Lots of news today. Do me a favor and give me your thoughts on some of it. Some seriously great appointments, Al Franken is certified the winner, Leon Panetta has been appointed as DCI (I approve, even if DiFi does not). Most of all, I can’t wait until we no longer have idiots speaking for us that just make us all look like fools.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Yeah, I like the Panetta appointment. That should get the wingnut’s knickers in a knot.
So Israel has invaded 2 other democracies in the Middle East, Lebanon and Gaza. Can’t really defend either side in that dispute.
Panetta–why is important Lady Di. Fienstein approve?
Sen. Al Franken…Title says it all.
Feinstein is going to be the chair of the Intelligence Committee because Rockefeller is moving to Commerce and Inouye is moving from Commerce to Appropriations.
Panetta–why is important Lady Di. Fienstein approve?
She’s chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. I could be mistaken about this, but I suspect that confirmation hearings for the new director will go through her committee. If she decides she wants to tank him, and if she want to spend political clout with her fellow Democrats to do it, she can probably do it.
She’ll lose clout, and she’s not a favorite of progressives here in Cali.
I thought she was going to run for Governator anyway.
What has she done that she doesn’t want known…That’s my suspicion.
i don’t give a fuck what DiFi thinks, I hope the phone-tappin, torture-loving piece of shit has a stroke and dies. And if that sounds mean, I think my fourth amendment rights are more important than any individual
franken’s victory: does useless harry intend to accomodate Coleman, or is it all over?
You took the words out of my mouth! What a sleazy, unprincipled tool.
I lived in San Francisco when Milk and Moscone were gunned down. Feinstein had to beat Jello Biafra in a runoff to be mayor. I voted for Jello. He would have made a better Senator, too.
I’m tired of all the stupid floating around. Cheney, Bolton, Coleman, the congressional Republicans, and leftward folks mocking Obama for trying to deliver on a campaign promise.
They’re just jealous. 😉
On the subject of Dawn Johnsen’s appointment to John Yoo’s old stomping grounds, you couldn’t get a better, more truly progressive choice. She’s completely the opposite of Yoo it seems, and I truly hope this signals Obama’s Justice Department will live up to its name and start putting some Bushies in the dock.
Of course, this is where reality shows up and nothing happens, but it would be nice.
add elena kagan to the list of great appointments as nominee for solicitor general:
he’s putting one hell of a legal team in place, perhaps in anticipation of things to come, eh.
Wanker Award of the day collectively goes to the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board for its fact challenged and innuendo laden editorial on Al Franken’s win in Minnesota.
This is about as bad as it gets. They should turn in their pencils along with their resignations. The rest of us can probably use the pencils to gouge out our eyes. This will save us from having to read any more of this kind of drivel. I wonder if I will ever cease to be amazed.
you could just stop reading their drivel. Works for me.
If DiFi wanted to name the CIA Director she should have run for president. Leon is an inspired pick because he can see the forest for the trees. “Landslide Al” may be the best new Senator on the block. And Obama’s a big step in the right direction. Nevertheless, we’ve got a hell of a lot of intractable problems. We need revolutionary measures like new usury laws and a roll-back of our military-based empire and I’m not hearing anything that mekes me think that’s going to happen. So I’ll take some solace in small, small, small victories.
It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners — Albert Camus
You had me at “new usury laws.” YES, we do!
Meaning – I see a 26% interest rate on credit card debt to be a loan-shark-like figure. I pay 2-4% on most of my debts. Why shouldn’t others get the same, assuming they are going to pay regularly?
Ohio’s usury laws nearly bankrupted us about 40 years ago. When interest rates went high nationally, they were capped in Ohio. So what happened? Down payments went to as much as 50% of the sale price of the house. No one bought anything. There were so many houses on the market you couldn’t rent. When you can’t rent, you have trouble keeping house insurance. So, we had taken new employment in another state just before this happened. We were not over extended in any way, but try owning a house half way across the country that you can’t rent, can’t insure and still have to pay taxes and maintain. For years!
I think that line of reasoning does not imply that one must not address usury further, does it? That is specious to say the least.
We need to break from only considering the extremes vis-a-vis regulation.
..also there is a biig difference between a federal law and your former state’s decision to put itself at a disadvantage.
Oh, and by the way, people SHOULD try to put down 50% on their house. The idea of a house for ‘almost free’ has obviously proven unsustainable and will result in a massive class of folks who are essentially debt slaves.
When houses are given away ‘for free’ to everyone, that is what they are worth: nothing.
There is far more complexity to usury laws than either of these commenters recognize.
I wrote a long comment in reply and then decided to scrap it.
Write a post!!
Wasn’t Panetta involved in some financial scandal? House bank, maybe? Or am I thinking of some other Clinton aide from California?
Minetta?
I guess my memory is faulty on this one. Can’t find anything by googling. If I was right, surely the wingers would be shouting about it.
Not Panetta.
He’s a civil rights “hero,” and was instrumental in the formation of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary–totally opposite achievements. But he also doesn’t seem to have skeletons in the intelligence closet that DiFi can use to limit his scope, and that sounds good to me.
Isn’t DiFi involved or have vested interests in the Military Industrial Complex? If I remember correctly, both her and her husband are up past their ears in all sorts of Corporate crap. Perhaps we may get lucky and nail that bitch to the wall. I would love to see a lot of these self serving sons of bitches get their just rewards, no matter their political persuasion.
We finally got rid of our Miss Piggy, who was representing us here in Oregon and also showed the door to Herr Smith the pea picking and canning stooge. I used to think the world of Daniel Inoye, but he has shown his true colors with his backing of his “Friend from AK” Mr Fix My House For Free..
It’s time to send some of these bastards to the long bar hotel for their nefarious dealings and their idea that they are above the law..
Just this old chief’s 2¢
Panetta has a reputation as an outstanding administrator. He has served in a number of positions, of which I can only recall three, Member of Congress, Chief of Staff for Clinton and having a think tank in California for the last 8 years. I’m sure he has done a lot more. I am sure he’ll be a good director.
However, I would prefer an intel professional such as Steve Kappes. I think the Director needs to know what a Case Officer and what a Station Chief face on a daily basis.
Kappes has been there & done it and knows from first hand experience.
He was a beloved Congressman in the Bay Area for years. I heard him speak once, years ago.
I think a Case Officer and Station Chief need to reach out to the Director. That hasn’t always been the case..!
Panetta is a bean counter, and will be seen as such by his new charges, as he was before. He’ll probably do just fine and serve some specific agenda, then step down.
It’s Admiral Blair that is the unknown quantity we need to be interested in.
Here’s a guy who betrayed his own civilian leadership in support of Indonesia’s second pass at genocide on Timor. Yes, a direct order from Clinton to piss on an Indonesian general (Wiranto) for allowing/stoking murderous rampages in East Timor resulted instead in Blair inviting the General back to his house in Hawaii.
Indonesians might assume that we plan on aligning with old (pre-democratic) Indonesian elites, or at least using them for some purpose in the region. My presumption is that Obama will ‘find’ himself getting more involved in both Philippine and
I think the odds of our intervention against genocide just went down considerably.
Although the Admiral is a surfer, so in Hawaiian-think, he must be ‘cool’?
that was supposed to be:
“getting more involved in both Philippine and Indonesia.”
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