:: Obama stands by Geithner today.
At a press availability today, Obama made it clear that he was behind Geithner. From the pool report, via Politico (bolding is mine-note the support from Sen. Graham):
"Tim Geithner, when I nominated him, was rightly lauded by people from both sides of the aisle … as somebody who was uniquely qualified" to handle the economy, he said.
"Is this an embarrassment for him, yes. He said so himself," Obama said.
Obama said it wasn’t an intentional mistake, and one that is common for people who work for international institutions, and "It has been corrected."
He repeated his mantra that if were his standard for cabinet secretaries, vice presidents, or (oddly) reporters that a person hadn't made "a mistake in your life," no one would be qualified.
Here [Senator Lindsey] Graham jumped in with some bipartisan support. "Now's not the time to think in small political terms," Graham advised. "I think he's the right guy."
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:: On change.gov, Robert Gibbs answers a question as to whether Obama will end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays in the military.
And the answer is a qualified "yes".
““So not everything will get done in the beginning but he’s committed to following through” with ending the policy against being openly gay in the military.”Source: Think Progress
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:: U.S. District judge orders Bush administration to turn over emails.
I have never understood why Congress tolerated the crimes of the Bush administration with rarely a protest. What was probably the mass deletion of emails relevant to the Iraq war intelligence, and the Valerie Plame affair, should never have happened, and yet Congress did little or nothing to prevent it or to remedy it.
“The issue first surfaced three years ago during the investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity.
Wednesday's order by U.S. District Judge Henry Kennedy directs the Executive Office of the President to issue a notice to employees to surrender any e-mails from March 2003 to October 2005.
That period includes the start of the war in Iraq and the first two years of the probe into the leak by top White House aides of the identity of Valerie Plame, wife of Bush administration war critic Joe Wilson.
The White House said it has made great progress in accounting for e-mail messages. A spokesman declined further comment.”Source: HUFFPOST
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:: Bin Laden issued a challenge to Obama in an audiotape posted on Wednesday on Islamic militant sites.
“Bin Laden spoke in an audiotape posted Wednesday on Islamic militant Web sites where al-Qaida usually issues its messages. It was his first tape since May and came nearly three weeks after Israel started its campaign against Gaza's militant Hamas rulers.
The al-Qaida leader also vowed that the terror network would open "new fronts" against the United States and its allies beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. He said President-elect Barack Obama has received a "heavy inheritance" from George W. Bush _ two wars and "the collapse of the economy," which he said will render the United States unable to sustain a long fight against the mujahedeen, or holy warriors.
"There is only one strong way to bring the return of Al-Aqsa and Palestine, and that is jihad in the path of God," bin Laden said in the 22-minute audiotape, referring to the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. "The duty is to urge people to jihad and to enlist the youth into jihad brigades."”Source: HUFFPOST
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:: Hillary Clinton expected to be confirmed as the Secretary of State on Tuesday.
Her daylong testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was touted as impressive, and she is expected to be swiftly confirmed.
“The top Republican on the panel, Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, was among those who expressed disappointment over Mrs. Clinton’s refusal to accept further restrictions on her husband’s fund-raising. But he told Mrs. Clinton that he still intended to vote in favor of her confirmation. “Your qualifications are remarkable,” he said.”Source: NYT
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:: Former GOP aide busted scalping inaugural tickets.
It wasn't illegal.......but it is now in the process of being criminalized by the Senate (bill already passed), and now it just needs the House to pass it.
“The former aide is Gina Santucci, who now works as associate general counsel at BGR Holding, the lobbying, public relations and financial advisory firm formerly known as Barbour Griffith & Rogers, founded by current Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and veteran GOP political strategist Ed Rogers.”Source: Washington Post
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:: Obama dined with the neocons last night.
No need to throw things...he dined with the GOP's intellectual elite, working on finishing off the job that the GOP started. I would guess that within months, at least a few high profile neocons will change party affiliation.
There is however, some speculation that Limbaugh might have been there. In that case, all bets are OFF the table, Obama!
“Columnist George Will hosted the president-elect and at least two other prominent conservative pundits at his Maryland home Tuesday night. The pool reporter on the scene has confirmed that New York Times columnists David Brooks and Bill Kristol at the dinner, but was apparently unable to spot any other guests.”Source: Salon.com
“Tonight around 6:30 pm ET, Barack Obama arrived at the home of conservative columnist George Will to dine with a host of right-wing luminaries.”Source: Think Progress
Image by New York Daily News reporter, Kenneth Bazinet.
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:: A Republican DOJ official lied to Congress and investigators.
Hmmm.....how many of those (lying Republicans working for Bush)does this make now?
“Tuesday's report is the latest of several inquiries that found senior Justice Department officials violated civil service laws under the tenure of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Gonzales has denied knowledge of the conduct by his deputies, but the series of reports paints a disturbing portrait of the nation's top law enforcement agency being pulled in a sharply political direction during the Bush administration.”Source: HUFFPOST
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:: January 14 on Media Matters: 
- London tabloid concocts the cost of Obama's inauguration; Drudge cheers
- Bloomberg article headlined "Obama Faces Rebellion From Democrats on ... Nominations" leaves out key facts
- Days after decrying those who say Democrats are "trying to turn us into communist Russia," Beck claimed Obama "has Marxist tendencies"
- O'Reilly falsely asserted Holder "ordered" wall between CIA and FBI
- On job-loss numbers, Fox's Garrett changed the metric, falsely asserting Obama's statement was untrue
