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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



New Congress: McCain's role?

Posted: Monday, November 10, 2008 9:20 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:

NEW CONGRESS: McCain’s role?
Would John McCain return to Capitol Hill as the leader of the loyal opposition? Probably not, writes CQ. "A likelier scenario, observers say, is that McCain will revert to his role as a bipartisan broker of compromise -- and, depending on Barack Obama ’s enthusiasm for courting the aid of his presidential rival, McCain could serve as a critical liaison to Senate moderates as the new administration works with a Senate majority just shy of the 60-vote, filibuster-resistant supermajority."

Obama is staying out of the Lieberman fight.
 
Meanwhile, Chris Van Hollen plans to stay one more term as DCCC chair. This cycle will be all defense.

Roll Call: "On the Republican side, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) is running for a second term despite losing about 20 seats last week. But Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas), who is also running for the post, has received strong public backing from Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio)." 
 
"A House leader who had seen his party lose more than 50 seats in two election cycles might expect to get the boot -- or at least a major challenge," writes Roll Call, "but House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) has not only emerged unscathed, he has been consolidating his hold on power by hand-picking a new team underneath him." 

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Obama is staying out of the Lieberman fight.
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I don't blame him.  I think that fight is going to get a lot uglier before it gets prettier...

http://thepajamapundit.com/
Make McShame Secretary of The Navy.....

Or give Him Liebermans chair

Obama has too much on his plate after Friday's press conference to worry about Lieberman. What a bust that conference was. Did he actually pick on a 90 year old woman with a broken hip (Nancy Reagan)? He's quite the guy.
McCain should concentrate on immigration.  He won't have a reason to back out on his own initiatives on it now that his hopes of higher office are erased.  Stemming illegal entrants is going to be an essential part of rebuilding the middle class.
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Everyone needs to remember we have a lot of urgent issues that the next president will have to dive into.

Give him the needed time and space to tackle them.  They will not be fixed in a day or even a year.

It took 8 years to get into most of this crap...

GOD Bless the WORLD!

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"Crybaby" Boehner deserves the axe from his repugnant ones who have seen his incompetent whiny leadership help bring their party so low.

Who cares about McCain's role now in the Seante?  He will now become the Napper in Chief!  He seems to be exploiting his celebrity status to get on the talk show circuit again.

2008 White House Holiday Poem

T'was the night before Xmas,
and all through the White House
shredders were shredding all through the night.
Files were deleted to be kept out of our sight,
no evidence left of the bushwhacker's blight!

Yes We Did!
McCain needs to go find himself.  Because that will be so exausting, he then needs to go take a very long nap.
Mccain should not play any role in Obama's administration.  His true colors showed through during the election, he is not bipartisan in any way, mccain is concerned only with himself. And Lieberman is a traitor and should be kicked out of the Dem party.  He cannot be trusted.
Just asking, Why has John McCain not been defending Sarah Palin against all these accusations being made against her this past week?
Sincer sympathies to McCain supporters, now his role should be as a senator who will hopefully lose his senate seat soon, he was shown in a very bad light during his campaign. He was far less than honerable far less than bright, very far removed from the issues. But I suppose he can catch up if he will show up in the senate to do his job, he hasn't allways been
there when he was needed, for what ever bill he said he supported or didnt support, actually he cant be trusted to show up at work. He cant even be trusted to show up on late night talk shows and hes fond of them.
marty
Sincer sympathies to McCain supporters, now his role should be as a senator who will hopefully lose his senate seat soon, he was shown in a very bad light during his campaign. He was far less than honerable far less than bright, very far removed from the issues. But I suppose he can catch up if he will show up in the senate to do his job, he hasn't allways been
there when he was needed, for what ever bill he said he supported or didnt support, actually he cant be trusted to show up at work. He cant even be trusted to show up on late night talk shows and hes fond of them.
marty
I do hope that ALL politicans realize they have to unite for the survival of our country.
The bickering, postering, self importance has to stop
and they need to work together to bring our country
back to the greatness we once had.
It will take time to heal the division that was
sought by the Mccain/palin campaign and overcome the
hate, anger, fear and distrust that was instilled.
It can be done but will take the sincerity of all.
How far is Joe Lieberman from becoming a Republican ... or maybe an Independent?

Let's ask the Democrats in office how many continents they're are and to name them .... and some other geography questions as simple as "name the great lakes." Maybe a 50 question 8th grade test and let's see how they do. Let's also include the Obama Trauma, even Bush. It may not have that much to do with their election positions but it would be fun. And no, Obama, you can't write in "present."
I'm surprised Wes Clark isn't even being mentioned for Defense Secretary. The man was a Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, a Rhodes Scholar, and a graduate of West Point.

What's that about?
Despite everything, I do think that McCain has a place in an Obama administration (I indicated as much in my blog), certainly in the areas of Foreign Policy or perhaps National Security (areas where McCain is seen as stronger than Obama).  I'm one of those who believe that McCain was used by his own campaign to prop Sarah Palin up for a run in 2012.  They (Rick Davis, Tucker Bounds, Sarah Palin, etc.) were the ones who led this scorched earth campaign of all sleeze all the time.  Personally, I think they WANTED him to lose.

Anyhow, it's not like McCain is going to run again in 2012, so Obama has nothing to lose by extending an olive branch.

71 Days Until Inauguration Day!
http://jawillie.blog.com
I think we saw during the presidential campaign that McCain is a lying trouble maker. We need to work with politicians who are patriots. Put aside political parties. The work of the people has been neglected for to long. Besides, all congress needs to become revetted. There has been a very serious breach of the law by congressmen and lobbiests. Justice needs to make a list and check it twice. Gonna find out who's been naughty or nice.
Right now the Republicans are a party without ideas to solve problems but still full of Reaganesque ideological rhetoric which doesn't sell, e.g., "government is the problem," and exercised by divisive social issues. Look for Gingrich to infuse the parties with working ideas again.  Look for the know-nothing Joe Plumber-Palin wing of the party permanently to lose influence.  To sustain itself, a party must be intellectually constructed and survive on ideas which actually work.   (What a concept!) When its followers look to Joe the Plumber for foreign policy advice, or to Palin for leadership,  the party is a laughing failure.  Goodbye George W. We need people who believe in evolution, gravity, -ecology, - basic proven scientific concepts.      
Democrats should be thrilled to see Boehner consolidating his power within the House and the GOP in general.  His shrill partisanship and obstructionist politics have been instrumental in pushing Republicans toward the fringes and out of favor with the majority of Americans.  
J. M. lost his "glitter" during the campaign....no message, passing suspicions on the character of thee president-elect, no definitive base of support....he will be share the blame with Bush for this loss and will be treated less cordially than Barry Goldwater. He should hope that Obama would offer him a position...Ambassador to Georgia?
My husband is wrong!!! J.M. will do just fine. Following his comedic appearance at the dinner in New York.....he's got a place on the next "Blue Collar Comedy" tour.
Just asking, Why has John McCain not been defending Sarah Palin against all these accusations being made against her this past week?

Seattle Sue (Sent Monday, November 10, 2008 9:39 AM)

Sarah is a big girl, she doesn't need any help. Only Democratic women need to lean on their men to get sympathy.
I don't think most Democrats are worried about McCain's future, in the Senate or out. He is wealthy beyond most people's comprehension, so he'll be just fine; (thanks to aging trophy wife/beer heiress, Sindy). I don't have allot of sympathy for him as he showed his true colors during the campaign -- not pretty, Old Man.

McCain is one republican who deserves to be totally left out of the loop, so he has time to think very carefully about how he tried to join with his hateful running mate and divide this country just to get elected. Maybe McCain can have a secret affair with that other intellectual giant of his campaign -- Joe the Goldigging Plumber-wanna-be.  

As for Traitor Joe Lieberman, this clown should be kicked out of the Senate entirely next time by the voters of CN, whom he duped in the State's primary! In the meantime, he should be utterly ignored by the Democratic Party -- stripped of all committee chairmanships, not just the important ones. He is trying to use some sort of leverage that he no longer really has to threaten he will caucus with the republicans. I say -- go caucus!! I wonder what he thinks Mitch McConnell and his right wing haters will do with Lieberman's left wing social policies??? It might be the state of the republican party becoming less right wing and more in step with the majority of Americans! So go Joe, Go!!

The voters of CN probably now realize they should have sent Ned Lamont to the Senate in 06. Lamont should rightfully be in Lieberman's seat now -- as a loyal Democrat.

Lieberman is not to be trusted.
I don't think most Democrats are worried about McCain's future, in the Senate or out. He is wealthy beyond most people's comprehension, so he'll be just fine; (thanks to aging trophy wife/beer heiress, Sindy). I don't have allot of sympathy for him as he showed his true colors during the campaign -- not pretty, Old Man.

McCain is one republican who deserves to be totally left out of the loop, so he has time to think very carefully about how he tried to join with his hateful running mate and divide this country just to get elected. Maybe McCain can have a secret affair with that other intellectual giant of his campaign -- Joe the Goldigging Plumber-wanna-be.  

As for Traitor Joe Lieberman, this clown should be kicked out of the Senate entirely next time by the voters of CN, whom he duped in the State's primary! In the meantime, he should be utterly ignored by the Democratic Party -- stripped of all committee chairmanships, not just the important ones. He is trying to use some sort of leverage that he no longer really has to threaten he will caucus with the republicans. I say -- go caucus!! I wonder what he thinks Mitch McConnell and his right wing haters will do with Lieberman's left wing social policies??? It might be the state of the republican party becoming less right wing and more in step with the majority of Americans! So go Joe, Go!!

The voters of CN probably now realize they should have sent Ned Lamont to the Senate in 06. Lamont should rightfully be in Lieberman's seat now -- as a loyal Democrat.

Lieberman is not to be trusted.
I don't think most Democrats are worried about McCain's future, in the Senate or out. He is wealthy beyond most people's comprehension, so he'll be just fine; (thanks to aging trophy wife/beer heiress, Sindy). I don't have allot of sympathy for him as he showed his true colors during the campaign -- not pretty, Old Man.

McCain is one republican who deserves to be totally left out of the loop, so he has time to think very carefully about how he tried to join with his hateful running mate and divide this country just to get elected. Maybe McCain can have a secret affair with that other intellectual giant of his campaign -- Joe the Goldigging Plumber-wanna-be.  

As for Traitor Joe Lieberman, this clown should be kicked out of the Senate entirely next time by the voters of CN, whom he duped in the State's primary! In the meantime, he should be utterly ignored by the Democratic Party -- stripped of all committee chairmanships, not just the important ones. He is trying to use some sort of leverage that he no longer really has to threaten he will caucus with the republicans. I say -- go caucus!! I wonder what he thinks Mitch McConnell and his right wing haters will do with Lieberman's left wing social policies??? It might be the start of the republican party becoming less right wing and more in step with the majority of Americans! So go Joe, Go!!

The voters of CN probably now realize they should have sent Ned Lamont to the Senate in 06. Lamont should rightfully be in Lieberman's seat now -- as a loyal Democrat.

Lieberman is not to be trusted.
McCain needs to stay home and think about how he lost this election and the way his campaign was conducted. Then he owes the American people of color an apology. Obama has nothing to do here. Lieberman is a traitor, and he need to join up with the republicans, he fits there mode.
I have hope for Sen. McCain, based on his conciliatory concession speech.  If he had run his campaign in the same spirit as that speech, we may have had a different or at least, a much closer result.  If McCain does return to his "maverick" roots, he may be one senator the dems can reach across the aisle and closing the divides in this nation.  
eric the hateful poet don't give up your day job. Oh do you even have a day job?  
McCain aka McShame should be no more then a Senator nor should he be offered any more after his disgusting behavior during the election that was truly conduct un-becomming.


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