Scoop44 Launches 2/16/09; TPA Blog Discontinued

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A Year After Iowa

From my Huffington Post piece on the anniversary of the 2008 Iowa caucus:

The improbable, the unimaginable, the unthinkable...and today, the reality. Already, memories of, if anything, an unprecedented 2008 campaign.

One year ago across the Hawkeye State on that frigid January 3rd, Barack Obama's long-shot presidential bid grew a political heartbeat. "Obama wins Iowa as candidate for change," read CNN.com.

And it was the thousands of first-time Iowan caucus-goers, native high school and college students, who laid the groundwork for a winning national campaign. Obama's victory speech was compelling to observers on both sides of the aisle--his decisive win as a testament, he suggested, to the hope and change Americans can believe in.

A Vision for Obama's WhiteHouse.Gov

From my Huffington Post piece today:

Take a moment and visit our current Chief Executive's virtual office at WhiteHouse.Gov.

Now turn to President-Elect Obama's transition Website at Change.Gov, also an official government site.

Does the difference rock you like this weekend's Northeastern blizzard? The current White House site welcomes visitors to the Oval with the latest news and a series of mostly non-interactive features. Essentially, it has two interactive pages, both involving submitting screened questions to administration officials in a timed forum. There's a standard contact page with White House switchboard numbers and a comments email. Beyond that, the very fiber of the site signals no real engagement between the President's office and his millions of constituents.

Post-11/4 Vacation

Expect regular weekly posts after this year's post-election hiatus. Stay inside The Political Arena in the new year and beyond for coverage of BHO's Presidential Transition and Inauguration.

FOX News Sunday Spotlights Campaign '08

60 Minutes Profiles Obama Inner-Circle

Post-Election Analysis on Martha Stewart

Link to watch / Updated YouTube Clip