Showing posts with label Bush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bush. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Another Mission Accomplished
The CDC just released a report claiming that the rate of teen pregnancies and STDs, which had been falling prior to 2000, went up during the Bush years. But at least these kids' minds haven't been sullied by having to hear about condoms in school.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Momentum for Investigations into Bush Crimes
It's building. Today Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) took the Senate floor to call for a "Truth Commission" to investigate torture and other misdeeds by the Bushies. Salon's Glenn Greenwald explained that this could open to the door to prosecutions. That long post has an interesting quote from Whitehouse:
Still, regarding a potential torture commission, he told Salon, "I am convinced it is going to happen." In fact, his fervor on the issue was palpable. When asked if there is a lot the public still does not know about these issues during the Bush administration, his eyes grew large and he nodded slowly. "Stay on this," he said. "This is going to be big."
Greenwald has two other interesting points about this. First, since Barack has been saying that he wants to focus on the problems he currently has rather than past misdeeds, Congress seems to be stepping up to fill that gap. This is appropriate, since they are the body with independent investigative power. Second, Greenwald thinks that once Bush misdeeds come to light, the DOJ might be under too much pressure to avoid prosecutions.
Furthermore, Nancy Pelosi openly called for prosecutions to be on the table in an interview with Rachel Maddow today.
I'll be shocked if this ever reaches the level of Cheney or Bush (seems like the really high ups always skate), but it certainly seems like there is some momentum for some sort of reckoning for the crimes of the last administration.
Still, regarding a potential torture commission, he told Salon, "I am convinced it is going to happen." In fact, his fervor on the issue was palpable. When asked if there is a lot the public still does not know about these issues during the Bush administration, his eyes grew large and he nodded slowly. "Stay on this," he said. "This is going to be big."
Greenwald has two other interesting points about this. First, since Barack has been saying that he wants to focus on the problems he currently has rather than past misdeeds, Congress seems to be stepping up to fill that gap. This is appropriate, since they are the body with independent investigative power. Second, Greenwald thinks that once Bush misdeeds come to light, the DOJ might be under too much pressure to avoid prosecutions.
Furthermore, Nancy Pelosi openly called for prosecutions to be on the table in an interview with Rachel Maddow today.
I'll be shocked if this ever reaches the level of Cheney or Bush (seems like the really high ups always skate), but it certainly seems like there is some momentum for some sort of reckoning for the crimes of the last administration.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Morning Update: Investigations Edition
For those of you with fingers thawed out enough to actually use your computer, here are some updates and much bloviating by me.
First, holy crap. Somehow I missed the unbelievable plane in the Hudson story yesterday. That pilot should immediately be offered the job of flying Airforce One.
Second, thank goodness for an AG nominee who flatly calls waterboarding torture. I didn't watch the hearing or read the transcripts, but I found a lot to love in Dahlia Lithwick's summary. She loves that he answered legal questions clearly, showing a clear basis for his decisions. My favorite part, though, is that he refused to acknowledge the whole "but, would you torture someone if you knew they had details of an impending attack?" scenario as plausible. He acknowledged that torture does not yield good information.
I'm not psyched though, that he seriously hedged on the question of investigating abuses by the Bush White House. I understand the fear that it would be divisive, but I think it's too important not to risk that. (Paul Krugman does, too). Yes, Ilsa, I know that they'll all get their karmic payback, but there are also clear Constitutional principles at stake. They should be held accountable.
UPDATE: Looks like Barack will issue an EO limiting approved interrogation techniques for the CIA to those that comply with the Army Field Manual (i.e., no torture) quickly upon taking office. Thank goodness.
First, holy crap. Somehow I missed the unbelievable plane in the Hudson story yesterday. That pilot should immediately be offered the job of flying Airforce One.
Second, thank goodness for an AG nominee who flatly calls waterboarding torture. I didn't watch the hearing or read the transcripts, but I found a lot to love in Dahlia Lithwick's summary. She loves that he answered legal questions clearly, showing a clear basis for his decisions. My favorite part, though, is that he refused to acknowledge the whole "but, would you torture someone if you knew they had details of an impending attack?" scenario as plausible. He acknowledged that torture does not yield good information.
I'm not psyched though, that he seriously hedged on the question of investigating abuses by the Bush White House. I understand the fear that it would be divisive, but I think it's too important not to risk that. (Paul Krugman does, too). Yes, Ilsa, I know that they'll all get their karmic payback, but there are also clear Constitutional principles at stake. They should be held accountable.
UPDATE: Looks like Barack will issue an EO limiting approved interrogation techniques for the CIA to those that comply with the Army Field Manual (i.e., no torture) quickly upon taking office. Thank goodness.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Morning Roundup
It's been a while, but we're back at it today with a morning roundup.
Of course, the big news in the world continues to be the fighting in Gaza. CNN's reporting a break in the fighting to allow in relief supplies and notes that the death toll is just about 900. I'm just not sure what exactly Israel is going to accomplish. The last time they tried an invasion, Hezbollah came out battered but stronger.
Speaking of Israel, the NYT featured a story yesterday about how the U.S. had denied support for an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Apparently, we've got some covert (well, they were covert) efforts in the works.
WaPo says today that Bush's term made up the worst 8-year stretch for the economy in decades. Any gains were because of unstable bubbles, which meant that the economy really was in rough shape even before the housing/banking collapse. 8 more days, people.
As for our boy, Barack, he's using pretty wishy-washy language on whether he'll investigate W.'s most aggregious moves, torture and wire-tapping. But, he did say that prosecutions will proceed if DOJ finds evidence that laws were broken. I read that to mean that the whole W. Administration will skate.
Of course, Barack's chief concern is the economy. To that end, Krugman offers some bits of advice today.
Finally, for those of us who like to try to see the Oscar-nominated movies and performances each year, the Golden Globes basically let us know that we need to see: Slumdog Millionaire; Revolutionary Road; and maybe the Wrestler.
Of course, the big news in the world continues to be the fighting in Gaza. CNN's reporting a break in the fighting to allow in relief supplies and notes that the death toll is just about 900. I'm just not sure what exactly Israel is going to accomplish. The last time they tried an invasion, Hezbollah came out battered but stronger.
Speaking of Israel, the NYT featured a story yesterday about how the U.S. had denied support for an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Apparently, we've got some covert (well, they were covert) efforts in the works.
WaPo says today that Bush's term made up the worst 8-year stretch for the economy in decades. Any gains were because of unstable bubbles, which meant that the economy really was in rough shape even before the housing/banking collapse. 8 more days, people.
As for our boy, Barack, he's using pretty wishy-washy language on whether he'll investigate W.'s most aggregious moves, torture and wire-tapping. But, he did say that prosecutions will proceed if DOJ finds evidence that laws were broken. I read that to mean that the whole W. Administration will skate.
Of course, Barack's chief concern is the economy. To that end, Krugman offers some bits of advice today.
Finally, for those of us who like to try to see the Oscar-nominated movies and performances each year, the Golden Globes basically let us know that we need to see: Slumdog Millionaire; Revolutionary Road; and maybe the Wrestler.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Lunchtime Roundup
Back to the grindstone for a couple days. While celebrating the holiday, I completely missed the development of the horrific violence going on in Southern Israel and Gaza. Short of ceasing all arms dealing with Israel, which we would never do, I'm not sure the U.S. can do anything to halt the bloodshed. For what it's worth, W. blames Hamas, and while Barack has been pretty silent on the matter, he's also been critical of Hamas in the past. No one can deny that a country facing rocket attacks has to do something, but this full-scale invasion is sickening.
The biggest domestic story on the blogs I read is how W. let industries essentially run OSHA. We've got less than a month of him, people.
Nothing much new on the Blago stand-off, but the Gov is trying to use the report by Barack's team to show that he, too, is clean.
Finally, there are some concerns floating around about some poor moves by Barack. First, there's the whole Rick Warren thing, about which, my feelings are clear. Second, Paul Krugman mentioned last week that while there's nothing really wrong with the Obamas renting a posh Hawaiian house for their vacation, it does strike an odd note during a financial meltdown. Now, Lynn Sweet is miffed about his closed transition meetings. He's still wildly popular, but things can change fast. Hopefully, he'll get his groove back starting Jan. 20.
The biggest domestic story on the blogs I read is how W. let industries essentially run OSHA. We've got less than a month of him, people.
Nothing much new on the Blago stand-off, but the Gov is trying to use the report by Barack's team to show that he, too, is clean.
Finally, there are some concerns floating around about some poor moves by Barack. First, there's the whole Rick Warren thing, about which, my feelings are clear. Second, Paul Krugman mentioned last week that while there's nothing really wrong with the Obamas renting a posh Hawaiian house for their vacation, it does strike an odd note during a financial meltdown. Now, Lynn Sweet is miffed about his closed transition meetings. He's still wildly popular, but things can change fast. Hopefully, he'll get his groove back starting Jan. 20.
Monday, December 15, 2008
"So What?"
W. used that question a couple times recently. First, after the press conference resumed and he was asked about the shoe attack, he replied, "So what if the guy threw a shoe at me?" He compared it to protest. Now, I still have a problem with the POTUS being somehow assaulted. Sure, the worst case would have been a broken nose from a shoe heel and, yes, he's done more than enough to deserve it, but I still want our president, whoever he or she may be, to be safe.
W. also said "So what?" in an interview about the war as a whole that goes a long way toward explaining why that guy threw his shoes. Reporter Martha Raddatz challenged him on his point about battling al-Qaeda in Iraq by mentioning that they weren't in Iraq before our invasion. His reply, "Yeah, that's right. So what?" He doesn't care so long as they're getting theirs somewhere. Unreal.
It's always a little shocking when I am reminded how little he cares about people and the consequences of his actions. His nonchalance about starting a horrible war under false pretenses is horrifying. I can't imagine what it's like to be a victim of his crimes. It's easy for me to be alarmed by the shoe throwing from the safety of my office. And, I can't believe that he's just going to go off into retirement and not be held to account.
W. also said "So what?" in an interview about the war as a whole that goes a long way toward explaining why that guy threw his shoes. Reporter Martha Raddatz challenged him on his point about battling al-Qaeda in Iraq by mentioning that they weren't in Iraq before our invasion. His reply, "Yeah, that's right. So what?" He doesn't care so long as they're getting theirs somewhere. Unreal.
It's always a little shocking when I am reminded how little he cares about people and the consequences of his actions. His nonchalance about starting a horrible war under false pretenses is horrifying. I can't imagine what it's like to be a victim of his crimes. It's easy for me to be alarmed by the shoe throwing from the safety of my office. And, I can't believe that he's just going to go off into retirement and not be held to account.
Morning Roundup
The shoe throwing incident has me conflicted. For one, it's an embarassment to W., which I support. At the same time, I have to admit that he handled the whole thing very well. But, I'm also disturbed that the POTUS was basically assaulted. That's just not good.
But, I'm back to being outraged at W. after reading that the Bushies quietly rewrote the bailout bill to pretty much strip out the executive compensation limits.
While on the topic of W.'s awfulness, Newsweek has an article about an intelligence employee who leaked the NSA wiretaps to the NYT. Naturally, he's being tormented by the Feds for being a whislte-blower.
In news of other Repugnancy, Rove is trying to make the fight against Eric Holder a rallying point for the GOP. He hasn't been successful at much lately, though.
Going from the nefarious to the ridiculous, in an article about Blago, the NYT notes that he refers to his favorite comb as "The Football," as in the briefcase that contains nuclear launch codes.
On a promising note, Obama's defense folks are talking the talk about trying to cut back on the Pentagon's largesse. We'll see if it actually happens.
In more Obama news, he's planning an honest to goodness whistle-stop tour before the Inauguration. Cool.
Finally, some great news: the members of the Electoral College will be meeting in state capitols today to officially elect Barack!
But, I'm back to being outraged at W. after reading that the Bushies quietly rewrote the bailout bill to pretty much strip out the executive compensation limits.
While on the topic of W.'s awfulness, Newsweek has an article about an intelligence employee who leaked the NSA wiretaps to the NYT. Naturally, he's being tormented by the Feds for being a whislte-blower.
In news of other Repugnancy, Rove is trying to make the fight against Eric Holder a rallying point for the GOP. He hasn't been successful at much lately, though.
Going from the nefarious to the ridiculous, in an article about Blago, the NYT notes that he refers to his favorite comb as "The Football," as in the briefcase that contains nuclear launch codes.
On a promising note, Obama's defense folks are talking the talk about trying to cut back on the Pentagon's largesse. We'll see if it actually happens.
In more Obama news, he's planning an honest to goodness whistle-stop tour before the Inauguration. Cool.
Finally, some great news: the members of the Electoral College will be meeting in state capitols today to officially elect Barack!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Morning Roundup
Here's what's going on in non-Blago news today:
Looks like the Senate GOP might just block the auto industry bailout. I've looked to Krugman for help on this one, but he's in Sweden accepting some award. Dammit! What am I supposed to think? I seem to remember, though, that while he was a little skeptical of bailing out Detroit, he did think that failures by such large businesses right now could be really bad.
Barack picked his energy/environment team. I can't say I've heard of any of them, but his Energy pick, Steven Chu, is a Nobelist. Nice to have a respect for science in the White House again.
On that topic, the politcal hack W. put in charge of NASA, Mike "The Jury's Out on Global Warming" Griffin, is petulantly refusing to work with the Transition Team.
W. also made a mockery of Human Rights Day, yesterday, by giving the Presidential Citizens Medal to Chuck Colson. Colson, as Nixon's Special Counsel, hired thugs to beat up peace protestors and Daniel Ellsberg, and plotted to raid or firebomb the Brookings Institution.
But, let's end on a good note: the nation's very pleased with Barack's work so far. A number of polls show him having a tremendous approval rating.
Looks like the Senate GOP might just block the auto industry bailout. I've looked to Krugman for help on this one, but he's in Sweden accepting some award. Dammit! What am I supposed to think? I seem to remember, though, that while he was a little skeptical of bailing out Detroit, he did think that failures by such large businesses right now could be really bad.
Barack picked his energy/environment team. I can't say I've heard of any of them, but his Energy pick, Steven Chu, is a Nobelist. Nice to have a respect for science in the White House again.
On that topic, the politcal hack W. put in charge of NASA, Mike "The Jury's Out on Global Warming" Griffin, is petulantly refusing to work with the Transition Team.
W. also made a mockery of Human Rights Day, yesterday, by giving the Presidential Citizens Medal to Chuck Colson. Colson, as Nixon's Special Counsel, hired thugs to beat up peace protestors and Daniel Ellsberg, and plotted to raid or firebomb the Brookings Institution.
But, let's end on a good note: the nation's very pleased with Barack's work so far. A number of polls show him having a tremendous approval rating.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Hatch and Stevens
I don't think that either Dave or Ilsa mentioned this, but, according to Politco, Orrin Hatch is calling for Bush to pardon Ted Stevens:
"Fair"? It's not exactly how I would view such an act. But the Wall Street Journal points out the great irony in this:
Of course, Dick Durbin is thinking of asking Bush to commute George Ryan's prison term, so I guess anything goes in politics.
“He has served this country for over 50 years. I think most anybody would probably say, ‘Yeah, he should be [pardoned].’ I think most anybody would say it’s fair to say that.”
"Fair"? It's not exactly how I would view such an act. But the Wall Street Journal points out the great irony in this:
Part of Stevens’s problem, it seems is that he continues to proclaim his innocence — meaning that he would be asking for a pardon for something he says he didn’t do. “If you pardon someone, you’re assuming he’s guilty,” said Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). “And he maintains his innocence.”
Of course, Dick Durbin is thinking of asking Bush to commute George Ryan's prison term, so I guess anything goes in politics.
Morning Update--Politics as a Distraction
On the whole, it's a somber day. It was a tragic weekend for Sassy writers and readers, with some shocking, sad family news. Yet another reason to be thankful for our little community--we all have good people to lean on. For now, let's just keep Ilsa and her family, as well as reader Jane and her family, in our thoughts and prayers.
Professionally, my industry is headed for a rough day. My organization is reorganizing, but thankfully, my job is safe. I can't say that for all of my colleagues, some of whom I will watch walk out the door today. As bad as it is here, it's worse for my old company.
With all this real, heavy stuff going on, a distraction is in order. So, on to our politico-nerd gossip.
Much to Bridget's chagrin, our favorite self-proclaimed "prankster" is being nominated as Commerce Secretary.
Bad news out of Georgia, as the repulsive Saxby Chambliss maintained his seat. Desperately, the Repugs are claiming this run-off win in an election that should have been a landslide on Nov. 4 as a momentum changer.
The U.S. attorneys scandal is actually regaining momentum as the prosecutor assigned to the case has been very active. In what is hopefully an omen, Alberto Gonzales's old chief of staff has taken a leave of absence from his law firm.
Meanwhile, W. continues to do damage. His latest move was to deny collective bargaining rights to 8,600 federal law enforcement officials. The Washington Monthly concludes that now that he no longer has to worry about being re-elected, W.'s showing his true colors with all of these awful regs and EOs.
He's also busy trying to save his "legacy." In an interview with Charles Gibson, he sort of admitted that Iraq was a mistake, but he's pinning the blame on an "intelligence failure." No mention of the fact that the intelligence that failed was the stuff he commissioned because he didn't like the official CIA and State Dept. intelligence. The Bushies have also initiated a "Bush legacy project" to try to save his name. Luckily, it's being led by Rove and Karen Hughes, who's last efforts at image-saving--ours in the Arab world--failed miserably.
Thankfully, we only have a month and a half until Barack's inauguration.
Professionally, my industry is headed for a rough day. My organization is reorganizing, but thankfully, my job is safe. I can't say that for all of my colleagues, some of whom I will watch walk out the door today. As bad as it is here, it's worse for my old company.
With all this real, heavy stuff going on, a distraction is in order. So, on to our politico-nerd gossip.
Much to Bridget's chagrin, our favorite self-proclaimed "prankster" is being nominated as Commerce Secretary.
Bad news out of Georgia, as the repulsive Saxby Chambliss maintained his seat. Desperately, the Repugs are claiming this run-off win in an election that should have been a landslide on Nov. 4 as a momentum changer.
The U.S. attorneys scandal is actually regaining momentum as the prosecutor assigned to the case has been very active. In what is hopefully an omen, Alberto Gonzales's old chief of staff has taken a leave of absence from his law firm.
Meanwhile, W. continues to do damage. His latest move was to deny collective bargaining rights to 8,600 federal law enforcement officials. The Washington Monthly concludes that now that he no longer has to worry about being re-elected, W.'s showing his true colors with all of these awful regs and EOs.
He's also busy trying to save his "legacy." In an interview with Charles Gibson, he sort of admitted that Iraq was a mistake, but he's pinning the blame on an "intelligence failure." No mention of the fact that the intelligence that failed was the stuff he commissioned because he didn't like the official CIA and State Dept. intelligence. The Bushies have also initiated a "Bush legacy project" to try to save his name. Luckily, it's being led by Rove and Karen Hughes, who's last efforts at image-saving--ours in the Arab world--failed miserably.
Thankfully, we only have a month and a half until Barack's inauguration.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Morning Roundup
Just some quick links because I have to get back to work.
Let's lead with outrage, shall we? The LA Times has an article about a little known regulation change the changed the requirements for "combat-related injuries" for soldiers. In the end, soldiers injured outside of firefights (e.g., if their vehicle is hit by an IED), are getting fewer benefits. Seriously, this presidency can't be over soon enough.
Interestingly, the LA Times also talks about how Obama's influence is growing before he takes office. In fact, Bush said that "anytime we're to make a big decision during the transition, [Obama] will be informed, as will his team." Is it too much to ask that Obama get some influence over some of the odious EPA regulations being promulgated?
The Washington Monthly has a post today about the demise of Freedom Watch, a site the Repugs started as an answer to MoveOn. The problem: they tried to start a netroots movement from the top down. I guess advocacy doesn't trickle down either.
Finally, Barack is nominating Susan Rice for UN Ambassador. She's a former Clintonite, but from the left-most branch. She's spoken out forcefully on ending genocide in Africa, and has been influenced by Samantha Powers. I like this pick. She'll work for good causes and will probably improve our relations with the UN as a whole. Let the healing begin.
Let's lead with outrage, shall we? The LA Times has an article about a little known regulation change the changed the requirements for "combat-related injuries" for soldiers. In the end, soldiers injured outside of firefights (e.g., if their vehicle is hit by an IED), are getting fewer benefits. Seriously, this presidency can't be over soon enough.
Interestingly, the LA Times also talks about how Obama's influence is growing before he takes office. In fact, Bush said that "anytime we're to make a big decision during the transition, [Obama] will be informed, as will his team." Is it too much to ask that Obama get some influence over some of the odious EPA regulations being promulgated?
The Washington Monthly has a post today about the demise of Freedom Watch, a site the Repugs started as an answer to MoveOn. The problem: they tried to start a netroots movement from the top down. I guess advocacy doesn't trickle down either.
Finally, Barack is nominating Susan Rice for UN Ambassador. She's a former Clintonite, but from the left-most branch. She's spoken out forcefully on ending genocide in Africa, and has been influenced by Samantha Powers. I like this pick. She'll work for good causes and will probably improve our relations with the UN as a whole. Let the healing begin.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Morning Roundup: Crappy Economy Edition
After my frigid commute this morning, I'm still trying to regain full use of my fingers. So, please excuse any typos.
Obviously, the big news today is the continued decline of the economy. Here's the piece that concerns me, though. Apparently, the Bush White House has decided to sit on their hands until Obama takes office. Via a WaPo article: "Wall Street interpreted Paulson's comments [on not taking action] to mean that the financial rescue is on hold until President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration." Are you kidding me? Paul Krugman points out today that this inaction parallels the post election period in 1932. Nice.
That's not to say that I know exactly what I want Treasury to do. I even find myself going back and forth on the prospect of an auto industry bailout. Sure, it's a large sector of our economy and thousands of jobs are at stake, but Detroit's decisions over the last decade have been bad for business and the planet. I'm loathe to see that rewarded.
Anyhow, this has me further thinking about how awful W.'s presidency has been. Sure, he hasn't let the country descend into Civil War, so Buchanan still probably gets "worst ever." But, I think he's worse than Hoover, because Hoover didn't lead us into a tragically misguided war. And, in my opinion, his legal breaches have been worse than Nixon's. I give Bush second worst president ever.
Obviously, the big news today is the continued decline of the economy. Here's the piece that concerns me, though. Apparently, the Bush White House has decided to sit on their hands until Obama takes office. Via a WaPo article: "Wall Street interpreted Paulson's comments [on not taking action] to mean that the financial rescue is on hold until President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration." Are you kidding me? Paul Krugman points out today that this inaction parallels the post election period in 1932. Nice.
That's not to say that I know exactly what I want Treasury to do. I even find myself going back and forth on the prospect of an auto industry bailout. Sure, it's a large sector of our economy and thousands of jobs are at stake, but Detroit's decisions over the last decade have been bad for business and the planet. I'm loathe to see that rewarded.
Anyhow, this has me further thinking about how awful W.'s presidency has been. Sure, he hasn't let the country descend into Civil War, so Buchanan still probably gets "worst ever." But, I think he's worse than Hoover, because Hoover didn't lead us into a tragically misguided war. And, in my opinion, his legal breaches have been worse than Nixon's. I give Bush second worst president ever.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Morning Roundup--Short Version. Sassy has a real job to do.
Not sure why Penny Pritzker was ever really a contender for Commerce, but looks like she's out.
I like Napolitano as Homeland Security (loving all this female energy in Barack's cabinet) but I would rather she run against McCain in 2010.
Will she or won't she? Clinton still undecided while Harry Reid tries to find a new role for her in the Senate if she decides to stay.
Bush is getting the cold shoulder from international leaders:
11-19-08: CNN: George Bush snubbed at the G20 Summit. Everyone greeting each other and shaking hands, but Bush walks with his head down like the dejected most unpopular kid in high school.
I like Napolitano as Homeland Security (loving all this female energy in Barack's cabinet) but I would rather she run against McCain in 2010.
Will she or won't she? Clinton still undecided while Harry Reid tries to find a new role for her in the Senate if she decides to stay.
Bush is getting the cold shoulder from international leaders:
11-19-08: CNN: George Bush snubbed at the G20 Summit. Everyone greeting each other and shaking hands, but Bush walks with his head down like the dejected most unpopular kid in high school.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Morning Roundup
(just a little happy from last week in grant park)
Convicted felon Stevens looks to be losing in Alaska. Not only will the Dems pick up another Senate seat, but we also won't face the specter of a Senator Palin (who apparently hasn't gotten the memo that the campaign is over.)
In today's It's a New Day item: AIG has agreed to answer questions from readers to DailyKos. This is unprecedented--that a company will speak directly to Americans and bypass the MSM. Pretty cool and a testament to the work Kos is doing.
On his way out the door, Bush still thinks he did a dang good job.
Illinois Senate Watch: Insiders say Obama wants Valerie Jarrett for the seat, but I hear that she's not interested and will likely end up in his cabinet. Jesse Jackson Jr is totally gunning for the seat but is considered unelectable (downstate) in the 2010 election. Emil Jones is a possibility but supposedly he's ready to become a lobbyist and would only fill the seat for two years. I say let's find someone who is electable in 2010 and deserves to be there. Jan Schakowsky anyone? I did mention to a FOB's last night (who is also African American) that maybe we should fill the seat with another black legislator and he got pretty irritated and said that with Barack as president affirmative action should be over. So there.
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