The Note

WASHINGTON — --

71 Days Until Inauguration Day

The Washington Post's Eggen and Allen wave goodbye to Attorney General Ashcroft and Secretary Evans, Noting in the third paragraph, "Administration sources said Ashcroft's successor is likely to be White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales." LINK

The New York Times' Elisabeth Bumiller takes a look at Cabinet possibilities. LINK

The Wall Street Journal expects "considerable turnover" among the senior echelon of elite presidential advisors. LINK

The Chicago Tribune's Jeff Zeleny went to lunch with Karl Rove yesterday -- along with others of the Sperling variety. Zeleny does not write about what they ate, but he does tell us that Rove said that same-sex marriage resonated through the country with members of both parties, 527s are bad, and that the election "turned on three issues: security, values and the economy." LINK

The New York Times' Adam Nagourney reports that Rove "appeared to stifle a grin" when asked about San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's role in the election. LINK

(Note to Peter Ragone: it was apparently not a full stifle.)

The Washington Post's Babington and Balz roll up Kerry's return to the Hill, the prospects of Kerry '08, Democratic agenda crafting, and DLC gospel into 600 words. LINK

(Inexplicably, the word "Applebee's -- not to mention the word "Applebee" -- does not appear in the story.)

The Wall Street Journal's Cummings and Rayburn report on the "bittersweet post election gathering" of the AFL-CIO's executive council in Washington. LINK

The New York Times' own Mr. Labor -- Steven Greenhouse -- looks at a possible fissure in the House o' Labor, with Andy Stern threatening maybe perhaps to bolt, or leading others to do same. LINK

Sen. Arlen Specter "pushes for judiciary chair," reads a USA Today headline. LINK

ABC's Jake Tapper examines Internet rumors about alleged election shenanigans. LINK

All you need to know about the status of the Boston Globe and the Massachusetts Democratic Party, the Boston Globe and the national Democratic Party, and the Boston Globe and Senator Kerry can be summed up in today's paper: a front-pager on the resignation of the state party chair LINK, a front-pager on how the Internet silliness about the election being fixed is, well, Internet silliness LINK, and an inside wire story chronicling the return of John Kerry to the Hill and public life. LINK

Newsflash: New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner is Ralph Nader's new pen pal. LINK

There are still about 150,000 ballots to be counted in the Washington gubernatorial race. Republican Dino Rossi was up by 3,000 in the last reported count yesterday... and so he named a transition team despite Democratic claims that his action was premature. LINK

And/but -- saving dessert for last -- all manners of Note readers will enjoy the New York Post pick up of an alleged Israeli newspaper interview, in which fabled GOP consultant Arthur Finkelstein allegedly supposedly said all sorts of things about George Bush and the Republican Party that will have phone lines burning (already have!!) between Albany, Washington, Manhattan, and beyond. LINK