President-elect Barack Obama is already having an effect on the Iraqi government, Obama’s blogging backers note. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), Obama’s White House chief of staff, is already the source of bad press for the incoming administration, conservative bloggers write. And with Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden about to leave the Senate, the scramble for their seats is on, blogging pundits note.
Iraqi Shiite politicians are now taking seriously a proposed 2011 deadline for a U.S. troop departure now that they know that Obama and the Democrats will be in power, reports The New York Times.