Reaction to Obama CNN-Star Pick Sanjay Gupta, Roland Burris, Israel in Gaza, Bush, Pakistan, and More

Our daily look at stories and topics that are lighting up the Internets:

Obama News

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta will likely be the next surgeon general, and it didn't take long for bloggers to react. Some couldn't be happier, citing Gupta's high-profile role as a tool to rally public support for healthcare reform. Others, however, tread cautiously—or, in Michael Moore's case, angrily—not yet ready to come to any final conclusions. Worries are that Gupta's been a defender of the medical status quo for some time. Our very own Robert Schlesinger, however, cuts through the bull, asking who else in the media is prime for an appointment. In other appointment news, Obama "asked Dennis Ross, Richard Haass, and Richard Holbrooke to serve as his chief emissaries to world hot spots." Andrew Sullivan had a lot to say on the matter. Others, with even more thoughts on Obama's staff choices, suggest that Obama reappoint some in his own staff before any other high-level appointments are made. Said Tony Campbell: "The vetting [Richardson] and communication [Panetta] mistakes are only going to be more troublesome and costly" once Obama becomes president—i.e., lock it up, Obama. Lastly, with the deficit skyrocketing, bloggers already began preparing arguments for tomorrow's stimulus speech from Obama.

Burris Goes to Washington

Senate Democrats, it seems, spent their day in the political equivalent of a doctor's waiting room, unsure what Roland Burris would be diagnosed with and how they would react. At first, the Associated Press reported that Burris would be seated, while other reports were far less definitive. And though the future for Burris is unclear at best, bloggers' opinions on the latest developments were far from it. It says terrible things about the could-be senator that he even agreed to be appointed, says Ed Morrissey. No doubt it "makes for great theater," though. "This was just all kinds of stupid from the very beginning," says one blogger at the State of the Nation. Harry Reid, meanwhile, appears to be stalling for time or, perhaps, like the Illinois secretary of state, just adding to the media's confusion. Obama, in the meantime, isn't impractical about the whole thing.

The Gaza Crisis

Though the airstrikes and rockets paused for a brief moment today, the violence between Israel and Hamas is far from over. John Derbyshire starts out the debate with this heartless piece on Palestinians and Arabs as a whole (heartless is the point). Others spend their time analyzing the possible implications of Israel's actions: "If they can get Hamas out of Gaza and the West Bank, that will be a huge victory for Israel and for the Palestinians in the long run. It will be an even bigger defeat for Iran, which is why the French and Egyptians want to make these arrangements." Victor Hansen sees (at least) two problems with Israel's actions, the first being the nebulous point of diminishing returns, the second being Iranian support behind nonstate actors across the Middle East. The future's becoming depressing, he writes, "but that's the world we live in—and the world that awaits President Obama." Others in the media go meta on the whole situation, asking Israel to "send in some real reporters" and end the policy of sidelining the media from the battle. Yesterday's words from Obama on the conflict, however, lead some to believe that he's much more sympathetic to Palestinians than President Bush. Granted, that's not saying much.

Meanwhile . . .

Pakistan admits that the sole captured Mumbai terrorist is Pakistani. . . . Tucker Carlson finds God in "Wishful Thinking." . . . Bush packs his bags while Franken wishes he could. . . . And Nigerian motorcyclists are disturbing the peace by wearing pumpkin helmets on the road (see "Calabash-wearers" for more).

• Read more about Roland Burris.
• Read more about Congress.
• Read more about Hamas.
• Read more about Israel.
• Read more about the Middle East.
• Read more about Barack Obama.
• Read more about the Obama transition.