President-elect Barack Obama’s election has spurred a surge in gun sales, firearms retailers and enthusiasts say, as gun owners brace for what they believe will be a new era of gun control in Washington.

From the hummers and cigarettes-blog:

Retailers of firearms are experiencing a sharp increase in sales as Obama prepares to take office. Many believe that buyers fear Obama might institute stricter gun control laws.

“It’s not a hard tea leaf to read,” said Jim Shepherd, publisher of the news service Outdoor Wire, which claims Obama’s election has “frightened consumers into action.”

President George W. Bush on Tuesday declared an emergency in the District of Columbia that will let the nation’s capital tap deeper into federal coffers for Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Big Jolly from Lone Star Times-blog writes:

Just when you thought O’s inauguration couldn’t get any stranger, it does. President George W. Bush, a man determined to ruin whatever is left of his conservative reputation, has declared an emergency in our nation’s capital.

Vice President-elect Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will chair a task force charged with determining the status of the middle class — whether it’s growing or shrinking, better or worse off, it will be Biden’s first major task as vice president.

The White House Task Force on Working Families will “look at everything from college affordability to after-school programs — the things that affect people’s daily lives,” Biden said in an interview today on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” “I will be the guy honchoing that policy.”

Brain from the conservative edge-blog writes:

I can save all of them some time, and all of us money, by writing their report now.  Biden’s task force will conclude that the middle class is shrinking and that it is worse off.  Biden will then propose to help the middle class by having rich people pay for more government programs to help the middle class including paying for their health care, college tuition, new government jobs.

David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is the current leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the United Kingdom, positions he has occupied since December 2005.

According to the conservative home-blog there is a real danger that Mr Cameron is overdoing one part of his public role - giving speeches.  He has given five within the last week and has not given a really good one since the Party Conference.

A speech by the leader of the Conservative Party should be an occasion.  It should matter.  It should be very well-written, thoroughly pre-briefed and water-tight.  Nothing should be done that endangers the Cameron brand.

According to burntorangereport.com Mayor Bill White has decided to seek the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, should the two-term Republican resign next year to challenge the sitting governor, the Houston Chronicle has learned.

Ending months of speculation about his political future, White plans to announce his intentions at an event next week, according to several sources close to the mayor.

it means that Democrats would have two strong candidates in a special election.  It would also mean that there is a void for the 2010 elections: Who will run, as a Democrat, against KBH or Rick Perry for the Governorship?