A new Politico/Insider Advantage poll in Georgia finds Sen. Saxby Chambliss leading Democratic challenger Jim Martin by 3 points in the Dec. 2 runoff election (Nov. 23, 523 LV). As Politico's Kraushaar notes, "the poll numbers are almost identical to the general election results, when Chambliss fell just short of the 50 percent necessary to win the seat outright on Election Night."

Chambliss 50
Martin 47
Und 3

Chambliss leads by 4.8 points in the RCP Average

The Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today its preliminary estimate that the gross domestic product decreased at an annual rate of 0.5% in the third quarter. The decline is said to reflect decreased consumer spending (-3.7%), residential investment (-17.6%) and equipment and software spending, though federal government spending helped offset some of these declines.

Having picked up at least 13 seats for his party, Chuck Schumer is calling it quits. From the New York Times:

Mr. Schumer, the senior senator from New York, is expected to turn the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee over to Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey — keeping control of the campaign operation close to Wall Street, party officials said.

In 2006, Mr. Schumer led the successful Democratic drive to win back control of the Senate from the Republicans. The Democrats picked up six seats that year, bringing them to a razor-thin 51 to 49 majority, thanks to two independents who organize with the Democrats.

In recognition of his efforts, Mr. Schumer was named to a new leadership position as the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, after the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, and the whip, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois.

In the Headlines

"Obama and Bush Work to Calm Volatile Market" (Jeff Zeleny, New York Times) - President-elect Barack Obama sought to seize the reins of the economic crisis Monday as he and his new economic team worked closely with President Bush to inject confidence into the trembling financial markets, which rallied and erased most of last week's losses.

"Obama's money team: Centrist economists, radical solutions" (Peter G. Gosselin, Chicago Tribune) - The economic team that President-elect Barack Obama unveiled Monday, studded as it is with some of the nation's most brilliant economists, reflects more than a leader's desire to surround himself with talent: It's a recognition that the nation faces troubles the likes of which it hasn't seen in almost three-quarters of a century.

"Summers Offers Clues on Tackling Crisis" (Tom Herman, Wall Street Journal) - Lawrence Summers, the former Treasury secretary who was named by President-elect Barack Obama Monday to head the National Economic Council, gave some clues last month on the advice he might offer on dealing with the financial crisis.

"Bush pardons 14; no high-profile criminals on list" (Ben Conery, Washington Times) - President Bush on Monday pardoned 14 people and commuted the sentences of two others whose crimes included drug offenses, fraud and breaking laws meant to protect endangered species.

CQ Politics makes the argument:

Melody C. Barnes, who was among the economic team members that Obama introduced on Monday, is a former chief counsel to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., on the Senate Judiciary Committee who served as executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress - the lefty Washington think tank founded by John D. Podesta, who heads Obama's transition effort - before joining Obama's campaign as a senior adviser...

A C-Span clip making the rounds on YouTube reveals Barnes to be something of an idealist. Much of her political thinking was shaped by dinner table conversations about Vietnam and President Nixon during her childhood in Richmond, Va. Her parents' political leanings led to a grassroots effort to support McGovern - and to Barnes' very early stint as a culinary fundraiser.

Describing her job at the Center for American Progress, Barnes said, “Quite frankly it's all about changing the world, changing the country, helping the American public realize what it means to have a progressive America, to hear the other side of the debate that we think that they've been missing for a long time.”

If one is keeping a tally, then Barnes might certainly bring Obama's administration back to the left. Still, much of his foreign-policy appointments have been, if not right, at least center-left. It's hard to ascertain what an Obama administration is going to do of course, but a centrist foreign-policy combined with a leftward domestic policy could be the right call, were a Democratic president wanting to maintain balance.

To steal from Jake Tapper, Susan not Rice:

ABC News has learned that Dr. Susan Rice has emerged as the leading candidate to be President-elect Obama's nominee as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.

Neither Dr. Rice nor the Obama Transition Team had any comment. The usual caveats apply -- nothing is yet a done deal, nothing has been officially offered or accepted, national security team announcements will not come until after Thanksgiving.

Seriously, who gets tired of watching Brett Favre play football? The guy is so good, so utterly infectious with his gunslinger mentality and his love of the game, it's impossible not to root for him (sorry, Green Bay) every time he takes the field.

The Jets' dismantling of the previously undefeated Tennessee Titans yesterday, along with the Giants' impressive win in Arizona, has people talking about prospect of an all New York showdown at the Superbowl in Tampa.

Check out RealClearSports for all the latest sports news.

Who's going to replace Alan Colmes? Hannity and Estrich doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Maybe Hannity and Powers?

The list of big names swinging through Georgia continues to grow, while a poll released today shows the incumbent senator leading by 6 points.

Former Vice Pres. Al Gore spoke in Atlanta last night on behalf of Democratic challenger Jim Martin, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Gore folllows Bill Clinton, who campaigned in the state for Martin last week. President-elect Obama likely won't turn up in Georgia, but he recently cut a radio ad for Martin.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss has brought in some top Republican names as well, with Sen. John McCain and former governors Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney all stumping for the Republican incumbent. Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to show up tomorrow.

Chambliss currently holds a 6-point lead over Martin, according to a PPP poll released today. The survey of 871 likely voters was taken from Nov. 22-23 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.3%. To pull out a victory, Martin is banking on the large number of African American and young voters who turned out on Election Day to return to the polls almost one month later.

I kept waiting for the "Ha, I'm just being facetious" moment in Gail Collins' column from Saturday, but, unfortunately for her, it never came. She is completely serious apparently:

Putting Barack Obama in charge immediately isn't impossible. Dick Cheney, obviously, would have to quit as well as Bush. In fact, just to be on the safe side, the vice president ought to turn in his resignation first. (We're desperate, but not crazy.) Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would become president until Jan. 20. Obviously, she'd defer to her party's incoming chief executive, and Barack Obama could begin governing.

As a bonus, the Pelosi presidency would put a woman in the White House this year after all. On the downside, a few right-wing talk-show hosts might succumb to apoplexy. That would, of course, be terrible, but I'm afraid we might have to take the risk in the name of a greater good.

Because, apparently, ditching the 200-year-plus tradition, which, coincidentally, has worked through wars, a depression, and countless other disasters, is what the country needs right now.

On the serious end of the spectrum, we hear:

Bush said he approved the action, recommended by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, while flying back to Washington on Sunday evening from meetings in Peru with Pacific Rim leaders. He said he also spoke with President-elect Barack Obama on Sunday night, part of what he has promised will be "close cooperation" between his administration and the Obama camp until the transfer of power on Jan. 20.

Which is exactly as it's supposed to happen. We don't ditch current administrations when times get tough, and we don't set aside constitutional rules when we feel like it. It's worked for well over 200 years, and Collins' suggestion to ditch it would be a joke if she wasn't serious.