:: In today's presser, Obama welcomed Kaine as the new chair of the DNC, and praised Dean's legacy.
If not for Howard Dean, Obama very likely would not be preparing to assume the presidency. Kaine set three goals for the DNC: 1)promoting Obama’s agenda; 2)carrying the Democratic banner; and 3) encouraging voters, and educating them re new ways to become involved in politics.
“But as Obama and Kaine beamed about the party's future, noticeably absent was the man who defined the recent past. Howard Dean was traveling as his successor was introduced. But the Vermont Governor was not left out entirely from the proceedings.
Said Obama: "For nearly four years Howard has served our party and our nation as a visionary and effective leader. He launched a 50 state strategy that made Democrats competitive in places they hadn't been for years... Howard deserve enormous credit for helping usher in a new era in Washington." ”Source: HUFFPOST
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:: Obama's first nominee to begin confirmation hearings, Tom Daschle, got through the hearing easily today.
Daschle appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today, and still has one more hearing to go, with the Finance Committee. He promised members of HELPC that his leadership would be collaborative/inclusive of both Republicans and Democrats.
“The former Senate majority leader and one-time Republican target floated through his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday with friendly questioning in the first public test of any of President-elect Barack Obama’s Cabinet selections.
Both Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee treated Obama’s pick for health and human services secretary with the deference and collegiality they often show to one of their own.”Source: POLITICO
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:: Sarah Palin continues to whine about her treatment by the media.
This time, Palin is comparing her treatment with that of Caroline Kennedy. Um, Sarah, the press has not given Kennedy a pass. And, she is far better educated than you, and she is not running to be next in line for the presidency. Get. Over. It.
“One of the more trenchant moments (in fact, the only trenchant moment) comes late in the interview, when Palin is invited to make a comparison between herself and Caroline Kennedy. Basically, Palin seems to think that "class bias" is enabling favorable coverage of the New York Senate hopeful:”Source: HUFFPOST
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:: More staffing announcements from the transition team.
All are in the DOD, and it looks like Richard Danzig may be out.
“William Lynn, a former Clinton defense official, will serve in the top deputy spot. The Under Secretary of Defense for Policy will be Michèle Flournoy, a well-respected voice in defense policy circles and the founder and head of the Center for a New American Security.”Source: HUFFPOST
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:: Obama gives a "state of the union" address on the economy.
Saying, "Our problems are rooted in past mistakes, not in our capacity to make the future better.", Obama warned of dire consequences if the passage of the stimulus plan is delayed. He went on to lay out significantly more details re the plan, and in closing, warned congress that delay was not acceptable:
“For every day we wait or point fingers or drag our feet, more Americans will lose their jobs. More families will lose their savings. More dreams will be deferred and denied," Obama said. "And our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.”Source: ABC News live broadcast
To view the video, click here.
For further information:
»Obama Warns of Dire Consequences Without Stimulus - Washington Post
»Obama Economic Speech: Dire Consequences Without Stimulus - HUFFPOST
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:: Joe Klein, in an article for TIME magazine, suggests a memorial for Bush: a statue of a hooded Abu Ghraib prisoner.
And the Republicans have the utter audacity to continue to lie about this horrific period in our history.
“"This is not the America I know," President George W. Bush said after the first, horrifying pictures of U.S. troops torturing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq surfaced in April 2004. The President was not telling the truth. "This" was the America he had authorized on Feb. 7, 2002, when he signed a memorandum stating that the Third Geneva Convention — the one regarding the treatment of enemy prisoners taken in wartime — did not apply to members of al-Qaeda or the Taliban. That signature led directly to the abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. It was his single most callous and despicable act. It stands at the heart of the national embarrassment that was his presidency.”Source: TIME
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:: President-elect Obama set to revise counterterrorism efforts.
Beginning with the elimination of the independent homeland security adviser’s office.
“WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama is preparing to scrap the way President Bush oversaw domestic security in the White House and name a former Central Intelligence Agency official to coordinate counterterrorism, people close to the transition said Wednesday. ”Source: NYT
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:: Obama promises to overhaul Medicare and Social Security.
Yesterday, with his introduction of Nancy Killefer as his White House chief performance officer, President-elect Obama made a statement with far-reaching implications regarding the federal entitlement programs.
“WASHINGTON — President-elect Barack Obama said Wednesday that overhauling Social Security and Medicare would be “a central part” of his administration’s efforts to contain federal spending, signaling for the first time that he would wade into the thorny politics of entitlement programs.”Source: NYT
Image via NYT, by Doug Mills.
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:: On change.gov's “Open for Questions”, the number 1 question is re George W. Bush.
Specifically, as to whether Obama has plans to appoint a special prosecutor to conduct an independent investigation of the crimes committed by the Bush administration.
““Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor — ideally Patrick Fitzgerald — to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping,” wrote Bob Fertik of New York, who runs the Web site, Democrats.com
Though the Obama team has promised to answer some of the top questions as early as this week, they have not said whether they will respond to Mr. Fertik’s, which has received more than 22,000 votes since the second round of the question-and-answer feature began on Dec. 30.”Source: NYT
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:: Senate Dems line up behind Obama over Burris.
Looking at Burris standing in the rain on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, was rather pathetic. The legality of Reid's actions were questionable, and the Dems were looking a little....silly.
“Obama had spoken to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday on the need to find a quick solution to defuse the dispute, according to Democratic officials. Reid was told by Obama that if Burris had the legal standing to be seated _ despite controversy surrounding his appointment by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich _ it should be done "sooner rather than later," said an Obama transition aide, speaking on condition of anonymity because the conversation was private.”Source: HUFFPOST
