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Obama Leaves Senate
President-elect Obama resigned from the U.S. Senate today and published a letter to constituents in many Illinois newspapers.

An excerpt: “Today, I am ending one journey to begin another. After serving the people of Illinois in the United States Senate — one of the highest honors and privileges of my life — I am stepping down as senator to prepare for the responsibilities I will assume as our nation’s next president. But I will never forget, and will forever be grateful, to the men and women of this great state who made my life in public service possible.”

LLN FDL: Putty Tat Trouble
Putty Tat Trouble, starring Tweety.  This 1951 Warner Bros. Inc. Merrie Melodies cartoon was directed by I. Freleng.  Story by Warren Foster.  Animation by Arthur Davis, Manuel Perez, Ken Champin, and Virgil Ross.  Backgrounds by Paul Julian.  Layouts by Hawley Pratt.  Voice characterizations by Mel Blanc and others.  Musical direction by Carl Stalling. 

What’s on your mind tonight?

Putty Tat Trouble, starring Tweety.  This 1951 Warner Bros. Inc. Merrie Melodies cartoon was directed by I. Freleng.  Story by Warren Foster.  Animation by Arthur Davis, Manuel Perez, Ken Champin, and Virgil Ross.  Backgrounds by Paul Julian.  Layouts by Hawley Pratt.  Voice characterizations by Mel Blanc and others.  Musical direction by Carl Stalling. 

What’s on your mind tonight?

Boxer Aide Facing Child Porn Charges
Jeff Rosato, a senior staffer for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), has been fired after he was charged by authorities late last week with distributing and receiving child pornography. Roll Call reports (subscription required): He was arrested after he sent more…

Heartening
According to this post by Matt Stoller at OpenLeft, every major Democratic senate challenger this year (judged by very expansive criteria) supports Net Neutrality….

Obama Pledges To End Torture To Help ?Regain America?s Moral Stature In The World?
In recent weeks, there has been rampant media speculation that President Barack Obama would back off his campaign pledges to end torture. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote, “President-elect Barack Obama is unlikely to radically overhaul controversial Bush administration intelligence policies.” In addition, some in the blogosphere have raised concerns about the fact that a key […]

In recent weeks, there has been rampant media speculation that President Barack Obama would back off his campaign pledges to end torture.

The Wall Street Journal recently wrote, “President-elect Barack Obama is unlikely to radically overhaul controversial Bush administration intelligence policies.” In addition, some in the blogosphere have raised concerns about the fact that a key intelligence adviser to Obama has supported the Bush administration’s enhanced interrogation techniques.

Tonight, in his interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Obama bluntly and directly clarified his incoming administration’s position:

CBS: There are a number of different things you can do early on pertaining to executive orders.

OBAMA: Right.

CBS: One of them is to shut down Guantanamo Bay. Another is to change interrogation methods that are used by U.S. troops. Are those things that you plan to take early action on?

OBAMA: Yes. I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that. I have said repeatedly that America doesn’t torture, and I’m going to make sure that we don’t torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America’s moral stature in the world.

Watch it:

Obama also emphasized that “capturing or killing” Osama bin Laden is a critical aspect of his national security strategy of stamping out al Qaeda. “He is not just a symbol, he is also the operational leader of an organization that is planning attacks against U.S. targets,” Obama said of bin Laden.

Bill Clinton’s Global Reach Would Have Pluses and Minuses for a Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
If Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is named the next secretary of state, she and her husband could be positioned to lead a public-private partnership on the global stage unlike any before it, one that experts say would bring with it a host of potential benefits and pitfalls for the new president.