weeks that Congress considered the legislation, market conditions worsened considerably. It was clear to me by the time the bill was signed on 3 October that we needed to act quickly and forcefully, and that purchasing troubled assets – our initial focus – would take time to implement and would not be sufficient given the severity of the problem."

The Treasury's original plan was based on the assumption that removing toxic mortgage assets from banks' balance sheets would finally establish how much they were worth, thereby restoring confidence and enabling companies to raise private money. But Mr Paulson said the Treasury would spend an initial $250bn buying direct stakes in banks before it turned to the mortgage purchases. Economists had argued that directly recapitalising the banks was more efficient, because institutions could leverage the new money to make many times that amount in new loans.

Finucane said Bank of America originated more than $50 billion in mortgage loans in the third quarter of 2008 but acknowledged that "we are lending less than we were a year ago."

Palin on the Larry King Show: Transcript (11-12-08)

Sarah Palin was interviewed on the 'Larry King Live' show yesterday(11-12-08). Read the complete transcript.

KING: All right. Our new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll shows that 49 per cent of adult Americans have a favorable feeling about you, 43 percent an unfavorable. In retrospect, do you think you might have hurt the ticket?

PALIN: If I hurt the ticket at all, and cost John McCain even one vote, I am sorry about it because John McCain is a true American hero, he's got great solutions in terms of the challenges that are facing America right now with national security and needing to get our economy back on the right track. John McCain has solutions. I look forward to seeing him as a leader in the Senate, reaching out to Barack Obama and the new administration, being able to work together with the solutions that he has. Again, sorry if I cost him any votes, if I did.

KING: But you, you don't have an opinion as to whether you did or didn't?

PALIN: I personally don't think that I, Sarah Palin from Alaska, the VP pick, I don't believe that I caused the outcome to be what it was. I think the economy tanking a couple of months ago had a lot more to do with it than the VP pick. But I think too not winning the Hispanic vote and being outspent so tremendously in this campaign, John McCain had fulfilled his promise in just keeping with the public financing of the campaign and Barack Obama went on to accept the private donations and contributions that allowed us to be very, very greatly outspent.

There were a lot of contributing factors. I'm not going to point the finger right back at me and say that I was the cause of the outcome, but there were a lot of contributing factors. But again, if I caused even one person to shy away from electing an American hero, John McCain, to the presidency, than I apologize.

KING: Do you -- what role do you think you have in the party? You're at the Governors Association Convention, the Republican governors. How do you see yourself down the road?

PALIN: Every Republican governor has a tremendous role to play in making sure that Americans understand that -- what it is that we do out there on the front lines, balancing multibillion dollar budgets and dealing with tens of thousands of employees in our organizations. The executive experience that we all have as governors needs to be put to good use in helping in the new administration, reaching out to Barack Obama, in order to progress this nation and find solutions to the many challenges that we face. Every Republican governor has much to contribute.

KING: But your own role --

PALIN: Well, I'm one of them. I am one of them, desiring to reach out and assist the new administration that has recently been elected. What I can do specifically in helping our nation become energy independent, of course, comes from my experience as an oil and gas regulator in a huge energy-producing state. And now as governor of that state, we know that we have the domestic solutions and the domestic supplies of energy. And we have the American ingenuity and we have the American workers ready to be put to use to allow our nation to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy, volatile foreign regimes that control too much of our energy supply and use energy as a weapon.

We need to get away from that and domestic solutions that are at our fingertips. I want to help lead in that area. Also, what I can do as a Republican governor is do all that I can in my state and hopefully in the nation also in helping our families who have children with special needs.

It's an issue near and dear to my heart. It resonated well throughout the campaign also, Americans recognizing that this is time that our families who have children and adults with special needs, that America shows its good heart to them also. And we start cherishing every life, I want to help in that arena also.

Bush Expresses Regrets in CNN Interview: Transcript (11-11-08)

The outgoing President talks about his regrets in interview with CNN. Read the complete Transcript. Excerpt below:

President Bush: Being the commander in chief is as high an honor as you can possibly imagine and I have given it my all to support our military and to support our veterans. What does that mean? It means going to Congress and saying let's make sure our military families have good housing, health care, educational benefits. It means helping to work with the Congress to get money for our veterans, but it really means saying to our troops, "I will make decisions based on what is best for our country, not what is best for me politically." I don't want your troops thinking that the decisions I have made were about politics or about my standing. The decisions were made how to secure this country, how to protect ourselves from the long run. And that was important for those troops to know that their commander in chief not only supported them but stood with them in their mission

CNN: As you stand with them in their mission there are two months left of your presidency. How will that feel to leave office in the middle of two wars? Video Watch Bush discuss his regrets »

Bush: I'm trying to figure it out because there's a lot going on. We've got an economic situation, the campaign just ended, we still have troops in harm's way. I'll be meeting with families of the fallen today. This job will end on January 20 and so this is a better question answered on the 21st. I'm not sure what to tell you because I know I'm going to go from 100 mph to near zero overnight. I'm not sure what to expect. I know I'll miss certain things about the presidency. I also know I'm looking forward to getting home, so I've got mixed emotions.

CNN: What will you tell -- and maybe you talked about this yesterday with President-elect Obama -- about taking care of America's veterans and active servicemen and women?

Bush: To the extent that he asked my advice -- and he may want to ask it again -- and the best way to make sure he feels comfortable asking it again is for me not to tell you in the first place on what I advised him. We had a very private conversation. It was relaxed. It was interesting to watch someone that is getting ready to assume the office of the president. It will be a fantastic experience for he and his family. He didn't need my advice about supporting the military. He knows he must do that. We had a good conversation. I was very pleased. Remember the conversation I had with my predecessor Bill Clinton, as a matter of fact called him yesterday and said, Bill, I'm getting ready to meet with the new president and I remember how gracious you were to me. I hope I can be as gracious to President-elect Obama as you were to me. It was interesting yesterday. One of the things President-elect Obama was interested in, after we had our policy discussions, was his little girls, how would they like the White House. It was interesting to watch him go upstairs. He wanted to see where his little girls were going to sleep. Clearly this guy is going to bring a sense of family to the White House and I hope Laura and I did the same thing, but I believe he will and I know his girls are on his mind and he wants to make sure that first and foremost he is a good dad. And I think that's going to be an important part of his presidency.

McCain on Jay Leno: Transcript, Video (11-11-08)

John McCain appeared on the 'Tonight Show' yesterday. Read the complete transcript (excerpt below).
Part1


Part 2

Part 3


Excerpt:

Jay Leno: It's been a week since the election. How are you doing?

Senator John McCain: Well, I've been sleeping like a baby. (Laughter.) Sleep two hours, wake up and cry. Sleep two hours, wake up and cry. (Laughter.)

Jay Leno: Well, how --

Senator John McCain: I gotta tell you one quick story about Arizona. As you know, the great state of Arizona I've had the honor to represent. And we have a problem in Arizona. It's really kind of a sad thing, because Barry Goldwater from Arizona ran for President of the United States. Morris Udolf (sp.) from Arizona ran for President of the United States. Bruce Babbitt from Arizona ran for President of the 1 United States. I, twice. Arizona may be the only state in America where mothers don't tell their children that some day they can grow up and be President of the United States. (Laughter.) I mean, that's a sad story.

Jay Leno: How about your wife Cindy? How is she taking it? Because sometimes --

Senator John McCain: Yeah, it's tough. It's tougher always on the family members. But she's doing fine. She's doing very fine. Thanks for having her and Meghan on the show. Appreciate it.

Jay Leno: They were great guests.

Senator John McCain: Thank you. And I'm glad to be back for my 14th time. I'm happy to be on.

Jay Leno: The day after the election, it was so weird. I turn on the TV, and I see you coming out of your house or apartment. You get in your car, and you drive somewhere by yourself.

Senator John McCain: Yeah. To get a cup of coffee, yeah. I didn't have a single accident.

Jay Leno: I mean --

Senator John McCain: Maybe one.

Jay Leno: What was that like to suddenly be surrounded -- "He's coming down the hall. Remove" -- and then suddenly -- I mean --

Senator John McCain: Well, secret service people, despite the idiot you talked about tonight, they're wonderful people. They're brave. They serve the country. They're just really the best of America. But it is a bit confining, you know. So I'm able to -- 2

Jay Leno: So what did you do that first day? Where were you driving when you --

Senator John McCain: Went down to get a cup of coffee. Cindy and I went down to get a cup of coffee and -- not the newspaper. I knew what it was going to say. (Laughter.)

Jay Leno: And you went up to the mountains too?

Senator John McCain: Yeah, went up to our place near Sedona and had a very nice time.

Jay Leno: Now, which house is that? Number 12?

Senator John McCain: You know what? That's -- let's see. 27.

Jay Leno: 27.

Senator John McCain: But we're -- you know, look, it's a great honor. It's a great privilege. It's an incredible thing that I was able to do. And I saluted, as you know, and admire and respect the winner, Senator -- President elect Barack Obama.

Jay Leno: Actually, to me, that was, I thought, a nice moment when you were talking somewhere. In the campaign when I saw ugly things going back and forth and a woman said, "Well, Barack Obama, he's an Arab or a terrorist," and you stopped and you said, "No, he's a good man and he's a family man."

Senator John McCain: Yeah, a good and decent person.

Jay Leno: And I like that. I thought that was quite impressive.

Senator John McCain: Well, you've got to have a respectful campaign. And that doesn't mean it isn't tough. I mean, campaigns are tough, and they should be because you're seeking the most important position 3 in the world. But there's a difference between being tough and being personal or angry. And look, America right now -- I don't have to tell you -- I don't have to tell anybody out here, especially those members of the military -- that we're in two wars. We've got housing problems. We've got economic crisis. We've got all these problems. Now it's time for America to join together and support the man who was just elected President.

"Afghan Insurgency Stronger Than Ever"

Video and Article from CBS:

The war President-elect Barack Obama is inheriting in Afghanistan includes an insurgency that's stronger than ever.

And it's creeping ever-closer to the Afghan capital.

In a video obtained by CBS News, a U.S. convoy is attacked less than 20 miles from Kabul.

"I think in Afghanistan, we really dropped the ball for a long time," said Karin von Hippel of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

It's now widely agreed America's new president needs a new approach, CBS News cheif foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan reports.

President-elect Obama's emerging strategy appears to shift focus to a regional solution to Afghanistan's problems.

"A regional approach really means looking at Afghanistan and Pakistan through a similar lens but also it should also mean bringing in China, bringing in India, bringing in Iran, bringing in the neighbors to make sure that everyone is part of the same solution," von Hippel said.

As Logan reports, this is the cost of not bringing in Afghanistan's neighbors. An exclusive video from Pakistan's tribal areas shows young boys being indoctrinated as suicide bombers.

According to the Taliban, the fate of becoming suicide bombers is what awaits them over the Afghan border. The teenage boy seen in the video is about to blow himself up.

The tape shows him saying goodbye to the men who packed his vehicle with explosives and heading off to find an American target.

The boy's mentors erupt in victory cries as they film the suicide.

Taliban attacks and U.S. casualties are the highest this year since the war in Afghanistan began.

The region is so connected, that any of Afghanistan's neighbors could facilitate peace and security - or as has been seen, make the situation a lot worse.

Palin Interviewed by FOX's Van Susteren: Transcript (11-10-08)

Sarah Palin was interviewed by FOXNews' Greta Van Susteren ('On The Record'). Read the complete transcript.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Let me clarify some loose ends here. The clothes -- what is the story on the clothes?

PALIN: The clothes. When I arrived at the convention, there were clothes waiting for me and clothes being ordered for me and for the family, for eight of us. And ever since then, those clothes, knowing that they didn't belong to me, many of them had been returned, many of them were put in the belly of the airplane, and some of them were returned home with me. We boxed them all up, sent them back to the rightful owners, the Republican National Committee. And that's the story on the clothes.

VAN SUSTEREN: Did you order the clothes?

PALIN: Did not order the clothes. Did not ask for the clothes. I would have been happy to have worn my own clothes from day one. But you know, that turned into kind of an odd issue, an odd campaign issue as things were wrapping up there, as to who ordered what and who demanded what.

But you know, I was happy to get to come home to my own closet and put my own clothes on again, which we had done, of course, through most of the campaign also. But the convention clothes were belonging to the RNC.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you know whose idea that was or how that even evolved?

PALIN: Haven't really heard how all that evolved and hadn't really pursued it until we started getting criticized for supposedly asking for all these clothes, my family and me. And still don't have all of the answers. But it just, at this point, especially seems so irrelevant, unless the criticism continues in regards to my family or me demanding anything.

But it just seems like such an irrelevant issue when you consider what's going on in the world today and how a new administration is being ushered in and people being concerned about the direction of the nation and policies that will be adopted, and also at the same time being excited about this historic moment in our nation's history. Clothes just seem irrelevant.

VAN SUSTEREN: You know, I agree with you they're irrelevant. It's just that the number was so horrific. I mean, $150,000 was a giant number. And it seemed, you know, that all of a sudden, you got hammered with it. And I was trying to figure out, you know, it is fair, is it unfair, or you know, why is it that this became an issue? And I don't mean to harp on it, but why did this become an issue?

PALIN: Well, that is a good question. Again, arriving at the convention, being told that along with staging and lighting and everything else was wardrobe for my family and me to wear during the convention, and you know, just kind of going with the flow. OK, sounds -- that sounds fine. If that's the way that they do this, that's good, wearing the clothes during that time.

There's no way it could have been $150,000 worth of clothes, though, not unless every jacket and pair of shoes were $10,000, $20,000. I don't see how it added up.

But it was for eight people, not just for myself. And my understanding is right off the bat, about a third of the clothes had been returned because they just weren't going to work. Another third of the clothes that we were wearing all got returned to the RNC. And another third of the clothes -- we never did see them. Evidently, they were in the belly of the plane, and those got sent back also.

CBS' Couric, Schieffer on Obama White House Visit

This video shows yesterday's Obama visit to the White House for first time as President -elect.

Sarah Palin on the 'Today Show': Video (11-11-08)

This video is of Matt Lauer's interview of Sarah Palin on the Today Show shown this morning. Complete Transcript.

Excerpt:

LAUER: There is this feeling -- and some of this comes from leaks and other just perception, people getting a gut -- that there was increasing tension between you and Senator McCain in the final stretch of this campaign. Tell me what the relationship was like.

S. PALIN: We have a great relationship. Had from day one. Had the first time that I met him last year, he and his wife. I just have been great admirers of them, of their family, of all that Senator McCain has accomplished. Never once was there any inkling of tension between the two of us. Perhaps within the campaign there were campaign staffers who...

LAUER: Well, describe that for me. Who was butting heads?

S. PALIN: You know, I don’t even know. That inside baseball stuff regarding the way a campaign works on that level -- I certainly didn’t get bogged down in any of the potential skirmishes or perceived problems.

LAUER: Have you listened to some of the leaks that have come out since the election where -- where they’re saying that the McCain people leaked anonymously -- are saying, “We couldn’t control her, she was a rogue, she didn’t want our consultants around her and it became tense.”

Where did stories like that come from?

S. PALIN: I honestly do not know, because it’s not true, Matt. And Senator McCain and I, we have a great relationship. I have nothing but honor and admiration and love for him and for his family, and I think that is mutual. In fact, I talked to him just today, again, and we -- touching base nearly every day.

LAUER: So, it’s a warm and friendly relationship even to to this day?

S. PALIN: Very warm and friendly and professional. And I -- I -- again, I have nothing but honor and admiration and love that I will show for this great American hero.

LAUER: According to a recent article in Newsweek and some other reports, on election night, you showed up at the Biltmore in Phoenix...

S. PALIN: Yes.

LAUER: ... and things weren’t going well. And you had some copy in your hands. You had some remarks that you would have liked to have given to that audience, and, in effect, to the nation, prior to Senator McCain giving his concession speech. And you were told, “No”.

S. PALIN: Well, I had a speech that, you know, I was going to give that we’d worked on about a week. And the speech was...

LAUER: Had you cleared with anyone? Had anyone -- anyone said it might be an opportunity for you to speak?

S. PALIN: Oh, certainly, the -- the speech was written in -- in cooperation and conjunction with a couple of the speech writers in the campaign -- and had written that as an introduction to this great American hero. And of course, we had two speeches in our back pocket.

LAUER: Right.

S. PALIN: One was a concession speech that would introduce him, and it would do what John McCain just can’t seem to do for himself -- bless his heart, because he’s not that kind of man -- where I was going to brag him up and say, “You know, truly he’s an American hero, has faced great adversity, knows how challenges are overcome. And let us -- let us be thankful for this man, who with a servant’s heart had offered himself up to...

(CROSSTALK)

LAUER: So that sounds like a good idea. Why weren’t you allowed to do it?

S. PALIN: I don’t know. It was a great speech because it also then, also said, “OK, but American voters have spoken, so now, let’s all come together. I know Senator McCain wants to lead in an effort of unity here in our nation, and let’s work with President-elect Obama and let’s go forward.”

LAUER: So you walked up and you said to somebody in the campaign, “Look, I’ve got these comments I’d like to make. I want to,” as you say, “brag on him a little bit?”

S. PALIN: Yes.

LAUER: Who said no?

S. PALIN: Somebody said no, they said that it would be unprecedented, that a V.P. candidates wouldn’t introduce someone in a concession speech. And you know, all I could say was...

8-year-old Boy Shoots Father, Co-Worker: Video

AP:

An 8-year-old boy accused of fatally shooting his father and another man is set to appear in court Monday.

The boy is being charged as a minor with two counts of premeditated murder, but St. Johns police are hoping a judge will agree to try him as an adult, even though they say it's unlikely.

The boy's father, Vincent Romero, and a co-worker who rented a room from him were found dead inside Romero's home last week.

Police say the boy planned and methodically carried out the killings, and confessed to them.

But the boy's attorney, Benjamin Brewer, says police overreached in questioning the boy without representation from a parent or attorney and did not advise him of his rights.

St. Johns is a 4,000-person community 170 miles northeast of Phoenix.

Palin Blames Defeat on Bush: Transcript, Video

In an interview with an Alaskan newspaper, Sarah Palin blames her campaign's defeat on George W. See the video of the interview here. Partial transcript below.

Q. Why do you think your campaign lost?

A. I think the Republican ticket represented too much of the status quo, too much of what had gone on in these last eight years, that Americans were kind of shaking their heads like going, wait a minute, how did we run up a 10 trillion dollar debt in a Republican administration? How have there been blunders with war strategy under a Republican administration? If we're talking change, we want to get far away from what it was that the present administration represented and that is to a great degree what the Republican Party at the time had been representing. So people desiring change I think went as far from the administration that is presently seated as they could. It's amazing that we did as well as we did.

Q. There's been an enormous amount of information about you that Alaskans have been exposed to the past couple of months -- and lots of it very critical. What are Alaskans supposed to make of all this?

A. Regarding information regarding my record, that is now out there, much of it that was based on misinformation was a very, very frustrating thing to have to go through when the record was never corrected. And we would try to correct the record and too many in the media chose not to make those corrections. ! Q. What misinformation are you talking about?

A. Some of the goofy things like who was Trig's mom. Well, I'm Trig's mom (raises her hand) and do you want to see my medical records to prove that? ... And banning books. That was a ridiculous thing also that could have so easily been corrected just by a reporter taking an extra step and not basing a report on gossip or speculation. But just looking into the record. It was reported that I tried to ban Harry Potter when it hadn't even been written when I was the mayor. So, gosh, we have so many examples, I mean every day, especially the first few weeks, every day something that was thrown out there.

Q. One of the things that came up during the campaign is that you charge the state per diem for time spent here in Wasilla. Is that something you are going to continue to do?

A. We've always followed the law and fully disclosed all that. The choice there in many months of the Juneau mansion being re-plumbed and all the improvements being made in the infrastructure of the Juneau house, where we weren't going to be there anyway. Knowing that in the end it would have cost the state more money to do what other governors had done and that is either charge the state for hotel rooms. Or the state rents you an apartment like they did for Governor Murkowski. We said no, we just won't sell our house, knowing that we're going to spend quite a bit of time here, especially those months where the remodels were taking place in the governor's mansion. And we would disclose my per diem, we wouldn't try to hide it ... trying to go above and beyond, not accepting any per diem for the kids or Todd at all, they've lived outside of the governor's house. Trying to follow the rules and doing what is legal and ethical and full disclosure.

Same with the family's travel. That's baffled me that all of a sudden two years later, again, never having tried to hide anything with either traveling back and forth to Juneau for first family events that were outside the capital city, in bringing Piper and, once in a while, Willow with me also, that anybody would think that I was trying to hide that they came with me ... just trying to do my job and part of my job is with the first family, having them with me at some of these events.

Q. What was it like running for vice president?

A. It was amazing. It was amazing and very, very busy and energizing. Every day was an amazing experience and I loved it ...

And I truly believe it was good for Alaska. I believe that, with tens of millions of people seeing kind of a different face of Alaska, and again, not me personally but what it is that we represent. Hardworking, unpretentious, conservationists, all these things that our administration and my family, all that we embody, has been good for Alaska because it's shown that up here we do work hard and we do want to produce and we want to contribute more to the U.S. ... And the eyes of the nation are on Alaska, they're going to be on us for a long time.

Q. They, of course, will be on you, governor. Rasmussen Reports said 64 percent of Republicans see you as their top presidential choice in 2012.

A. Oh, look how fickle poll numbers are. Look where I've gone, up and down, up and down, even in the state of Alaska the last couple of months. We can't pay attention to those numbers.

John Podesta on 'FOX News Sunday': Transcript (11-9-08)

The head of Obama's transition team, John Podesta, was interviewed by Chris Wallace. Read the full transcript.

WALLACE: President-elect Obama made it clear in his Friday news conference that job one is the economy, but he left it unclear how active, how involved, he's going to get before his inauguration.

Will he give congressional Democrats clear direction about what he wants them to do in a lame duck session on economic stimulus?

Will he actively engage with the Bush administration on the financial bail-out, or is he going to wait until he takes the oath of office?

PODESTA: Well, we have one president at a time, as President- elect Obama said on Friday, so it's up to — the job is up to President Bush to move that legislation forward and try to keep economic recovery moving today.

But I think what the president-elect wanted to do — he sent a strong signal that we need an economic recovery program moving forward. He'd like to see the stimulus that's pending on Capitol Hill pass.

He wants to see unemployment insurance extended, aid to the states that are struggling with medical insurance — and try to fix their problems and their own budgets so they don't need to lay people off, and try to get job growth going again.

He hopes that will happen during this lame duck session, that the — that President Bush will cooperate. If it doesn't, it would be the first item of business when he comes back.

WALLACE: But for instance, on the financial rescue plan, there are some decisions that are going to be made over the course of the next two months on things — various financial institutions, how to spend that $700 billion, even talk about appointing a permanent head of the — to deal with the rescue.

If the Bush administration asked President Obama — President- elect Obama, "What do you think of this? Will you sign off on this person," is he going to say, "Yes," or, "I'll wait?"

PODESTA: Well, I think that he's going to put his own people in place when he comes to office, and we're moving very aggressively to select both people at the top for cabinet secretary, treasury secretary in particular, but we're also looking at people below the level of cabinet secretary — the undersecretary for domestic finance, the head of the TARP, the so-called TARP, et cetera.

So he's going to put his own team in place. In the meantime, he's designated Dan Tarullo as one of his senior economic advisors to — to have discussions, to be fully informed, fully briefed, with what's going on right now.

Mr. Tarullo has reached out to Secretary Paulson. They've already spoken. They're meeting tomorrow. And we'll have other people who are available to be at the Treasury to understand the decisions that are being made.

But we have one administration at a time. And those are decisions that the Bush administration needs to make while they're in office.

WALLACE: Does the president-elect feel some pressure to name his treasury secretary and his economic team first and quickly to reassure the financial markets?

PODESTA: Well, I think across the board, whether it's national security, the economy, the senior leadership that will manage health care, energy and the environment, I think he intends to move very quickly.

And you know, he's beaten a lot of records during the course of the campaign. I think people probably don't know this, but with the exception of President Bush 41, which was an intraparty transition, no new president has named a cabinet secretary before December, going back through the Kennedy administration.

And I think we're moving aggressively to try to build out that core economic team, the national security team, and you'll see announcements when they're ready.

But again, I'll reference back to what he said on Friday. He said he wants to move with all deliberate haste, but he put the emphasis on deliberate. So he's deliberating what — the strongest team that he could put in place to manage the very, very difficult problems the country is facing, and there will be announcements forthcoming.

Monks Brawl in Jerusalem: Video

From FOXNews:

Israeli police rushed into one of Christianity's holiest churches Sunday and arrested two clergymen after an argument between monks erupted into a brawl next to the site of Jesus' tomb.

The clash broke out between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

It began as Armenian clergymen marched in an annual procession commemorating the 4th-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus. It ended with the arrival of dozens of riot policemen who separated the sides, seizing a bearded Armenian monk in a red-and-pink robe and a black-clad Greek Orthodox monk with a bloody gash on his forehead. Both men were taken away in handcuffs.

Six Christian sects divide control of the ancient church. They regularly fight over turf and influence, and Israeli police are occasionally forced to intervene.

The feud revolves around a demand by the Greek Orthodox to post a monk inside the Edicule — the ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus — during the Armenian procession. The Armenians refused, and when they tried to march the Greek Orthodox monks blocked their way.

"We were keeping resistance so that the procession could not pass through ... and establish a right that they don't have," said a young Greek Orthodox monk with a cut next to his left eye. The monk, who gave his name as Serafim, said he sustained the wound when an Armenian punched him from behind and broke his glasses.

Father Pakrat of the Armenian Patriarchate said the Greek demand was "against the status quo arrangement and against the internal arrangement of the Holy Sepulcher." He said the Greeks attacked first.

Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief secretary of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate, said his monks had not initiated the violence. "I'm sorry that these events happened in front of the Holy Sepulcher, which is the most holy religious monument of Christianity," he said.

After the brawl, the church was crowded with Israeli police holding assault rifles and equipped with riot gear, standing beside Golgotha, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, and the long smooth stone marking the place where tradition holds his body was laid out.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police were forced to intervene after fighting was reported. They arrested two monks, one from each side, he said.

The feud is only one of a bewildering array of rivalries among churchmen in the Holy Sepulcher.

The Israeli government has long wanted to build a fire exit in the church, which regularly fills with thousands of pilgrims and has only one main door, but the plan is on hold because the sects cannot agree where the exit will be built. In another example, a ladder placed on a ledge over the entrance sometime in the 19th century has remained there ever since because of a dispute over who has the authority to take it down. More recently, a spat between Ethiopian and Coptic Christians is delaying badly needed renovations to a rooftop monastery that engineers say could collapse.

Rahm Emanuel on 'This Week': Transcript (11-9-08)

Obama's recently selected Chief of Staff appeared on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Read the complete transcript.

STEPHANOPOULOS: On Tuesday night, Senator McCain pledged to do everything he could to help President-elect Obama. And in your book that you wrote with Bruce Reed, “The Plan,” you had special praise for Senator McCain’s ideas on taking on corporate welfare.

Is that one specific idea that President-elect Obama and Senator McCain can work together on? And what are some others?

EMANUEL: First of all, they had -- as you know, they had a very good phone call. It would be presumptuous of me to say, that’s where they’re going to work. Obviously, President-elect Obama reached out to him.

As I said, they had a good call. They’re going to be talking about a series of things, not only domestically but internationally, on where they can work together.

And the good news is that John McCain has said, you know, as a total patriot throughout the campaign, and cares about his country, he’s going to be supportive of what we’ve got to do.

Because the challenges, as you noted in the introduction, George, whether on the national security front or on the economic, are looming large, and they’re going to require both parties and leaders of both parties, as well as independents, to offer up ideas to how to meet those challenges.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s get to...

EMANUEL: So there will be places, a lot of places to work together. and Senator McCain, I think -- obviously, I wasn’t privy to the conversation -- he has, throughout his career, when the campaign is over, the work of solving the problems of the country begin.

And, I’m sure, will be a partner in helping do that.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let’s get to some of the news on those economic challenges. Just last night, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leader in the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid , sent a letter to the administration, urging the Treasury secretary to tap that $700 billion rescue fund in order to help the auto industry.

The White House has already signaled they’re opposed. Is President-elect Obama for using that fund to help the auto industry?

EMANUEL: George, as President-elect Obama has said throughout the campaign, and as I think as recently as Friday, first, the auto industry is an essential part of our economy, an essential part of our industrial base.

Second, they should look at accelerating the $25 billion that was offered for retooling for the industry, going forward.

Third, there are other authorities within the administration they should use at this immediate time.

And, fourth, President-elect Obama has asked his economic team to look at different options of what it takes to help bridge the auto industry so they are a part of not only a revived economy but part of an energy policy, going forward, where America is less dependent on foreign oil.

Those are the parts that is necessary for...

(CROSSTALK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: So the administration...

EMANUEL: ... both the auto industry and the economy.

STEPHANOPOULOS: ... it does have the authority to tap that rescue fund. Do you think they should?

EMANUEL: Well, he has been very clear that they’re part of any sustained economic activity in this country. They’re an industrial base. They employ 3 million Americans. And it’s very, very important that they -- that anything that’s been done, A, you’ve got to tap the $25 billion that’s been offered.

B, there’s all this other authorities within the administration and within the government that they should do to help the industry.

And, fourth, he has asked his own economic team to come up with proposals, at this point, that would help the industry bridge toward a point in the future where they have a restructured, retooled auto industry that is part of not only our -- an essential part of our economy, essential part of our energy policy, which is less dependent on foreign oil.

And that is the most important thing to be done. And I think that the administration needs to -- and Congress -- work with the auto industry, at this time, to deal with the problems.

But, remember, it’s all toward an eye of a very important part, as he has said throughout the campaign, an important part of our economy; that is, the auto industry.

Meet The Press Transcript (11-9-08)

Read the complete transcript.

MR. BROKAW: I thought I would begin by sharing with our audience and with you as well a Gallup and USA Today poll taken the day after the election, "Does this describe your reaction to Barack Obama being elected president?" Sixty-seven percent of the people said they were proud, 67 percent said they were optimistic, 59 percent said they were excited. Those are very high numbers. How do you hold on to that in the face of this deteriorating economy and all the uncertainty that's still ahead of us, Congressman?

REP. CLYBURN: Well, I think the first thing we have to do is respond to the American people with a economic recovery package that will restore jobs, that will, once again, stand up our infrastructure: roads, bridges, water, sewage. I think we have to respond by saying to the children we are going to have a state children's health insurance program. I think we need to respond with a stem cell program, stem cell research. I think that the campaign told us a whole lot about what's on the minds of the American people, and I think that you keep that excitement by responding immediately to that. And I think that's why the president-elect made it very clear in his first press conference that he wants an economic recovery package and he would like to have it right now. And I would hope that the leadership of the Congress and the White House can get together on such a package in the near future.

MR. BROKAW: We want to get to the specifics in just a moment.

Senator Martinez, what about the Republican Party and keeping its place prominent after this pretty resounding defeat?

SEN. MEL MARTINEZ (R-FL): Well, the first thing we have to do is to celebrate the moment. And I think I agree with the sentiment of so many of those people in the polls, this is a historic moment. It's one that I thought Senator McCain properly recognized in his very gracious concession speech. And so we need to keep that kind of spirit of pulling together and finding common ground. However, I think the important thing for this new administration and for the leadership in Congress to do is to find the common ground agenda items. You know, when you look back to Florida, we have a lot of problems in the state of Florida. Unemployment parallels the national average, in some counties it's 10 percent, which is dramatically high. Find ways in which we can put people back to work and we can get our economy running again. Look for that checklist of things where there can be common ground, stay away from those items where, frankly, there'll be division and there'll be rancor and there'll be acrimony. So look for the common ground, and I think that'll be a prescription for us getting some things done.

MR. BROKAW: OK, we want to get to those specific things that may divide you more than unite you. But let's hear, first of all, from President-elect Obama, his first radio address in this new position yesterday, because he kind of laid out a general agenda of what he'd like to achieve.

[...]MR. BROKAW: He did not specifically mention a stimulus program. There's a good deal of talk about that on Capitol Hill when you come back into session.

Would you be in favor of $100 billion stimulus program at this point, Senator Martinez?

SEN. MARTINEZ: I think it needs to depend on the specifics that might be included in that program, but I think some sort of stimulus is appropriate. I, I would love to see it focused on, on home ownership, on, on getting back to the basics of what got us into this financial crisis in the first place, which is displaced homeowners, continuing rising foreclosures, things of that nature. We need to focus it on creating job opportunities for American families that are today out of work and extending unemployment benefits and things of that nature that I think, frankly, are appropriate. But we need to see what's in the package before we can just sign on. And I hope, frankly, part of this bipartisan spirit will be to be consulted in how we get to the package, inclusive in how we get to the decisions so that we can move forward in a united way, in a bipartisan way.

Sarah Palin Press Conference Addresses Allegations: Video (11-7-08)

Sarah Palin has an impromptu press conference and addresses allegations of her overspending on clothes, and all the other stories floating around surrounding her disastrous campaign. She seems to be calling the press "stinkers" in the video.

President Elect Obama's First Press Conference: Transcript, Video (11-7-08)

Read the complete transcript.

This morning, we woke up to more sobering news about the state of our economy. The 240,000 jobs lost in October marks the 10th consecutive month that our economy has shed jobs. In total, we've lost nearly 1.2 million jobs this year, and more than 10 million Americans are now unemployed.

Tens of millions of families are struggling to figure out how to pay the bills and stay in their homes. Their stories are an urgent reminder that we are facing the greatest economic challenge of our lifetime, and we're going to have to act swiftly to resolve it.

Now, the United States has only one government and one president at a time. And until January 20th of next year, that government is the current administration.

I've spoken to President Bush. I appreciate his commitment to ensuring that his economic policy team keeps us fully informed as developments unfold. And I'm also thankful for his invitation to the White House.

Immediately after I become president, I'm going to confront this economic crisis head on by taking all necessary steps to ease the credit crisis, help hardworking families, and restore growth and prosperity.

And this morning, I met with members of my Transition Economic Advisory Board, who are standing behind me, alongside my vice president-elect, Joe Biden.

They will help to guide the work of my transition team, working with Rahm Emanuel, my chief of staff, in developing a strong set of policies to respond to this crisis. We discussed in the earlier meeting several of the most immediate challenges facing our economy and key priorities on which to focus on in the days and weeks ahead.

First of all, we need a rescue plan for the middle class that invests in immediate efforts to create jobs and provide relief to families that are watching their paychecks shrink and their life savings disappear.

A particularly urgent priority is a further extension of unemployment insurance benefits for workers who cannot find work in the increasingly weak economy.

A fiscal stimulus plan that will jump-start economic growth is long overdue. I've talked about it throughout this -- the last few months of the campaign. We should get it done.

Second, we have to address the spreading impact of the financial crisis on the other sectors of our economy: small businesses that are struggling to meet their payrolls and finance their holiday inventories; and state and municipal governments facing devastating budget cuts and tax increases.

We must also remember that the financial crisis is increasingly global and requires a global response.

The news coming out of the auto industry this week reminds us of the hardship it faces, hardship that goes far beyond individual auto companies to the countless suppliers, small businesses and communities throughout our nation who depend on a vibrant American auto industry.

Rachel Maddow Show: Transcript, video (11-5-08)

Read the complete transcript.

Excerpt:

MADDOW: Nice to hear. There is, however, already an extra to that plan. Responding not to an offer, but just to rumors that he would be asked to be part of the Obama administration`s State Department, Republican Senator Richard Lugar made it known that he doesn`t want the job. So what will become of President-elect Obama`s bipartisan plans? Is bipartisan foreign policy even possible?

Joining us now, Sen. Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia. Sen. Webb, thank you so much for coming on the show today.

SEN. JIM WEBB (D-VA): Nice to be with you, Rachel.

MADDOW: First of all, let me congratulate you on a very deep blue Virginia. You must be proud as a Virginia Democrat today.

WEBB: I think it was really a great day for the country and I - hopefully, this is going to drive a stake into the heart of the Karl Rove type of politics that is really taking country in the wrong direction over the last eight years.

When I look back on this election, what I saw out of John McCain last night is the John McCain that I`ve known for 30 years. He was gracious. He was funny. He`s self-deprecating. And once the Karl Rove machine moved into his campaign in June, that, plus his nomination of Sarah Palin, I think, ruined his campaign.

So this is a good day. It was a good day in Virginia. And it was a good day in the country. And we need to now go forward and solve the country`s problems and have ourselves be held accountable in a couple years.

MADDOW: Do you see a future for bipartisan foreign policy? Do you think that foreign policy has been irretrievably politicized in the last eight years in a way that we won`t be able to treat it in the way that we did in the years before the Bush administration?

WEBB: The last eight years has been - has given us two different types of problems. One is the very partisan nature of the administration and the way that it required many Republicans to align themselves with an administration that was off base.

And then, the second part of it was this incredible transfer of power after 9/11 to the executive branch, away from the legislative branch. This is a much different Congress than it was 30 years ago when I was a young committee counsel up here.

MADDOW: Between now and the end of the year, something needs to be sorted out in Iraq in terms of the legal framework that governs the presence of our troops there. The Status of Forces Agreement that`s being worked on right now does not seem to be coming to a place where it`s going to be tightly wrapped up by New Year`s Eve and if it`s not wrapped up by New Year`s Eve when that U.N. mandate expires at midnight, it will be essentially illegal for our troops to leave their bases in Iraq?

What do you think will happen there? What do you think should happen there? And has Sen. Obama telegraphed what he wants to do about that issue?

WEBB: What I would suggest - and it looks like from the Iraqi side, this is starting to move forward - is that we extend the authority under the security council of the United Nations for a sufficient period of time that the Obama administration can come forward, go through this agreement and then bring it to the Congress so that we can give our proper constitutional approval of the document.

And it`s a very serious issue, as you said, because as of December 31st, we have no authority under international law to be operating in Iraq.

MADDOW: Last night, in his first speech as president-elect, Barack Obama said, "To those who would tear this world down, we will defeat you." He said it bluntly and with a sort of calmness that is the characteristic of his oratory. I wonder if you feel like President-elect Obama needs to convey a sense of toughness? A sense of national security focus and interest, in a way, not just for domestic political purposes because he`s won the election, but internationally.

If there is a sense that the rest of the world is looking to the new president to find out if we should be tested, if he could be tested, if the American - if we could be pushed around in a way that we couldn`t before.

WEBB: Well, I think that he should and will bring strong people around him and he doesn`t need to proceed forward with any sense of false bravado anymore than he need to during the campaign. I thought he conducted himself in a very remarkable way during the campaign but we will have these issues and the best thing to do as a leader is to get good people around you who can give you the right sort of the counsel and to make the right decisions and that`s what we`re going to be looking for from President Obama.

Expose on Palin Stupidity, McCain Campaign Meltdown: Video

Carl Cameron (video) of FOXnews does a postmortem on the McCain campaign and the mess that it was. We learn more about the incredible ignorance of the Alaska Governor. Newsweek also does reporting on the McCain/Palin soap opera. They didn't even talk to each other. Read the Newsweek article that broke the story.

Here's part of the Newsweek expose:

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

[...]McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign, and aides kept him in the dark about the details of her spending on clothes because they were sure he would be offended. Palin asked to speak along with McCain at his Arizona concession speech Tuesday night, but campaign strategist Steve Schmidt vetoed the request.

Obama Victory Speech: Transcript, Video (11-4-08)

Read the complete transcript of Barack Obama's speech (video below) after being projected as the historic winner last night before a massive crowd in Chicago. Also read John McCain's gracious concession speech.

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.

A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.

Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.

I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.

Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.

And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.

And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.

To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.