Obama Wins

CHICAGO " Barack Obama will begin receiving highly classified briefings from top intelligence officials Thursday, as the rush of his campaign gives way to intensive preparations to take over as commander in chief and build a Democratic administration.

The briefings typically last 45 minutes to an hour, but Obama's initial one is expected to be longer. A U.S. intelligence official speaking on condition of anonymity said Joe Biden, the vice president-elect, also will begin receiving briefings this week.

The president's daily brief that Obama will receive is mostly written by the Central Intelligence Agency and will include the most critical overnight intelligence for the president. They sometimes dig deeply into a specific topic to give the president an in-depth understanding.

Here in Portland, Jane and I live several blocks from the intersection of Rosa Parks Way and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. It's now 5 AM and the horn-honking, shouts and fire crackers are finally quieted. They could still be going on, I wouldn't mind.

My political conscience began with the news coverage of the civil rights period...women being truncheoned, dogs attacking, people being spat on and murdered- because they were black.

This is a very fine day indeed.