Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney says Republicans must lead the American Revolution.

ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) –  Three prominent GOP leaders kicked off a campaign Saturday to reshape their party's image, gathering at a restaurant in Northern Virginia for the first of a series of town hall meetings.

The goal of the initiative, called the National Council for a New America, is to connect Republican leaders with voters across the country to help get the party's electoral fortunes back on track.

"Certainly our party has taken its licks the last few cycles, but that's why we're here," said House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. "The reality is the prescriptions coming out of Washington right now are not reflective of the mainstream of this country."

"It's time for us to listen a little bit, learn a little bit," said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who advised Republicans to work on the party's message and "not be so nostalgic."

"I would say you can't beat something with nothing. The other side has something. I don't like it, but they have it," said Bush, who repeatedly praised President Obama's tactical approach to politics, and commended his 2008 campaign as "forward-looking."

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney compared the GOP to Americans fighting the British during the Revolutionary War. "We are the party of the revolutionaries, they [Democrats] are the party of the monarchists," he told the overwhelmingly Republican crowd, saying the Republicans needed to "once again lead the American Revolution."

He blamed Washington for setting in motion policies that led to the collapse of the housing market, and painted his party's current minority status as a boon.

"We have an advantage," said the former Republican presidential candidate. "When a party has the White House, communication comes [from the] top down, and there's a strategy that everyone has to march behind." Instead, he said, the GOP had the option of drawing its strategy from the grassroots.

"We don't have to come up with all the answers today. Thank goodness, we have a little time," he said. "Certainly by 2010, we better."

The venue - a packed pizzeria in an Arlington strip mall - had the feel of a small-town campaign stop Saturday morning, with a supportive crowd tossing friendly questions at the panel. But outside the front doors of the establishment were twin reminders of the challenges facing the party.

The parking lot out front, even with the heavily Republican crowd inside, was dotted with Obama bumper stickers. Northern Virginia has shifted solidly Democratic in recent elections, and surrogates for John McCain's campaign made a series of statements late in the race that acknowledged the party had all but conceded the area.

But the handful of peaceful protesters out front weren't Democrats - they were conservatives upset over the new group's agenda and leadership. They brandished signs criticizing McCain, calling the NCNA "RINOs" - Republicans in
Name Only - and urging them to push for stricter immigration enforcement.

McCain is prominently featured in materials for the new group.

Health care, education and small business growth were all major topics of discussion Saturday - but immigration was one entry on a long list of potentially divisive social issues that went unmentioned.

Cantor told journalists that the group was not avoiding any topic, although the group's Web site and YouTube video released did not mention abortion, same-sex marriage, or any of the hot-button issues vital to the social conservatives that form a
significant part of the party's base.

"Any topic will be included in the national dialogue," he said. "There are no limits."

Limbaugh did concede the downside of Specter's defection.

(CNN) - Conservative host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday he isn't sorry to see Arlen Specter leave the GOP - and that many Republicans wish the Pennsylvania senator would take a few others with him when he goes.

"A lot of people say, 'Well, Specter, take [Sen. John] McCain with you. And his daughter [Meghan]. Take McCain and his daughter with you if you're gonna..." he told listeners, dissolving in laughter.

".....It's ultimately good. You're weeding out people who aren't really Republicans," he said.

Limbaugh did concede the downside of Specter's defection. "It makes the Senate essentially as big a slam dunk for Obama and the Democrats as the House of Representatives already is," he said.

Earlier this month, Specter said Limbaugh did have a tendency to make "provocative" statements, but told radio host Howard Stern he didn't have a problem with the conservative talker. "Do I like Limbaugh?... yeah, I like him," he said then.

UPDATE: Late Tuesday afternoon, Meghan McCain fired back on Twitter. "RED TIL I'M DEAD BABY!!! I love the republican party enough to give it constructive criticism, I love my party and sure as hell not leavin!"

President Obama is asking supporters to canvass for the budget in an online video.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As Congress considers his budget proposal, President Obama is back in campaign mode Wednesday, heading West to plug the plan on the road, and online with a video pitch to supporters.

"I'm asking you to head outside this Saturday to knock on some doors, talk to some neighbors, and let them know how important this budget is to our future," he says in a four-minute video appeal included in a message sent from former campaign manager David Plouffe, who now heads the Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America effort, to the group's massive e-mail list.

OFA is directing supporters to canvass this weekend - in their neighborhoods, by e-mail and on Facebook - in support of the president's budget plan. And they've been asked to lobby lawmakers, using an online tool that will help them contact members of Congress.

The group boasts an e-mail list of millions, though turnout for its first post-election organizing event - a weekend of house parties to help volunteers push for the president's stimulus plan - drew far fewer than any pre-Election Day effort.

Steele plans an agressive PR push for his party.

(CNN) - Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele says his party is going to launch an "off the hook" public relations campaign that will update the GOP’s image by translating it to "urban-suburban hip-hop settings."

The new GOP leader told the Washington Times that the party’s defeat in states like North Carolina and Virginia made it clear they needed a new approach.

“We need messengers to really capture that region - young, Hispanic, black, a cross section...” he said in an interview published Thursday. “We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings.”

He added, jokingly, that “we need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets.”

Steele described the new multi-platform PR offensive as “avant-garde, technically. It will come to [the] table with things that will surprise everyone - off the hook.” Asked whether that meant cutting-edge tactics, Steele demurred. “I don't do 'cutting-edge,’” he said. “That's what Democrats are doing. We're going beyond cutting-edge.”

Steele, who began a massive personnel overhaul at the RNC shortly after his election, said he has started meeting weekly with congressional Republicans. He said he’ll be gathering input from House and Senate leaders, not giving instructions - but criticized national Republican leadership’s focus on party unity as a top priority, saying the failure to devote itself instead to developing fresh faces had cost the GOP.

“We missed the mark in the past, which is why we are in the crapper now,” he said. “We had the White House, the Senate and the House and were not building a farm team over the last years. We could have been ahead of Democrats and their 50-state strategy.”

Steele dismissed the assessments of some Republicans that he needs a deputy to handle areas like logistics, fundraising and candidate recruitment. “I can run this organization just fine,” he said. “There will be no deputy chairman, period. ...People who said I can't make the trains run on time never gave a reason. I say to them, 'Stuff it.'

“I am not afraid of being held accountable for my leadership,” he said. “The idea I am somehow going to handicap myself before I begin is nuts. I am not going to buy into this mind-set among a few people who probably have never run anything but their mouths.”

Steele defeated a crowded field last month, including sitting RNC chairman Mike Duncan, to claim the party’s top spot.

Palin will not be attending this year’s CPAC, confirm organizers.

(CNN) - Sarah Palin will not be attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington later this month, her office confirmed to CNN Tuesday.

The Alaska governor had been expected to serve as the headline attraction at the three day event, which is also scheduled to include conservative icons like Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter. The presidential straw poll conducted at the annual Washington gathering is widely viewed as a reliable bellwether of conservative support. Several of the GOP’s past - and potentially future - presidential hopefuls are also slated to address the gathering, including Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

Palin spokesman Bill McAllister did not give a reason for the governor's decision, but did agree with one organizer's explanation that it would be difficult for the governor to visit in the middle of the state’s legislative session.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate, who recently launched SarahPAC to assist conservative candidates and cultivate a national network of supporters, visited Washington late last month to attend the exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner and several private events.

Palin will not be attending this year’s CPAC, confirm organizers.

(CNN) - Sarah Palin will not be attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington later this month, her office confirmed to CNN Tuesday.

The Alaska governor had been expected to serve as the headline attraction at the three day event, which is also scheduled to include conservative icons like Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter. The presidential straw poll conducted at the annual Washington gathering is widely viewed as a reliable bellwether of conservative support. Several of the GOP’s past - and potentially future - presidential hopefuls are also slated to address the gathering, including Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

Palin spokesman Bill McAllister did not give a reason for the governor's decision, but did agree with one organizer's explanation that it would be difficult for the governor to visit in the middle of the state’s legislative session.

The former Republican vice presidential candidate, who recently launched SarahPAC to assist conservative candidates and cultivate a national network of supporters, visited Washington late last month to attend the exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner and several private events.

Gov. Charlie Crist was one of 19 governors, including four Republicans, to release a joint letter publicly urging Congress to to pass the president’s stimulus package.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will introduce President Obama tomorrow at a Florida town hall meeting plugging the stimulus plan.

Crist was one of 19 governors, including four Republicans, to release a joint letter publicly urging Congress to to pass the president’s stimulus package — a move that earned him an appreciative phone call from Obama.

The Florida governor has said he wants to help Obama push for the measure. The bill is currently being considered by the Senate after failing to draw GOP support in the House.

“Florida has taken prudent steps to cut taxes for our people and balance our budget in these increasingly difficult times,” Crist said in a statement released by the White House Monday. “Any attempts at federal stimulus must prioritize job creation and targeted tax relief for small business owners. I am eager to welcome President Obama to the Sunshine State as he continues to work hard to reignite the US economy.”

Tuesday’s event in Fort Myers — the second of Obama’s stimulus town halls — will be held the same day the administration is slated to announce its economic recovery plan.

The president is asking supporters to host gatherings next weekend to push for his economic stimulus plan.

(CNN) - President Obama sent a message to supporters Monday personally calling them action behind his agenda for the first time since his inauguration.

The president’s message was sent by Organizing for America — the former campaign apparatus that is now a two-week-old arm of the Democratic National Committee — to anyone who was involved with an Obama house party during the campaign season.

The president is asking them to host similar gatherings next weekend to push for his economic stimulus plan. That package, which passed the House last week without Republican support, is currently being considered by the Senate.

“I hope to sign the recovery plan into law in the next few weeks,” said Obama in the e-mail. “But I need your help to spread the word and build support. … You can help restore confidence in our economy by making sure your friends, family, and neighbors understand how the recovery plan will impact your community.”

Last week, Organizing for America director Mitch Stewart sent a similar message announcing the gatherings.

Event hosts will be sent statistics on how Obama’s plan might affect their state, and given a downloadable party kit, similar to the one provided by the group when it held the first round of home gatherings earlier this month.

The house meetings are scheduled for next weekend, February 6-8.

OFA is urging supporters to host stimulus-related house parties next weekend.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Obama camp is calling the president’s supporters into action behind his agenda for the first time since his inauguration.

Organizing for America — the former campaign apparatus that is now a two-week-old arm of the Democratic National Committee — is sending an e-mail to anyone who was involved with an Obama house party during the campaign season, asking them to host similar gatherings next weekend to push for the president’s economic stimulus plan. That package, which passed the House this week without Republican support, is currently being considered by the Senate.

OFA will be making an open call for online questions, which the Obama team will use to craft a video for distribution to house party hosts. Once again, all supporters will be able to access a searchable list of meetings being held in their area.

Marching orders on media or lobbying strategies are not the priority — instead, organizers will be sent statistics on how Obama’s plan might affect their state, and given a downloadable party kit, similar to the one provided by the group when it called for the first round of home gatherings earlier this month.

“The video will outline the basics of the plan and how it will impact working families,” wrote OFA’s director, Mitch Stewart, in the Friday morning message. “It will also include answers to questions from folks across the country. Invite your friends and family to watch the video, discuss the plan, and help build support for it. Don't worry if you've never hosted a house meeting before - we'll make sure you have everything you need to make it a success.”

The house meetings are scheduled for next weekend, February 6-8.

A new analysis shows few 'Red States' remain.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The nation was evenly divided during the bitterly fought 2000 campaign, but the election night map was not: Viewers saw a sea of red flooding most of the country, with blue states ringing the coasts.

Two cycles later, an analysis of a year’s worth of polling data released Wednesday suggests a far different electoral landscape, and a shift more dramatic than even the Democrats’ solid 2008 showing might suggest: an ocean of blue surrounding a shrinking red island in the center of the nation.

A string of recent polls have found the GOP’s party ID results have fallen to historic lows, and Republicans facing double-digit deficits on generic congressional ballots.

Gallup interviewed 350,000 Americans over the course of its 2008 daily tracking polls, including more than a thousand adults in every state except a few with relatively low populations: Wyoming, North Dakota and the District of Columbia.

Those interviews were conducted with state residents, not registered voters exclusively. Also included were adults who “leaned” Democratic or Republican, but were not members of either party, and might not be solid supporters.

The results, compiled into an analysis released in part this week, paint a bleak portrait for the GOP: In 35 states, a plurality of adults identified themselves as Democrats, or Democratic-leaning last year. In 10 more states, neither party had a statistically significant edge.

What’s left? Just five states - representing 20 electoral votes – had GOP pluralities in the 2008 cycle, as measured in the year-long surveys: Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Sarah Palin’s home state of Alaska were solidly Republican. And Nebraska, which gave one of its electoral votes to the Democratic presidential ticket, was Republican-leaning.

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia gave Democrats a party ID advantage of 10 points or more last year. That list includes the entire Northeast region, every Great Lakes state but one, and a handful of Southern states like North Carolina and Kentucky. Another half dozen states gave Democrats 5 to 9 point advantages.

The “most balanced” states in Gallup’s analysis – those that gave neither political party an advantage of more than a point or two, or were evenly split between the two – are areas that haven’t been competitive for Democrats on the national level in at least a generation, including South Dakota, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, Alabama, and Kansas. Also on that list: Arizona and Texas, home states of the GOP’s last two presidential candidates.

Republicans do have reason for hope. The map remains fluid. It’s unclear how many of those Democratic leaners will stick with the party, making the transition into solid supporters. And the fact that the polls included unregistered adults makes them an unreliable indicator of potential Election Day results.

But the potential remains for Democrats to magnify and institutionalize much of these gains with the next election cycle. The stakes are higher next year than in a typical off-year campaign: the state legislatures elected in 2010 will begin the process of translating fresh Census results into new congressional districts. The party that has the edge coming out of the next cycle will have the chance to solidify that advantage for the next decade.

Congress is surrounded.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Despite ambitious post-9/11 security measures, Washington does remain alarmingly vulnerable to one recurring airborne threat: the humble snowflake.

DC residents are used to derision from chillier quarters of the country over their city’s occasional paralysis in the face of winter weather. After a few inches of snow and some early morning sleet in the first half of the week resulted in a wave of Washington-area shutdowns, the city’s most famous Midwestern transplant couldn’t resist a dig or two at his new hometown’s expense.

"My children's school was canceled today, because of what? Some ice," President Obama told a group of business leaders visiting the White House Wednesday.

"As my children pointed out, in Chicago school is never canceled," he said, adding that his daughter Sasha observed that schoolchildren there would even have recess outdoors.

The president joked that he would have to instill some “flinty Chicago toughness” into his neighbors. "When it comes to the weather, folks in Washington don't seem to be able to handle things.”

That lesson may have to wait for the next winter storm: after a late-day wave of precipitation, DC's forecast for tomorrow is sunny, with highs in the upper 30s.

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh responded Monday to recent reported comments by President Obama.

(CNN) – Radio host Rush Limbaugh said Monday that President Obama is “frightened of me.”

“He’s obviously more frightened of me than he is [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell,” Limbaugh told listeners. “He’s more frightened of me, then he is of say, [House Minority Leader] John Boehner, which doesn’t say much about our party.”

Limbaugh’s comments followed reports Obama warned GOP congressional leaders last week that they should stop listening to the conservative talker, who had said on air he wanted the new president to fail.

"Now this is the great unifier," he told listeners Monday. "This is the man who's going to unify everybody and usher in a new era of bipartisanship and love."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gave reporters the administration's latest message to Limbaugh at Monday's press briefing: "Tell him I said, 'Hi,'" he joked.

Staff for the new, wired president found themselves without e-mail Monday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – President Obama has his blackberry — but his tech-savvy press operation has been without e-mail for most of the day, and it’s not yet clear when they’ll get it back.

Obama press staffers had just made the leap to their official White House e-mail addresses Monday morning when the Outlook server went down. They weren’t the only ones affected by the crash, which also hit the first lady’s office and other White House offices.

An apologetic Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters at 1:30 pm press briefing that the server meltdown was responsible for the delay in responding to their e-mailed questions. But late Monday, nearly six hours since the server first went haywire, staffers still can’t use their official e-mail addresses — and a press aide could not tell CNN when the press office might be able to start sending and receiving messages again.

Related: Access to 'BarackBerry' limited to small, select group

New York Gov. David Paterson announced his pick of Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate.

(CNN) - More than three times as many New Yorkers in a new poll blame Caroline Kennedy and her team for the messy process surrounding the search for Hillary Clinton’s Senate replacement than fault the state’s governor, David Paterson - although, on balance, his final selection meets with their approval.

Forty-nine percent of voters surveyed in a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday said Kennedy and her advisers were to blame, to 15 percent who pointed to Paterson. Twelve percent blame both, and 24 percent are undecided.

Overall, the state’s voters approve of Paterson’s selection of Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, backing the pick 46 to 30 percent, with 24 percent undecided. That margin is higher upstate, where the choice of the Albany-born Gillibrand draws the approval of 55 percent of the region’s voters to 25 percent who disapprove. In New York City, that margin is far smaller: there, the conservative Democrat draws the approval of 41 percent to 34 percent who disapprove. But in the state’s suburbs, her edge falls within the survey’s 3 point margin of error: 35 percent approve, 32 percent do not.

The mother of two draws higher support from men than women in the survey: Women approve of her selection by a 44 to 31 percent margin, while men back her by 19 points, 48 to 29 percent. And the Democrat draws far more support from Republicans than she does from members of her own party — GOP voters approve of her selection by a 56 to 27 percent margin. Among Democrats, Gillibrand is backed by 41 percent to 35 percent who disapprove. Forty-nine percent of independent voters support her, to 21 percent who do not.

New Yorkers may approve of Paterson’s pick, but they’re not as happy about the path he followed to get there: 44 percent approve of his decision-making process, with 42 percent disapproving. Again, Republicans are happier about the situation than Democrats: GOP voters approve 52 to 39 percent, while Democrats are nearly evenly split, 42 to 43 percent.

Gillibrand may need that crossover support when she runs for re-election: her pro-gun stands and backing by the National Rifle Association mean 36 percent of New York’s voters, including half the state’s Democrats are less likely to support her, while only 17 percent are more likely to vote for her. Forty-one percent say it won’t affect their vote.

The Quinnipiac University survey of 1,047 New York State registered voters was conducted January 23-25. It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Watch McCain discuss his relationship with Palin.

(CNN) – Despite the post-election battle between Sarah Palin and John McCain's campaign advisors, the former Republican presidential candidate told CNN’s Larry King both members of the GOP ticket remain “very close.”

McCain — who has been edging his way back into the spotlight Palin never quite left - dismissed questions over his running mate’s criticism of his campaign team. “Listen, I think the world of Governor Palin, her husband Todd, her family, I'm honored that she would run with me,” he said in an interview Thursday.

“And look, whenever there is a losing campaign there is always a little bit of back and forth, and it happens post-mortem. I am so grateful to have her as a friend, and I believe that she represents a lot to the Republican Party in the future. I think she has a big role to play.”

Palin and senior McCain aides, many of them anonymous, have traded criticism since the Republican ticket’s defeat.

Last month, the Alaska governor told Human Events that following the campaign’s media strategy was her biggest regret of the race. “I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen,” she said. “But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts...if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters, because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.”

The Arizona senator would not tell King Thursday whether he was personally stung by Palin’s criticism of his top aides. “Look, we're very close friends, and I talk to her all the time and look forward to seeing her, I think, in a week or so,” he said. “We're very close.”

McCain also side-stepped the question of whether he’d ever raised those comments with her. “Oh - these things always happen in campaigns,” he said. “She has my respect and my affection and that's undying.”

Last month, he told an interviewer Sarah Palin could not necessarily count on his support his former running mate if she chose to run for president.

"I can't say something like that. We've got some great other young governors,” he told ABC then. “I think you're going to see the governors assume a greater leadership role in our Republican Party," he said, citing Governors Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Jon Huntsman of Utah.

“...Have no doubt of my admiration and respect for her and my view of her viability, but at this stage, again … my corpse is still warm, you know?"

Jennifer Lopez and performed with her husband Marc Anthony Tuesday night at the Western Ball.

(CNN) - Attendees at tonight’s presidential inaugural balls, like the 11,500 at the official Western ball, were lucky to spend maybe 20 minutes of their night with the president. The rest of the time, they were waiting - and not just for the first family to make an appearance.

They waited to get through security. To check their coats. To buy drink tickets, then to exchange those tickets for plastic glasses of chardonnay and mid-priced champagne. To cycle through buffet lines for plates of pasta and dinner rolls, which they’ll eat standing up.

With a few exceptions – like the events dedicated to military personnel, young people and residents of Washington, DC – most balls featured states grouped together by region. The Western ball drew 11,500 guests, from places like Oregon and Idaho to Montana and Guam. Californians like Director Ron Howard and Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Cheryl Hines mixed with residents of Sarah Palin’s home state of Alaska. Both were serenaded by soft rock standards and BeeGees classics. Later in the evening, singer Marc Anthony was set to take the stage.

Celebrities and politicians, college students and senior citizens, Hill staffers and volunteers all mingled in the cavernous ballroom. One group that isn’t in the mix: journalists, who were only allowed to leave a press pen just off the main dance floor if they’re accompanied by an official chaperone to monitor their movements and conversations. (Drinks were allowed; food was off-limits.)

The Obamas themselves expected to visit the Western ball on Pacific Standard Time: it could be Wednesday morning before they make an appearance.

Watch Obama advisor David Axelrod on John King's new show, State of the Union.

(CNN) - Hours after Israel and Hamas both said they would abide by a fragile cease-fire in Gaza, top Obama advisor David Axelrod told CNN’s John King Sunday to expect the president-elect to take diplomatic action worldwide “early and aggressively” after he’s sworn in, using career diplomats and special envoys.

“I think that the events around the world demand that he act quickly, and I think you'll see him act quickly,” he said in an appearance on State of the Union.

Watch John King's interview with David Axelrod

He also said again that Obama will be meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to “begin an orderly and responsible withdrawal from Iraq. He will be doing many of the other things that you heard him commit to during the campaign.”

Axelrod and other senior Obama advisors have spent the past few weeks in discussions with congressional leadership on the shape of a stimulus package that currently stands at roughly $850 million.

“Well, first of all, let me say I think it's telling that [Obama’s] first acts happened before he was president,” the senior aide told King Sunday. “He came to town two weeks early to begin working on an economic recovery package, because getting this economy moving again is absolutely paramount. And so he is going to continue to work on that.

“Obviously, there are limits to what we can do, but we do have to think boldly right now, that the scope of the emergency we face is so large that economists from the right to the left agree we have to do something big.”

The Obama stimulus plan is currently under consideration in the Senate.

Sink is not running for Senate.

(CNN) – Democrat Alex Sink said Friday that she would skip the state’s 2010 Senate contest.

“Over the past several weeks, I have given serious and careful thought to my own future and, more importantly, to the future of our state,” Sink, Florida’s chief financial officer, said in a statement. “And I am extremely grateful for the support and advice so many friends and fellow Floridians have shared. I believe my skills and abilities are of greatest use here in Florida, where I am honored to serve as Chief Financial Officer. And I will run for re-election as Chief Financial Officer to continue being a fiscal watchdog on behalf of the people of Florida.”

Likely frontrunners in both parties have now taken themselves out of the race to succeed retiring Florida Sen. Mel Martinez: Last week, Republicans looking to keep the seat in GOP hands were disappointed when Jeb Bush, the state’s popular former governor, said he would not be a candidate in 2010.

If Sink had entered the race, she would have been a heavy primary favorite and a formidable fall candidate.

Democratic State Sen. Dan Gelber said Friday that with Sink out of the running, “I expect to officially enter the race in the coming weeks.” Rep. Kendrick Meek, a fellow Democrat, is the only candidate in any party to have officially announced his candidacy.

Pastor Rick Warren praised President-elect Obama's decision to invite an openly gay bishop to participate in inauguration festivities.

(CNN) – Rick Warren offered an olive branch to another minister delivering an inaugural invocation — an openly gay Episcopal bishop who had been critical of the evangelical pastor over his support for California’s Proposition 8.

The California minister praised President-elect Obama’s selection of Eugene V. Robinson to deliver the invocation at the kickoff inaugural event.

Obama “has again demonstrated his genuine commitment to bringing all Americans of goodwill together in search of common ground," Warren said in a statement released Wednesday. "I applaud his desire to be the president of every citizen.”

Warren, who is delivering the invocation at the Tuesday swearing-in ceremony, drew fire from some Obama supporters over his opposition to same sex marriage and abortion rights.

Robinson had called Warren’s inclusion “really, really unfortunate” because of his support for Proposition 8, which barred same-sex marriage.

“It's about this particular venue and the role that he has in praying for all of America, and I'm just not sure he'd pray to God the same way I would,” Robinson told Beliefnet last month.

“…This particular choice [of Warren] is not about having everyone at the table for a discussion or some sort of general forum. Every choice related to who does what at the inauguration is highly symbolic, and I think the transition team failed to ask the question of what, symbolically, this might say to some of our citizens.”

Robinson said at the time his disappointment would not affect his plans to attend President-elect Obama’s inauguration.

Robinson became the U.S. Episcopal church’s first openly gay bishop in 2003.

(CNN) - The first openly gay priest ordained by a major Christian denomination will deliver the invocation at the kickoff inauguration event Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial.

The Rev. Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop in New Hampshire, has accepted an invitation issued by the Obama team prior to the announcement of the Rev. Rick Warren’s selection to deliver the invocation at the president-elect’s swearing-in, Politico reported Monday.

Robinson had been a critic of Warren’s role, calling his inclusion in the event “really, really unfortunate” because of the California minister's support for California's Prop. 8, which barred same-sex marriage.

“It's about this particular venue and the role that he has in praying for all of America, and I'm just not sure he'd pray to God the same way I would,” Robinson told Beliefnet last month.

“…This particular choice [of Warren] is not about having everyone at the table for a discussion or some sort of general forum. Every choice related to who does what at the inauguration is highly symbolic, and I think the transition team failed to ask the question of what, symbolically, this might say to some of our citizens.”

Robinson said at the time his disappointment would not affect his plans to attend President-elect Obama’s inauguration.

Even though he has less than two weeks left in office, Pres. Bush figured in the legislation passed by Congress Thursday.

(CNN) - Two of the first bills passed by the 111th Congress yesterday had less to do with the incoming president than they did with the man he’s replacing.

One measure would amend the Presidential Records Act of 1978 to overturn President Bush’s 2001 executive order that extended the length of time that presidential records can remain sealed.

The other would require full fundraising disclosure for presidential libraries. The lack of an existing requirement became an issue for former President Bill Clinton when his wife Hillary Clinton was tapped to serve as Obama’s secretary of state.

The former president eventually opted to release the full list of donors and the size of their donations.

Both the measures, introduced by House Oversight and Government Reform committee chairman Edolphus Towns of New York, passed by overwhelming majorities.

The bills have the strong support of Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee chairman Joe Lieberman, who has publicly called on Bush to make both his records and the full list of contributors to his presidential library open to the public.

Similar efforts, pushed by former Oversight chairman Henry Waxman, drew overwhelming support in the House, but did not make it through the Senate, and did not have the support necessary to override a likely presidential veto.

Gov. Blagojevich names dates to hold a special election to fill former Rep. Rahm Emanuel's congressional seat.

(CNN) - Gov. Rod Blagojevich set a spring date Monday for a special election to fill the congressional seat formerly held by Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

Blagojevich said primary voters in the state's 5th Congressional District will head to the polls March 3, and make their final pick April 7. The dates are based on recommendations by local elections officials.

Emanuel's resignation of the congressional seat formerly held by Blagojevich himself was effective Friday, January 2.

Rush spoke at Blagojevich’s press conference revealing the Burris pick.

(CNN) - A day after warning critics of Roland Burris’s Senate appointment not to “hang or lynch” the former Illinois attorney general, Chicago congressman Bobby Rush said Democrats opposing Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s move to fill the open seat risk finding themselves “in the same position” as segregation-era figures Bull Connor and George Wallace.

"You know, the recent history of our nation has shown us that sometimes there could be individuals and there could be situations where schoolchildren - where you have officials standing in the doorway of schoolchildren," Rush told CBS Wednesday morning. "You know, I'm talking about all of us back in 1957 in Little Rock, Ark. I'm talking about George Wallace, Bull Connor and I'm sure that the U.S. Senate don't want to see themselves placed in the same position."

Rush told CNN Tuesday that the lack of African-Americans in the Senate was "a moral outrage" that "should make most fair-minded Americans very, very angry."

Watch: This is a good decision,' says Rush

Congressional Democratic leadership said Tuesday they will oppose seating any candidate appointed by the scandal-scarred Illinois governor to fill the remainder of President-elect Barack Obama’s Senate term.

It is unclear whether the Senate – which can refuse to seat any incoming lawmaker that they believe was not properly elected or appointed – has the legal standing to block the selection of a sitting governor.

Rush said Wednesday that Blagojevich’s opponents “need to take a chill pill."

"We're still a nation of laws and I believe that Roland Burris and Gov. Blagojevich, they're on solid constitutional grounds” in his selection, he said. “I think the U.S. Senate will have to accept him."

It was the second day of racially-charged comments from Rush backing the embattled governor’s decision to appoint Burris, a former Illinois attorney general. If he were seated, Burris would be the only African-American senator to serve in the next Congress.

"I would ask you to not hang or lynch the appointee as you try to castigate the appointer," Rush said at the Tuesday press conference where Blagojevich announced the selection of Burris.

President-elect Obama has said he opposes the seating of any candidate selected by Blagojevich to fill his Senate seat.

Preparations are non-stop for the January 20 event.

(CNN) - There are still a host of question marks around next month’s inauguration festivities, but one thing is undeniable: the day may be geared less to your average middle schooler, and more to a field-tested U.S. Marine.

In the latest blunt advisory released Monday, the presidential inaugural committee said ticket-holders for President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony will need to arrive no fewer than three hours before the outdoor ceremony’s scheduled 11:30 a.m. start time.

But getting there in the first place poses a logistical challenge that’s not for the faint of heart or limb. Despite a new plan to turn big sections of the city into parking lots for charter buses and a peak rush hour schedule plan for the city’s Metro system, most cars and buses are unlikely to be allowed to enter the city, let alone the designated two-mile security zone around the swearing-in site.

Metro officials warn that riders will be underground with “thousands” of fellow visitors – meaning that even those lucky enough to make it onto the platform will face lengthy wait times before they see the inside of a packed train car.

Attendees forced to abandon their cars for mass transit might want to start a Stairmaster schedule now: transportation officials have warned that capacity crowds may force them to turn off the system’s escalators – making the trip back above ground an ambitious workout.

If all the dire predictions are tempting visitors to swear off transportation altogether in favor of an old-fashioned hike – well, that’s sort of the point. Officials are advising everyone within two miles of the Capitol – and those from further points who are up for the trek - to walk to the site.

Of course, not everyone is in any condition for a miles-long slog through East Coast January weather. But organizers warned Monday that “traffic conditions and restrictions” may make reaching drop-off points for disabled guests “extremely difficult.”

“There will be designated areas for people with disabilities in each of the ticketed seating areas on the Capitol grounds, however these areas are limited in size and available on a first-come first-served basis,” read the advisory. “Persons in wheelchairs or utilizing walkers should be aware that they will need to move across bumpy surfaces, grassy areas, and possible icy areas (depending on the weather).”

Those worried about how their child may handle the hike might want to leave them behind: strollers are unwelcome altogether. And everyone might want to cross their fingers for a dry day - umbrellas are verboten too.

If you’ve overestimated your own toughness, don’t count on being able to call for help: “Be aware that it may be difficult to talk” because of an overloaded communication system. “Please use text messaging to send critical messages.”

Worried about your ability to handle the day-long endurance test? So’s the inaugural committee. “Please think carefully about whether you can stand outside in cold weather in a large crowd for up to six hours” - and “whether you are ready for long delays getting home afterwards,” they said.

Officials have said they expect 1-2 million visitors to travel to the National Mall on Inauguration Day.

Shanklin’s album is stirring new controversy among conservatives.

(CNN) – Republican Party reaction remains divided over the decision of a candidate for party chairman to distribute a CD that featured the parody tune “Barack the Magic Negro,” with the majority of Chip Saltsman’s political rivals criticizing the move.

Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan – battling to keep his job as head of the party – was the first prominent member of the GOP to criticize Saltsman for sending committee members the song.

Watch: Saltsman's CD makes waves in the party

"The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," RNC Chairman Mike Duncan said in a Saturday statement.

"I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."

Michigan party chairman Saul Anuzis also questioned Saltsman’s judgment. "In my opinion, this isn't funny and its in bad taste," he said in a statement. "Just as important, anything that paints the GOP as being motivated in our criticism of President-elect Obama by anything other than a difference in philosophy does a disservice to our party."

Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer – who has reportedly been weighing a run for the party’s top spot, but has not officially announced a bid - released a Monday morning statement praising candidates who have weighed in against the "racially-insulting song."

“As the GOP Chairman in one of our nation’s most ethnically and culturally diverse states, I am especially disappointed by the inappropriate words and actions we’ve seen over the past few days," he said. "I am proud of those party leaders who have stood up in firm opposition to this type of behavior."

"Actions such as the distribution of this CD, regardless of intent, only serves to promote divisiveness and distracts us from our common goal of building our party."

Saltsman sent RNC members the parody CD "We Hate the USA" for Christmas, which includes the controversial tune. He defended his decision Friday, telling CNN the song was clearly intended as a joke.

"I think most people recognize political satire when they see it," Saltsman told CNN. "I think RNC members understand that."

Saltsman, a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, was a top advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and managed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign.

He is one of several candidates running to replace Duncan in the closely contested race to lead the Republican Party.

The song, set to the tune of the 1960s pop hit "Puff the Magic Dragon," was first played on Rush Limbaugh's radio show in 2007. Its title was drawn from a Los Angeles Times column that suggested Obama appealed to those who feel guilty about the nation's history of mistreatment of African-Americans.

Saltsman said the song, penned by long-time friend Paul Shanklin, should be easily recognized as satire directed at the Times.

The CD includes parody songs referencing former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.

Ken Blackwell – on of two African-American candidates for party chair – agreed with Saltsman’s assessment, defending him in a weekend statement. "Unfortunately, there is hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race,” said the former Ohio secretary of state – who, if elected, would be the first black chairman of the RNC. “This is in large measure due to President-Elect Obama being the first African-American elected president.

“I don't think any of the concerns that have been expressed in the media about any of the other candidates for RNC chairman should disqualify them. When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal. All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people."

But some younger members of the party were less understanding, as the debate over the satire spread through conservative circles. James Richardson, the RNC’s online communication manager for the 2008 cycle, called Saltsman’s move “quite the revealing faux pas.”

“Granted, he didn’t pull a George Allen and personally call Obama a ‘magic negro,’ but sending a CD with those lyrics shortly after electing the first African American President – one supported by nearly 97% of the African American community – shows a serious lack of judgment, tact, and the necessary level of racial sensitivity expected of public officials,” wrote Richardson, a Red State contributor, on conservative blog The Skepticians.

“And while I’m sure Saltsman doesn’t espouse racist sentiments, this will undoubtedly be spun as an angry, white Southerner stoking the flames of racial tensions after losing to a minority candidate. Hell, why don’t we go ahead and give ‘em the other 3%, too, Chip?”

Most of the candidates for RNC chairman – including Saltsman, Anuzis, Blackwell and Greer – will face off in one week in Washington in a public debate sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform. Duncan, who has been invited, has not yet confirmed his attendance.

RNC Chairman Mike Duncan criticized the parody CD Chip Saltsman sent to RNC members.

(CNN) – The chairman of the Republican National Committee has become the first major GOP figure to criticize a CD distributed by one of his challengers that included lyrics from a song called "Barack the Magic Negro."

"The 2008 election was a wake-up call for Republicans to reach out and bring more people into our party," Chairman Mike Duncan said in a statement reported by Politico Saturday afternoon. "I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."

Chip Saltsman – who sent RNC members a parody CD for Christmas that included the controversial tune - defended his decision Friday, telling CNN the song was clearly intended as a joke.

(Update after the jump: Blackwell defends Saltsman)

"I think most people recognize political satire when they see it," Chip Saltsman told CNN. "I think RNC members understand that."

Saltsman is a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, was a top advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and managed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign.

He is one of several candidates running to replace Duncan in the closely-contested race to lead the Republican Party.

The song, set to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon," was first played on Rush Limbaugh's radio show in 2007. Its title was drawn from a Los Angeles Times column that suggested Obama appealed to those who feel guilty about the nation's history of mistreatment of African-Americans. Saltsman said the song, penned by long-time friend Paul Shanklin, should be easily recognized as satire directed at the Times.

The parody CD sent to RNC members this Christmas, first reported by The Hill Friday, is titled "We Hate the USA", and includes songs referencing former presidential John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.

Also Saturday, Peter Yarrow - who co-wrote "Puff the Magic Dragon" - released a statement through representatives calling Saltsman's decision to distribute the parody tune "not only offensive, it is shocking and saddening in the extreme."

"It is almost unimaginable to me," Yarrow wrote in the statement sent to CNN, that Saltsman "would seriously be considered for the top post of the Republican National Committee. Puff, himself, if asked, would certainly agree."

Yarrow, a member of the 1960s folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, was a contributor to Obama's presidential campaign.

Update: Ken Blackwell, Ohio's former secretary of state and a fellow candidate for RNC chair, defended Saltsman Saturday.

"Unfortunately, there is hypersensitivity in the press regarding matters of race. This is in large measure due to President-Elect Obama being the first African-American elected president," said Blackwell, in a statement published in Politico.

"I don't think any of the concerns that have been expressed in the media about any of the other candidates for RNC chairman should disqualify them. When looked at in the proper context, these concerns are minimal. All of my competitors for this leadership post are fine people."

If he were elected, Blackwell would be the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Rove bested Bush’s book total for a third straight year.

(CNN) - He wasn’t on the ballot this year, but President Bush still lost – to Karl Rove.

For the third consecutive year, Rove has bested Bush in their annual reading contest, the former presidential advisor writes in today’s Wall Street Journal.

The president's reading list this year was weighted towards historical chronicles of conflict, from David Halberstam's "The Coldest Winter" and Rick Atkinson's "Day of Battle" to Stephen W. Sears's "Gettysburg" and James M. McPherson's "Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief."

It also included President Grant's "Personal Memoirs," Jon Meacham's "American Lion," James M. McPherson's "Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief" and Jacobo Timerman's "Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number."

The contest began when Rove made a New Year’s resolution to finish a book a week in 2006. “The competition soon spun out of control. We kept track not just of books read, but also the number of pages and later the combined size of each book's pages - its ‘Total Lateral Area,’” writes Rove.

“At year's end, I defeated the president, 110 books to 95. My trophy looks suspiciously like those given out at junior bowling finals. The president lamely insisted he'd lost because he'd been busy as Leader of the Free World.”

That year’s contest drew headlines over the lengthy list of Bush's books, which reportedly Andrew Roberts’s "History of the English Speaking Peoples Since 1900," Nathaniel Philbrick’s "Mayflower," and Albert Camus’s "The Stranger," according to Rove.

Bush’s total has dropped each year, says his former advisor: from 95 books in 2006, to 51 in 2007, to just 40 in 2008, with less than a week to go until the end of the year.

(CNN) - A candidate for Republican National Committee chairman said Friday it was clear the content of a CD he sent committee members for Christmas - that included lyrics from a song called “Barack the Magic Negro” - was intended as a joke.

“I think most people recognize political satire when they see it,” Chip Saltsman told CNN. “I think RNC members understand that.” Saltsman, a former chair of the Tennessee Republican Party, was a top advisor to former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and managed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s presidential campaign.

The song, set to the tune of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” was first played on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show in 2007. Its title was drawn from a Los Angeles Times column that suggested Obama appealed to those who feel guilty about the nation’s history of mistreatment of African-Americans. Saltsman said the song, penned by long-time friend Paul Shanklin, should be easily recognized as satire directed at the Times.

The parody CD sent to RNC members this Christmas, first reported by The Hill Friday, is titled “We Hate the USA”, and includes songs referencing former presidential John Edwards and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, among other targets.

Hillary Clinton says she hopes to have her campaign debt paid before her possible confirmation as secretary of state.

(CNN) - Hillary Clinton isn't the only former candidate still fundraising long after Election Day: an analysis released this week found that one out of every four prospective officeholders this year ended the campaign season in the red.

The non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics found that 665 out of 2,339 candidates for political office still don't have enough to pay off their campaign debts - a combined deficit of roughly $144 million.

But many won't face much pressure from their creditors: $125 million of that debt is money candidates lent their own campaigns. "Eight out of the top 10 debtors reached into their own pockets for more than 40 percent of their campaign funds," CRP reported.

Public opinion on California's controversial Proposition 8 remains unchanged.

(CNN) - How have the aftershocks of California’s Proposition 8 - the legal challenges to the states same-sex marriage ban, the protests and boycotts, the controversy that greeted President-elect Obama’s decision to invite evangelical minister Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration –- affected national public opinion on the issue?

Not at all, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Tuesday.

In June, 44 percent of those surveyed said that gay marriages should be recognized by law as valid, and a slim majority – 53 percent – said they should not. Six months later, public opinion seems frozen in place, at least for the moment: support for gay marriage remains at 44 percent. So does the opposition –- at 55 percent, it’s statistically unchanged from the summer result, given the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Attitudes also remain unchanged on the question of gays in the military, with strong continuing support for the lifting of the current ban on openly gay service-members. Eighty-one percent of those surveyed say the ban should be lifted, compared with 17 percent who do not. In May of 2007, 79 percent supported lifting the ban, and 18 percent did not.

There has been a bit of movement on one question: a slight up-tick in those who say the government should “do more to support traditional values”: 57 percent of those polled agreed with that statement, to 41 percent who said the government should not favor any particular set of values.

In 2006, 51 percent of those polled said the government should do more to promote traditional values, while 43 percent disagreed with that statement.

The poll of 1,013 adult Americans was conducted by telephone by Opinion Research Corporation on December 19-21, 2008. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden will head a new task force on working families on Jaunary 20, 2009.

(CNN) - Vice President-elect Joe Biden said a report expected later today detailing contact between the Obama transition team and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich would show there had been "no inappropriate contact" between the two camps.

“I don’t think there’s anything to exonerate,” Biden told reporters following a Tuesday morning economic briefing in Chicago.

Blagojevich has been accused of trying to sell the Senate seat that had been held by President-elect Barack Obama, and was arrested earlier this month. The president-elect had ordered his team to compile a report listing all conversations between the transition office and the Illinois governor. Obama said several days ago that the public release of the list had been delayed at the request of federal investigators.

“It’s been clear that the president-elect has had no contact with Blagojevich, and you’ve seen that he’s asserted - and you’ll find in the report that’s being released today - that there’s been no inappropriate contact by any member of the Obama staff or the transition team with Blagojevich,” said Biden Tuesday.

The report is slated for release late this afternoon.

Spending on Palin's clothes, makeup and hair made headlines during the campaign.

(CNN) - Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s biggest mistake of the presidential campaign: not enough time with the media, the Alaska governor said in an interview published Monday.

“The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media,” she told Human Events.

“I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen. But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts.

“But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.

Palin also said she was uncomfortable leaving the campaign’s management to people she did not know well. “I was in a campaign in which I did not know the people individually running the campaign. So I had to put my life, my career, my family, and my reputation in their hands. That’s kind of a scary thing to do when you don’t know the people you are working with,” said the Alaska governor.

Palin has been the target of tough criticism, much of it anonymous, from senior McCain aides since the end of the campaign.

Spending on Palin's clothes, makeup and hair made headlines during the campaign.

(CNN) - Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s biggest mistake of the presidential campaign: not enough time with the media, the Alaska governor said in an interview published Monday.

“The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media,” she told Human Events.

“I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen. But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts.

“But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.

Palin also said she was uncomfortable leaving the campaign’s management to people she did not know well. “I was in a campaign in which I did not know the people individually running the campaign. So I had to put my life, my career, my family, and my reputation in their hands. That’s kind of a scary thing to do when you don’t know the people you are working with,” said the Alaska governor.

Palin has been the target of tough criticism, much of it anonymous, from senior McCain aides since the end of the campaign.

Obama named his science team Saturday.

(CNN) - President-elect Barack Obama named his science and technology team Saturday with a pledge to ensure that “facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology.”

“It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology,” he said in his Saturday radio address, in an apparent offhand swipe at President Bush.

“It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient – especially when it’s inconvenient,” Obama said, adding that government support had been essential for the greatest scientific breakthroughs of recent history, like the development of the Internet. “Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us."

Obama announced that Harvard University professor John Holdren will serve as assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Environmental scientist and marine ecologist Jane Lubchenco of Oregon State University was his pick for administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The president-elect also named Nobel Prize-winning Harold Varmus, a former Director of the National Institutes of Health, and Eric Lander of MIT and Harvard, a leader of the Human Genome Project, as co-chairs of the Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Lieberman may lose his committee chairmanship this week, as Senate Democrats meet on the issue.

(CNN) - Connecticut’s Democratic Party is officially complaining to Sen. Joe Lieberman for backing Republican John McCain in this year’s presidential race – but has decided against taking any tougher measures against him.

State party officials voted Wednesday night to send the senator a letter laying out their unhappiness with his decision, amid new polls that show the Democrat-turned-independent drawing record low approval ratings from constituents unhappy over his presidential pick and his continuing support for the Iraq war.

Lieberman himself, who remains a registered Democrat, retained his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last month following a lengthy and often-heated debate over what — if any — price he should pay for his vocal support of McCain's presidential bid.

The former Democratic vice presidential candidate said then that a number of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate were moved by an appeal from Obama himself that "the nation now unite to confront our very serious problems…. This is all about going forward."

The decision from congressional Democrats came days after Republican Sen. Jon Kyl said the GOP would “welcome [Lieberman] with open arms” if he decided to bolt the Democratic caucus.

McCain confirmed Tuesday he’s planning to run for a fifth Senate term in 2010.

(CNN) – Former GOP presidential candidate John McCain denied Tuesday that political considerations - a desire to appeal to Clinton supporters - played a role in his selection of running mate Sarah Palin, calling her “an energizing factor” and telling reporters the Alaska governor has a “very bright future in a leadership position in the Republican Party.”

"She did a great job of energizing our base. I'm very proud of her,” he said at a press conference in Phoenix, his first since losing to Barack Obama three weeks ago. “It's one of the great pleasures I've had to get to know her and her family, and I think she has a very bright future in a leadership position in the Republican Party.

"....I knew that she would be an energizing factor, because she energized me," he added. "Our base, and most Americans, viewed Governor Palin as a breath of fresh air."

Taking a look back at the presidential contest, he said his campaign was dealt a fatal blow when public focus shifted from foreign policy to the faltering economy. “The American people - and I respect that decision, I don’t in any way criticize it – [decided] that the economy was of vital importance. And it is,” he said.

He also told reporters: “We worked hard, and we inspired a lot of people, Sarah Palin and I. I think we look back with pride."

The Arizona senator said that he’s planning to run for re-election in two years, and that an official announcement would come “at an appropriate time.” He praised the president-elect for his cabinet picks so far, especially his reported selection of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano – long mentioned as a likely 2010 Senate rival - as Secretary of Homeland Security.

Multiple sources have told CNN that Napolitano is Obama’s top choice for that post.

"I have already talked with her, and look forward to moving her nomination as quickly as possible through the United States Senate," said McCain. He said he is also planning trips in the near future to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Even with his stiffest competition is reportedly taking a pass, McCain’s home state has been trending blue - he beat Barack Obama by just 9 points - and the four-term senator told reporters Tuesday he’s expecting a “tough race.”

Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich has taken the lead over Sen. Ted Stevens as votes continue to be counted in Alaska's senate race.

(CNN) - Republican Sen. Ted Stevens has fallen 814 votes behind Democratic challenger Mark Begich as vote counting continues in Alaska.

The Anchorage mayor was trailing Stevens in the initial count, which did not include at least 90,000 absentee, early and provisional ballots.

With nearly two-thirds of those votes now tallied, Begich has taken the lead. An estimated 40,000 ballots have yet to be counted – a majority of them from the area of the state that includes Anchorage, according to state elections officials.

McCain spoke at last year’s CPAC.

(CNN) - Votes are still being counted in some states, but conservatives stinging from last night’s losses are planning to get together to plan the movement’s future — and so far, it doesn’t look like that vision includes John McCain.

McCain, who made a poorly-received appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference last year, was not included on a list of major movement figures invited to next year’s gathering e-mailed to supporters Wednesday morning. More than a dozen conservative leaders made the cut — including McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal have also been invited to address CPAC in February, along with McCain’s former primary season rivals Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

“At CPAC 1975, one speech initiated the conservative comeback,” American Conservative Union president David Keene wrote on the invitation to the group’s annual meeting, citing Ronald Reagan’s encouraging words to activists after the “disastrous” post-Watergate election losses of 1974. “CPAC friends, it's imperative that we continue to fight for conservative principles despite recent losses. We face new challenges, but our principles are timeless.”

Last year, McCain faced a thorny reception during a rare appearance at the gathering, as his visit – and even the mention of his name – drew boos from many in attendance.

Romney narrowly beat the Arizona senator, 35 to 34 percent, in the conference’s presidential straw poll of conservative political activists. The result came even though it was clear that McCain, who had addressed the group that week, would be the Republican Party’s nominee — and even though Romney had ended his presidential run there earlier in the conference. The announcement of Romney’s win was greeted by cheers from the crowd, angry over McCain’s past positions on immigration policy.

UPDATE: CPAC Director Lisa De Pasquale said in an e-mail that the list included in the message sent to past CPAC attendees this morning was not complete.

"With the exception of Gov. Palin, who confirmed in early April after having to drop out of CPAC 2008 at the last minute, very few invitations (Jindal and Pence) were sent to elected officials because of the volatility of the November elections," she wrote. "Now that the election has passed, we will begin inviting other elected officials."

Lieberman says put partisanship aside.

(CNN) - Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman, one of John McCain’s biggest Senate supporters, congratulated Barack Obama Wednesday on winning the presidential election.

"I sincerely congratulate President-elect Obama for his historic and impressive victory,” he said in a statement released by his Senate office. “America remains a nation of extraordinary opportunity and the American people are a people of extraordinary fairness.

“Now that the election is over, it is time to put partisan considerations aside and come together as a nation to solve the difficult challenges we face and make our blessed land stronger and safer. I pledge to work with President-elect Obama and his incoming Administration in their efforts to reinvigorate our economy and keep our nation secure and free."

The statement comes hours after a senior Democratic leadership aide told CNN that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning to meet with the Connecticut senator to discuss the future of his committee chairmanship. The aide said that Reid had not yet made a final decision on the question of whether Lieberman will continue to chair the Senate’ Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats, alienated many within the party this cycle for his comments on the campaign trail questioning Obama’s judgment and patriotism. Shortly before he spoke at the Republican convention — where he repeated a GOP talking point that Obama had voted to “cut off funding for our troops on the ground” in Iraq - Lieberman suggested to the crowd at a McCain campaign event that the Illinois senator did not “put the country first.”

Last month, he told an interviewer that Republican criticism of Obama for his relationship with his former minister Jeremiah Wright and former radical Bill Ayers was fair because “one of the things you want to know is who have they associated with, because it may help you know who they'll listen to when they get into office."

But about two weeks ago, Lieberman’s tone seemed to shift, as he offered praise for his former party’s presidential nominee.

"When I go out, I say, 'I have a lot of respect for Sen. Obama. He's bright. He's eloquent.' Someday, I might even support him for president," he told Connecticut reporters, according to a report in the Hartford Courant. "But now in the midst of this series of crises, John McCain is simply so much better prepared that that's who I am proud to support." He added that if McCain’s presidential bid were to fall short, he would do everything he could to bring people "together across party lines to support the new president so he can succeed."

Jeanne Shaheen votes in her hometown of Madbury, HN on Election Day.

(CNN) – CNN projects that Jeanne Shaheen has defeated incumbent John Sununu in New Hampshire.

The race had been a rematch of the 2002 contest between former Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and the well-funded incumbent. Despite Sununu's lackluster poll numbers, the race was a tough fight, but with the state leaning Democratic, he found himself trailing Shaheen in most surveys heading into Election Day.

Shaheen's victory was based on overwhelming support from women. Men split their votes evenly between the two candidates.

The former governor also won significant majorities of moderates and independents - and, as elsewhere, the Democratic candidate won on nearly every issue Tuesday night. Only the minority of voters who said the battle against terrorism was a priority threw most of their support to Sununu.

(CNN) - CNN projects that Democrat Rep. Tom Udall of New Mexico has defeated Republican Rep. Steve Pearce for the Senate seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Pete Domenici.

When Domenici announced his retirement, the state's entire congressional delegation lined up to replace him. But Pearce emerged battered from his primary battle with fellow GOP Rep. Heather Wilson, and Udall boasted a far bigger campaign war chest.

So Domenici's retirement didn't just cost his party a Senate seat - Wilson's primary season loss and Pearce's general election defeat mean the race also ended up claiming both the state's Republican congressman.

The win, long expected by Republicans, marks a pickup for the Democratic Party.

Mark Warner wins open Virginia seat.

(CNN) - CNN is projecting that Mark Warner has won Virginia's Senate race.

GOP Sen. John Warner won the last race with more than 80 percent of the vote - but the only politician to rival him in popularity was former Democratic Gov. Mark Warner. If the veteran Republican senator had not retired, the battle of the Warners promised to be a tough fight.

But Mark Warner's Republican opponent was the far less-popular former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who mounted a barely-noticed presidential bid this cycle. With Warner's massive fundraising and organizing advantage, the race was a foregone conclusion for months. Virginia, which had not supported a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon Johnson ran for re-election in 1964, delivered its electoral votes to Barack Obama last night. The party now also controls the governor's mansion, and both Senate seats.

McCain is heading back to New Mexico tomorrow.

(CNN) - John McCain will spend the final hours before the polls close Tuesday visiting Colorado and New Mexico, two states his campaign manager now says are key to a last-minute “new pathway to victory.”

Both states voted for President Bush in 2004, but have been leaning Obama this cycle.

Watch: McCain looks for a late shift in momentum

Late Sunday, McCain campaign manager Rick Davis sketched out a fresh roadmap to the White House that runs through the West, telling reporters that new surveys that suggested Barack Obama’s lead was shrinking to single digits had given the Republican nominee reason for optimism. “If we can win Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico, all of the sudden we’ve got a whole new pathway to victory,” Davis told reporters. “Those weren’t even on the list three weeks ago.”

McCain's visit to New Mexico tomorrow will mark his second stop in the state in two days.

Watch: McCain says 'I need your vote'

Obama leads by 6 in the most recent CNN Colorado poll of polls, and by 8 points in an Albuquerque Journal/Research & Polling survey of New Mexico voters, both released late last week.

Both states also feature Senate races for seats held by retiring Republicans; Democrats are heavily favored in both contests, as the party pushes for a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate.

McCain is campaigning to defend several Bush states.

(CNN) – New CNN state polls of polls released on the final full day of the 2008 campaign show Barack Obama holding on to battleground states won by John Kerry four years ago – and tied with or slightly ahead of John McCain in more than half a dozen others that voted for George Bush in 2004.

There’s some slight movement, but the polls of polls show the margin between the two men stands at just 1-3 percentage points in five crucial states. In four more, Obama holds an advantage of between 5 and 11 points.

Watch: The candidates make a final swing through the key battlegrounds

CNN’s new Florida poll of polls shows Obama leading McCain by 2 points, 48 to 46 percent. The last Florida poll of polls –- released November 2 –- showed Obama leading McCain by 4 points, 49 to 45 percent.

In the traditionally-Republican state of Indiana, the new poll of polls shows McCain leading Obama by 1 point, 47 to 46 percent. CNN’s last Indiana poll of polls –- released November 1 –- showed McCain and Obama tied at 47 percent each.

CNN’s new Missouri poll of polls shows McCain and Obama tied at 47 percent each. The last poll of polls –- released November 1 –- also showed McCain and Obama tied, at 48 percent each.

CNN’s new Nevada poll of polls shows Obama leading McCain by 5 points, 49 to 44 percent. The last Nevada poll of polls –- released November 2 –- showed Obama leading McCain by 6 points, 49 to 43 percent.

In New Hampshire – the state that boosted McCain’s 2000 presidential effort and helped him claim the nomination this cycle – the poll of polls shows Obama leading McCain by 11 points, 53 to 42 percent. CNN’s last New Hampshire poll of polls –- released November 2 –- also showed Obama leading McCain by 11 points, 53 to 42 percent.

CNN’s new North Carolina poll of polls shows Obama leading McCain by 1 point, 49 to 48 percent. The last North Carolina poll of polls –- released November 2 –- showed Obama leading McCain by 2 points.

Battleground Ohio – which helped seal Bush’s 2004 re-election bid – remains a tight race, with Obama leading McCain by 4 points, 49 to 45 percent, in the new CNN poll of polls. CNN’s last Ohio poll of polls –- released November 2 –- also showed Obama leading McCain by 4 points, 49 to 45 percent.

CNN’s new Pennsylvania poll of polls shows Obama leading McCain by 8 points, 51 to 43 percent, in a state the Republican’s campaign has said is key to victory. CNN’s last Pennsylvania Poll of Polls –- released November 2 –- showed Obama leading McCain by 7 points, 51 to 44 percent.

And CNN’s new Virginia poll of polls shows Obama leading McCain by 5 points, 50 to 45 percent. The last Virginia poll of polls –- released November 2 –- showed Obama leading McCain by 6 points, 51 to 45 percent.

The poll of polls is an average of recent surveys. It does not have a sampling error.

Obama aide David Axelrod, pictured here at a Pennsylvania campaign office earlier this week, called the release of information about Sen. Obama's aunt 'suspicious.'

(CNN)– Barack Obama’s chief strategist said Saturday that he thought the last-minute appearance of stories like this weekend’s news that the Illinois senator’s aunt may be living in the country illegally would make people “suspicious.”

The Associated Press has reported that Zeituni Onyango, a native of Kenya, has been living in Boston despite losing an appeal for asylum four years ago. Obama’s campaign issued a statement earlier Saturday that the Democratic nominee “has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws should be followed." The campaign also said it would return $265 in donations from Onyango, who is not legally permitted to donate to Obama because she is not a U.S. citizen.

CNN has been unable to independently verify the aunt's immigration status.

On the campaign trail in Nevada, Axelrod said the timing of the report might raise a few eyebrows. "The campaign issued a statement on that," he said. "And I don't have anything more to add to it, other than I think people are suspicious about stories that surface in the last 72 hours of a national campaign... I think that they're going to take that, they're going to put it in that context."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan questioned both the timing and the source of the news Saturday, sending a public letter to Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff requesting an investigation.

Obama aide David Axelrod, pictured here at a Pennsylvania campaign office earlier this week, called the release of information about Sen. Obama's aunt 'suspicious.'

(CNN) - Barack Obama’s chief strategist said Saturday that he thought the last-minute appearance of stories like this weekend’s news that the Illinois senator’s aunt may be living in the country illegally would make people “suspicious.”

The Associated Press has reported that Zeituni Onyango, a native of Kenya, has been living in Boston despite losing an appeal for asylum four years ago. Obama’s campaign issued a statement earlier Saturday that the Democratic nominee “has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws should be followed." The campaign also said it would return $265 in donations from Onyango, who is not legally permitted to donate to Obama because she is not a U.S. citizen.

CNN has been unable to independently verify the aunt's immigration status.

On the campaign trail in Nevada, Axelrod said the timing of the report might raise a few eyebrows. "The campaign issued a statement on that," he said. "And I don't have anything more to add to it, other than I think people are suspicious about stories that surface in the last 72 hours of a national campaign... I think that they're going to take that, they're going to put it in that context."

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan questioned both the timing and the source of the news Saturday, sending a public letter to Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff requesting an investigation.

McCain trails Obama in Virginia.

(CNN) - A month ago, John McCain’s brother Joe called the Northern Virginia “communist country.” Two weeks ago, a key surrogate said the area wasn’t even a “real” part of the state.

On Saturday, John McCain told voters there the area was “key” to a Republican victory.

"I want to remind you again, Fairfax County is key to this election," McCain told a Springfield, Virginia crowd. "You know that. You know how important it is for us to win here, you know how important it is that we put this country in the right direction. I need your help for the next three days."

Supporters dismissed the prospect of a McCain loss in the state, which hasn’t supported a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 campaign. "What's this garbage about Obama’s gonna win Virginia? What is that about?" South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a major McCain backer, asked the crowd Saturday. "Chicago's 705 miles. It might as well be on the moon compared to Virginia. I know Virginia. Virginia believes in lower taxes. Virginians fight the wars. Virginians want opportunity and not a handout." Phoenix is 2,352 miles from Springfield.

Driven by a surge in Democratic registrations in the Washington, D.C. suburbs where McCain spoke Saturday, the state has elected two Democratic governors and U.S. senator in recent years, and is considered likely to another next week.

Two weeks ago — hours before McCain’s last visit to the area — adviser Nancy Pfotenhauer said Northern Virginia was unlikely to support the Arizona senator’s presidential bid/ “I certainly agree that northern Virginia has gone more Democratic. And as a proud resident of Oakton, Virginia I can tell you that the Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into northern Virginia. And that’s really what you see there. But the rest of the state, ‘real’ Virginia if you will, I think will be very responsive to Senator McCain’s message.”

Asked if she wanted to clarify her comments, Pfotenhauer stood by her remarks. “I did say outside of Northern…I did say ‘real’ Virginia, because northern Virginia is where I’ve always been, but real Virginia I take to be this part of the state that is more Southern in nature, if you will. Northern Virginia is really metro DC, as you’re aware, Kevin.”

Barack Obama held a 9 point lead in the CNN/Time Opinion Research Corporation poll released last week.

Palin fell victim to Canadian pranksters Saturday.

(CNN) - Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin fell victim Saturday to Canadian pranksters who convinced her she was actually speaking by phone with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Palin spoke to Marc-Antoine Audette for about six minutes before the comedian identified himself, and she ended the call.

“Thank you sir, we have such great respect for you, John McCain and I, we love you,” Palin tells the imposter, who tells her he hoped she will be president one day. "Ha ha, maybe in eight years," she responded.

Audette, as Sarkozy told Palin that hunting was one of his favorite activities. "Oh, very good, we should go hunting together," Palin replied, adding, "I think we could have a lot of fun together as we're getting work done. We could kill two birds with one stone that way."

"I just love killing those animals! Taking away life, that is so fun," said the fake French president.

Palin laughed. The prankster told her that he'd love to go hunting, as long as "we don't bring Vice President Cheney."

"I'll be a very careful shot, don't worry," says Palin, with another laugh.

Added Audette: "You know we have a lot in common also because from my house I can see Belgium."

"Yes, see, we are all right next door to other countries that we need to be working with," said Palin.

Audette is half of the comedy duo The Masked Avengers, who host a show on Montreal radio station CKOI.

The Palin campaign confirmed the prank. "Governor Palin received a phone call on Saturday from a French Canadian talk show host claiming to be French President Nicholas Sarkozy. Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy, and other celebrities in being targeted by these pranksters. C'est la vie."

Check out CNN's Electoral Map.

(CNN) - Some tough news for John McCain in his own backyard, as his home state of Arizona moves from “safe McCain” to “lean McCain” in the latest CNN poll of polls.

And the Republican nominee continues to lose ground in reliably-red areas, as North Dakota moves from “lean McCain” to “toss-up” – meaning three electoral votes that had been counted for McCain are now considered up for grabs.

But there’s some good news for McCain down south: Louisiana has moved from “lean McCain” to “safe McCain.” And the movement on the map is far from done.

Barack Obama now leads McCain by 131 electoral votes, up from his 128-vote lead yesterday. CNN now estimates that if the presidential election were held today, Obama would win 291 electoral votes and John McCain 160. There are 87 electoral votes up for grabs. Again, 270 electoral votes are needed to win the White House.

The CNN Electoral Map is based on analysis from the CNN Political Unit and takes into account a number of factors, including polling, state voting trends, ad spending patterns, candidate visits, and guidance from the campaigns, parties, and political strategists. The list will be updated regularly as the campaign develops over time.

Obama will run ads in McCain's home state of Arizona.

(CNN) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will start advertising for the first time in rival John McCain's home state just days before the November 4 election, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told reporters Friday.

Plouffe said the campaign will broadcast its positive spot, "Something," in Arizona.

"We're running a positive ad there. It's Sen. McCain's home state. We're cognizant of that," Plouffe said.

All the same, the campaign considers Arizona worth fighting for.

"If someone else had been the Republican nominee, it would have been a core battleground like its neighbor Western states," Plouffe said, adding "Our internal data suggests this could be a very, very close race."

The latest CNN national Poll of Polls, released Friday morning, finds McCain leading by 4 percentage points in Arizona, which he has represented in Congress for 25 years. The poll of polls found the Republican leading Obama 49 percent to 45 percent, with 6 percent of the state's voters undecided.

Thursday's poll of polls showed Obama leading McCain by 5 percentage points, 49 percent to 44 percent, with 7 percent undecided.

A McCain spokesman dismissed Obama's advertising as a "waste of his resources."

"Voters in Arizona won't accept job-killing tax increases, won't accept a trillion dollars in new federal spending and won't accept Barack Obama," Tucker Bounds said.

But Plouffe said Arizona was in play, partly because the Obama campaign was "doing very well" with Hispanic voters and suburban voters.

He said the campaign was going back on the airwaves in Georgia and North Dakota with its negative advertisement, "Rearview Mirror," which ties McCain to President Bush.

CNN's new Georgia poll of polls shows McCain still leading Obama by 6 points, 50 to 44 percent, amid reports of overwhelming early voter turnout. There is no reliable recent North Dakota polling.

On Thursday, MoveOn.org announced it was targeting the Arizona senator with ad buys in each of the state's major media markets. The Obama camp issued a call for volunteers there, citing tightening polls in the state.

Earlier this week, the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee paid for negative robo-calls in Arizona, telling voters Obama's election "invites a major international crisis he will be unprepared to handle alone."

CNN's electoral map suggests Obama leads McCain 291 to 163 in the Electoral College, with 84 votes there up for grabs. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.