From closing Gitmo to transparent governing, from freezing last-minute Bush regulations to slowing the government-lobbying revolving door, the Obama administration has been very busy these past 24 hours. WaPo has the full rundown, all of it extremely gratifying to read. Glenn Greenwald praises: Barack Obama will have spent his first several days in office issuing a series of executive orders … Read More
Do-Over Done
Obama was sworn in again. Hope restored. UPDATE: Well, you would think that would be the end of it. I mean, it wasn't necessary in the first place (George Washington wasn't sworn in until seven weeks until his administration). But no. NOW the gripe is going to be that Obama, when he re-took the oath, did not have his left … Read More
What’s Different About This Picture?
Well, the obvious. It's President Obama, rather than President Bush. But there's something else. Scour photos of the Oval Office over the last eight years and there is one thing you won't see — a man sans jacket. That's because Bush had a rule — jackets always in the Oval Office. Obama, consciously or subconsciously in keeping with his … Read More
Was Condaleeza Rice Our First Black (and Woman) President?
Section 1 of the 20th Amendment: The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of … Read More
The First Dance
It happened only a few hours ago, but the dance of the President and First Lady is already going viral. It really is kinda sweet:
About The New White House Website
First of all, it's got a blog. Secondly, to its credit, it reflects Obama's commitment to open and transparent government. Case in point: The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. And even better: … Read More
It’s Official
NOTE: The White House website has changed already — in the span of 3 minutes. UPDATE — The full text of the address below the fold… THOUGHTS: Good speech. Lofty and inspirational. A bit tweaky of the Bush policies, but I'm sure unintentionally so. Cheney in the wheelchair looked like Mr. Potter from "It's A Wonderful Life".
An Historic Day
I'm talking, of course, about the 5th anniversary of this blog. The first post was January 21, 2004, a passing reference to a State of the Union drinking game. I had blogged for several years prior to that — at a group blog called "Freespeech" — but this was my first foray into something of my own. So it's been … Read More
Ashford & Simpson To (re)Release “Solid (As Barack)”
Maybe if we don't pay attention, it won't happen.
Obama To Appoint Gupta?
For what it's worth, I like the idea of Dr. Sunjay Gupta as Surgeon General, the current balloon being floated by the incoming Obama administration. I like his news reports on CNN and CBS. I like his rapport on talk shows. But this WaPo headline gets it wrong when it calls him a "journalist", as do right-wing blogs who focus … Read More
Change I Can Believe In
The Office Of Legal Counsel is an important executive position. The OLC gives legal advice to the president and, by extension, the executive branch. Among other things, it informs the CIA and the Department of Interior what it judges to be permissible under the laws, and its opinions are binding. Most people had never heard of the OLC before the Bush … Read More
Rick Warren As Invocation Speaker
A-list blogger acknowledge that Barack Obama is Time's Person of the Year, and then imposes on him Wanker of the Day. Why? Because of Obama's decision to have Rick "A Purpose Driven Life" Warren give the inaugural invocation. In fact many, particularly in the gay and lesbian community, are NOT happy about the selection of Warren. For example: This selection … Read More