Barack Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe tonight sent a long-awaited note to help retire someone's major political debt.

No, not that debt.

Here's his note, which is not about Hillary Clinton:

Our friends at the Democratic National Committee laid it all on the line to bring change this year.

We've been reviewing the books, and the DNC went into considerable debt to secure victory for Barack and Joe. It took unprecedented resources to staff up all 50 states, train field organizers, and build the technology to reach as many swing voters as possible.

It worked.

But it also left the DNC in debt. So before we do anything else, we need to help pay for this winning strategy.

The DNC's 50-state field strategy was crucial to our campaign's success, as well as victories for Democrats up and down the ballot. Their organizing infrastructure allowed us to compete -- and win -- in states that seemed insurmountable just four years ago.

They took out substantial loans to make it happen. The DNC didn't hold back, and now, neither can we.

You were there for this campaign when we needed to reach out to more voters and compete in more states. Now we're relying on grassroots supporters like you to come through for this movement once again.

We'll get to work transforming this country. But first, we need to take care of the DNC.

Please make a donation of $30 or more today and receive your Obama Victory T-shirt.

Thank you for everything,

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

What's notable is that Team Obama never sent this kind of email on behalf of Clinton. She still had $21 million in debt as of her last FEC filing, and helped the president-elect raise big bucks during the general election.

Also worth mentioning, the email did not go to the campaign's entire distribution list.

It's the first email from Plouffe since Obama's big win one week ago, though he did participate in this 60 Minutes interview on Election Night that is worth the click:

Obama transition co-chair John Podesta briefed reporters today on the process for appointments and the government agency review teams. Jon Ward and I were there, and filed this story for tomorrow's paper:

Barack Obama has banned lobbyists from his presidential transition team, which starting Monday will drop in on 100 government agencies for extensive reviews, while the president-elect makes Cabinet selections from Chicago.

The Obama team also attempted Tuesday to repair damage after a leak about the first private meeting between Mr. Obama and President Bush. Transition leader John Podesta said he personally called the White House to smooth over matters.

Mr. Podesta also publicly vouched for the administration's assertion that Mr. Bush had not withheld support for economic aid legislation contingent on the passage of a free-trade deal with Colombia, calling such reports "not accurate."

Mr. Podesta, who served as White House chief of staff under President Clinton, told reporters at the transition headquarters in Washington that there would be direct talks between Mr. Obama and potential appointees, but hinted that no Cabinet announcements would be made before Thanksgiving.

Going into great detail about the massive and rapidly moving transition, Mr. Podesta said Mr. Obama wants the process to be the most open in history. "These are the strictest ethics rules ever applied," he said.

Read the full story here.

—Christina Bellantoni, White House correspondent,
The Washington Times

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