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Washington Post White House reporter Michael D. Shear, was online Wednesday, Jan. 7 at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the latest news from Washington and the transition.

A transcript follows.

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Archive: Post Politics Hour discussion transcripts

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Michael D. Shear: Good morning everyone. After a long and slow commute on I-395, I'm here and ready to take your questions. (Will the stimulus package help my commute?)

Lot's going on today. It looks like Roland Burris will take President-elect Barack Obama's Senate seat after all. Obama is just finishing a press conference in which he named a new performance officer for the government. Violence is still raging in Gaza.

So let's start.

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St. Paul, Minn. : Hi Michael -- Thanks for taking questions today. It's just been reported that the Senate is going to seat Burris after all. I'm wondering why they didn't just do this yesterday in the first place and avoid the spectacle of an African American being refused entry to the Senate. How many "do overs" are Sen. Reid and the Democrats going to get before voters begin to question whether their control of both the White House and Congress is such a good idea?

washingtonpost.com: Senators Turn Burris Away at Capitol: But Democrats Are Now Considering Allowing Blagojevich Appointee to Serve (Post, Jan. 7)

Michael D. Shear: This is a good place to start.

It looks like the Democrats in the Senate will have a bit of egg on their faces. After insisting they would never seat someone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich, they are about to do just that.

In some ways, they were in a box from the beginning. They had to react the way they did when the governor made the appointment, lest they be accused of somehow approving of what Blagojevich had done. But at the same time, that trapped them because in the end, his decision was almost certainly a legal action they would ultimately have to accept.

Let's see how they try to reconcile their words and actions. It will be fascinating.

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Prescott, Ariz.: When did the "CIA Director has to have intelligence experience" rule get created? If I had to guess I would say that it is derived from playing the extremely dangerous game of beating back Soviet hegemony for fifty years, but I can find absolutely no evidence that that the rule existed prior to two days ago. Can you help?

Michael D. Shear: I'm not sure there's a "rule," exactly. But there apparently is a strong, military-like culture at the CIA, whose members often want to see someone who intimately understands their jobs.

But for Obama, he may have been looking less to satisfy the rank and file at the CIA and more to satisfy the public that he is making a clean break from what many of his supporters see as a tainted history of torture, rendition, etc.

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Los Angeles, Calif.: Good Morning, Michael. What's the story behind Sen. Feinstein's displeasure with the nomination of Leon Panetta? Is she just having a tantrum to get more attention? Or didn't she get the memo about 'change' being the new way of doing things in Washington?

Michael D. Shear: As we here in the newsroom marveled at the spectacle of a senior Democratic senator chiding the president-elect of her own party the other day, one of my colleagues remarked that "90 percent of the problems in the world could be solved by a simple heads-up." That seems to be Feinstein's basic point.

And it looks like things seem to be smoothed over now that Obama has, in Feinstein's words, "apologized profusely."

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Alexandria, Va.: Re: Burris. The Dems are in a bit of a bind. If Blago is in so much trouble, why has the Illinois legislature started impeachment proceedings? It would at least call into question his right to appoint Obama's successor. Personally, I think the Dems could win this fight, but wonder if they are willing to spend the political capital that it would require at this point in time.

Michael D. Shear: That's a good point. Putting aside the merits of the argument about Burris, a protracted fight would no doubt be a bad thing for the Democrats in Congress and for the president-elect as they try to deal with stimulus, etc.

The quick backtracking on this probably has a lot to do with just getting it behind them.

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Reston, Va.: Did George H.W. Bush have intelligence experience when he ran the CIA?

Michael D. Shear: I do not believe he did. He had been a member of Congress for a couple of terms, the U.N. ambassador, the RNC chairman and an envoy to China before being named to head the CIA.

Here's a paragraph from the official White House biography of the first president Bush:

Like his father, Prescott Bush, who was elected a Senator from Connecticut in 1952, George became interested in public service and politics. He served two terms as a Representative to Congress from Texas. Twice he ran unsuccessfully for the Senate. Then he was appointed to a series of high-level positions: Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Chief of the U. S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

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Sherbrooke, Quebec: Good morning, I am concerned that the Obama cabinet is being filled with former Clintonites. Is my perception wrong? If not, then where is the change? And why Leon Panetta for head of the CIA?

Michael D. Shear: It is certainly true that the president-elect has turned to a number of former Clinton officials to populate his government. (He chose another one today: his new "performance officer" is a former assistant treasury secretary from the Clinton administration.)

In some ways, though, it should hardly come as a surprise. If you were to skip over the Clinton administration, you'd have to go back to Carter to find Democrats who have had experience in the White House and the executive branch. The last time those folks served was 29 years ago, and many are pretty old.

But the sentiment here is fairly common among Obama supporters, who were told by their candidate and the campaign that what they were seeking was a break from the Clinton ways.

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Washington, D.C: Hey Mike. Just wanted to get your thoughts on how Israel won't allow journalists into Gaza to report on the situation.

Michael D. Shear: As a reporter, I want all the access we can get. It is undeniably a dangerous situation in Gaza right now, but there are -- thankfully -- colleagues of mine in this business who are willing to risk their lives for the story. They should be allowed to do that in Gaza.

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La Jolla, Calif.: Good morning, Michael!

I was wondering how soon could the presumptive S of S Clinton go to Gaza. There are already calls for Obama to visit ASAP. Will Clinton wait to be confirmed?

Michael D. Shear: Yes, I would think she would definitely wait to be confirmed before going anywhere. As for when she goes to Gaza (assuming confirmation), I'm not sure. I guess it depends on whether it looks like there's something to gain by her going there. An active war would not seem to be the best time, I wouldn't think.

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Princeton, N.J.: My understanding is that

1. Blago has neither been indicted (let alone convicted) nor impeached.

2. Illinois law not only gives him the right to appoint a senator, it requires him to do so.

What happened to "presumption of innocence"? Did that go the way of habeas corpus?

Michael D. Shear: I think this is exactly why the Democrats in the Senate are apparently going to give in. It's hard to argue against that logic.

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Michael D. Shear: Sen. Harry Reid is speaking. Looks like he's not yet ready to seat Burris, but seems to be giving his party leaders a lot of wiggle room over the next few days. Stay tuned.

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Washington, D.C.: If Sanjay Gupta is the new Surgeon General, how about JR Ewing for the Department of Energy, Judge Judy for AG?

Michael D. Shear: This is funny. But you know, there's a serious way in which Gupta makes sense. The Surgeon General job is largely one of public communication -- it's a PR job. The most famous surgeon general, C. Everett Koop, used the power of the bully pulpit to educate about the dangers of smoking, for example.

It would be interesting to see how a modern, TV-savvy person would handle the job. Maybe we will see soon.

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Jeff City, Mo.: As an ex-intel officer (DIA) who worked with some good (and lots of crappy) people at CIA, believe me, having an intel background to head the agency isn't a requirement. And most heads haven't had any (the above-mentioned George I being 'an' example of that).

And it's not run like a military organization. It's a massive bureaucracy like any other.

Michael D. Shear: Here's a sentiment direct from the intelligence community.

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washingtonpost.com: Live Coverage: Reid, Durbin Speak on Burris

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Helena, Mont.: So, the White House had to deny the Obamas Blair House because a retired Australian PM was visiting and will be using it on Jan 13? Is that right or is that a ruse to deny the Obamas the use of Blair House until the traditional use of other presidents-elect?

Michael D. Shear: Kudos to my colleagues, Al Kamen and Phil Rucker, who figured this one out. Seems like they could have figured something out, doesn't it? Doesn't Australia have an embassy here?

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Denver, Colo.: To me the question of seating of Burris is straightforward. He was selected by a governor who is accused of attempting to sell the seat, therefore the process is tainted. I don't think that it's bad to have accountability for the governor and not let him make this choice.

Michael D. Shear: It appears that this is what the Democratic leaders initially thought. But the law often trumps political common sense, and in this case, it looks like there may not be a lot of solid legal ground backing up this sentiment.

But we'll see. As I said, the early reports today that Burris would be quickly seated appear to be wrong. We may not know for a few more days.

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Saratoga, Calif.: So how does being a reporter for the Post compare to being news editor for your high school newspaper, The Epitaph?

Michael D. Shear: There are few people in the world who would know this. But I'll let Saratoga remain anonymous.

I learned everything I know from the adviser of my high school paper, who once told me that a good reporter could write an interesting story about a chair. (He also insisted that "adivser" be spelled with an "er" rather than an "or" and banned corn-based snacks from the newspaper office).

But to the question: it's really no different. You have to tell the truth, spell people's name's right, and be fair, whether you are covering the president of the country or the principal of the school.

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Detroit, Mich.: To the individual comparing Sanjay Gupta to JR Ewing -- Dr. Gupta is a neurosurgeon who went to Iraq and actually performed emergency brain surgery on an Iraqi infant as well as U.S. soldiers and saved their lives.

Michael D. Shear: Good point, Detroit. It's not like Gupta doesn't have credentials.

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Poplar Bluff, Mo.: Michael, thanks for the chat. Do you believe Reid and the Senate Democrats are willing to seat Burris now so they can also seat Franken? Thanks.

Michael D. Shear: I think they are aware of the political appearances if they were to deny Burris (an African American) but seat Franken (who is white). But beyond that, the cases are very different and it looks like the Franken thing may go on for a long time, so there wont be a situation where both things are happening at the same time.

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Anonymous: Hi Michael,

A day after Sen. Feinstein makes her remarks about Panetta she is saying the Senate should seat Burris when the rest of her party was still against it. Is this going to be her new style leading mouth from California or is she just having a busy week?

Michael D. Shear: She certainly had a big couple of days, eh? As a former Californian, I know she can certainly be outspoken.

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Princeton, N.J.: But in his interview with Michael Moore, Sanjay Gupta showed almost total ignorance about our health care system--CNN had to later issue an apology. The Surgeon General does not have to treat anyone, but he should know the facts about public health.

Michael D. Shear: Interesting. I have not seen the interview. And I agree that the surgeon general should have knowledge about the system. But I would note that it's unlikely that person will be a big part of the health care reform effort. That will be left to others.

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Burke, Va.: When do you think we can reasonably expect the New Congress to present the Senate (and by extension, President-elect Obama) with an Economic Stimulus plan?

Michael D. Shear: It's looking like the earliest might be the end of January, but I'm thinking early February is more likely.

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Holland, Mich.: This is an innocent question, not intended to be snotty, but I'm just curious about how newspapers work. Your response, "But to the question: it's really no different. You have to tell the truth, spell people's name's right, and be fair, whether you are covering the president of the country or the principal of the school," brought a question to mind that comes up frequently for me when reading these chats. Writers on chats unsurprisingly make lots of spelling and grammatical errors, and nobody, least of all me, blames them, as they try to take as many questions as time allows. But I'm just curious: one doesn't find lots of errors in stories -- who has responsibility for making sure there aren't mistakes there? The reporters, editors, proof-readers, all of the above? I guess I wonder whether reporters write like they do on these chats and let others clean their work up, or whether it's their responsibility to do the grammar/spelling check themselves?

Michael D. Shear: Interesting question.

On these chats, we are typing quickly, and publishing directly to you all with a "publish live" button. No one looks our answers over -- it's much like if we were being interviewed on live TV.

By contrast, when I write a story for the paper, I spend much of the day (usually) reporting and writing. I send the story to an editor who often goes back and forth with me for both substantive reasons and grammatical ones. Then the story goes to a "copy desk" where several editors look it over. We try to keep as many errors out, but inevitably some still get through.

Thanks for the question.

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Washington, D.C.: I can't believe the utter lack of objective reporting with respect to Gupta's presumptive appointment as Surgeon-General. Yes, he is an M.D., a board-certified neurosurgeon to be precise, but medicine and surgery are DIFFERENT from Public Health. The majority of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service actually have degrees in Public Health, unlike Gupta and actually have experience in Public Health, again unlike Gupta. Why are taking the Obama PR at face value rather than researching this appointment objectively?

Michael D. Shear: I think those are very good points. And they should be examined. I agree.

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Northfield, Ill.: Good morning, Michael. As an Illinois taxpayer I will be mighty ticked off if this party hack is seated in the U.S. Senate until 2010. Will he be entitled to a full pension when he's gone? His job here has been a "political consultant" who has lost the last four times he has run for elective office.

Michael D. Shear: I can imagine there are plenty of folks out there who might have this opinion. It will be interesting to see what the reaction is in Illinois as this plays out over the next several days.

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College Station, Tex.: Your thoughts on when we might have a second senator from Minnesota?

Michael D. Shear: It looks like it may be a while. Coleman filed suit yesterday against the recount and so it could be tied up in courts for a while.

That's all we have time for today. Thanks for stopping by. See you in a week or so.

Mike

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