The morning line (weekender edition), Dec. 13, 2008

Yesterday, Obama voluntarily released the names of 243 contributors to his inauguration, who together donated $9.7 million, continuing his commitment to disclosure. We analyzed some of that information yesterday, and have created a chart listing all of the inaugural donors who were also big donors (87) or bundlers (19) to Obama during the campaign as well. (More after the jump.)

Top donors will get special perks, including a perch at the swearing-in ceremony, says Politico, which has an e-mail detailing the benefits.

After several days of relative silence from incoming Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Tribune reports that Emanuel had discussions with the administration of Gov. Rod Blagojevich about candidates to fill the vacant Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama. The Tribune says that Emanuel has not been implicated in any attempts to sell the seat, but that Emanuel was recorded on wiretaps discussing at least five candidates as part of the investigation that led to Blagojevich's arrest on Tuesday on charges that included trying to sell the appointment.

While Obama has promised an accounting of any role transition members may have had in discussing the seat with Blagojevich's staff, the Associated Press reports that there is no word as of yet from Obama's people, who "declined to respond to even basic questions" about the probe.

Obama announced in his weekly radio address that Shaun Donovan, NYC's housing commissioner, will become secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The New York Times has more here.

Obama's leading pick for the Food and Drug Administration is Joshua Sharfstein, who is leading transition efforts at the agency and has been a critic of phramaceutical company practices, writes the Wall Street Journal.

The New York Times is "heartened" by the choices of Obama has made for energy and environmental slots, hailing Obama's new "Green Team."

However, several of Obama's appointments, including two of the "green team" picks, have issues or ties that could prove problematic.

• The Los Angeles Times is reporting that at least eight Republican senators want to delay Attorney General-nominee Eric Holder's confirmation hearing to further investigate his role in the Mark Rich pardons.
• Steven Chu, Obama's choice for energy secretary, is a board member for a foundation that has given more than $31.6 million in grants to transition team member Jason Grumet's Bipartisan Policy Center, which works on energy and environment issues, Politico reports.
• Carol Browner, the expected new "climate czar," is married to former Rep. Tom Downey, whose firm, Downey McGrath, has lobbied on behalf of energy concerns, according to the Wall Street Journal, which mentions clients including ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco.

We did a little digging in lobbying records and found that the firm has received $480,000 since 1999 from ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, Keyspan Energy, Coastal Co. (acquired by El Paso Corporation) and chemical manufacturer DuPont. But the firm has also been paid $630,000 for lobbying work by "good-guy" groups including Securing America's Future Energy, the National Audubon Society and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The bigger problem may be the firm's lobbying for the Standard Renewable Energy Group. Standard bills itself as a "one-stop shop for both renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions," according to its Web site. While that hardly seems to conflict with Browner's expected mandate, two of the firm's major investors are Obama mega-donors, David and Monica Gelbaum, who gave $66,200 to Obama's joint fundraising efforts. While that connection wasn't mentioned in the Journal piece, Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter did tell the Journal that Browner, if appointed, would be recused from any work involving her husband's former clients and that her husand and his firm would not "have any energy clients or contact with the energy or environment agencies or departments."

Next week, Obama's top national security and economic team members will be in Chicago for a series of policy meetings, reports Marc Ambinder. Also on the agenda is an even more ambitious economic stimulus plan that could cost as much as $1 trillion over two years, part of an effort to stave off even worse econominc shock waves, including a possible nine percent unemployment rate, reports the Journal.

And if you're looking for an Obama-related stocking stuffer, the lauded advent calendar caricaturing Obama friends, foes and foils appears to be sold out, according to the rep at Chiasso.com I spoke with.