DAY’S END ROUNDUP

President-elect Barack Obama on Monday showed more of the leadership that outgoing President George W. Bush can’t provide on the economy, according to liberal bloggers. Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner (D) appointed a successor to Sen. Joe Biden (D) who’s likely just keeping the seat warm for Biden’s son, pundits write. And the departure of liberal pundit Alan Colmes from his Fox News show sets off speculation online over Sean Hannity’s next sparring partner.

Obama, by leaking names of his economic advisers last week, proposing a jobs plan Saturday and officially announcing his economic team Monday, is improving investor confidence in a way that the lame-duck president can’t, writes Political Animal’s Steve Benen. Obama held a near-perfect news conference by stressing the need to help Main Street and committing to a massive stimulus package, according to TalkLeft’s Big Tent Democrat. But with Obama taking a larger role while Bush is still president, things could get messy until inauguration, writes Connecting.the.Dots’ Robert Stein.

Minner appointed Ted Kaufman, a close adviser and friend to Biden, as a caretaker for the Senate seat for the next two years, writes The Fix’s Chris Cillizza. If Biden wants his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, to eventually fill the seat, he and Minner are doing it the right way by allowing an open Senate election in 2010, writes The Plank’s Jason Zengerle.

Now that Colmes, the liberal half of “Hannity & Colmes,” is leaving the show, former Democratic operative Kirsten Powers should take his place, according to an online poll on TVNewser. Letting Hannity host the show by himself might be too much even for Hot Air’s Allahpundit, who notes that the show comes right after Bill O’Reilly’s.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Filling the Vacuum – Steve Benen, Political Animal
A Near Perfect Press Conference – Big Tent Democrat, TalkLeft
Two Presidents At a Time – Robert Stein, Connecting.the.Dots
Melody! Obama Taps a Progressive – Al Giordano, The Field
Nepotism Done Right – Jason Zengerle, The Plank
Minner to Appoint Biden Aide – Chris Cillizza, The Fix
Kaufman Gets Biden Seat – Berger and Memoli, Marc Ambinder
After Colmes – Chris Ariens, TVNewser
Hannity to Go Solo? – Allahpundit, Hot Air
Colmes Quits – Don Surber

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Stocks Soar After Gov’t Bailout of Citigroup – Associated Press
Longtime Adviser to Replace Biden – The Hill
Obama Unveils Team to Tackle ‘Historic’ Crisis in Econ. – NYT