Obama's National Security Team - Bipartisan and Balanced
Monday, December 1, 2008 at 11:14So, the latest members of the "national security team" look like this:
* Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State
* Retired Marine GEN James Jones as National Security Adviser
* Arizona Governor Jean Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security
* Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense
This strikes me as just about as balanced as one might hope. Gates has experience under GOP Presidents at CIA and Defense, Napolitano did extensive work in homeland security in Arizona, and GEN Jones (retired) is a Vietnam vet with broad experience (including command of NATO). (It should be noted that GEN Jones made campaign appearances with John McCain - Obama definitely picked one from the other side of the fence there...)
That leaves the somewhat contentious (for some) nomination of Clinton for SecState. From what I've read, they've put Bill's foundation operation under a microscope and created a fairly strict set of rules for its operation in the future.
All in all, I'd name this an exceptionally well-balanced team. Where the latter three are concerned, we have three very serious operators who aren't ideologically driven - and that's a VERY good thing to see at this point in the American experiment.
Restoring Federal Capacity
Moreover, we can cheerfully and confidently predict the wingnuts’ attribution of how the dysfunctional wreckage we now call the federal government was rendered nearly useless: government always sucks, and besides, it’s the fault of The Failed Obama Administration.
While others try to clean the sheets and blankets and wipe up the mess, count on the beds***ters themselves crowding 'round and complaining bitterly about that beastly stench.
The Must-Read Story of the Weekend
And this companion reading from last spring.
Who Will Save Us From The Lawyers?
Lawyers call for international court for the environment
Stephen Hockman QC is proposing a body similar to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to be the supreme legal authority on issues regarding the environment.
The first role of the new body would be to enforce international agreements on cutting greenhouse gas emissions set to be agreed next year.
But the court would also fine countries or companies that fail to protect endangered species or degrade the natural environment and enforce the "right to a healthy environment".
The Worst Gift of the Season
Want to get a nice Christmas gift for a friend, something that just oozes with Christmas spirit? Something uplifting, a gift to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth?
No problem. Buy your friend a Planned Parenthood gift certificate, and help her kill her unborn child this holiday season. Silent night indeed.
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/11/26/Planned_Parenthood_offering_gift_option/UPI-20201227720247/
Hat tip: La Shawn Barber http://lashawnbarber.com/
Samantha Power - Stranger and Stranger
Samantha Power, Jew basher, Israel basher, Hillary basher, and banished Obama advisor, is back. She must have been rehabilitated somehow.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/28/AR2008112802453.html
Samantha Power, the Harvard professor who was forced to resign from Barack Obama's presidential campaign last spring after calling Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "a monster," is now advising the president-elect on transition matters relating to the State Department -- which Clinton is slated to head.
Could become quite entertaining.
Another Step Forward in Iraq
Now the Iraqi parliament as a whole has approved the deal (previously approved by the Iraqi cabinet) allowing U.S. forces to stay in Iraq until 2011. This is outstanding, as it indicates a maturing Iraqi government that is increasingly taking charge of things, while at the same time rejecting any precipitous removal of U.S. troops.
One thing the Time article doesn't mention, not surprisingly given Time's political orientation, is the fact that this agreement and the dramatic improvements in Iraq would not have been possible if we had followed the lead of cut-and-run leftists like Dick Durbin, John Murtha, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama.
Much needs to be done there, and this agreement lays the groundwork for increased progress. The end game, while still distant, is in sight.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1862660,00.html
Tweety Foe Senate?
Chris Matthews, 62, is reportedly weighing seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge 82-year-old Pennsylvania Republican Senator Arlen Specter. Reports are that Matthews’ contract expires in June and his ratings can’t really justify his $5 million annual salary.
I really have such mixed feelings about this. Matthews is undeniably smart; he's capable of being a first-rate interviewer and sometimes seems to have as sharp and inquiring a mind as any talking head (not exactly a Mensa convention, I know), yet I’m often frustrated by his stubborn insistence that horse-race reporting always trumps policy, and by his ever-ready willingness to buy into rightwing horseshit.
Matthews' undisguised contempt for Hillary Clinton (more so than for Bill) marred a lot of his reporting. His silly and adolescent hero-worship of GOP candidates over their purported or supposed "manliness" is downright embarrassing, e.g., gushing over Captain Codpiece's prancing and strutting around on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, and Fred "The Cadaver" Thompson's alleged Aqua-Velva ambience. (In the spirit of bipartisanship he also gushes in the same way about Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.) And is it really helpful to mix up media political commentary with personal ambitions of public service this way?
Of course his unforgettable comment about getting a tingling sensation up his leg will probably be reprised a couple of times. It's also said that he'll have no shortage of able and willing rivals in Pennsylvania's Democratic field. Any thoughts?
Thanksgiving Open
Happy Thankgiving to our readers. May you eat well, give thanks for life's blessings, and have a drink or two celebrate. Here is an open thread in case any of you wish to share your thoughts...
Two Videos - Reasons to Give Thanks
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Couple of uplifting videos for today. Hope you enjoy.
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/11/26/a-beethoven-tango/
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=10831031
I give thanks for what kids like these bring to the world.
Obama's Blackberry
Life is tough. You get elected to the Big Chair, and have to give up the Blackberry.
Obama is frustrated by this, and is reportedly "negotiating" in order to find a way to keep it.
Yeah, that's a wonderful idea. The Commander-in-Chief keeping an electronic communication gadget that just screams, "HACK ME!"
Sorry, Mr. President-elect, you have massive responsibilities, and your personal wants take second position to national security.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/President44/Story?id=6329884&page=3
Are You Ready For Some Politics?
Hank Williams, Jr. is making plans for a run for a US Senate seat.
Hillary Clinton Ineligible for Sec State Job?
Apparently, a good legal argument can be made that Hillary Clinton is constitutionally barred from being named Secretary of State.
Politics is/are fun.
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_11_23-2008_11_29.shtml#1227562708