Blagojevich Attorney Asks Illinois Panel to Subpoena Emanuel and Others
An attorney for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) has asked the legislative panel considering impeachment of the governor to subpoena more than a dozen witnesses, including President-elect Barack Obama's incoming chief of staff.
Ed Genson wants the committee to subpoena Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), longtime Obama friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett, and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), said state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie.
Currie, the head of the committee, said she did not yet know what the committee's response to Genson's request would be. Its next meeting is scheduled for Monday, she added.
Currie noted that the U.S. attorney's office has already denied the panel's request to interview a list of people named in the criminal complaint against Blagojevich. U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said earlier this week that lawmakers' interviews of current or former members of Blagojevich's staff might jeopardize his criminal investigation.
Randall Samborn, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, declined to comment Thursday, as did the Obama transition team. Messages seeking comment Thursday from Genson, Jackson, and attorneys for Jarrett and Emanuel were not immediately returned.
Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 amid allegations that he tried to sell Obama's vacant Senate seat to the highest bidder. He has denied any wrongdoing and is ignoring scores of calls to step down, including one from Obama.
None of the possible candidates for Obama's Senate seat, said to include Jarrett and Jackson, are identified by name in the complaint, but Jackson has said he is the person dubbed "Senate Candidate 5." The congressman has said federal prosecutors told him he is not a target of their investigation.
Genson told the Chicago Sun-Times that testimony from Emanuel, Jarrett and Jackson would help prove the governor's claim that he did nothing wrong in his handling of Obama's Senate seat, the newspaper said Thursday.

U.S. poll: Obama is most admired man
First time a president-elect has topped the annual USA TODAY/Gallup survey in more than a half-century. Hillary Clinton tops most-admired woman list again.
President Bush falls to a distant second after seven years as the most-admired man.
Hillary Rodham Clinton leads the list of most-admired woman, a spot she's held for 13 of the past 16 years — as first lady, then New York senator and now Obama's designate for secretary of State. A newcomer is second: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who wasn't well-known nationally until Republican presidential candidate John McCain chose her as his running mate in August.
The findings, a snapshot of public opinion at the end of a tumultuous year, reflect soaring expectations for an incoming president who will take over daunting economic challenges on Jan. 20.
"Things are down so much at the end of 2008 and the end of Bush's administration … and Obama represents a new beginning and some hope and anticipation that things can get better," says James McPherson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and editor of 'To the Best of My Ability:' The American Presidents.

Kennedy, In Senate Bid, Hasn't Shared Finances
At this time last year, Caroline Kennedy was promoting ``A Family Christmas,'' a collection of essays that featured the memory of her father letting her use the White House switchboard to call Santa.
This year, after warily stepping into the political free-for-all for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's job, Kennedy's activities during the holiday season included fending off requests to disclose financial information.
The calls for Kennedy to release her financial information, required of many public officials including her uncle Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, come after a lifetime of carefully cultivated privacy.
By all accounts a very wealthy woman who could be worth as much as $400 million, Kennedy has said she will not release details of her finances unless Democratic Gov. David Paterson picks her for the Senate seat that will open up if Clinton is confirmed as secretary of state.

Lack of donations to city, state Dems may hurt Caroline Kennedy's bid for Senate
Caroline Kennedy's supporters say she could raise tons of money as a senator, but when it comes to writing checks to New York Democrats, she's been largely AWOL.
This decade, other than a $1,000 donation to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Camelot heiress has not financially supported any Democrat seeking city or state office in New York, records reveal.
Some say Kennedy, who is worth at least $100 million up to $400mln , missed an opportunity to curry favor among Democratic pols to establish herself as a serious political player as she lobbies Gov. Paterson for Hillary Clinton's Senate seat.

Lack of attendance at a Christmas service shows Barack Obama's church dilemma
President-elect does not like to disrupt other churches with security detail and has yet to pick a new home church
Barack Obama has long stressed the importance of religion in his life. But as his fellow Christians around the world attended Christmas services on Wednesday and Thursday, the president-elect and his family remained sequestered at their vacation compound on the windward coast of Oahu.
His lack of attendance at formal religious services showcased a dilemma faced by Obama, who is between churches and often expresses concern about bringing the disruption of his security detail into the lives of others.
Still, he has not attended a public church service since before being elected, a departure from the actions of his two immediate predecessors.

Rezko attorney 'owns' Obama Chicago Home
Lawyer at firm where Democrat worked receives tax bill
An attorney for convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko is listed as the owner and taxpayer for Barack Obama's Chicago mansion, according to records provided to Prsctr Fitzgerald.
William Miceli is a lawyer at the Chicago law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, which also formerly employed Obama.
The controversy began when a website called News and Commentary for Thinking People published a 48-page document that lists Miceli as the owner of the Obama home at 5046 S. Greenwood, Chicago, IL
Miner, Barnhill & Galland was Obama's employer when he did extensive legal work for Rezko, who awaits sentencing after he was convicted in June of fraud, money laundering and bribery-related counts.
• Miceli, as a senior attorney at the firm, supervised Obama when the future president wrote letters on behalf of Rezko urging public authorities to award him new public properties to rehabilitate, notes the "Barack Book" website maintained by GOP.com.