119 Rooms, 70,000 Square Feet and One Lucky Australian

As Seen on TV

The Obamas were told there would be no room at Blair House before Jan. 15. Former Australian leader John Howard, left, apparently made reservations first. (By J. Scott Applewhite -- Associated Press)

What do you know? The chatter we noted yesterday about CNN's Sanjay Gupta as Obama's pick for surgeon general was real! This has led to much speculation that the incoming administration might be looking at other excellent media candidates for top jobs.

There's always Judge Judy, should an opening occur later this year on the Supreme Court; Dr. Phil looks good for assistant to the president and director of the new White House Office on Stress and Mental Health (OSMH); Suze Orman could step in as commerce secretary, though she's a better pick for the Fed; and, of course, CNN's Lou Dobbs could be a solid contender to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Dept. of Saying No

One week before confirmation hearings are set to begin for Attorney General-designate Eric H. Holder Jr. and things on Capitol Hill are already heating up.

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.), ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, took to the floor yesterday to raise "character" questions about Holder, dating back to his days as the Justice Department's second in command during President Bill Clinton's administration, our colleague Carrie Johnson reports.

Specter said he wants to use the hearings to ensure that Holder has "the stature and the courage to say no" to the White House. He cited concerns about Holder's advice to the president in the Clinton-era pardons of fugitive financier Marc Rich and several members of the Puerto Rican nationalist group FALN who were involved in a $7 million bank robbery. Specter also wants Holder to explain why he did not push harder for an independent counsel to investigate alleged campaign finance abuses involving then-Vice President Al Gore.

"I will approach these hearings with an open mind to give Mr. Holder a chance to explain his actions and his record," Specter said.

Meanwhile, leaders of several civil rights groups, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the NAACP, the National Council of La Raza and the National Women's Law Center, announced they would appear on Capitol Hill today to support the nomination of Holder, who would be the first African American attorney general.

After Richardson, the Deluge

Obama's search for a new nominee to head the Commerce Department has breathed new life into the competition among interest groups to have their candidates considered. Latino advocates are clamoring for Obama to pick one of their own to replace New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who had been poised to be the new administration's most prominent Latino official.

Gay advocates, shunned when Obama passed over openly gay and lesbian contenders for his Cabinet, hope he may tap an openly gay nominee at Commerce. And women's groups have been disappointed that just five of Obama's 20 Cabinet choices are women.

As Denis Dison, vice president of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, joked: "It would be nice if we had an openly gay female Latino. That would make everybody happy."