Let the online riot begin:

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.

Obama's advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton's foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.

Joe Conason brings some sense and facts to the discussion:

The concerns about the Clinton Global Initiative and Bill Clinton’s other activities seem slightly overblown (as I’ve noted before). Every paid speech he has delivered over the past eight years is recorded in his wife’s Senate disclosure forms. Nor have donors to CGI been concealed, either, as any journalist who attends its meetings or examines its Web site should be able to determine. The countries that have donated funding to the Clinton H.I.V./AIDS Initiative are also a matter of public record.

When such questions arose during the campaign, he promised to publish the names of all future donors if his wife were to be elected president – and presumably he will now make any reasonable disclosures requested by the president-elect as part of the vetting process.

Next phony issue? We await Josh Marshall's next anti-Clinton missive.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

I'm just coming up for air since my recent robbery. Four days and it's still a logistical mess. I won't be blogging for a few more days as I need to get back to my real job first.

My burglar alarm system is just about ready and yes, I got an insurance policy.

Two big questions now: Among other things, I have to replace my Sony laptop and my Macbook. The Macbook is not a problem, but the PC is. I can't figure out whether to get 64 bit or 32 bit, whether to get Visa Home Premium or Ultimate, and whether to get a 5400 or 7200 hard drive. I don't need business network capability but I want it to be fast for word processing and internet stuff and getting through dvd-roms of discovery, including audio and video files. Is it too soon to get a 64 bit machine because older programs won't work with it? Are there other considerations I've missed and does anyone have a new laptop they just love? The two I'm liking the best so far are the Sony SR series and the Dell XPS M1330.

Remember when talkers on the right became so irate over Dan Rather's report (based in part on documents that may have been fabricated) that George Bush skipped out on some of his National Guard service? As BTD discussed here, the stink about the allegedly forged documents distracted the public from the underlying issue: whether Bush actually reported for duty.

Distraction is what the GOP does best, and its roaring umbrage cowed CBS. Anxious to prove that it had no liberal bias and to appease the corporate interests to which both CBS and the GOP are beholden, CBS "investigated" Rather and limited his work, effectively forcing his resignation.

Rather sued, claiming the rigged investigation violated his contract and damaged his reputation. According to this report, Rather has uncovered evidence to support that claim. [more ...]

This is so much the very definition of irony:

Team Obama, after all but offering SecState to Senator Clinton, is expressing EXASPERATION with the Clinton camp for the difficulty in getting a clean vet on President Bill Clinton’s many entanglements. . . . Given that everyone's mystified by how deliberately public the Clintons have made this once secret process . . . [G]enerally the sense among the no-drama Obama world is: This is well on its way to winning best Oscar for drama.”

The irony of leaking to Mike Allen your complaints about "Clinton drama" is too freaking rich. Obviously Allen's Obama team contacts are NOT part of the NO DRAMA part of the Obama team.

And from the actual No Drama Obama Team:

[T]here's been no delaying, there's been no acrimony . . . Clinton and her team have acted professionally and appropriately.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

The New York Times today joined TalkLeft and a host of others in asking Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia to pardon the Norfolk Four.

I've yakked enough. Your turn.

This is an Open Thread.

. . . a college football playoff:

Kroft: I have one last question. As president of the United States, what can you do, or what do you plan to do, about getting a college football playoff for the national championship?

. . . Mr. Obama: This is important . . . I think any sensible person would say that if you've got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there's no clear decisive winner that we should be creating a playoff system. Eight teams. That would be three rounds, to determine a national champion. It would it would add three extra weeks to the season. You could trim back on the regular season. I don't know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this. So, I'm gonna throw my weight around a little bit. I think it's the right thing to do.

This has to be at the top of the agenda. My previous post on this paramount issue here.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Here is Obama on 60 minutes giving the unequivocal answer we wanted to hear:

A response to this has been 'Bush said we do not torture.' My reply - Barack Obama is not George Bush. I could not ask for a better answer.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Josh Marshall just can not shake it. Now, I am not in favor of Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State, not because she won't do a fine job, but because I think she would be more valuable to President-Elect Obama and the nation in the Senate.

Marshall clearly opposes Clinton for State, perhaps even on the merits. But instead of making those arguments, he embraces the Clinton Derangement of the Media and the Right Wing and makes it about the Clinton Foundation:

Kroft: There are a number of different things that you could do early pertaining to executive orders. One of them is to shutdown 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?

Mr. 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 gonna make sure that we don't torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world.

Obama can do these things on Day 1. Of course, closing Gitmo will take some time to do but announcing its closing can happen Day 1. And torture ("enhanced interrogation" as John Brennan describes it) can end and must end immediately. No ifs and or buts.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only

Greg Craig was named White House counsel. Marcy Wheeler is not pleased.

My take is somewhat different than Marcy's. Craig was trying to justify Barack Obama's flip flop on telecom immunity when he spouted nonsense about FISA expiring. I think he knew that what he was saying was pure nonsense. But then, the real issue is that Greg Craig does not tell the truth and thinks most of us are idiots or do not care about the truth when it comes to Obama. But, in Craig's defense, it seems true that many do not care about the truth when it comes to Obama and warrantless wiretappping, telecom immunity and other such issues. Of course, we do not know YET where Obama will end up on these issues. But I submit that that is precisely the problem.

Update - I am told that on 60 Minutes, Obama was quite forceful on the issue of torture and on closing Gitmo. This is terrific and important news. I will post a transcript and/or video when it becomes available.

By Big Tent Democrat, speaking for me only