CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry asking President-Elect Barack Obama questions at Wednesday’s press conference.

Ed Henry
CNN White House Correspondent

As President-elect Barack Obama’s third press conference in three days was about to come to a close, I was sitting in the front row getting and — like some of my colleagues — was getting a little steamed. Some reporters were throwing a few softballs, treating the President-elect as if he’s the incoming Mayor of Springfield, Illinois, instead of the incoming Leader of the Free World.

If I get called upon, I kept saying to myself, I better make it good and tough. Unfortunately, I wasn’t getting the nod — until I finally made eye contact with Obama and got him to call on me and had a good, old-fashioned sharp exchange with the President-elect that was revealing about the balancing act the “change” candidate faces as he puts together an administration full of insiders.

At these high-pressure televised press conferences, the President-elect has a list of names handed to him by his staff with suggestions about which reporters should be called upon. My CNN colleague Candy Crowley had gotten the call at Obama’s very first post-election presser at the beginning of the month, so I realized that I might not get the nod at all this week. The transition team likes to rotate the questions, in part so that different news organizations get a fair chance to play.

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Brent Scowcroft, right, with former President George H.W. Bush, former Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and an interpreter in 1992.

Ed Henry
CNN White House Correspondent

President-elect Barack Obama is getting foreign policy advice from an unlikely source — Republican Brent Scowcroft — former national security adviser in the first Bush administration.

Two sources familiar with the conversations confirm to CNN Obama has been reaching out to Scowcroft for phone chats even before he ran for president, and the back-and-forth has continued in recent days as the President-elect assembles his Cabinet.

What makes the conversations intriguing is that Scowcroft is very close to current Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is rumored to be in running to stay in the Cabinet for at least an interim period at the start of the new Obama administration.

During a recent appearance on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” Scowcroft said it would be a wise move for Obama to keep Gates in the Cabinet.

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Sen. John McCain and President-elect Barack Obama meet Monday in Chicago, Illinois.

Ed Henry
CNN White House Correspondent

Beyond the written statement with all the happy talk, one senior Obama transition official said the President-elect and Senator McCain also discussed a couple of hot-button issues – closing Gitmo and reforming the immigration system.

The official said that while the two men are in “broad agreement” about the need to shut the military prison down, they are still a long way from figuring out the details on how to implement it. But the official said this is one of many issues where the Obama team is “very pleased” that McCain is showing a willingness to work with the incoming President.

On immigration, the official acknowledged they didn’t get too far into the details and it’s a longshot they can get reform next year but they were pleased by how the meeting featured a lot of “very cooperative” promises.

The official said the other issues discussed included a “whole series of reform issues” ranging from McCain’s favorite – earmark reform – to even defense procurement issues.

The official jokingly added there was “no fistfight” as they largely steered clear of issues of disagreement from the campaign

Ed Henry | BIO
White House Correspondent

This is being circulated among Obama advisers as a code of conduct for involvement in the transition …

Obama Transition Project
Code of Ethical Conduct

As a condition of being permitted to serve as a member of the Obama Transition Project, I agree to abide by the following requirements:

1. I will disqualify myself from involvement in any particular Obama Transition Project matter which to my knowledge may directly conflict with a financial interest of an immediate family member, partner, client, or other individual or organization with which I have had a business relationship within the past 12 months. Should there be no such direct conflict, but the potential for the appearance of a conflict, I will address this issue for resolution to the Project Executive Director.
2. I will disqualify myself from involvement in any particular transition matter if I have engaged in regulated lobbying activities with respect to such matter, as defined by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, within the previous 12 months.
3. I will not solicit or accept any money or things of value in exchange for a promise to support or use influence on behalf of any person who is a candidate for any appointive office or place in the United States Government.
4. I understand that in my Obama Transition Project-related activities, unless given specific authorization, I am not permitted to make any representations on behalf of Senator Obama or the Democratic nominee for Vice President, their designees, or any official of the Obama Transition Project, and in all my service to the Transition, I will identify myself only as acting on behalf of the Transition Project on transition-related matters.
5. I understand that authorization is required from the Obama Transition Project’s Executive Director or the Executive Director’s designee before seeking, on behalf of the Obama Transition Project, access to any non-public information.
6. I will hold in confidence any non-public information provided to me in the course of my duties with the Obama Transition Project and ensure that such information is used exclusively for purposes of the Obama Transition Project.

John McCain speaks at a rally in Florida on Monday.

Ed Henry
White House Correspondent

– Sen. McCain’s first rally today in Tampa outside Raymond James Stadium only drew about 1,100 people. Local reporters noting that at almost the same spot just before the 2004 election, President Bush drew about 15,000 people.

– May mean lack of enthusiasm in key state, or maybe not since CNN’s poll of polls now has this state at just a 2-point advantage for Obama, and that’s within the margin of error.

– Also interesting that Florida Republican Gov. Crist had previously agreed to do interviews with CNN and various local affiliates, but just bolted right after the rally with no explanation, didn’t do any of the interviews. Odd to pass up a chance for free media on eve of election.

A stagehand casts a long shadow during a rehearsal for the presidential debate.

Ed Henry
White House Correspondent

Obama supporters seem to be pushing this line that McCain will go on attack tonight but two McCain aides here in Nashville insist that will not be the case.

Basically McCain aides saying firmly they realize such a strategy would backfire big time in a town-hall setting. They note McCain had pushed for a whole series of “civilized” town halls with Obama, and it would now be “hypocritical” to go nuclear in that very same setting.

Instead, McCain’s final two hours of debate prep today focused hard on highlighting sharp policy differences with Obama on taxes, health care, other pocketbook issues.

McCain aides say there are basically two narratives — one on the campaign trail where they are “taking the gloves off” as they rally the base and try to raise doubts about Obama – and not surprisingly, they say there’s a second narrative in the last two debates as they try to target undecided voters.

Ed Henry
White House Correspondent

Two senior Democratic aides say that just moments after a tense White House meeting broke down Thursday, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson literally got down on one knee to half-jokingly beg Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders not to go to the stakeout cameras and blast the failed negotiations.

Paulson told Pelosi that he feared Democratic criticism of stalled could further rattle the markets and all but doom legislation the White House believes is desperately needed to stave off an even worse financial crisis, according to the two aides.

“Admittedly he was half-joking, but it was remarkable to see the Secretary plead with the Speaker,” said one of the Democratic sources.

The bizarre scene played out in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, where several Democrats camped out after a meeting with the President in the Cabinet Room broke down. Sen. Barack Obama was among the Democrats in the group along with the Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who met spontaneously to plot their next move.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door in the Roosevelt Room, according to the aides, and Paulson walked in. He immediately started pleading with Pelosi and other Democrats.

“He said, ‘Please Madame Speaker, don’t go to the cameras,’” said one of the Democratic aides.

The aides said Pelosi and Rep. Barney Frank briefly lashed out at Paulson for asking Democrats to hold their fire even as some of the President’s fellow Republicans are holding out on a deal.

But in the end, Democrats gave in and decided not to go to the cameras and microphones waiting on the White House driveway.

One Democratic aide said the group decided that rather than go on the attack, it was better “to go back to the Hill to regroup” with more meetings Thursday evening.

A Treasury spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Paulson’s plea - on bended knee.

Sen. John McCain and Puerto Rican reggaeton star Daddy Yankee waves as they board the Straight Talk Air campaign charter airplane in Phoenix, Ariz., Monday.

Ed Henry
CNN White House Correspondent

Presidential candidates usually keep a low-profile during the other guy’s convention, but not John McCain. He’s trying here in his home state to stay relevant to what’s happening in Denver at the Democratic National Convention.

The strategy behind McCain skipping the usual R&R is pretty clear: The latest CNN/Opinion Research poll shows this race is much closer frankly than either side expected to be in a sour year for Republicans, so Team McCain wants to keep the heat on Barack Obama.

“If you had told me two months ago that we’d be dead even heading into the Democratic National Convention, I would have told you were crazy,” one McCain adviser told me.

So McCain advisers say their goal is to do all they can to hold Obama’s convention “bounce” in the polls down to a minimum, so he could head into St. Paul next week with some real momentum. They think the best way to do that is to drive a deeper wedge between Obama and Hillary Clinton.
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Ed Henry
White House Correspondent
 
Watched CNN’s excellent documentary “McCain Revealed,” which showed the many times in his life the Republican presidential candidate has decided to “move on,” as John King put it, to the next challenge.

John McCain is facing another big fork in the road now: Should he go with his gut and pick a good friend like Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman or moderate Republican Tom Ridge as his running mate?

Such a move would underline McCain’s efforts to project a maverick image. But it also might shake up the race too much for the liking of conservatives, who are not keen on the fact that Lieberman and Ridge both support abortion rights.
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Ed Henry
CNN White House Correspondent

Sex is not involved so let’s call it Money, Lies and Videotape.

It’s a shocking tape that comes from a sting operation by the Times of London newspaper. It shows a Texas lobbyist and Bush fundraiser, Stephen Payne, trying to wrangle a big donation for the George W. Bush Presidential Library from a man whom he thought was representing the exiled former president of a Central Asian country who wanted some White House access.

“A couple hundred thousand (dollars),” says Payne. “I think that would probably get the attention of people.”

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