Kasim Reed leading in Atlanta's tight mayoral race

Atlanta will swear in a new mayor Jan. 4, and although it's not exactly clear yet who that will be, it looks as though the likely winner of Tuesday night’s dramatically tight runoff race will be Kasim Reed, 40, a former state senator and African American who had the support of many of the city’s black establishment leaders.

Reed faced a strong challenge from Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who was hoping to become the first white mayor in the majority-black city in 35 years. In preliminary returns posted Tuesday night, Norwood came within 758 votes of victory in Fulton County, which covers the vast majority of the city.

About 600 provisional ballots have yet to be counted, and, of course, it is the nature of provisional ballots that some of them may be thrown out by election officials.

Norwood, 57, has said she will ask for a recount if she is able to. Under state law, she may request a recount if she is losing by less than 1% in the final tally.

If Reed is indeed declared the winner, it will be a victory for the status quo in Atlanta politics: Reed served as campaign manager for current Mayor Shirley Franklin, who is leaving office because of term limits.

Norwood’s loss also would show the continued political clout of black Atlanta, despite a gentrification trend that has led to a significant increase in white residents in recent years.

Both Norwood and Reed courted and gained the support of voters who were not of their race. But this map of precinct-by-precint returns shows that many voters stayed with their own, for whatever reason. The red dots are precincts that Norwood won; the blue are those Reed won. Note that the whiter, more affluent north is almost all red, and the African American south side is almost all blue.

-- Richard Fausset

For updates on every new Ticket item, follow us on Twitter.

Photos: Atlanta mayoral candidates Kasim Reed, top, and Mary Norwood ,bottom, at their respective election night parties on Tuesday. Credit: Associated Press

Obama's revealing Afghanistan war speech: 4,582 words and not one of them was 'victory'

President Obama spoke 4,582 words in his primetime Afghanistan war speech at West Point last night.

He said "al Qaeda" 22 times.

He mentioned the "Taliban" 12 times.

And here's how many times the Democratic chief executive used the word "victory" -- 0.

That telling omission says more than anything about Obama's 322d day in office when he gave his first major address as the United States' commander-in-chief.

Through a clever, timely use of leaks late Monday and suggestive advance excerpts Tuesday afternoon, the Obama White House communications team used the public and news media's intense curiosity about his war decisions to steer public attention toward the number of additional American troops he'll dispatch into that war-torn land in the first half of 2010.

That number is 30,000, significantly less than some reported numbers requested by the ground commander. But added to the existing 68,000 there and taken out of context, that would appear....

Obama's Afghanistan speech: CliffsNotes version

President Obama's speech on Afghanistan at West Point tonight covered much ground. Here are some key excerpts to digest before bed (U.S. time):

Over the last several years, the Taliban has maintained common cause with Al Qaeda, as they both seek an overthrow of the Afghan government. Gradually, the Taliban has begun to take control over swaths of Afghanistan, while engaging in increasingly brazen and devastating acts of terrorism against the Pakistani people.

Throughout this period, our troop levels in Afghanistan remained a fraction of what they were in Iraq. When I took office, we had just over 32,000 Americans serving in Afghanistan, compared to 160,000 in Iraq at the peak of the war....

Afghanistan is not lost, but for several years it has moved backwards. There is no imminent threat of....

Full President Obama speech text on Afghanistan

Text of President Obama's speech on Afghanistan, Dec. 1, 2009, as provided by the White House

Good evening. To the United States Corps of Cadets, to the men and women of our armed services, and to my fellow Americans: I want to speak to you tonight about our effort in Afghanistan – the nature of our commitment there, the scope of our interests, and the strategy that my Administration will pursue to bring this war to a successful conclusion. It is an honor for me to do so here – at West Point – where so many men and women have prepared to stand up for our security, and to represent what is finest about our country.

To address these issues, it is important to recall why America and our allies were compelled to fight a war in Afghanistan in the first place. We did not ask for this fight. On September 11, 2001, nineteen men hijacked four airplanes and used them to murder nearly 3,000 people.

They struck at our military and economic nerve centers. They took the lives of innocent men, women, and children without regard to their faith or race or station. Were it not for the heroic actions of the passengers on board one of those flights, they could have also struck at one of the great symbols of our democracy in Washington, and killed many more.

As we know, these men belonged to al Qaeda – a group of extremists who have distorted and defiled Islam, one of the world’s great religions, to justify the slaughter of innocents. Al Qaeda’s base of operations was in Afghanistan, where they were harbored by the Taliban – a ruthless, repressive and radical movement that seized control of that country after it was ravaged by years of Soviet occupation and civil war, and after the attention of America and our friends had turned elsewhere.

Just days after 9/11, Congress authorized the use of force against al Qaeda and those who harbored them – an authorization that continues to this day. The vote in the Senate was 98 to 0. The vote in the House was 420 to 1. For the first time in its history, the ....

Is Obama more religion-friendly than his party? Many Americans think so, says new poll

President Obama's administration is seen as more friendly toward religion than the Democratic Party as a whole, a new Pew poll has found.

Thirty-seven percent of Americans said they view Obama as religion-friendly, while only 29% said they see the Democratic Party that way, according to the poll.

The findings aren't surprising. During his campaign for the presidency, Obama courted religious voters more aggressively than most recent Democratic presidential candidates by putting faith front and center.

In July 2008, during the height of the presidential race, then-Sen. Obama pledged to expand a controversial White House program that gives federal grants to churches and small community groups.

Later that summer, during a forum at evangelical Pastor Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Orange County, Obama, who is Christian, spoke of "walking humbly with our God" and quoted from the Gospel of Matthew.

It paid off. 

Forty-three percent of voters who said they attend church weekly chose Obama over Republican John McCain, according to the National Election Pool exit survey, a change from recent election trends, in which religious voters overwhelmingly chose Republican candidates. Among occasional worshipers, Obama won 57% of the vote.

The Pew poll found that the Republican Party is still seen as friendlier toward religion than either Obama or the Dems. Forty-eight percent of those polled viewed the GOP as friendly toward religion.

The poll, which was conducted in August by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, also asked people about their views of the news media, scientists and Hollywood related to religion.

Fourteen percent of voters said they view the news media as friendly toward religion, and 12% said they view scientists that way. Only 11% said they see Hollywood as friendly toward religion.

-- Kate Linthicum

For a heads up on other nifty polls, and an alert for every new Ticket item, follow us on Twitter.

Photo: Then-Sen. Obama, left, appears at a forum in August 2008 with Pastor Rick Warren at Warren's  Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Warren led the invocation at Obama's inauguration in January. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times

A (silent) way for Americans to thank the troops

President Obama speaks tonight on his latest new strategy for Afghanistan reportedly involving, in part, the dispatch of additional U.S. troops to join the 68,000 already there.

Meanwhile, with the holidays approaching and millions of Americans, both civilian and military, traveling, a private group of citizens has organized a campaign for those of us at home to express our sincere appreciation when encountering members of the volunteer U.S. military.

It's a simple hand gesture not unlike the Iraqi motion of touching your heart as a sign of sincerity when greeting someone.

Remember that Budweiser commercial where, one by one, airport travelers spontaneously began applauding soldiers as the soldiers walked by? This is feel-good like that, only silent.

Take a look at their brief video. And think about it.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Thank you. Thank you for clicking here to receive Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And we're also over here on Facebook.

Joe Biden update: N.Y. paper proclaims he's (maybe) second most powerful VP ever after you-know-who

In a cover profile with posed photos and everything (highly coveted in places called Washington), the New York Times Magazine reports that, after only 321 days in office, Joe Biden, who was a senator when Barack Obama was only a sixth-grader, has already possibly become the second-most-powerful vice president in the nation's entire 85,469-day history.

You might be wondering who was the most powerful vice president in U.S. history.

No, not Hannibal Hamlin.

We hesitate to publish the name of the most powerful vice president in American history because Biden called him the most dangerous VP in American history and commenters here get so excited about him, one way or another, even though he's related to Obama.

Also, as is well-known by conspiracy theorists (you know who you are), since our corporate parent is a charter member of the MSM, we are (secretly) prohibited from saying anything positive about Hamlin's Grand Old Party or anything even slightly mocking about the current Democratic administration that has so successfully turned the U.S. economy around so quickly. And all, amazingly, without incurring new deficits or lobbyists. And only a few hundred billion in new taxes and cuts.

So we'll just say that Biden is the most powerful vice president in the last 321 days. You figure it out.

The New York Times Magazine, not widely known for understated satire, is only the latest of....

Obama White House now issuing comments on foreign train wrecks (Russia)

(UPDATE 8:48 p.m. A news video update has been added below.)

It's not unprecedented, of course, for the White House to issue messages of condolence on the death of prominent individuals or major disasters, at home or abroad. Most are boiler-plate hearts-going-out condolence stuff. So was today's, about the Russian train wreck.

Perhaps it's just to show the world that, even on a slow-news U.S. post-holiday day, the Obama crowd is on the job.

Publicly commenting on other news is a time-honored way for public figures, especially high-profile politicians, to insert themselves into the daily news flow, help shape their image in the minds of voters and position them for future moves. Sarah Palin, for instance, is doing this at times on her ongoing "Going Rogue" book promotion tour, often using her Facebook page, which allows her to put a statement out without requiring answers to follow-up questions.

We'll have to watch and see what criteria the 10-month-old Obama administration uses to issue such regular comments -- what type disaster merits comment, how many dead to warrant a White House message, and in what country.

If it's every multiple-death incident in every country, they're going to be pretty busy in the press office. But at least they have jobs. Today's train wreck in Russia occurred between Moscow and St. Petersburg, killing 25 at latest count

The comment, though not presidential, could play well if widely dispersed in Russian media. If the incident turns out to be terrorist-related, it could also help underline the international commonality of such threats. And Obama has gone out of his way to make friends with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Here's what the White House press office said:

Statement by the White House Press Secretary on the Train Derailment in Russia

We are deeply saddened by the terrible loss of life and injuries resulting from the reported derailment of a train between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

As authorities investigate the circumstances of this tragedy, our hearts go out to the families of those who lost loved ones, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Click here for automatic Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And we're also over here on Facebook.

Karl Rove talks about Sarah Palin -- and Top of the Ticket

The other night Karl Rove was talking with Greta Van Susteren about the Sarah Palin phenomenon and her record-breaking book sales of "Going Rogue." He says he's started the book, finds it a very good read, is impressed by her crowds (4,000 at Ft. Bragg) and its sales nearly exceeding an ex-president's book, Bill Clinton's, written post-presidency.

The political strategist, with his own book coming out in March, "Courage and Consequence," says Palin has got to learn to pivot off of the misbehaving son-in-law and other soap opera questions because the media want to keep her on the cover of People magazine, not talking about serious issues.

But, Rove notes, there's a big difference between running to sell a book and running to win the White House.

Greta seemed done with her interview when Rove wanted to say something else.

That's another part that caught our ear since, to speak candidly, he wanted to talk about a recent Top of the Ticket item, which you can read right here after watching the video.

The Fox News Channel video is here below, courtesy of, not too surprisingly, the Fox News Channel.

Speaking of Top of the Ticket, recent polls indicate that 100% of those clicking here get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And we're also over here on Facebook.

Related items:

Sarah Palin's book tour: What to watch for

Sarah's new Twitter account

Video clips of Sarah Palin with Oprah

What's actually in Sarah Palin's book

Palin's roguish book tour schedule details

The secret Sarah Palin speeches we never heard

Sarah Palin breaks with GOP to endorse Conservative

Weekly remarks: GOP warns of new Obama taxes; Obama says reforms needed to help all

Remarks by Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, as provided by the Republican National Committee

This week, like most Americans, my family came together to break bread, give thanks and celebrate our blessings.

Even in these times of struggle and trial, we have much to be thankful for, beginning with our men and women in uniform, many of whom will spend this holiday season away from hearth and home. The tragic events at Fort Hood remind us that whether they serve at home or abroad, we owe our soldiers and their families a debt of gratitude we will never be able to repay.

This past Thursday, while empty chairs for America’s defenders were placed at Thanksgiving dinner tables in many homes, many other seats were filled with anxious Americans who are facing their own personal battles and struggles.  Millions of families have seen jobs and careers vanish in the midst of this recession.

Many are asking, ‘when will things get better?’ Many more are asking, ‘where are the jobs?’

President Obama told the American people that his last $787 billion ‘jobs bill,’ the so-called ‘stimulus’ package, would ensure that unemployment would not go above 8 percent.  And the Administration continues to insist their stimulus plan is working. But unemployment is now at a heartbreaking 10.2 percent.

In the city and on the farm, as millions of American families struggle to balance their checkbooks this holiday season, they watch in astonishment as Washington spends billions of dollars it doesn’t have.

And what is the White House’s answer to our struggles? Another meeting next week. A ‘jobs summit,’ and ...