12/1 Roundup: Mumbai Blowback, National Security Pick 5, ¡Obamanos!

Leader: Mumbai Blowback

- Days after the end of the siege, many questions still lie unanswered about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. The death toll has still not solidified, but it is somewhere near 200. The Washington Post has a step-by-step report on how the attackers carried out their plan. It appears the terrorists may have had inside help-- accomplices who left weapons for them, and allowed them to have intimate knowledge with the layout of the hotel.

- It appears that India's police forces failed dramatically to respond in the early stages of the attacks, in some cases running away from attackers, and failing to return fire. India's top domestic security minister has resigned in the wake of the attacks.

- Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is on her way to India to demonstrate America's solidarity with India after what some Indians are calling "our 9/11."

- Courtesy of Steve Clemons, three recent pieces of good analysis on the Mumbai attacks: Steve Coll decodes Mumbai, looking at the political situation, particularly in Kashmir, that led to these attacks; for the Guardian, Paul Cruickshank covers the search for those responsible; Juan Cole offers advice for the Indian government, urging them not to take the Bush-Cheney road.

Politics

- This morning, Barack Obama will announce his national security team, including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, James Jones as National Security Advisor, Robert Gates as Defense Secretary, Janet Napolitano as Homeland Security Advisor, Susan Rice as Ambassador to the UN.  To clear the way for his wife's Secretaryship.

- Bill Clinton has agreed to disclose the names of all donors to his foundation, and turn down donations from foreign governments.

- Progressives have been foaming at the mouth in consternation over Obama's picks.

- The LA Times runs a story on the "emerging consensus" on health care.  Apparently this consensus rejects universal coverage, opting instead to preserve employer-based coverage.  

International

- Roger Cohen has advice for Hillary Clinton in her dealing with the Israel-Palestine conflict: Try tough love, with an emphasis on the tough.

- The Times editorial board praises the choice of Janet Napolitano at Homeland Security, particularly in the work she could do to fix our illegal immigration problem. The Arizona Republic also hopes the new congress could make some progress on immigration, finally.

One More Thing

- Sarah Palin will campaign for Sen. Saxby Chambliss in Georgia. That worked really well for John McCain, so presumably Chambliss is stoked.

- ¡Obamanos! Hendrik Herztberg comes across a new slogan for the Obama presidency.

- The State Department has gone digital! You can now watch spokesman Sean McCormick give addresses on StateVideo, the department's YouTube channel.  Rather than make you sit through one of those, however, I've got another offering from the channel, in which Harrison Ford reminds you about the evils of illegal wildlife trafficking: