Window Or Aisle?

Pres.-elect Obama can't get this far along in the HRC vetting process and then drop her b/c of Bill, can he? That won't just open old wounds, that'll create some gaping new ones too. Instead, it seems that the public vetting of '42' is about assuring wary Dems that there'll be no surprises when it comes to what B. Clinton is/has been up to as a private citizen.

-- Meanwhile, will any surprises emerge from today's McCain/Obama sit-down? And, after running against the institution and the evils of earmarks, does McCain really have the clout to help Obama cobble together bipartisan coalitions?

-- Reaching across the aisle requires willing hands, and there aren't many left in Congress who need to look bipartisan. Of the 19 GOPers up in '10, just six sit in states Obama won. Of the 15 Dems up, just two are from '08 red states.

-- In the House, there are just five GOPers from districts won by Kerry in '04 - Castle (DE), Kirk (IL), Gerlach (PA), Dent (PA) and Reichert (WA). Even so, w/their approval ratings in the basement and their colleagues frustrated by the absense of a "relevant" agenda, can Boehner and Co. afford not to look like team players?