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December 23, 2008
Cruise As Metaphor
An interesting new piece from Stephen Metcalf at Slate. His basic take: as Tom Cruise has gone, so has the country. It's worth a read.
Posted by houtopia at 01:13 AM | Comments (1)
December 20, 2008
Linking To Burka
Paul's posting on the Bell SD 17 runoff last night included some interesting comments, and spun off another discussion about how Democrats can become competitive again at the statewide level in Texas, and eventually win. It's interesting stuff - go have a look.
Posted by houtopia at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2008
We Have A Darwin Award Winner!
The State of Illinois has had quite a year. It has seen its junior U.S. Senator elected President of the United States, and one of Obama's Chicago colleagues in the U.S. House chosen to be his new chief of staff. Today, however, brought word of a more dubious distinction for the Land of Lincoln.
This morning Illinois' sitting Governor, Rod Blagojevich, was arrested in Chicago on federal corruption charges. It seems Governor "Blago" had been peddling Obama's Senate seat appointment to the highest bidder.
This stunning development was even more shocking given that the Guv knew he was already under investigation for previous corrupt activities. That's right folks, this genius had repeated phone conversations (which were legally wiretapped) in which he spoke openly of his plan to sell the Senate seat, or even appoint himself if he couldn't get a deal to his liking.
He discussed his wish list -- a Cabinet posting, an ambassadorship, a high-paying Labor job, and lucrative corporate board appointments for his wife -- in exchange for the appointment. He cursed the president-elect because he knew Obama would be unwilling to pay him off. All this while he knew he was under investigation.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Governor of Illinois may be the stupidest man in the United States. And even if he doesn't quite reach that standard, Blago is hands-down the political Darwin award winner for 2008. Fitting that last year's winner, Senator Larry Craig of Idaho, passes the torch to Blago on the day his own appeal to reverse his guilty plea was denied.
Oh, and former Illinois Governor Ryan? Save a spot in the pokey for your successor. He will be joining you soon.
Posted by houtopia at 08:14 PM | Comments (0)
December 08, 2008
It's About The Judges
As the nation awaits the arrival of a Barack Obama administration, much attention has been given to the incoming president's cabinet selections and possible remedies for the ailing domestic economy. How Obama fills out his cabinet and White House staff, and specific policy goals he may pursue with large majorities in both houses of Congress are vitally important to be sure.
It is with judicial appointments, however, where Obama can arguably make his most lasting impact on the federal government. Many have speculated on potential Obama appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court. It is thought likely that two of the court's left-leaning judges -- John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- are likely to retire on the new administration's watch. Of course, other retirements or unexpected exits are possible, and with a closely divided court Obama's appointments will be critical to the future direction of the nation's highest court.
Often overlooked, however, are the many more lower court appointments Obama is likely to make and which will have a larger overall impact on the federal judiciary. After all, the overwhelming majoirty of cases never reach the Supreme Court. Rather it is at the district and appellate court level where most decisions are made. Furthermore, like Supreme Court slots, lower federal court appointments are lifetime jobs, so district and appellate court picks affect these courts for decades.
In today's Washington Post, Jerry Markon examines the politics of the federal bench. The federal judiciary has tilted decidedly more conservative on the Bush administration's watch, which is unsurprising. Obama will have an opportunity to reverse the tide, and he is expected to do so. And while the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate (where all federal judicial nominees must be confirmed) will fall short of being fillibuster proof, having 58 or 59 votes will make confirmation of Obama nominees much easier than having a one or two seat majority.
Check out the article -- it's a good read. It is clear that Barack Obama will be in a strong position to undo some of the far-right extremism that George W. Bush has forced on the federal judiciary.
Posted by houtopia at 09:19 PM | Comments (0)
December 02, 2008
A Looming Threat
Most of the news on the foreign policy front yesterday was, understandably, focused on President-Elect Obama's unveiling of his national security team, as well as continued fallout from last week's horrific attacks in Mumbai.
Many a reporter predictably tried to devine the real degree of thawing of things between Obama and his former rival for the Democratic nomination, now his pick for Secretary of State, Senator Hillary Clinton. Just as predictably, neither gave the press anything to work with. (These are Jedi-level pols, folks, did you really expect anything different?)
On a much more somber note, people across the globe struggle to make sense of Mumbai -- the who, the why and the what will happen next?
Meanwhile, today's Washington Post highlights an alarming new report from the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, which suggests the recent events in India may pale in comparison to what lies ahead if and when terrorist groups get ahold of WMDs such as biological and nuclear weapons.
According to the Post piece, the bipartisan congressional committee declared the odds "better than even" that a WMD will be used in a terrorist attack on a major city in the next 5 years. Scary stuff indeed.
The report cites the spread of rogue states, smuggling networks, and atomic know-how as the root of the problem, and singles out Pakistan as a particular area of concern. It urges the new administration, Congress and the world community to act urgently to secure unguarded weapons stockpiles and disrupt smuggling rings.
Let's hope they are listening.
Posted by houtopia at 09:44 AM | Comments (1)