Inspire Political Discourse: Daily Political News Round-Up

25 November 2008

Daily Political News Round-Up - Tuesday, November 25, 2008

►Bush is handing out Presidential pardons to a group of people who created the last financial meltdown in the 1980's. Despicable and predictable.

“President George W. Bush has not thus far granted many pardons, but he has been generous in coming to the aid of one particular constituency group: S&L executives and others who swindled thrifts in the mid-1980’s.” HARPER'S MAGAZINE

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►The New York Post reported today that Ann Coulter has broken her jaw, and her mouth is now wired shut.
Seriously. I am LMAO, however, nothing will shut up the nasty Ms. Coulter as long as her fingers are intact. Too bad.

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►According to ABC News, Robert Gates will be staying on as the Secretary of Defense for at least one year.

“The former Eagle Scout is expected to be rolled out immediately after the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend as part of a larger national security team expected to include Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, as Secretary of State; Marine Gen. Jim Jones (Ret.) as National Security Adviser; Admiral Dennis Blair (Ret.) as Director of National Intelligence; and Dr. Susan Rice as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.”

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►Obama has appointed Alyssa Mastromonaco as his Director of Scheduling and Advance. She previously held the same position in his successful campaign. Jake Tapper - ABC News

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►FEMA, the organization that completely screwed up the rescue/recovery efforts in the wake of Katrina, is getting a facelift under Obama.

“First off, the likely plan is to break off the agency from the Department of Homeland Security, a move that would in itself help restore the pride FEMA folks felt when it was an independent agency.
Second, there's increasing talk that former director James Lee Witt, who took over the then-troubled agency at the start of the Clinton administration and left it eight years later with a much enhanced reputation for getting things done, is coming back in from retirement to run FEMA for maybe six months to a year and whip it into shape.
After that, so the plan goes, his possible deputy administrator, Mark Merritt, who worked with Witt at James Lee Witt Associates -- where they made a fortune on disasters -- would take over the top job at FEMA.” Washington Post

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►According to an AP report, Obama has appointed Peter Orszag as his director of the Office of Management and Budget, and will be making a formal announcement today.

“Obama also is expected to introduce Peter Orszag as his new director of the Office of Management and Budget, the White House office that serves as a funnel for federal agency budget requests. Orszag is the current director of the Congressional Budget Office.” ap via HUFFPO

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►Obama to lay out his vision for fiscal restraint, seeks to calm the markets further.

“President-elect Barack Obama wants to project fiscal restraint even as his economic team assembles a massive recovery package that could cost several hundred billion dollars. A day after introducing the captains of his economic team and promoting a giant jobs plan, Obama on Tuesday is to lay out his budget belt-tightening vision. The dual images _ big spender and disciplined budget watcher _ were designed to give both political and economic assurances to the public, the Congress and the financial markets.” AP

:: Obama and Bush Working to Calm Volatile Market »NYT

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►Have the last eight long years made you feel that the US has been occupied by a foreign entity? An op-ed opinion worth reading.

“As Obama takes over the wreckage this country is in, one can't help but feel like something alien to America has been controlling it these past eight years. The wave of emotion that has erupted with the election of Barack Obama reminds me of the Allied victory in France in WWII. After a long foreign occupation in which foreign German interests occupied the agenda of France, French governance would once again be representing the concerns of it's populace. That hope seems to pervade America after it's long neocons occupation. Here are a few of the parallels that I see.” [.....]