Obama has signaled that he will make no Cabinet-level appointments immediately, and his deliberations are tightly held by his closest aides.  But that hasn't stopped Democrats and interest groups from circulating lists and offering recommendations.

Senate Republicans on Wednesday scuttled a Democratic proposal ordering troop withdrawals from Iraq in a showdown that capped an all-night debate on the war.

Oregon Sen. Gordon Smith will be the lead Republican co-sponsor on a Democratic amendment that would order President Bush to begin pulling troops from Iraq within four months and end combat by April 2008.