Mark Halperin’s Three Things

Mark Halperin's three things to watch for in presidential politics for Tuesday, November 18.

1. Watch all the activity on Capitol Hill on the economy and the auto industry. Treasury Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke testify at 9:30 am ET before the House Financial Services Committee and the CEOs of the big three U.S. automakers will testify before the Senate Banking Committee at 3 pm ET. Watch to see whether any of this leads the Bush administration and Republicans into joining President-elect Obama in calling for quick action to try to resolve pressing problems, rather than waiting until the new administration and new Congress in 2009.
2. Watch Hillary Clinton and her potential selection as Obama's secretary of state. Watch all the back and forth there, especially the focus on vetting Bill Clinton's post-presidency activities and finances. See if there are any indications whether the former first couple can fit smoothly into Obama's team.
3. Watch talk of personnel decisions from the Obama team beyond the secretary of state role. Don't lose sight of the fact that Obama has yet to announce any of his cabinet picks. Announcements are eventually coming, in the next few days or weeks.