DAY’S END ROUNDUP

On the day that President-elect Barack Obama first visits the Oval Office, liberal bloggers take stock of the historically poor ratings for President Bush. The bloggers on the left lament the Democratic Party’s loss of Howard Dean as its chairman and Obama’s desire to have Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) back in the Democratic fold.

With a new Gallup poll shwoing a 66 percent job disapproval rating for Bush and a 70 percent favorability rating for Obama, Monday’s meeting was a remarkable contrast, writes Think Progress’s Amanda Terkel. Bush’s disapproval rating is even worse in a CNN poll — 76 percent — which is a number that’s higher than President Richard Nixon’s when he resigned amid scandal, writes The Campaign Silo’s Lisa Derrick. But one thing Obama should learn from Bush is the willingness to go beyond the political conventional wisdom in pressing for his goals, writes The Plank’s Jonathan Cohn.

Dean, who said he won’t seek a second term, has accomplished his mission of making his party stronger and able to compete from coast to coast, writes Oliver Willis. After running his presidential campaign in 2004 into the ground, Dean has proved his critics wrong by transforming his party into a success through technology, writes Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. But Dean’s departure and the appointment of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), a Dean critic, as Obama’s White House chief of staff means that the 50-state strategy that Dean and liberal bloggers pushed for will soon be dead, writes Open Left’s Chris Bowers.

Obama’s openness to having Lieberman remain in the Senate Democratic Caucus isn’t “change we can believe in,” writes Open Left’s David Sirota. Kagro X urges his Daily Kos readers to tell Democratic senators not to allow Lieberman, an opponent of Democrats on torture, telecom immunity and the war, to remain as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Least Popular President Meets Popular Pres.-Elect – Terkel, Think Prog.
W. More Unpopular Than Nixon – Lisa Derrick, The Campaign Silo
Why Obama Should Copy Bush – Jonathan Cohn, The Plank
Howard Dean: Mission Accomplished – Oliver Willis
Dean Retiring from DNC – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
50-State Strategy Likely Done – Chris Bowers, Open Left
Joe Must Go. Call Dem Sens. – Kagro X, Daily Kos
Changeiness Watch – Obama Backs Lieberman – D. Sirota, Open Left
Lieberdem – Joe Klein, Swampland

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama, Bush Complete Historic WH Meeting – Associated Press
Dean Not To Seek 2nd Term as DNC Chairman – Associated Press
Reps. Larson, Becerra Lock Up Endorsements – The Hill