President-Elect Barack Obama left his home in Chicago yesterday and flew to Washington, D.C. — his new home for at least the next four years. The military dispatched a government-owned Boeing 757 (of the type used by vice presidents and first ladies) to transport their future Commander in Chief. This, of course, upset the righties to no end… which is just one of the reasons I enjoy this photo spread so much…
The third and fourth pictures in the series show the future president greeting Air Force Colonel Scott Turner, who will be Mr. Obama’s pilot of Air Force One.
(Click on any of the pictures to view it full size or to start a slide show.)
The Washington Post is reporting that President-Elect Obama has selected Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia to serve as the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee…
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will become chairman of the Democratic National Committee later this month, serving as the top political messenger for Barack Obama’s administration even while he finishes his final year in the governor’s mansion, several sources said.
Kaine, who emerged as one of Obama’s vice presidential finalists this summer, will operate from Richmond in a part-time capacity until January 2010, when he will become the full-time DNC chairman. Kaine is constitutionally barred from running for reelection.
A personal friend of the president-elect, Kaine is a gregarious chief executive who is known to relish political combat and helped put Virginia in the Democratic column for the first time in almost 50 years.
Obama transition aides declined to comment today, and Kaine aides did not return calls seeking comment. Two sources said Obama will announce his choice of Kaine for the post later this week.
We can only hope he does as good a job as his predecessor.
Meanwhile, former DNC chairman (and chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign) Terry McAuliffe has announced his intention to run to replace Mr. Kaine in the Virginia governor’s mansion.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, tapped in December by President-elect Barack Obama to serve as secretary of Commerce, has withdrawn his name for the position, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state.
“Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact,” he said Sunday in a report by NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell. “But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.”
A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a New Mexico state contract worth more than $1 billion. Richardson said in a statement issued by the Obama transition office that the investigation could take weeks or months but expressed confidence it will show he and his administration acted properly.
It is sad that Governor Richardson had to withdraw in this manner but I am glad he had the grace and dignity to do so. The Republicans are howling for blood and looking for any little scrap that will keep them in the headlines and somehow relevant. They would have worked this to the death.
Thank you, Governor Richardson, for your service to our country. May it continue for many years to come.
In this week’s weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama lays out the challenges that face us in the new year, and his plan for taking them on.
“We need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term,” he says. “And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan—which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector.”
Watch the full address or read the text below.
(HD video - watch in normal quality)
The full text of the address, as prepared for delivery, is below the fold.
Paul Krugman’s column in today’s New York Times is worth the few minutes required to read it. Democrats (and everyone else who is not a Republican) will nod in agreement and Republicans will howl (or whine) indignantly, but he pretty much nails it…
As the new Democratic majority prepares to take power, Republicans have become, as Phil Gramm might put it, a party of whiners.
Some of the whining almost defies belief. Did Alberto Gonzales, the former attorney general, really say, “I consider myself a casualty, one of the many casualties of the war on terror”? Did Rush Limbaugh really suggest that the financial crisis was the result of a conspiracy, masterminded by that evil genius Chuck Schumer?
But most of the whining takes the form of claims that the Bush administration’s failure was simply a matter of bad luck — either the bad luck of President Bush himself, who just happened to have disasters happen on his watch, or the bad luck of the G.O.P., which just happened to send the wrong man to the White House.
The fault, however, lies not in Republicans’ stars but in themselves. Forty years ago the G.O.P. decided, in effect, to make itself the party of racial backlash. And everything that has happened in recent years, from the choice of Mr. Bush as the party’s champion, to the Bush administration’s pervasive incompetence, to the party’s shrinking base, is a consequence of that decision.
Posted by Len on Friday at 11:16 am in Humor, Politics.
It seems we have made it to the second day of the new year. There are only eighteen days remaining in the administration of Richard B. Cheney and George W. Bush. Can you believe it? In only eighteen days we will have a new President of the United States of America. It’s been a long time coming.
So… Welcome to the first edition of Friday Night Cartoons for the year two thousand nine. We’re posting a bit early today because your editor has an assignment that will likely take most of the afternoon to fulfill. Plus, the pickings this week were a bit skimpy. It seems that a lot of our cartoonists felt entitled to take some time off this past week. Fortunately, what we lack in quantity we make up for in quality. Click and enjoy!
As always, our thanks go to the talented and observant cartoonists who, each week, help us smile through the pain.
Welcome to 2009. Are you still writing 2008 on your checks?
Are you still writing checks?
I have to admit, I’m feeling a lot better going into this year than I did going into the last one. (See: “Add Up the Damage.”) We will have a new President in just 19 days!
I’m not supposed to be here. My “vacation” does not officially end for a few more days. However, I felt the need to drop in and wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year so here I am doing just that.
I understand there has been a bit of a discussion around here for the past week or so as to which video we should bestow Video of the Year honors upon for the year 2008. Please, allow me…
I don’t think there is a lot of discussion to be had. The runner-up for Video of the Year for 2008 is:
And the clear and indisputable winner for Video of the Year for 2008 (drum roll, please) is:
Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois has named Roland Burris, a former state attorney general, to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the United States Senate.
Mr. Blagojevich, who faces federal corruption charges including allegations that he tried to sell Mr. Obama’s former senate seat for a high-paying job or money, had not been expected to try to fill the seat. As recently as ten days ago, his lawyer, Edward Genson, said he would not attempt to make an appointment, since Senate leaders had indicated they would not accept anyone whom the beleaguered Mr. Blagojevich had appointed.
The Democratic leaders of the Senate repeated that view on Tuesday, issuing a statement saying it was “truly regrettable that despite requests from all 50 Democratic Senators and public officials throughout Illinois, Governor Blagojevich would take the imprudent step of appointing someone to the United States Senate who would serve under a shadow and be plagued by questions of impropriety.”
The statement continued, “We say this without prejudice toward Roland Burris’s ability, and we respect his years of public service. But this is not about Mr. Burris; it is about the integrity of a governor accused of attempting to sell this United States Senate seat. Under these circumstances, anyone appointed by Gov. Blagojevich cannot be an effective representative of the people of Illinois and, as we have said, will not be seated by the Democratic Caucus.”
The leaders concluded by saying the appointment was “unfair to Mr. Burris, it is unfair to the people of Illinois and it will ultimately not stand.” They called on the governor once again to resign.
I am astounded that Blagojevich had the audacity to go ahead with this appointment and I am equally astounded that Burris accepted this appointment. It is difficult to discern just what either of these gentlemen expects to gain from their actions today. I kind of get the feeling that Blagojevich’s intent is to embarrass as much as possible the Democratic party that has turned against him. I honestly do not know and I believe it will be very interesting to learn in the coming days just what Mr. Burris’ intentions are.
(It was kind of funny, yet sad in a way, to see Congressman Bobby Rush stand up and play the race card as he did. Haven’t we had enough of that nonsense already this year?)
UPDATE #3: President-Elect Barack Obama, whose Senate seat is the one in question, issued the following statement:
“Roland Burris is a good man and a fine public servant, but the Senate Democrats made it clear weeks ago that they cannot accept an appointment made by a governor who is accused of selling this very Senate seat. I agree with their decision, and it is extremely disappointing that Governor Blagojevich has chosen to ignore it.
“I believe the best resolution would be for the Governor to resign his office and allow a lawful and appropriate process of succession to take place. While Governor Blagojevich is entitled to his day in court, the people of Illinois are entitled to a functioning government and major decisions free of taint and controversy.”
