Senate Confirms John Kerry for Secretary of State

Ketchup for everybody! Image from source, TPM

Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will be succeeded by former presidential candidate John Kerry! How 'bout that, the Senate can get something done. Then again, Kerry is one of their own, and he's replacing Clinton--who many of them battled just last week. Still, it says something about the quality of recent Democratic presidential candidates, doesn't it? Oh, and John Edwards doesn't count, he didn't get very far (whew!). . .

[Excerpt]

Senate Confirms John Kerry As U.S. Secretary Of State

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) as the nation's next secretary of state on Tuesday. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Chuck Hagel Official Obama Nominee for Secretary of Defense

Image from source, Washington Post

On this blog, I consider something blogworthy if it a) interests me in some way, or b) is newsworthy. This is a b) story all the way. I don't get what the heck is so wrong with Hagel. He's a Republican, I know, but seems like one of the (rare) normal ones. He made a couple of questionable statements a decade or more ago? Pffft. Sorry, can't raise to caring on this one. He's fine.

[Excerpt]

Digging in for confirmation fight, Obama nominates Hagel to head Pentagon, Brennan for the CIA
Digging in for a fight, President Barack Obama riled Senate Republicans and some Democrats, too, on Monday by nominating former senator and combat veteran Chuck Hagel to lead the Pentagon and anti-terrorism chief John Brennan as the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Tax Issues for Obama Cabinet Appointees

There have been a few high-profile tax problems among Barack Obama's appointees to his cabinet, and it has been the over-riding news item of the day. I myself wouldn't pass this test, having forgotten a 1099 once myself.

An issue that hadn't occurred to me previously was raised on The Randi Rhodes show today on the radio. How exactly are all of these tax issues coming to light? It isn't as though tax information is public record. Could there be some nefarious reason that all of the sudden, the tax records of public officials is becoming mainstream news? Is somebody digging where they shouldn't ought? I wonder. . .

[Excerpt]

ANALYSIS-Obama's bumpy path to reforming Washington

U.S. President Barack Obama is struggling to get a handle on a series of embarrassing disclosures involving top appointees who are testing the limits of his pledge to end business as usual in Washington.The withdrawal on Tuesday of Tom Daschle as his choice for healthcare chief underscored the problem. . .

Read more at: Reuters

Obama Conspires to Make fun of Short People?

Heh. This just hit my funnybone, because I'd noticed the same thing with the televised reports of Barack Obama's new cabinet appointments. But to be fair, it wasn't just the women who looked short.

[Excerpt]

Why Does Obama Hate Short Gals?

Barack Obama stands one-hundred feet tall and is made of golden chocolate. So his magical transition podium is a sky-high phallic monument to his greatness and tallness, so all the short ladies he keeps appointing to his Cabinet, for laughs, all look like that terrible Martian from the Flintstones (?!) cartoons with the bug antennae coming out of his fat head.

Source: Wonkette

Hillary Clinton to (Finally) be Named Secretary of State

She's in! She's out! She's in! For real this time, barring an unexpected event or something. I'm cool with it, but I'm happy the will-she-or-won't-she is over!