Posted by Wayne Garcia on Feb. 13, 2009, at 7:54 am
Bipartisanship in our future? Not if the House Republican leaders have their way, as they are furiously working to ensure another party-line vote when the compromise stimulus bill shows back up for a final vote. The prospect, however, doesn’t look good, as 10-15 House Republicans seem ready to support the economic recovery act. Politico adds it up:
ZERO SUM GAME: House Republicans are trying to give Dems another goose egg in terms of GOP support on the final stimulus package. As Politico’s Patrick O’Connor reports: “There’s a lot of safety in zero. That, at least, is the message Republican leaders are taking to their wavering rank-and-file. House Republican made headlines – and won some much-need unity – when they denied President Barack Obama a single GOP vote on the House version of his economic recovery plan late last month. Few expect the same results when the House takes up the final version of a $789 billion package Friday; Republican members and aides were braced Thursday night for 10 to 15 defections.”
UPDATE: House minority leaders got their way, and not a single Republican in the lower chamber voted for the Obama Stimulus Plan.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Feb. 12, 2009, at 4:43 pm
Sen. Judd Gregg today shockingly pulled out as the Commerce Secretary nominee, blaming “irresolvable conflicts” in ideology with President Barack Obama, who had reached out across the aisle to nominate the N.H. Republican.
“…It has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me,” Gregg said in a written statement released by his Senate office. “Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.
“Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives,” Gregg said.
It reminds me of a saying that I first heard back in the 1980s when I was covering the Pinellas County Commission and the legendary Chuck Rainey. We were discussing efforts to broach a disagreement over water with Hillsborough County that had gone awry, and he said, “We held out an olive branch, and they beat us with it.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Feb. 11, 2009, at 3:27 pm
Well, that didn’t take long:
Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a centrist Republican whose support was crucial to the outcome, said the final package includes $150 billion in spending on infrastructure, including transportation facilities, and considerable tax relief. Moreover, she said, it includes significant money to aid state governments.
Despite intense lobbying by governors, the final deal slashed $35 billion from a proposed state fiscal stabilization fund, eliminated $16 billion in aid for school construction and sharply curtailed health care subsidies for the unemployed.
Full story in the NYT here. Details on what is in and what was cut to come.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Feb. 11, 2009, at 1:49 pm
Time for a little audio fun with the 44th President of the United States.
Sure, Obama’s audiobook for Dreams of My Father has been out for some time, as has this audio. But it is flying around the Internets pretty heavy this week (found my 18-year-old son playing them last night when I got home from work), so it seems appropriate to share. First, a little back story from the April Winchell blog:
If you’ve ever read President Obama’s Dreams From My Father, good for you. I couldn’t get past the foreword.
I wish I had. Because today I discovered that there’s a fairly juicy little subplot in the book, involving one of Obama’s high school friends.
Ray, a fellow classmate of Obama’s, was also bi-racial, and also trying to define himself. But what set him apart was his colorful manner of self-expression. Ray cursed like a motherfucker.
This would all be snickerworthy enough, but it turns out that Obama actually read the audiobook version of Dreams From My Father.
So here you go, enjoy and use them in good health (audio after the jump, and far too many h/t’s to mention but shoutout to Pushing Rope):
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Feb. 10, 2009, at 11:00 am
Yes, it’s late notice my friends, but I will be in front of the TV at 12 noon to report and comment on what I hear from President Barack Obama as he tries to rescue his economic stimulus package from the clutches of tax-and-spend liberals in the House and tax-breaks-for-the-wealthy conservatives in the House and Senate. Please join me if you have nothing else going on. Post a comment below. Also let me know if you want something fact-checked.
1:08: Final question: A crazy religious kid gets to ask the last one. Julio is a community college student, at the same job Mickey D’s for 4.5 years. How can folks stuck in low-paying jobs like mine get better benefits? Obama: Your hard work should be a source of pride for you. And you’ll get the tax breaks we are talking about, the payroll tax offset. We will reform health care system so you can get health care coverage. What are you studying, Obama asks the hyper young man what he is studying. (Wants to major in communications, wants to be a broadcaster or disc jockey.)
Fox News: “All right, Julio. He’s King for the day.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Feb. 9, 2009, at 3:50 pm
Our Gov will introduce the president, who is fighting against Crist’s own party to try to save his stimulus package. Politico reports:
Aides to the governor confirm Crist will appear with Obama at the noon town hall planned for Tuesday.
Crist was one of a handful of GOP governors who affixed his name to a letter of state chief executives in support of the stimulus package.
Florida has been ravaged by the recession, thanks in large part to the collapse of the home construction industry and spike in foreclosures. The state faces a $2.4 billion budget deficit that is growing.
Just shows you how politics works: Throw a few billion at someone in the other party and they will love the shit out of you.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Feb. 4, 2009, at 7:23 am
Progressives see it as a sign of what change looks like. Conservatives such as Laura Ingraham are already crowing “we told you so” (on The Today Show this morning, in Ingraham’s case). But President Barack Obama was forced to make a candid mea culpa after losing two high-ranking nominees, including Tom Daschle, to sloppy vetting and tax-dodging problems.
It’s been a long time since I’ve heard these words from any politican, much less from a President:
“I’m here on television saying I screwed up, and that’s part of the era of responsibility. It’s not never making mistakes; it’s owning up to them and trying to make sure you never repeat them and that’s what we intend to do.”
When the nation watched horrified while the Department of Homeland Security fumbled painfully in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Michael Chertoff blamed it on phantom headlines, George Bush assured Brownie he was ‘doing a heckuva job,’ and right-wing pundits eagerly acquitted the Whitehouse by trying to lay the whole mess at the feet of the victims and any democrat within 1000 miles. When George Bush and his merry band of neoclowns stampeded a panicked nation into an ill-conceived war against Iraq and rolled snake-eyes on catching bin Laden it was all because of ‘bad intel’ and blown all out of proportion by biased, ‘liberal reporters’ feeding the progressive pathology of ‘Bush Derangement Syndrome.’
Another question remains, and I hate to echo the right: why was it wrong for Killefer and Daschle but OK for Treasury Secy. Tim Geithner?
As HuffPo points out, Wall Street apparently has no problem with not paying taxes (Geithner) while the medical establishment was gunning for Daschle because of his views on health-care reform:
Of course Daschle should have been more careful and concurrently paid the more than $100,000 he owed in taxes for the use of a car and driver. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner should also have known that he owed the IRS $34,000 in back taxes when he worked for the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2004. The question is why is Geithner, who now oversees the IRS, confirmed as Treasury Secretary and Daschle out as ObamaCare cheiftain?
President Barack Obama is bringing some belt-tightening to the White House. In one of his first official acts, the president announced an immediate pay freeze at current levels for senior White House officials. According to the Associated Press, the freeze would apply to about 100 aides earning over $100,000 a year.
“This will enable the White House to stretch its budget to get more done for the country. The president and his staff recognize that in these austere times, everyone must do more with less, and the White House is no exception,” the White House press office announced in a statement.
And in case you wonder just how much those White House staffers were making, here is the latest info on the Bush White House from 2008, as detailed in an report to Congress. The Washington Postlists them all (except for the office of VP Cheney, which predictably declined to report them), including these (former) top earners:
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 21, 2009, at 1:43 pm
President Barack Obama wasted no time in wading into the stickiest messes left at the White House. Whether he’ll have any success for them is a matter that we won’t know for some time.
According to the White House press office, Obama put telephone calls in to the leaders of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority this morning. Along with some pleasantries, the afternoon is being devoted to dealing with Iraq and the economy, the WH schedule shows:
1:15PM-2:15PM President Obama Addresses Staff and Cabinet Secretaries
POOL PRESS
2:30 PM President Obama Attends White House Open House
Base of stair case on the ground level by State Room.
POOL PRESS
3:15PM-3:45PM President Obama Meets with Economic Advisors
Roosevelt Room
CLOSED PRESS
4:15PM-5:15PM President Obama Meets with Iraq Military Commanders
In between inaugural balls yesterday, President Obama ordered an immediate halt to the Bush administration’s military commissions system for prosecuting detainees at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Notice came just before midnight Tuesday. The decision is described as a pause in all war-crimes proceedings.
The decision will temporarily stop the prosecution of five detainees charged as the coordinators of the Sept. 11 attacks, including the case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 3:27 pm
As provided by the Presidential Inaugural Committee:
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
Despite Rick Warren’s odious appearance and a bumbling exchange between the new president and Chief Justice Roberts, Barack Obama’s inauguration was as moving and powerful as the rest of his journey to the White House as been.
With empowering rhetorical style in his speech this afternoon, Obama elicited misty eyes and wide smiles from the immense D.C. crowd – while simultaneously managing to ensure the American people that this presidency will be nothing like the previous.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 2:37 pm
Here’s a range of media online front pages from Barack Obama’s speech today:
New York Times: President Obama Vows Era of Responsibility
“We have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world,
duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 1:13 pm
Our new president’s address today traded the rhetoric so often found in American politics, from both the left and the right, for reality. It was a tough speech, not punctuated with applause lines or particularly memorable single sentences.
Instead, it was a reminder of the kind of America that I learned about in elementary school in New Jersey and South Florida. An America that has a history and an obligation. An America that is steeped in its founders’ words, that protects those who need protection, to lift up those who need lifting, but also that provides a nation and government that allows its people to do that lifting and that protecting, that doesn’t depend on a government or a king or a single entity to answer all its questions, to fix all of its problems.
And he rejected, carefully but firmly, the neoPlatonist and divisive politics that have held sway for the past eight years, oh hell, even longer than that [emphasis added below]:
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 9:10 am
Barack Obama told a bipartisan dinner in honor of his vanquished foe, Sen. John McCain, that the Republican from Arizona is a true patriot.
“And I’d like to close by asking all of you to join us in making this bipartisan dinner not just an inaugural tradition, but a new way of doing the people’s business in this city,” Obama said. “We will not always agree on everything in the months to come, and we will have our share of arguments and debates. But let us strive always to find that common ground….”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 8:56 am
PoHo is already writing over at this blog post, and we’ll start in earnest around 10 a.m. For those without a TV at work, our live blog post has a live feed of the swearing-in, via Hulu. Your comments welcomed.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 8:30 am
Scott Farrell is the host of the Scott Farrell Show weeknights from 9-11 p.m. on 820 AM. He is joining PoHo as a regular contributor with this post from the inauguration in Washington, D.C.:
Hope and trepidation meet head on in a chilly DC. From the Cab driver from Ethiopia to the African American family attending their first inaugural — there is a sense that if Lincoln’s “better angels” exist — they better come to help the incoming 44th President. The burdens are heavy for #44 — but the hope is high. Miracles would be great… But most here understand that there is much heavy lifting to do to get the country back on track. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 8:00 am
Catherine Durkin Robinson is a “feminist mother of twins” and a political blogger, working under the title Out in Left Field. She becomes a regular contributor to PoHo with this entry:
Watching HBO Sunday night, I caught some of the musical guests who were performing with exuberance in front of the Lincoln Memorial. My heart soared while legends like Stevie Wonder and Pete Seeger teamed up with Usher and Bruce Springsteen, all of them looking and sounding better than ever. Their optimism and love for this country shining through every lyric, musical note, and facial expression.
For me, the end of U2’s performance summed it up best.
“Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel,” Bono said.
Then he repeated himself.
For the last eight years, we’ve been told throughout the nation and around the world, through deeds and through actions, that to disagree with America’s governing body meant you were turning your back on America.
“You’re either with us or against us,” President Bush said.
Thirty-five years ago last August, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of a quarter of a million people and gave one of the most memorable speeches in American History. (My post from 2007 has the full text and an audio clip.) This speech was given when a large part of America still did not believe all men are created equal.
Tomorrow, in front of 10 or 20 times as many people, Barak Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, the first American of African descent to be elected to the highest post in the land. Many have called this the culmination of King’s Dream. Perhaps, another way to describe this momentous occasion is that our nation has reached the other side of the mountain.
I say this because King gave another speech in April 1968 in Memphis, the day before he was assassinated, in which he said:
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 20, 2009, at 5:30 am
Ana Cruz is a political consultant in Tampa and former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. She agreed to file regular reports from D.C. via Facebook mobile as she takes in the parties and events this week. Here are her reports so far, with only minor editing for spelling and capitalization to preserve the flavor and immediacy of her txts:
January 18 at 9:36pm
This Hispanic ball is packed. Its a zoo but lots of celebs and members of Congress and folks that traveled from all over. Its a great mix of people. Funny enough I’m standing in the room I was in for Clinton’s 2nd inaug.
January 18 at 11:40pm
got great photo w San Fran Mayor Gavin Newsome. Congressman Kendrick Meek is here as well. Lots of members of Congress. I just walked into hot gblt party hosted by Steve Hildebrand. This city is so alive everyone introduces themselves everyone Is happy and excited. More to follow
January 19 at 12:14am
Ok just met Jennifer Beal!!!!!!
January 19 at 10:14am
I’m in the weeds. Heading to Saks to buy another dress. Too many events not enough fabric;) then heading to the hill to pick up tickets from Meek’s office. I picked up my swearing in tkt from Hillary’s Office and they r beautiful. Very formal, gold tassel, maps and good directions and two nice photos of our new potus and vpotus. Its so real finally and so much more exciting. More to come. I wish all of Tampa were here to share this me. Its really very special.
January 19 at 10:19am
Oh on another note. Getting out of last night dress was hysterical. It involved my best friend heather a serrated kitchen [knife] and a meatball sub.
January 19 at 8:19pm
Wayne- I’m headed to yet another series of celebrations. 1st to meet up w Congressman Meek @ Congresswoman Corrine Brown’s Florida party then to a small dinner and then to the fl society ball. This is so much fun but very tiring. Its absolutely freezing up here as well. Taxis and limos are hard to come by but the view of the Capitol lit up in the distance is breath taking, all the monuments seem even more special tonight for some reason. I’ve always been proud to be a Democrat but feel extraordinarily humbled by all those who believed in this Democratic president-elect. May sound corny to some but if you were here you’d understand.
Sent via Facebook Mobile
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 19, 2009, at 2:16 pm
In his final hours, President George W. Bush goes down blazin’ for conservatives by setting free two US Border Patrol officers who shot an unarmed drug dealer in the ass as he tried to escape from them and then tried to cover it up. Their cases had been taken up by the right wing, who viewed the shooting as simply defending the nation’s border. From The Hill:
President Bush, in his last full day in the White House, commuted the sentences of Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who are in prison for shooting an unarmed Mexican drug smuggler.
The case of Ramos and Compean was initially a cause célèbre for conservatives who favor tight border security. However, other lawmakers have picked up their cause and applied pressure on the Bush administration to pardon them or at least commute the 11- and 12-year prison sentences.
“In reaching his decision, the president closely considered the views of people around the country who believe that the sentences these two men received were too harsh,” a White House official said. “A number of senators and congressmen from both parties and all parts of the country have expressed their strong view that Ramos and Compean’s sentences should be commuted. This includes almost the entire bipartisan delegation from Texas, the state in which the crimes occurred.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 19, 2009, at 2:01 pm
Your comments, questions and observation are welcomed. Just click on the Comments link below. (For those playing the Obama Inauguration News Coverage Drinking Game, the key phrase for chugging is “Sea of Humanity.”)
12:39: Joseph Lowery gives us the benediction. It’s longer than the speech itself.
What did you think of the speech? I’m working on a separate blog post about it, but would love your comments below.
12:26 p.m.: The big finish: Obama cites the Father of our Nation and says America is “in the depth of winter:”
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.
12:17: Obama’s repudiation of the Bush Doctrine is subtle yet complete:
And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.
… To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
12:10: Obama:
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
12:07: “Every so often the oath is taken among gathering clouds …”
Barack ain’t mincing any words. We’re all to blame for this shit we find ourselves in, not just Bush or the jackasses on Wall Street or Al Qaeda. WE are the blame.
Below is the full 17-minute version of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Aug. 28, 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 17, 2009, at 12:38 pm
If you are from Tampa Bay, going to the Inaguration and on Twitter, how about sending us your observations from that historic occasion? Just end your tweet with #tampanews and it will go directly into our Tampa News Tweet feed in the News Section.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 15, 2009, at 7:06 am
As many pundits are noting these days, the normal niceities extended to a departing president aren’t being given to George W. Bush as he leaves office. The public actually seems to be getting more hostile to him by the day.
So tonight’s planned farewell address should prove very interesting. Expect him to be thankful for having served his nation, grateful for those who worked with him in the White House, and concerned about the nation’s ongoing safety from terror attacks. He’ll burnish his record. He’ll do that goofy smirk of his. Just how far he will go with his spin about “only history will judge if I was right or wrong” remains to be seen.
The 10-15 minutes of speechifying starts at 8 p.m.
Bonus Cut: Here are George Washington’s parting thoughts as he left the presidency. He couldn’t get any network air time, so he delivered them in writing.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 12, 2009, at 9:49 am
He’s still taking questions as I write this, but it strikes me that this (final) news conference being held by the outgoing President George Walker Bush is about all you need to see to understand why history will judge him as one of our nation’s worst.
Bush spent more time jibing/joking with individual reporters than actually giving substantive thoughts, but when he did answer questions about his actions regarding the economy or the war in Iraq, he showed his fundamental weakness as a president: his belief that his mistakes were simply good actions that are being attacked by partisan critics or a biased press. He is a walking compendium of malapropisms and slogans right to the end, without showing any real conviction or will.
He said he could have avoided making the tough decisions, but that is not his style. Hooey. Staying in Afghanistan to find Bin Laden would have been the tougher call than the easy military mission to remove Saddam Hussein (Mission Accomplished!!). Finding out the complexities of building a new government and society in that nation would be have the tough thing to do; guessing that Iraqis would welcome “democracy” and armed occupiers with open arms was shirking the tough decision.
Mistakes, he was asked, have you made a few (but then again, too few to mention)? “Obviously, some of my rhetoric has been a mistake,” Bush said, referring to the mission accomplished dog-and-pony. As for his response to Katrina. He said he has asked himself “could I have landed Air Force One there” and made a difference, but he worried that vital public safety workers would have been diverted from real work to an event for himself.
But there was good news from the press conference.
“When I get out of here, I’m getting off the stage,” Bush said. “I’ve had my time in the Klieg lights.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 9, 2009, at 3:00 pm
And the fireworks begin. As I wrote in the last post, John Ziegler is doing a hack-job on how Obama was elected and Palin was treated by the media. Here’s his contentious interview today with MSNBC:
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 9, 2009, at 1:23 pm
There’s more waaaaaaahhhhhhh! coming from Anchorage and the woman who would be president in 2012. Sarah Palin was interviewed by filmmaker John Ziegler, for his promised documentary “Media Malpractice: How Obama got elected and Palin was smeared.” Palin is just a victim of the big-bad Liberal Media:
Here is Ziegler (whose last journalistic effort was built on his allegation that the Clintons got his “The Path to 9/11″ film suppressed by Disney) and his account of the Palin “get:”
If someone would have told me five months ago that in early January I would pay over $1,400 for an incredibly inconvenient plane ticket and $120 for a 3 am cab fare to get from sunny Los Angeles to Wasilla, Alaska, I would have told them there was a better chance that the Dow Jones would be below 9,000 and a gallon of gas would be less than two dollars.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jan. 5, 2009, at 3:54 pm
It is not on the newspaper’s website yet, or anywhere else in the blogosphere, but the New York Times’ e-mail alerts says it is so:
From: “NYTimes.com News Alert” <nytdirect@nytimes.com>
Reply-To: <nytdirect@nytimes.com>
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 14:36:19 -0500
Subject: News Alert: Leon E. Panetta to Be Named C.I.A. Director
Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Monday, January 5, 2009 — 2:32 PM ET
—–
Leon E. Panetta to Be Named C.I.A. Director
President-elect Barack Obama has selected Leon E. Panetta,
the former congressman and White House chief of staff, to
take over the Central Intelligence Agency, an organization
that Mr. Obama criticized during the campaign for using
interrogation methods he decried as torture, Democratic
officials said Monday.
Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
UPDATE: NBC News and other outlets are now reporting the same.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Dec. 29, 2008, at 11:27 am
The perfect gift for those on the right (who adore her) and those on the left (who will hate the turn of each and every month). It’s the 2009 Sarah Palin Calendar. Hurry! (It’s compliments of Judy Patrick Photography, which points out that each calendar comes “in cellophane packaging.”) It is apparently a big hit in the blogosphere and elsewhere.
Don’t need a paper calendar any more my little Interwebs friends? How about a life-size standup cutout of the Alaska Maverick? Just $34.45 will get you this:
In between inaugural balls yesterday, President Obama ordered an immediate halt to the Bush administration’s 
