Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) this afternoon tried to smooth over tensions with fellow Republican Sen. John McCain after she was quoted in Politico noting his absence at a Senate Homeland Security and Government and Affairs briefing on Benghazi yesterday.

McCain was holding a press conference in the Senate gallery at the time of the private briefing that included officials from the State Department and the Intelligence Committee. 

McCain's office chalked it up to a "scheduling error" and aides say he made his displeasure to Collins known this morning.

She told NBC News that she believes McCain's call for a special Congressional committee to look into the Benghazi matter is not necessary, and he would be a valuable member of the Homeland Security Committee's own investigation. Collins is the top Republican on the committee.

"All I was trying to point out is that he's a very valuable member of our committee, so he would be involved in all the briefings, the hearings and investigation," she said. "And thus, I don't think that it's necessary to create a whole new separate committee. Our committee has a history of doing independent, bipartisan, comprehensive across-the-board investigations. We've done it on Fort Hood, on Hurricane Katrina, on a host of different issues. The only point I was trying to make -- apparently inartfully -- was that he and Lindsey Graham are members of the committee, so they will be fully involved, and I'm sure will play an important role."

McCain was joined by Sens. Graham and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) at the Wednesday news conference announcing their resolution for a Select Committee during the time when the Benghazi briefing occurred.  

Critics have chided McCain for demanding more answers on Benghazi while missing an opportunity to learn more from the intelligence community. McCain's office said today that he would have attended.

McCain will attend today's closed-door hearing with senior intelligence officials and tomorrow's with former CIA Director David Petraeus.

While Mitt Romney has attributed his defeat, in part, to "gifts" President Obama was able to shower on key constituencies, a Republican National Committee report on the election points to other reasons -- like changing demographics, Hurricane Sandy, George W. Bush, and the failure to win over the middle class.

This RNC report of exit poll data, which NBC News has obtained and which RNC Chair Reince Priebus presented to GOP senators on Wednesday, states that "demographic change" in the United States "is real." It notes that the white share of the electorate has declined from 81% in 2000 to 72% in 2008. And it points out that "3 in 10 voters will be minorities in 2016."

(Click here to see the full report.)

In addition, the report (which Politico also has written about) includes data from the exit poll showing that voters -- by a 53%-to-38% margin -- blamed Bush for the state of the economy instead of Obama.

It also observes that Obama's response to Hurricane Sandy "provided a bump" to the president, with 42% saying it was either the "most important" or "an important" factor in their vote. Obama won those voters by more than a 2-to-1 margin

And the presentation observes that 44% of voters believed Obama's policies favored the middle class, versus 34% who said that of Romney's policies.

But the RNC report also notes the positives from the election:
-- Romney outperformed John McCain from 2008, especially in battleground states
-- Fewer than a combined 400,000 votes in Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Virginia separated Romney from the presidency (though even fewer than that amount separated Al Gore and John Kerry from the presidency, too)
-- And Romney improved among whites and independents from 2004 and 2008.

At the end of this presentation, the RNC says it will conduct a fuller "deep dive" report into what worked in 2012 and what didn't. That will include conducting a post-election survey, meetings with party leaders, and getting feedback from volunteers.

Obama leaves himself some wiggle in fiscal-cliff talks (on where the top tax rate ultimately ends up)… The fundamental question: Are there Republicans who would vote for a temporary increase in the top rate?... Why Romney’s “gifts” explanation for his loss is laughable… Obama vs. McCain: Hard to separate the personal from the professional… Obama heads to New York to survey Hurricane Sandy damage… Autopsy 2012: looking at the African-American vote… And David Gregory interviews Doris Kearns Goodwin in his weekly “Press Pass” video.

Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference Nov.14, 2012 in the East Room of the White House.

*** Wiggle room: Besides rebuking John McCain on his criticism of UN Ambassador Susan Rice and besides praising Gen. David Petraeus’ service, President Obama made some other big news at yesterday’s press conference. He gave himself some wiggle room in the upcoming fiscal cliff negotiations. Obama did draw a line in the sand, arguing that he would oppose extension of the Bush tax cuts on all income above $250,000. “When it comes to the Top 2%, what I’m not going to do is to extend further a tax cut for folks who don’t need it, which would cost close to a trillion dollars.” But where he left some wiggle room was where those top rates would ultimately be. When one of us asked him if the top rates must be the 39% from the Clinton years, Obama responded, “I just want to emphasize I am open to new ideas. If Republican counterparts or some Democrats have a great idea for us to raise revenue, maintain progressivity, make sure the middle class isn’t getting hit, reduces our deficit, encourages growth, I’m not going to just slam the door in their face.”

*** The fundamental question: Are there enough Republican votes? The news here isn’t just what Obama said; it’s also what Republicans heard -- that there is the possibility for a deal on where the top rates eventually end up. They were relieved to hear what the president said. Folks, realize this: For 2013, the rate could go up to, say, 37% for some folks and 39% for millionaires, or maybe it’s just the millionaires. The point is, that’s where the president hinted he’s willing to negotiate and there certainly sounds like there is an openness among some Republicans to negotiate on those grounds. For their part, the wiggle room that GOP leaders have indicated is that they’re in favor of more revenues, just not higher rates. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan gave a statement to Breitbart News saying that any new revenue must come without raising rates. “We can find common ground on responsible spending restraint and greater revenue through economic growth, but we have yet to see either a serious plan or leadership from President Obama,” Ryan said. So here’s the fundamental question given the wiggle room from both sides so far: Can House Republicans tolerate a temporary increase in the top rate with the assumption that the rate could later be negotiated as part of broader tax reform? Could GOPers -- thinking about the prospect of a primary challenge -- consider doing that?

*** We come bearing “gifts”: In a conference call with his top donors yesterday, Mitt Romney blamed his defeat on the fact that President Obama and his administration were able to offer “gifts” to African-American, Latino, and young voters, according to the L.A. Times and New York Times. What were those gifts in Romney’s telling? The health-care law. Help with student loans. Free contraception under the health-care law. The executive action stopping the deportation of qualified young illegal immigrants. Some Republicans weren’t too pleased by Romney’s words, which seemed like a rehash of his infamous “47%” comments. “I think that’s absolutely wrong,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said at a Republican Governors Association meeting, per Politico. “Two points on that: One, we have got to stop dividing the American voters. We need to go after 100% of the votes, not 53%... And, secondly, we need to continue to show how our policies help every voter out there achieve the American Dream.” Latino Republican Alfonso Aguilar, a Romney supporter, called the remarks a “slap in the face” to the Latino community and added, “He lost the election by making comments like that to Latinos.”

*** Why Romney’s “gifts” explanation is laughable: When you think about it, Romney’s explanation for Obama’s victory is laughable -- the president won because he successfully delivered to his voters. Isn’t that what politicians and presidents are supposed to do? In addition, Romney’s “gifts” rationale doesn’t explain why he lost Iowa, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin, states with older and whiter populations. What’s particularly striking here: Jindal’s criticism. He was the first Republican to step up here, and it’s an easy brave moment if you’re an aspiring 2016er. A softball to hit out of the park. Romney, sounding more bitter than big in those comments, is giving plenty of aspiring Republican leaders to now use this moment to distinguish themselves from Romney. Watch for a bunch of folks on the GOP side to pile on actually.

*** Hard to separate the personal from the professional: Then we come to yesterday’s back-and-forth between President Obama and John McCain over Susan Rice. It all began in the morning, when McCain, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham, essentially tried to declare Susan Rice’s potential nomination as Secretary of State to be D.O.A. because of her performance on the Sunday shows days after the Benghazi attack. Obama seemed particularly fired up at the opportunity to respond at his press conference: “If Sen. McCain and Sen. Graham and others want to go after somebody, they should go after me. And I’m happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N. ambassador, who had nothing to do with Benghazi, and was simply making a presentation based on intelligence that she had received, and to besmirch her reputation is outrageous.” McCain then took the Senate floor: "If the president thinks that we are picking on people, he really does not have any idea of how serious this issue is." Part of this is the bulldog in McCain; when he gets focused on an issue (see campaign finance reform), he doesn’t let go. And McCain’s been focused on Benghazi since the get-go. But make no mistake here: It’s very hard to separate the personal from the professional (especially when McCain supported the other Rice -- Condi -- despite intelligence failures that happened under her watch). McCain and his party have now lost twice to Obama, and that frustration shows.

*** Rice’s chances of being nominated just increased: One other thing here: If you thought that Obama might decide to pass on nominating Susan Rice to be the next Secretary of State, think again. Yesterday’s confrontation might have been the best thing to happen to her chances of being nominated. The president is a pragmatist and is usually someone who likes to avoid confirmation fights for his appointees. But the more the GOP attacks Rice, the more dug in the White House and president might get.

*** Obama’s day: The president heads to New York City to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. This is Obama’s second Sandy-related trip and his first since winning re-election.

*** Autopsy 2012: The size of the African-American vote: With just two exceptions, in every state where there’s a sizable African-American population (and 2012 exit polls), the share of the African-American vote either stayed the same -- or increased in last week’s presidential election. Where it increased: Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio. Where it stayed the same: Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia. Where it decreased: Alabama and New York (and in both cases, it was by just one percentage point). Bottom line: One of the most bogus storylines of the last four years (driven by some African American leaders who have never been Obama fans) is the idea that somehow African-Americans weren’t going to be as fired up about Obama or were somehow disappointed and would show that disappointment by not showing up to the polls.

Alabama: 2008: 29%; 2012: 28%
Florida: 2008: 13%; 2012: 13%
Michigan: 2008: 12%; 2012: 16%
Mississippi: 2008: 33%; 2012: 36%
Missouri: 2008: 13%; 2012: 16%
New Jersey: 2008: 12%; 2012: 18%
New York: 2008: 17%; 2012: 16%
Ohio: 2008: 11%; 2012: 15%
North Carolina: 2008: 23%; 2012: 23%
Pennsylvania: 2008: 13%; 2012: 13%
Virginia: 2008: 20%; 2012: 20%

*** More Autopsy 2012: “Daily Rundown” MSNBC producer Dave Murphy offers some additional analysis of the exit polls, ranking where the battleground states stood on some of the top issues. The battleground state that most wants the government to do less? Iowa. The state that most wants to repeal all or some of the health-care law? Colorado. The state that most wants to keep it or expand it? Wisconsin. And the state that most wants to raise taxes on everyone or those making $250,000-plus? Nevada.

Government should do less
Iowa: 61%
Colorado: 60%
Ohio: 56%
New Hampshire: 53%
Nevada: 51%
Virginia: 51%
National Average: 51%
Wisconsin: 50%
Florida: 50%

Health care law
Colorado: +16 repeal some/all
Iowa: +15 repeal some/all
Ohio: +12 repeal some/all
Florida: +9 repeal some/all
National Average: +5 repeal some/all
Nevada: +2 repeal some/all
Virginia: +1 repeal some/all
New Hampshire: even 
Wisconsin: +3 keep/expand

Raise taxes for $250K+ earners or everyone
Nevada: 64%
Wisconsin: 64%
Virginia: 63%
Iowa: 63%
New Hampshire: 61%
National Average: 60%
Ohio: 57%
Florida: 57%

*** David Gregory, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Lincoln: In his weekly “Press Pass” video, “Meet the Press” host David Gregory interviews historian Doris Kearns Goodwin about the new “Lincoln” movie, which Obama screens at the White House today upon his arrival from New York.

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*** Thursday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) on the fiscal cliff, the closed-door intelligence hearings on Libya and the GOP’s outlook for next year… Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini on being a part of yesterday’s meeting with the president and other business leaders… NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell and TIME’s Bart Gellman on the latest developments in the Petraeus saga… A deep dive into the married/unmarried divide in last week’s election… Roll Call’s Shira Toeplitz, former RNC Chair Michael Steele, the Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson and Ralston Reports’ Jon Ralston on Republican reflections and the chances for avoiding a cliff dive.

*** Thursday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, Susan Ferrechio, Martin Fletcher & Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; William Cohan on Obama’s relationship with Wall Street; Strategists J.P. Freire & Steve Elmendorf; plus Josh Kraushaar on Republican governors.

*** Thursday’s “NOW with Alex Wagner” line-up: Alex Wagner’s guests include former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, GOP strategist Mark McKinnon, NYC Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson, Co-founder of Pro-Obama Super PAC Priorities USA Action Bill Burton, The Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, Daily Show Co-Creator Lizz Winstead, and Rolling Stone Executive Editor Eric Bates.

*** Thursday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND), Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, Fmr. State Department Official Amb. Nicholas Burns and The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.

*** Thursday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Ed Rendell, Michael Smerconish, Nia Malika Henderson, and Time’s Jim Frederick.

AP’s Babington: “President Barack Obama walked a narrow path between ambition and realism, defiance and accommodation when he addressed reporters for the first time since winning a hard-fought election that gives him four more years to carve his place in history. While he avoided terms like ‘transformational,’ Obama signaled that he still hopes to accomplish big things in spite of Congress’ almost paralyzing partisanship. That could include an overhaul of immigration laws, which could become a coveted bookend to his 2010 health care revision. There was a bounce in Obama’s step Wednesday in the White House East Room. But there was no dancing in the end zone, no taunting of defeated opponents.”

The New York Times: “If there was still any thought that President Obama and Senator John McCain might eventually move past their once-bitter White House rivalry toward a cooperative governing agenda, it was all but dashed on Wednesday.”

The Boston Globe: “President Obama aggressively defended ambassador Susan Rice on Wednesday, using his first postelection news conference to pointedly rebut Republican charges that the diplomat misled the American public in the aftermath of the attacks in Libya.”

Politico: “President Barack Obama just finished his second presidential campaign — but he’s not finished lashing out at his opponent from his first. Obama’s irritation at his 2008 rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain, flared Wednesday during the president’s first news conference since winning reelection. It was a startling moment in an otherwise unremarkable appearance — and hinted at lingering tensions with McCain.”

USA Today: “President Obama hasn't picked his nominee to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, but he made clear Wednesday that he doesn't think much of Senate Republicans' warnings that he not choose United Nations envoy Susan Rice.”

Bloomberg: “President Barack Obama’s spirited defense of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice has moved her a step closer to being named to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”

National Journal: “Obama Calls Out Bullies From the Bully Pulpit.”

“In the midst of a political tempest that has engulfed his former CIA director and his top military commander in Afghanistan, President Barack Obama is traveling to New York City to view recovery efforts from the massive East Coast storm Sandy,” the AP writes. “While there Thursday, Obama will meet with affected families, local officials and first responders who have been dealing with the deadly storm, which slammed into New York, New Jersey and other East Coast states late month, killing more than 100 people and leaving millions without power.”

“President Barack Obama spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi Wednesday night about rocket attacks being launched from Gaza into Israel and escalating violence in the Gaza Strip,” AP writes. “The White House said Obama reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s right to self-defense from rocket attacks being launched against its civilians and urged Israel to ‘make every effort to avoid civilian casualties’ in its response.”

National Journal: “President Obama is pressuring lawmakers to complete work on immigration next year. If they were starting from scratch, such a major endeavor would seem impossible. But under the Obama administration’s vision, it is more than doable because he is simply picking up the conversation where it left off in 2007, when an massive immigration bill died on the Senate floor.”

The L.A. Times: “Mitt Romney told his top donors Wednesday that his loss to President Obama was a disappointing result that neither he nor his top aides had expected, but said he believed his team ran a “superb” campaign with ‘no drama,’ and attributed his rival’s victory to ‘the gifts’ the administration had given to blacks, Hispanics and young voters during Obama’s  first term. Obama, Romney argued, had been “very generous” to blacks, Hispanics and young voters. He cited as motivating factors to young voters the administration’s plan for partial forgiveness of college loan interest and the extension of health coverage for students on their parents’ insurance plans well into their 20s. Free contraception coverage under Obama’s healthcare plan, he added, gave an extra incentive to college-age women to back the president.”

The New York Times: “Saying that he and his team still felt “troubled” by his loss to President Obama, Mitt Romney on Wednesday attributed his defeat in part to what he called big policy ‘gifts’ that the president had bestowed on loyal Democratic constituencies, including young voters, African-Americans and Hispanics.”

Of health care, Romney said: “You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you’re now going to get free health care, particularly if you don’t have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity — I mean, this is huge. Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus. But in addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called Dream Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group.”

More: “Mr. Romney’s comments in the 20-minute conference call came after his running mate, Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin, told WISC-TV in Madison on Monday that their loss was a result of Mr. Obama’s strength in ‘urban areas,’ an analysis that did not account for Mr. Obama’s victories in more rural states like Iowa and New Hampshire or the decrease in the number of votes for the president relative to 2008 in critical urban counties in Ohio.”

The New York Daily News: “Mitt Romney can’t lay off the ‘47%.’ The losing GOP presidential candidate unloaded a cartful of sour grapes on his top donors Wednesday, saying President Obama won because he handed out ‘big gifts’ to blacks, Hispanics and young voters. Romney’s statement echoed the ‘47%’ gaffe he made at a fundraiser that alienated voters he said were ‘dependent upon government.’”

Hotline’s Reid Wilson: “Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney failed to offer a vision that connected with everyday Americans, failed to respond to an early and ultimately successful attempt to define him as an out-of-touch corporate raider and failed to portray his party as anything other than the party for rich white males -- at least according to some of the prominent Republicans who served as his top surrogates just a few weeks ago. Romney's campaign came in for a series of tongue-lashings at a meeting of the Republican Governors Association, where two dozen chief executives hobnobbed with big-dollar donors and swapped notes on what they called a disappointing election cycle. And as several among their ranks privately ponder their own potential presidential campaigns four years down the line, they said there are lessons to be learned from this year's Republican shortcomings.”

Ron Paul’s parting salvo from his farewell speech as a member of Congress: "Our Constitution, which was intended to limit government power and abuse, has failed. The founders warned that a free society depends on a virtuous and moral people. The current crisis reflects that their concerns were justified."

“Representatives Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Republican Ron Paul of Texas, polar opposites on many issues, joined Wednesday in asking the White House to refrain from acting against marijuana users in Colorado and Washington, which became the first states last week to legalize recreational use of the drug,” the Boston Globe writes.

The Atlantic: “On Wednesday, Ron Paul stood on the floor of the House of Representatives, where he has spent 23 years, to deliver his last speech to the body prior to his impending retirement at year's end. His sprawling, poorly organized, deeply principled remarks lasted nearly 48 minutes.”

The Boston Globe: “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Wednesday ridiculed outgoing Senator Scott Brown’s call for bipartisanship in Washington and said he is confident that a Democrat could beat Brown in a special election, if Senator John Kerry were to vacate his seat for a Cabinet position.”

Said Reid: “I saw during the campaign his plea for bipartisanship. That is a big joke. It’s a travesty. He was one of the most partisan people that’s ever served here.” More: “He could have saved Citizens United…. He could have been the 60th vote on that and many other things. So I don’t need a lecture from him on bipartisanship.”

His Citizens United comment was because Brown voted against the DISCLOSE Act, “which would have required corporations, unions and nonprofits that spend money on elections to identify themselves in ads and, in some cases, to name their donors.”

“The Senate took a babystep towards considering the defense authorization bill on Wednesday, but key lawmakers are aiming for the real work on the bill to begin after Thanksgiving,” National Journal writes. “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., made the motion to proceed--asking for members to consent to bring up the legislation-- on Wednesday afternoon. Members have so far given speeches on topics largely unrelated to the legislation. The bill provides $525.8 billion to fund the Pentagon’s general operations and $88.5 billion for the ‘overseas contingency operations’ account that funds the war in Afghanistan.”

Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images

President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference Nov.14, 2012 in the East Room of the White House.

Updated 2:44 p.m. ET - President Barack Obama claimed a broad mandate for his vision on taxes at his first news conference since being re-elected, demanding that his negotiations with Congress yield a specific plan that results in a higher tax burden for the wealthiest Americans.

Speaking Wednesday at the White House, the president said that his recently-concluded campaign against Republican nominee Mitt Romney sent a "very clear message" as to which tax plan Americans prefer. Citing his decisive victory last Tuesday, Obama vowed to stand firm on asking the wealthy to shoulder a greater share of the tax burden.

"There is a package to be shaped, and I'm confident that parties -- folks of goodwill in both parties can make that happen," Obama said. "But what I'm not going to do is to extend Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent that we can't afford and, according to economists, will have the least positive impact on our economy."

Related - Obama: 'No evidence' of national security harm in Petraeus scandal

Republicans on Capitol Hill have said since the election that they are open to increased revenue by way of tax reform linked with entitlement reform. But Obama suggested that the GOP's version of tax reform -- cementing or lowering existing rates, combined with the elimination of certain loopholes -- would not be sufficient.

"It's very difficult to see how you make up that trillion dollars -- if we're serious about deficit reduction -- just by closing loopholes and deductions," the president said. "The math tends not to work."

He later added, in a snipe at Republican thinking on taxes: "What I will not do is to have a process that is vague, that says we're gonna sorta, kinda raise revenue through dynamic scoring or closing loopholes that have not been identified."

The expiring 2001 Bush tax cuts, which Obama extended for two years in 2010, are half of the looming "fiscal cliff," the combination of the end of those tax cuts with a series of automatic spending cuts set to begin in 2013, which economists warn could imperil the recovery. The simultaneous debates on taxes and spending are, generally speaking, a byproduct of congressional gridlock on those issues for the better part of the last two years.

The press conference, Obama's first formal meeting with the Washington press corps since the summer, marked his most direct assertion of a second term agenda since winning re-election. He spoke of the need to address taxes and spending, as well as immigration, and he forcefully defended his ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, from Capitol Hill Republicans who argue Rice erred in responding to the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. 

Rice is thought to be a leading contender to succeed Hillary Clinton as leader of the State Department, though Obama said he had made no determination as to a nominee for that role. But he forcefully rebuffed a small chorus of Senate Republicans, lead by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who have vowed to block Rice from that job should he win the nomination. 

"If Senator McCain and Senator Graham, and others want to go after somebody? They should go after me," a blunt Obama said. "When they go after the U.N. ambassador, apparently because they think she's an easy target, then they've got a problem with me."

But the fiscal cliff is most likely to consume much of the political oxygen in Washington in the coming weeks and months, particularly as the specter of tax hikes loom on Jan. 1. He renewed his demand that Congress send him a bill extending existing tax rates for all but the top income bracket, something which Republicans have refused to do for the better part of this year for fear of losing a bargaining position.

The president claimed a broader mandate on other domestic issues, too. He said that his staff had already begun conversations with lawmakers in pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform, a priority that had eluded his administration -- to the consternation of Latino voters -- during his first term.

"My expectation is that we get a bill introduced and we begin the process in Congress very soon after my inauguration," Obama said.

At the same time, the president suggested some priorities from his first term -- such as legislation to address the impact of climate change -- would take a backseat to other issues at the outset of his second term.

"I don't know what either Democrats or Republicans are prepared to do at this point," he said, noting that regional differences between lawmakers have just as often scuttled a wide-ranging deal on climate legislation as partisan differences. He furthermore said that economic and jobs growth were his foremost priority, and that he wouldn't support a climate deal that inhibited either.

If President Barack Obama taps U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to take over for Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, her nomination will be met with stiff resistance by some Republican senators.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., each pledged to filibuster Rice's prospective nomination as secretary of state due to her public explanations for the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Amid speculation that Obama might nominate Rice for the top diplomatic post to succeed Clinton, who has said she plans to step aide now that the president has won a second term, McCain said he would "do whatever to block the nomination that is within our power" at a press conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill.

Graham and McCain, joined by New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R), also called Wednesday for Congress to establish a temporary select committee to investigate the attacks in Libya.

But as Obama prepares for his first post-election news conference, at which he will likely be asked to address personnel issues in his administration, Republicans meant to send a strong pre-emptive warning.

"She is so disconnected from reality that I don’t trust her," Graham said.

Updated 10:42 a.m. - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told fellow House Democrats today that she will run to keep her leadership position, likely extending her tenure as Democratic leader for another two years.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2102, with newly elected Democratic House members.

"I have made a decision to submit my name to my colleagues to once again serve as the House Democratic leader," Pelosi said Wednesday at a press conference following a meeting with fellow Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

On the 10th anniversary of her election as Democratic leader, Pelosi said her colleagues had made their desire for her to remain as leader "very clear." There had been mounting speculation that the 72-year-old California Democrat might step aside and yield to younger figures in the party.

Recommended - First Thoughts: Previewing the president's presser

Pelosi served two terms as speaker of the House, the first woman to ever hold that role, from 2007-2011, during which time she oversaw House passage of President Barack Obama's landmark health reform law. She has also taken a special interest in advancing legislation intended to address the effects of climate change, prompting a vote on a "cap-and-trade" bill in 2009 which eventually stalled in the Senate.

Republicans seemed almost giddy about the announcement. 

"There is no better person to preside over the most liberal House Democratic Caucus in history than the woman who is solely responsible for relegating it to a prolonged minority status," said Paul Lindsay, the communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

As part of her decision to stay aboard, Pelosi said that New York Rep. Steve Israel had agreed to serve a second term as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Israel helped Democrats pick up seats in the most recent election.

Pelosi's decision also means the top leadership in the House would presumably remain the same for the next two years:

-- John Boehner as speaker

-- Eric Cantor as majority leader

-- Pelosi as minority leader

-- Steny Hoyer as minority whip.

Previewing the president’s 1:30 pm ET news conference… Obama’s two promises to the left: 1) $1.6 trillion starting position on revenue, 2) decoupling the Bush tax cuts… The GOP’s red line: It doesn’t want tax RATES to go up… Decision Day on Capitol Hill for Pelosi, King, and McMorris Rodgers vs. Tom Price… Getting the message on immigration… and Autopsy 2012: the marriage gap. 

*** Previewing the president’s presser: At 1:30 pm ET from the White House, President Obama will hold a news conference. This will be his first press conference since winning re-election last week. It also will be his first public statements about the Petraeus-Allen-Broadwell-Kelley story. (About the only good news for the White House today on this story -- we don’t have a new “name” to add to a hyphen!) Here is something to chew on: Had Obama held this press conference immediately after his victory last week, he wouldn’t have had to answer questions about Petraeus or Allen. Now? We bet questions about this sex scandal make up about half the news conference. But your First Read team will be paying more attention to what the president has to say about the upcoming fiscal cliff negotiations. How willing is he to let all the Bush tax cuts expire if there isn’t a deal? Is he willing to bargain on entitlements? And what lessons did he learn from the debt-ceiling standoff a year ago?   

*** Obama’s two promises to the left: We can report that Obama made two promises to the labor and progressive leaders he met with yesterday. One, his starting position is extracting $1.6 trillion in additional revenue, and the Wall Street Journal picks up on that figure today. This is a clear sign to the left that Obama has stopped beginning his negotiations from the middle -- something Democrats have often complained about. (Obviously, the White House knows it won’t get $1.6 trillion but they would like $1 trillion or $1.2 trillion to be an option, and isn’t it interesting how $1.2 trillion is exactly halfway between Boehner’s July 2011 $800 billion offer and the president’s $1.6 trillion?) Two, Obama said it was his goal to decouple the Bush tax cuts: keep the lower rates for those making less than $250,000 but eliminate them for those making more than that and get that into law for 2013 while the larger tax reform legislation is negotiated. Notably, it appears that the left is willing to give Obama some space when it comes to entitlement reforms on Medicare and Social Security, if the president sticks to his guns on the Bush tax rates. At 2:45 pm ET today, after the news conference, Obama and Vice President Biden meet with business leaders to discuss the upcoming fiscal cliff negotiations.

Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

President Barack Obama makes Veterans Day remarks at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Nov. 11, 2012.

*** The GOP’s red line: Meanwhile, in speaking with Republicans, the GOP’s red line is this: They’re willing to give up additional REVENUES; they just don’t want to see tax RATES go up. The two sides actually aren’t that far apart. The question is whether they can agree on a revenue target for tax reform. That’s Step 1; Step 2 is how the temporary agreement is forged regarding the tax rates for 2013, sequestration, payroll tax, etc. The White House’s view: If you let the Bush tax rates expire for the Top 2%, it makes negotiating the issues surrounding sequestration (even the farm bill!) a lot easier. But the hurdle is big: getting the votes in the House. No Republican wants to vote for a tax RATE hike; it’s likely a primary suicide mission. And while one could argue the big picture for the GOP that says, “Let Obama own the tax rate hike,” that doesn’t mean individual GOP House members won’t have to walk the plank to get to 218 votes. Ironically, the GOP may end up giving the president and Democrats MORE cover on taxes by agreeing to a revenue goal within tax reform, essentially, covering up tax hikes while the politicians can claim they’ve lowered tax RATES. Ah, the politics of the now vs. the politics of the long term. It’s the GOP’s challenge in managing its own base right now. 

*** Decision Day on Capitol Hill: Also on this Wednesday, we’ll find out decisions to three separate stories on Capitol Hill. First, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she would be holding a 10:00 am ET news conference, apparently to answer questions about her political future. (Will she stay on as leader? Will she run for re-election in 2014?) In addition, Sen.-elect Angus King (I-ME) is expected to decide as soon as today which party he’ll caucus with. (It will be a HUGE surprise if it isn’t the Democrats, especially given all the outside GOP money spent against him in Maine, and King hasn’t had a one-on-one meeting with either McConnell or Cornyn to discuss joining the GOP side.) And finally, per the New York Times, House Republicans will choose between Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Tom Price (R-GA) to be chair of the House Republican Conference, the No. 3 position in House GOP leadership. Conservatives like Paul Ryan, outgoing Conference Chair Jeb Hensarling, and Gov.-elect Mike Pence are backing Price, the Times says, while Fred Upton, Peter King, and Darrell Issa are supporting McMorris Rodgers.   

*** West isn’t giving up: Meanwhile, NBC’s Frank Thorp reports that Rep. Allen West (R-FL) is continuing the fight to hold onto his Florida congressional seat, even though his opponent has already declared victory (and spoke at his first Capitol Hill press conference yesterday). West, who is trailing Democrat Patrick Murphy by .58 percent of the vote, has not conceded, even though the race is not tight enough to require an automatic recount (.50 or less needed). "We have to maintain the honor and integrity of the electoral process," West told NBC News, "You cannot sit up and say to the voters in Congressional District 18, to the American people, that when there are issues that are there, an incredible 4,400 vote swing in a 30-35 minute period at one o'clock in the morning, and no one is explaining that to them." West has filed a complaint in Florida state court asking for a recount of the early ballots, which he says could bring him within the threshold to trigger an automatic recount. "No one is explaining to me how you can go from being up by 1,800 to being down by 2,400 in a 30-to-35 minute period," West said, "The people deserve better."

*** Getting the message on immigration: How losing Latinos by more than 40 points will suddenly change a party’s tune… “Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), three key Republican players on immigration, told The Hill they're ready to start working on broad-based reforms next year that could include a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. All three are expected to be key players on any immigration-reform negotiations, which are expected to move first in the Senate.” A path to citizenship is supported by a 57-39% majority, a Washington Post/ABC poll finds. 

*** Autopsy 2012: The marriage gap: In the latest installment of our look at the presidential exit poll, we examine the marriage gap. Yes, there was a significant gender gap -- Obama won women by 11 points (55%-44%), while Romney won men by 7 points (52%-45%). But an even wider gap existed when it came to marriage. Sixty percent of the electorate identified themselves as being married, and Romney won that segment by 14 points, 56%-42%. But Obama won the 40% who aren’t married by nearly 30 points, 62%-35%. In fact, Obama won non-married women by a whopping 36 points, 67%-31%. What’s more, Romney won people married with children by 9 points, 54%-45%. To quote Beyonce, “All the single ladies, now put your hands up.” 

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*** Wednesday’s “The Daily Rundown” line-up: Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) on the fiscal cliff and growing the Democrats’ Senate majority for 2013… NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell and Michael Isikoff and Col. Jack Jacobs (Ret.) on the latest Petraeus and Allen developments… Live coverage of Sen.-elect Angus King (I-ME)’s announcement about his caucus choice… USA Today’s Jackie Kucinich, the Washington Post’s David Nakamura and Alfonso Aguilar of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles on President Obama’s press conference today and what to expect post-Thanksgiving.

*** Wednesday’s “MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts” line-up:  MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts interviews  Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA), Medal of Honor Recipient and MSNBC Military Analyst Col. Jack Jacobs, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), and MSNBC contributor Jimmy Williams. Today’s Power Panel includes: Republican Strategist Hogan Gidley, Democratic Strategist Keith Boykin and the Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus. 

*** Wednesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: In addition to carrying the president’s news conference, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell will interview Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), NBC’s Tom Brokaw, Chuck Todd, Kristen Welker and Michael Isikoff, NBC News Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss, Politico’s John Harris, and the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza.

*** Wednesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: In addition to live coverage of the president’s news conference, MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Gen. Barry McCaffrey, NBC’s Kristen Welker, Democratic strategist Chris Kofinis and the Atlantic‘s Molly Ball.

The New York tabs are all over the military scandal. The New York Daily News: “In the line of booty.” And if this scandal weren’t Soap Opera enough, now there’s a twin! The New York Post: “Sister Act: Petraeus helps whistleblower’s twin in custody fight with hubby.”

“Even as senior members of Congress from both parties raising questions about the Petraeus and Allen disclosures and scheduled hearings, Obama yesterday pressed ahead with a planned meeting with labor leaders and Democratic-leaning activists.

It was the first in a series of stakeholder sessions the president has set regarding the fiscal cliff,” Bloomberg writes.

Obama holds his first press conference since winning reelection today at 1:30 pm ET.

Politico: “This is not what the White House wanted for President Barack Obama’s first news conference of his second term. He won’t be able to dwell much on his stronger-than-expected victory or even press his agenda for the next four years. Instead, he’ll be diverted by a Washington sex scandal.”

“President Barack Obama will begin budget negotiations with congressional leaders Friday by calling for $1.6 trillion in additional tax revenue over the next decade, far more than Republicans are likely to accept and double the $800 billion discussed in talks with GOP leaders during the summer of 2011,” the http://bbc.in/T0f65v">Wall Street Journal reports. “Mr. Obama, in a meeting Tuesday with union leaders and other liberal activists, also pledged to hang tough in seeking tax increases on wealthy Americans. In one sign of conciliation, he made no specific commitment to leave unscathed domestic programs such as Medicare, leaving the door open to spending cuts….”

“Although major business groups remain allied with Republicans and firmly opposed to tax rate increases sought by the president, the administration can hope to pick up support from a few individual executives for what Obama calls a ‘balanced approach’ to reducing the budget deficit and heading off the sweeping tax increases and automatic spending cuts scheduled to begin Jan. 1,” Roll Call writes. “Obama plans to sit down with a dozen chief executives to hear their ideas about how the nation can avoid the tax increases and program cutbacks known as the fiscal cliff.”

USA Today lays out the stakes: “A compromise portends discomfort, most likely in the form of reduced paychecks, jobless benefits and business tax breaks. And a stalemate means higher taxes and reduced federal spending across the board, including at the Pentagon. That last scenario has Main Street and Wall Street worried.”

They go through three scenarios of what could happen: (1) A hard landing: “As Obama demands higher tax rates for the wealthiest and Republicans insist that won't happen, the two sides could go briefly past Jan. 1 without a deal on most of the expiring tax breaks”; (2) A soft landing: “This most likely scenario includes extending most if not all of the Bush tax cuts and making a down payment on spending cuts. The payroll tax cut and extended jobless benefits could expire; the AMT could be patched. A timetable for actions on spending and income taxes would be created”; (3) A safe landing: “The least likely scenario is the opposite of going over the cliff: striking a ‘grand bargain’ during the lame-duck Congress and outlining how to get $3 trillion or more in deficit reduction over the next decade. … [T]here are dangers to agreeing on too much, too soon. It could trigger a European-style recession, which could turn policymakers back toward stimulus spending and tax cuts, such as those enacted in 2009.”

The Boston Globe lists potential candidates if John Kerry’s tapped in the second Obama administration: “Among the high-profile Democratic officeholders who are expressing interest are three of the state’s congressmen: Edward J. Markey of Malden, the 66-year old dean of the congressional delegation; Michael E. Capuano of Somerville, who ran second to Martha Coakley in the 2009 Senate primary; and Stephen F. Lynch of South Boston, a conservative Democrat who won his seat in a 2001 special election in which several liberals divided the vote on the left. US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who has gained the attention of the political world by prosecuting former speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, despite her lack of electoral experience. But those hoping for a rematch between Coakley and Brown could be disappointed. Coakley has not ruled out a run, but insiders said she would not be a Democratic favorite after her poor performance in the 2010 special election.”

The Globe also looks at how Gov. Deval Patrick might act.

The San Francisco Chronicle: “House minority leader Nancy Pelosi will announce on Wednesday morning in Washington whether she will run again to lead Democrats in the minority, after failing to win the net 25 seats she needed to regain the Speaker’s gavel that she lost in 2010 after four years as the highest ranking female politician in U.S. history.” The Chronicle posits that “Pelosi may want to have a hand” in the fiscal cliff negotiations. 

Also noteworthy yesterday, DNC Chairwoman and Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz said she’d be “shocked” if Pelosi didn’t run again. And Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen said his bet is that she’d run again.

Roll Call reports that Pelosi has been huddling with her inner circle and leadership. Among those – Steny Hoyer – “was left with the impression that she was staying, although the call was not definitive.”

“Independent Sen.-elect Angus King (Maine) said he will tell reporters on Wednesday whether he will caucus with Democrats or Republicans in the 113th Congress,” The Hill writes. “‘I’ll be discussing that with the press tomorrow,’ he said Tuesday.”

And Politico reports he may get a seat on the Finance Committee: Angus King is gunning for a seat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee, using his leverage as the potential 55th vote for Democrats in a bid to win a spot that would otherwise be off-limits for a newly elected freshman. A source directly familiar with King’s thinking said the Maine Independent is making a play for a seat on the panel as part of his talks with Majority Leader Harry Reid about joining the Democratic caucus." 

He met yesterday with Susan Collins (R-ME), who lobbied him to caucus with the GOP. But: “King said Tuesday night that while he's spoken at length with Reid, he has only said ‘hello’ to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.”

Meanwhile… “With President Obama winning reelection handily, Republican lawmakers are viewing the coming negotiations on the fiscal cliff with anxiety, unsure how much party leaders will ask them to give up to strike an agreement,” The Hill writes. “A Wednesday meeting of the conference will be a pivotal time for them to show solidarity.”

They should be concerned. Let this be a warning… Pew: “About half (51%) say the two sides will not reach an agreement, while just 38% say they will. If no deal is reached, more say that congressional Republicans would be more to blame than President Obama (53% vs. 29%).” 

The AP: “Questions about Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s health and political future swirled again Tuesday as the Chicago congressman left the Mayo Clinic for the second time but didn't disclose where he was going, even as Congress returned from a seven-week election break.” 

Roll Call looks at Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) vs. Tom Price (R-GA) for GOP Conference chairman. The election “might serve as the first indication of who has the heart and soul of the conference.” Why? Because even though John Boehner hasn’t endorsed publicly, “it has been no secret that leaders” prefer McMorris Rodgers. “If Boehner’s preferred candidate cannot hold the line, the prospect that the speaker can sway his conference into accepting a bargain in the upcoming leadership elections might also dim.”

And get this: Paul Ryan “broke with Boehner on Tuesday and wrote a letter to colleagues offering his support for Price.”

While Paul Ryan called it a “bit of a shock” that he and Romney lost, Obama “won fair and square. He got more votes, and that’s the way our system works, and so he ought to be congratulated for that.’’

But Ryan said Obama’s victory was not a “mandate.” "I don't think so,” Ryan said, “because they also reelected the House Republicans. So whether people intended or not, we've got divided government. This is a very close election, and unfortunately divided government didn't work very well the last two years. We're gonna have to make sure it works in the next two years.”

(Actually, Republicans suffered losses at all levels last week – Democrats picked up not just two Senate seats, but also expect to net seven seats in the House, Ryan’s chamber.)

“Texas Gov. Rick Perry won’t be joining the roughly 77,000 people who have signed a petition calling on the White House to allow his state to secede from the Union,” the New York Daily News writes. “Perry has famously joked in the past about his state breaking away from the United States of America, but his spokesperson said he doesn’t approve of the Internet campaign that has swelled to include secession petitions for more than 35 states.”

McKay Coppins’ reflections on a year as “A Mormon Reporter on the Romney Bus.”

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suggested she would make her future plans known on Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill.

Pelosi, the first woman to ever serve as speaker of the House, answered a question about her intention to remain as House minority leader by inviting reporters to gather for a press conference tomorrow morning.

"I'll see you right here, 10 o'clock, tomorrow morning," she said. That would allow her to first confer with fellow Democrats.

The 72-year-old California Democrat served as speaker for two full terms, but remained as Democrats' leader in the House following Republicans' takeover of the chamber during the 2010 midterm elections.

Pelosi had scheduled leadership elections for a date slightly later than usual, prompting speculation that she might relinquish her role as the top Democrat in the House -- a position she has held for a decade. Wednesday marks the 10 year anniversary of her ascension to that position.

 Her tenure was most memorably defined by her tenure as speaker during the first two years of President Barack Obama's first term, during which time Pelosi helped shepherd Obama's landmark health care reform law to passage.

Pelosi's departure could set off a tough battle between House Democrats to replace her. Among the candidates could be her No. 2, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) or Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) -- among others.

If the U.S. government ends up careening off the "fiscal cliff," Republicans in Congress stand to shoulder most of the blame, according to a new poll released Tuesday.

A majority of Americans said in a new, post-election poll that they do not expect President Barack Obama and members of Congress to reach an agreement to avoid the effects of the fiscal cliff, the combination of automatic spending cuts and tax hikes set to take effect at the beginning of the year.

Fifty-three percent of Americans said Republicans in Congress would be more to blame in that instance, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in the days following the election. Twenty-nine percent said that Obama would be more to blame, while 10 percent said both the president and Republicans would share blame.

Those kinds of numbers help set the political landscape heading into the impending fight to resolve the long-running fiscal standoff, which features an emboldened Obama fresh off a re-election victory and a Republican Party looking to regain its footing in Washington after losing seats in the House and Senate in addition to Mitt Romney's White House loss.

Recommended: Republicans hunt for election lessons as wounds heal

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill returned to work on Tuesday to begin sorting out these issues and beginning to work on some internal affairs, including choosing their own leadership teams for the next two years.

But just a few weeks separate the U.S. from the onset of the fiscal cliff, as the 2001 Bush tax cuts and the 2010 payroll tax cut are set to expire at the end of this calendar year. On top of that, the automatic spending cuts -- which fall heavily on the defense budget -- will also take place beginning in January unless Congress acts first.

Win Mcnamee / Getty Images

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaks at a press conference as Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., and Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., listen on Capitol Hill Sept. 20, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Sixty-eight percent of Americans said in the Pew poll that they would expect the impact of the fiscal cliff to be major, and 70 percent said they expect the fallout from the fiscal cliff to be mostly negative.

The president hosted labor leaders at the White House on Tuesday morning in anticipation of the upcoming negotiations, and Obama will host business leaders on Wednesday. Leaders in Congress from both parties head to the White House for talks on Friday.

Recommended - First Thoughts: Like sands through the hourglass...

Both Obama and Republicans in Congress have begun laying out parameters for those negotiations, and White House press secretary Jay Carney reiterated on Tuesday afternoon that the president would not sign any law extending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Obama has instead called on Congress to extend all tax rates except for those in the top income bracket.

(Republicans have called for broader talks that link an overhaul in the tax code to entitlement program reforms.)

The Pew poll was conducted Nov. 8-11 and has a 3.7 percent margin of error.

Like sands through the hourglass, the latest in the Petraeus sex scandal… Will this reflect poorly on the military as an institution?... Obama meets with labor and progressive leaders at 11:30 am ET to talk about upcoming fiscal cliff negotiations… John Kerry as defense secretary?... Will Pelosi stick around?... And sifting through the exit polls: GOP lost on the issues, too… But there were two bright spots for the party (on role of government and health care).

*** Like sands through the hourglass…: Just when we thought the Petraeus sex scandal couldn't get any more bizarre, here are the new developments we’ve seen in JUST the last 12 hours: Last night we learned, via the Wall Street Journal, that the FBI agent who started the investigation that uncovered the affair between CIA Director David Petraeus and Paula Broadwell had apparently sent a shirtless photos to Jill Kelley. Kelley, you remember, is the woman Broadwell allegedly sent threatening emails to because she feared Kelly was a rival for Petraeus' affections. Then we learned that Gen. John Allen -- the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan who has been nominated to be head of U.S. forces in Europe and Supreme Allied Commander of NATO -- sent 20,000 to 30,000 pages of documents to Kelley (most of them emails). And then comes the news that Petraeus didn’t want to resign, at least until it became clear his affair with Broadwell would become public. Folks, you can't make this up; it sounds like "Young and the Restless," “Days of Our Lives" or an absurd episode of “Real Housewives.”

Handout / Reuters

General John R. Allen, left, incoming commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)/U.S. Forces- Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and General David H. Petraeus, commander, ISAF/USFOR-A, attend a meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan in this July 9, 2011 file photograph.

*** Will this reflect poorly on the military as an institution? The question is whether these are isolated incidents or something more systemic within the military’s culture, especially its top commanders. In our May 2012 NBC/WSJ poll, respondents rated the U.S. military as the institution they had the most confidence in -- a combined 74% said they either had a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of confidence in it. That’s was compared with just 42% who said the same about the presidency, 33% who said that about the Supreme Court, 25% who said that about religious leaders and organizations, 17% who said that about large corporations, 16% who said that about the federal government, and 15% who said that about the news media. As we’ve said before, we’ve become a society that has lost faith in its institutions. Is the military the next to go? This scandal, if it continues to deepen, could do what the Iraq war did NOT: erode trust in the military, at least with the leadership.

*** Latest in the fiscal cliff negotiations: At 11:30 am ET, President Obama and Vice President Biden meet with labor and progressive leaders to talk about the upcoming “fiscal cliff” negotiations. A reminder: The actual talks have not yet started; everyone has to get their politics out of the way first, and that’s what today’s White House meeting is all about. The question: How much leeway is the left going to give Obama, especially when it comes to entitlements? That’s what today’s meeting is about for the president, find out what the left’s breaking point is on Social Security and Medicare, for instance. Here’s more fiscal-cliff reporting from the White House’s side: Team Obama says that its last offer in July 2011 is not even a remote starting point. Their starting point is what they outlined afterward: raising tax rates for the wealthy back to the Clinton levels. And from the GOP’s side: Their starting position is that they are open to changing tax code, but not raising rates. But what they REALLY want are changes to Social Security and Medicare. Politico’s David Rogers makes a very good point: What comes first in the negotiations -- locking down a revenue target or actual tax rates? You can’t really debate rates until a revenue target is agreed upon.

*** Kerry as defense secretary? As one of us reported on “TODAY” on Friday, defense secretary is an option for John Kerry – if the White House decides to have Susan Rice succeed Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. And the Washington Post picks that up today: “President Obama is considering asking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to serve as his next defense secretary, part of an extensive rearrangement of his national security team that will include a permanent replacement for former CIA director David H. Petraeus. Although Kerry is thought to covet the job of secretary of state, senior administration officials familiar with the transition planning said that nomination will almost certainly go to Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.” But do note that tapping a new defense secretary might not be something we see for months, especially with the Petraeus/Allen news. The transition at State is expected a lot sooner. By the way, many Republicans, including South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, are promising a brutal confirmation fight if Rice is picked as they want to re-litigate her role in the Benghazi aftermath.

*** Will Pelosi stick around? Politico: “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will meet with top Democrats on Tuesday night — followed by another leadership-only session early Wednesday as she prepares for a meeting with all House Democrats — but it is still unclear whether she will stay or go after nearly a decade in power. Pelosi has declined to discuss her plans since Democrats picked up as many as eight seats on Election Day. During an interview Sunday with San Francisco-based reporters on Sunday, Pelosi wasn’t giving anything away.”

*** Sifting through the exit polls: GOP lost on the issues, too: For all the talk about how Romney and the Republicans lost when it came to demographics, the turnout, and the tactics, the exit polls also show that they lost when it came to a slew of issues. For years, the GOP has branded itself as the party that supports low taxes (especially for the wealthy) and opposes abortion and gay marriage. But according to the exit polls from last week’s presidential election, a combined 60% said that tax rates should increase either for everyone or for those making more than $250,000. Just 35% said the tax rates shouldn’t increase for anyone. What’s more, 59% said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. And by a 49%-to-46% margin, voters said that their states should legally recognize same-sex marriage.

*** But two bright spots for the GOP: Even on comprehensive immigration reform -- a subject that some Republicans (like George W. Bush) once supported, but most no longer do -- 65% said most illegal immigrants should be offered a chance to apply for legal status. (And since the election, GOP senators like Lindsey Graham and John McCain are now signaling renewed support of comprehensive immigration reform.) But there were two bright spots for Republicans on the issues: A majority of voters -- 51% -- indicated that the government is doing too many things better left to businesses and the individuals. By comparison, 43% said government should do more to solve problems.  That’s a reversal from 2008, when 51% said the government should do more and 43% said it is doing too much. And a plurality of voters -- 49% -- said all or some of the health-care law should be repealed, versus 44% who said it should be expanded or left alone. So even with this pro-Obama electorate, the president cannot claim a mandate on health care or role of government.

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*** Tuesday’s “Jansing & Co.” line-up: MSNBC’s Chris Jansing interviews Gen. Barry McCaffrey, Nick Confessore & Rana Foroohar on the Petraeus scandal; Rep. Raul Grijalva; Robert Traynham and Kiki McLean; plus Jodi Kantor on Obama’s chance to remake his legacy.

*** Tuesday’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” line-up: NBC’s Andrea Mitchell interviews the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, The Financial Times’ Gillian Tett, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), and Col. Jack Jacobs.

*** Tuesday’s “News Nation with Tamron Hall” line-up: MSNBC’s Tamron Hall interviews Rep. Gwen Moore, Politico’s Lois Romano, Michael Smerconish, and Daily Beast columnist Laura Colarusso.

“When President Barack Obama meets with labor leaders Tuesday about looming tax and spending decisions, he will confront a liberal wing of his party energized by last week's election and dug in against making deals with Republicans. These groups held more than 100 events last week to trumpet their success at the polls and remind voters that many Democratic candidates pledged during the campaign to push for higher taxes on upper-income earners and oppose cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits,” The Wall Street Journal writes. “Mr. Obama's challenge on Tuesday, and for at least the next several weeks, is to convince the left that he needs some latitude to fashion a deal with Republicans that might include compromising on some positions the liberal wing considers nonnegotiable.”

The Financial Times: “The US Congress should agree to higher taxes on the wealthy to avoid the fiscal cliff, a top Republican economist has said in a sign of the rapidly shifting political climate in Washington before negotiations to avert the looming budget crisis. Writing for the Financial Times, Glenn Hubbard, who advised Barack Obama’s rival Mitt Romney on his losing presidential bid, is the latest prominent conservative to suggest Republicans should change tack and accept the president’s structure for impending budget talks. “The first step is to raise average (not marginal) tax rates on upper-income taxpayers,” he wrote. “Revenues should come first from these individuals.”

The Washington Post: “President Obama is considering asking Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to serve as his next defense secretary, part of an extensive rearrangement of his national security team that will include a permanent replacement for former CIA director David H. Petraeus. Although Kerry is thought to covet the job of secretary of state, senior administration officials familiar with the transition planning said that nomination will almost certainly go to Susan E. Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.”

“The FBI is preparing a timeline of its criminal investigation that brought to light CIA Director David Petraeus' extramarital affair so the bureau can respond to members of Congress asking why they and the White House weren't notified of the probe months ago,” the Associated Press reports.

“Gen. John Allen, the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, is under investigation for what a senior defense official said early Tuesday was “inappropriate communication” with Jill Kelley, the woman in Tampa, Florida who was seen as a rival for David H. Petraeus’s attentions by Paula Broadwell, who had an extramarital affair with Mr. Petraeus,” The New York Times reports. “In a statement released to reporters on his plane en route to Australia early Tuesday, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said that the F.B.I. on Sunday had referred “a matter involving” General Allen to the Pentagon.”

MSNBC’s Michael LaRosa profiles Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Executive Director Guy Cecil, whose committee had quite an Election Night. “‘Guy did a terrific job, not just maintaining but expanding the Democrats majority,’ said Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren. “He was a sounding board for me, and I valued his advice and hard work throughout this campaign.’ In Virginia, where former Gov. Tim Kaine faced a massive ad campaign from third-party groups and his opposition, the Kaine team also relied on Cecil’s leadership and counsel. ’Guy’s strategic advice and support for our campaign were invaluable,’ the governor said. ‘His efforts paid dividends by electing strong, results-oriented Democrats in close races all across the country, and we thank him for his leadership.’”

For all the talk about how Mitt Romney and the Republicans lost when it came to demographics, the turnout, and the tactics, the exit polls also show that they lost when it came to the issues.

For years, the GOP has branded itself as the party that supports low taxes (especially for the wealthy) and opposes abortion and gay marriage.

But according to the exit polls from last week’s presidential election, a combined 60% said that tax rates should increase either for everyone or for those making more than $250,000. Just 35% said the tax rates shouldn’t increase for anyone.

What’s more, 59% said that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

And by a 49%-to-46% margin, voters said that their states should legally recognize same-sex marriage.

Even on comprehensive immigration reform -- a subject that some Republicans (like George W. Bush) once supported, but most no longer do -- 65% said most illegal immigrants should be offered a chance to apply for legal status. (And since the election, GOP senators like Lindsey Graham and John McCain are now signaling renewed support for comprehensive immigration reform.)

The one bright spot for Republicans on the issues: A majority of voters -- 51% -- indicated that the government is doing too many things better left to businesses and  the individuals. By comparison, 43% said government should do more to solve problems.

That’s a reversal from 2008, when 51% said the government should do more and 43% said it is doing too much.

Video edited by NBC's Matt Loffman