Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Liberator and Decider... he's something else...
"I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process,"
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
New round of White House pardons are Bush's first since March
On the latest pardon list were:
_Leslie Owen Collier of Charleston, Mo. She was convicted for unauthorized use of a pesticide and violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.
_Milton Kirk Cordes of Rapid City, S.D. Cordes was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, which prohibits importation into the country of wildlife taken in violation of conservation laws.
_Richard Micheal Culpepper of Mahomet, Ill., who was convicted of making false statements to the federal government.
_Brenda Jean Dolenz-Helmer of Fort Worth, Texas, for reporting or helping cover up a crime.
_Andrew Foster Harley of Falls Church, Va. Harley was convicted of wrongful use and distribution of marijuana and cocaine.
_Obie Gene Helton of Rossville, Ga., whose offense was unauthorized acquisition of food stamps.
_Carey C. Hice Sr. of Travelers Rest, S.C., who was convicted of income tax evasion.
_Geneva Yvonne Hogg of Jacksonville, Fla., convicted of bank embezzlement.
_William Hoyle McCright Jr. of Midland, Texas, who was sentenced for making false entries, books, reports or statements to a bank.
_Paul Julian McCurdy of Sulphur, Okla., who was sentenced for misapplication of bank funds.
_Robert Earl Mohon Jr. of Grant, Ala., who was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
_Ronald Alan Mohrhoff of Los Angeles, who was convicted for unlawful use of a telephone in a narcotics felony.
_Daniel Figh Pue III of Conroe, Texas, convicted of illegal treatment, storage and disposal of a hazardous waste without a permit.
_Orion Lynn Vick of White Hall, Ark., who was convicted of aiding and abetting the theft of government property.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Fix's Top 10 Republicans to Watch for in 2012...
washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog
To be clear, this is not -- and should not be taken as -- a list of potential contenders to take on Barack Obama in 2012. Some of the people on this list will certainly be in the Republican field in four years time but others almost certainly won't.
10. Steve Poizner: Poizner, the Insurance Commissioner of California, has an early head-start on being the Republican nominee for governor in 2010. And, if Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) decides not to run, Poizner's ability to self-fund a campaign coupled with his relatively short time in elected office and his outsider message could make him viable in the general election. As California goes, so goes the country.
9. Haley Barbour: There are those who mention Barbour's name for the 2012 GOP nomination. We are decidedly skeptical about that -- will the country be ready for a man who had a hand in inventing modern-day lobbying in Washington? -- but Barbour is clearly someone to watch. Remember that before he became governor of Mississippi in 2003, Barbour was one of the leading political operatives in the country and has tentacles (and acolytes) all over the country. That makes him a force to be reckoned with.
8. Jon Huntsman Jr.: As The Fix was waiting to meet with Huntsman on Thursday, CNN's Wolf Blitzer was touting him as a rising star in Republican politics. Nice convergence. Huntsman won re-election earlier this month with 78 percent (granted it was in ruby red Utah) and has the looks and re&eaccute;sum&eaccute; -- fluent in Chinese, progressive on the environment -- that could make him appealing for a party looking desperately for a different profile. Huntsman is a Mormon, however, and, as Mitt Romney demonstrated earlier this year, that could be a major problem if he decides to run for president.
Cantor's rapid rise make him one to watch in the GOP. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)7. Eric Cantor: The Virginia Republican's unfettered rise through the ranks of House leadership continued earlier this week when he was elected Minority Whip -- the second ranking position within the GOP. Cantor was among those vetted in John McCain's vice presidential search and his personal background -- a Jewish Republican -- will be intriguing for many within the party looking for something new. Cantor's problem: Is the House too small a perch from which to become a national figure?
6. Mark Sanford: South Carolina's Sanford is the newly elected chair of the Republican Governors Association, a useful job through which to raise one's national profile. Since McCain's loss earlier this month, Sanford has been a leading voice for the party to return to the principles of former President Ronald Reagan; "Some on the left will say our electoral losses are a repudiation of our principles of lower taxes, smaller government and individual liberty," wrote Sanford in an op-ed piece for CNN.com. "But Tuesday was not in fact a rejection of those principles -- it was a rejection of Republicans' failure to live up to those principles." Sanford's reform credentials are impeccable but he has, throughout his career, rubbed the party establishment wrong, which could hurt him as he seeks a broader role.
5. Bob McDonnell: McDonnell, Virginia's attorney general, will be the Republican standard-bearer in the Commonwealth's gubernatorial race in 2009. Off-year statewide elections are always looked to by the two parties as litmus tests for how each side is doing, and the fact that this campaign will take place in the purple state of Virginia makes McDonnell all the more important. If he wins, it will be seen as a sign that the Republican party is alive and well and living in Virginia. If he loses, he'll join the Jerry KilgoreHall of Fame.
4. Mitch Daniels: Even as Obama was pulling off a stunning win in the Hoosier State at the presidential level, Daniels was cruising to reelection by 18 points. At the end of the campaign, Daniels pledged in a television adthat he would never run for another office but even if he stays true to his word, his experience in 2008 makes him a valuable commodity for Republicans. While Daniels's ties to George W. Bush won't help him -- he served as the director of the Office of Management and Budget from 2001 to 2003 -- his electoral success in a critical Midwest battleground means Daniels has a seat at the table.
3. Mitt Romney: Discount the former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate at your own peril. Romney has three big things going for him: he is, by almost anyone's account, an expert on the American economy; he is incredibly ambitious and will work harder than almost anyone to make sure his voice is heard; and he has immense personal wealth and a willingness to spend it. Do his flip-flops on social issues (and his Mormonism) still make social conservatives queasy? You bet. But Romney is in the mix and will aim to stay there.
John Thune could be the face and voice of the GOP opposition. (AP Photo/Doug Dreyer)2. John Thune: The South Dakota Senator is incredibly well positioned to emerge as the telegenic voice of the Obama opposition. Thune is part of a group of young and aggressive Republican senators who will look to take the fight to Obama and Senate Democrats over the next two years. It doesn't hurt Thune that he is already a revered figure among conservatives after ousting former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle in 2004. Thune's problem is that conventional wisdom within the party already seems to be settling on the idea that the GOP governors need to lead Republicans out of the wilderness in which they currently find themselves.
1. Bobby Jindal: There is NO hotter commodity in the Republican party these days than Jindal. Jindal is the rare candidate who both reformers and establishment types find appealing, and as a 37-year-old Indian American he is -- literally and figuratively -- the sort of new face the party is pining for. While Jindal is hot right now, it's important to remember that he is the governor of a state with a complex political scene -- meaning there will be myriad opportunities for Jindal to falter over the next few months and years.
Cantor's rapid rise make him one to watch in the GOP. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
John Thune could be the face and voice of the GOP opposition. (AP Photo/Doug Dreyer)
Introducing Treasury Sec. Geither...
Thank God it wasn't Larry Summers!!!
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Barring last minute changes, the nominee for Treasury Secretary will be NY Fed President Tim Geithner -- a career Treasury official under both Bob Rubin and Larry Summers -- who actually had worked at the Treasury in three administrations under five Secretaries -- going back to 1988.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
It's hard enough to grasp what Palin's message is when there isn't a turkey being slaughtered behind her...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sec. Clinton a real possibility?
| Aide: Obama on track to nominate Clinton |  |
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| Nov 20 11:31 PM US/Eastern By NEDRA PICKLER and LIZ SIDOTI Associated Press Writers | |
| |
| WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama is on track to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, an aide to his transition said Thursday. One week after the former primary rivals met secretly to discuss the idea of Clinton becoming the nation's top diplomat, the two sides were moving quickly toward making it a reality, barring any unforeseen problems. |
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Racist with a multiracial president: It seems like a good time to get over it
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By Dexter Hill
Published: November 14, 2008 5:30 PM ET updated Thursday
NEW YORK Many conservative pundits and Republican officeholders on the national stage have reacted to the election of Barack Obama as a promising step forward in the history of race relations and democracy in the U.S. But gaining much less coverage from the national media are local reactions that are far less accepting and positive.
Away from the spotlight, many local newspapers around the country have covered recent incidents of racially motivated reactions to last week's election, from flags hung upside-down to the dangling of nooses and cross burnings. As we noted last week, a couple in northern New Jersey who had an Obama sign on their front lawn woke up to find the charred remains of a cross. Local residents today announced a "unity march" to protest the still-unsolved incident.
(Read more...)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Does "everything" he can = Cabinet Post?
Arnold Schwarzenegger:
“Democrats and Republicans should do everything they can to help [Obama] and his administration to be successful, because when he is successful … then the nation is successful. And then the world is successful. So, we've all got to work together on this.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/10/calif-governor-says-hes-allowed-back-into-the-bedroom/
“Democrats and Republicans should do everything they can to help [Obama] and his administration to be successful, because when he is successful … then the nation is successful. And then the world is successful. So, we've all got to work together on this.”
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/10/calif-governor-says-hes-allowed-back-into-the-bedroom/
Obama Scrubs his website clean?
Official website cleaned of some campaign website promises
President-Elect Obama's Official Website
www.change.gov
President-Elect Obama's Official Website
www.change.gov
Obama's Abminstration Picks
| Adam's picks | Roger's Picks | | | |
| Brian's picks | | | | |
Add Your Own Cabinet Picks
Chief of Staff:
- Rahm Emanuel
White House Press:
- Gibbs
Senior adviser:
- David Axelrod
State:
- Hillary Clinton
- Bill Richardson - former Cabinet secretary and U.N. ambassador in the Clinton administration, who endorsed Obama at a crucial point...
- A tough one, but Bill Richardson was a former U.N. ambassador so he knows many of the players on the world scene. He has also headed up other Cabinet agencies, so he knows how they work and how they report to the President. (Roger)
- John Kerry
- Richard Lugar (R)
Treasury:
- Warren Buffet
- I doubt he would take it. (Roger)
- Robert Rubin
- might come back for a while, and then his understudy could be groomed for and elevated to the position. Rubin knows trading and world markets very well! World stock markets would "pop" if Rubin were selected and then accepted the position. (Roger)
- Timothy Geithner - a Rubin protégé As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, he has had a supporting role in managing the Wall Street crisis.
- Laura Tyson - former chairwoman of the White House National Economic Council and the Council of Economic Advisers under Clinton.
- Larry Summers - Former Clinton treasury secretary...
- http://www.counterpunch.org/summers.html This guy is kinda frightening and yet a likely pick (Adam)
- Larry Summers is very smart, but has an abrasive personality (but if you are truly smart, you can get away with that). (Roger)
Defense:
- Chuck Hagel (R)
- Robert Gates (R) - Incumbent defense secretary...
- Retain Robert Gates (for the next 6-12 months)...after that, who knows. Gates has been an outstanding public servant ever since he reported to his first job (at CIA) right out of college back in 1966 (when the sum total of all of his possessions fit into the back seat of his Mustang convertible!). (Roger)
- Gen. Colin Powell (R)
- Richard Danzig
- Sam Nunn
- Wesley Clark - former NATO Commander
Attorney General:
- Tim Kaine
- Hillary Clinton
- Artur Davis - Harvard-educated Alabaman who was a civil-rights lawyer before he became an assistant U.S. attorney and a congressman
- Patrick Fitzgerald - Chicago's U.S. attorney who gained prominence while prosecuting the CIA leak probe on Scooter Libby.
- Eric Holder - Deputy AG under Clinton and is now with Covington & Burling and led Obama’s vice presidential search...
- Eric Holder comes to mind, but there is another outstanding individual (I think from the New England area, I think he is the Dean of the Yale Law School) who is being highly touted. (Roger)
Homeland Security:
- William Bratton - Los Angeles police chief and former New York police commissioner...
- Your idea of a successful police chief sounds good. (Roger)
National Security:
- Susan Rice - Clinton's assistant secretary of state for African affairs and a top Obama campaign adviser
Agriculture:
Commerce:
- Bill Richardson
- Kathleen Sebelius
- Ed Rendell
- Bill Daley - Commerce secretary under Clinton
- Harold Ford Jr. - ex-Rep. of Tennessee.
Education:
- David Boren - President of the University of Oklahoma and former U.S. senator and former Oklahoma governor...
- Joel Klein - New York public schools chancellor
- Linda Darling-Hammond - Stanford University's School Redesign Network and Educational Leadership Institute, a top Obama adviser on education.
- Colin Powell
- He could bring into Education many of his ideas from America's Promise (i.e., institutionalize them nationwide). He could work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (which is also very much interested in educational issues), perhaps going 50-50 on funding. (Roger)
Energy:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
- Ed Markey - Rep. of Massachusetts
- Phil Sharp - former congressman from Indiana who now heads the environmental think tank Resources for the Future.
- Bill Richardson
- Kathleen Sebelius
Energy Security (White House Post) -I just heard about this one that Obama wants to start up.
- T. Boone Pickens
- could head up this one. Could be a conflict of interest, though, because Pickens *may* have substantial investments in wind, solar, and domestic natural gas. (Roger)
Ambassador on climate change:
- Al Gore
- Kill me now. Is this a real cabinet level position? Ambassador? I hope the "Climate Change" embassy is in Antarctica... (Brian)
Health and Human Services:
- Howard Dean - Former doctor...
- Howard Dean sounds intriguing. (Roger)
- Mehmet Oz (former director of NIH, within HHS).
- He has many good ideas about how to improve the health of the nation through diet and exercise. (Roger)
Housing and Urban Development (Obama will change the name of this):
- Josh DuBois - Campaign's director of religious affairs...
- Tony Williams of Washington, D.C.
- Dennis Archer of Detroit
- Shirley Franklin of Atlanta.
- Jesse Jackson, Jr.
- I'll move to Texas and succeed from the union... (Brian)
Interior:
Labor:
- Dick Gephardt - former House Democratic leader and two-time candidate for the White House
- Gephardt has strong ties to organized labor and is considered a reliable, smart policymaker who has good relations with all wings of the Democratic Party.
Transportation:
- James Oberstar - chairman of the House Transportation Committee and a well-respected voice on the country’s infrastructure needs
- Xavier Becerra of Rep. California.
- We need someone who can oversee rebuilding the Nation's transportation infrastructure. This will cost a few hundreds of Billions of dollars over the course of the next decade. Better to do it now than to have another Interstate Highway bridge collapse! Also, a spokesperson who would be a public transportation advocate. It is absolutely silly to see gridlocked traffic on our roads twice every day! (Roger)
VA:
- Tammy Duckworth - The director of Illinois Veterans’ Affairs, Iraq veteran and former Democratic House candidate...
UN Secretary:
- Susan Rice - Senior campaign national security adviser and State Department and National Security Council official under Clinton...
- Caroline Kennedy
- Al Gore
EPA:
- Kathleen McGinty - Former head of the Pennsylvania Environmental Protection Agency...
- Robert F. Kennedy - environmental lawyer and son of the late senator and attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, has long championed a cleaner water supply for New York City.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Sebelius
FEMA:
- Right now, a former fire chief is in the job and is doing a very good job. You need someone with "first responder" experience, like a fire chief. A "Katrina experience" needs a good first response (plus preventative measures, just as we have smoke detectors in our homes, and sprinkler systems in our apartments and commercial buildings). (Roger)
Assistant to the President on Science and Technology: (new post)
- Eric Schmidt - CEO of Google...
- I heard his name come up on the radio. (Roger)
Supreme Court nominee (when available):
- Elena Kagan - Dean of Harvard Law School...
- Hillary Clinton
- Not if the GOP has 40+ in the Senate. After all, Obama didn't even vote for the confirmation of John Roberts, who was the most qualified nominee in the history of the court. I don't trust the man on court nominees. I'm sure he'll make a pick based on the justices "empathy" and desire for "redistributive change" (Brian)
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