The Gregg Thing

Tom Daschle? Who's that? Dept.
So a day after the BIG SURPRISE withdrawal, the mainstream media seems to be obsessed as usual with the Republican talking points. But it turns out, there's this little Abramoff connection that, if nothing else, says he's out of a job at re-election time anyway.
I'm not gonna try to pin this down by finding a link, but here it is if you want to look yourself.
Denegre at Kos is highly respected, BTW.
So, without further ado, this TPM comment:

I think Gregg thought he could monkey-wrench the 2010 Census, ala Tom Delay and crew. When that got preempteviley yanked form his clutches, and two of his top aides where implicated int eh Abramoff scandal within the past week, he realized the noose is tighetning. As dengre pointed out yesterday over on Daily Kos, It turns out that Gregg's office was Abramoff central in 2002 to 2004. Kevin Koonce was not the only Abramoff connected staffer of Gregg's payroll. There was also John Mashburn, a former Team Abramoff lobbyist and others. Money from Abramoff moved through Gregg's office to the NH Republican Party. Allegations have been made that some of these funds were used for jamming Democratic GOTV phone lines on Election Day and other dirty tricks.
The court documents that identify "Staffer F" also make it clear that the Senator he worked for was helping Abramoff.
As the investigation heats up I am not surprised to see Gregg bow out. I am also glad that he will not bring his Abramoff tainted record into the White House.

It should be noted, however, that the Obama team didn't do a very good job of vetting this guy. Daschle indeed.

Liveblogging Potus

From the radio. I don't really need to watch, I already know he's handsome.

BIG O
Elkhart, Ind. today---7.7% to 15% unemployment.
Highest in nation.
Last month lost equivalent of every single job in the state of Maine.
---stimulus will "save or create up to 4 mil jobs"
---fed govt only entity left with resources left to help---
break the cycle
----greater unemployment benefits, health ins. coverage, (thought the senators took those out)
tax credits---put more $ in pockets of those most likely to spend it
----tax cut strategy only got us here, didn't help
----not a single earmark---can't say everything will work exactly as hoped but....doing little or nothing...turn crisis into catastrophe
---urges C to resolve differences and pass it
Press ???s

AP---what could make our recession permanent---language too dire?
O---if delay under this severity creates a negative spiral much more diff. to get out of---like Japan's "lost decade"---the 90s, of no growth
"this is not your ordinary, run of the mill, recession"
half job losses in last 3 mos, means it accelerating
re:criticisms
1--no govt intevention in marketplace
most economists recognize this big a problem govt. is important element to introduce additional demand into economy ($1 tril. this year, another $1 tril. next year loss of demand

2---(interrupted by phone, visitor)
Reuters--Iran?
all negatives create possibility of destabilizing region and contrary to our interests and international peace
---so we should employ all resources including diplomacy

3--Chip Reed?
bipartisanship?
What went wrong?
did you underestimate
O---a lot of bad habits built up in D.C., Americans get it
building trust over time---cabinet members, hope will be reciprocated
---but with economy, can't afford for Cong. to play usual political games
language--pork, wasteful spending when I hear that from folks who presided over unprecedented national debt--I inherited this
----no earmarks, just political rhetoric
bottom line is create 4 mil jobs, lay foundation for long term economic growth
don't call info tech in healthcare and greening federal buildings "wasteful"
school construction---short term jobs, long term economic benefit

4---Chuck Todd
isn't consumer spending what got us into this mess, shouldn't we worry about debt first?
O---not consumer spending, but bank irresponsibility
acknowledges savings rate declined and consumer economy for a long time--not sustainable
"The party now is over"
sequence now
1-stop spiral--put 4 in consumer pockets and two others, prop up economic recovery plan "I would love to not have to spend money right now"
2--mid-term and l.t. budget---figure out how to operate more prudently
change bad habits

5--Bloomberg
Won't govt need more than the current $350 bil
O---his immediate task is to make sure this is spent properly
before thinking what else needs to be done (conventional wisdom out there says we'll need another $1 tril for next year)
---also refers to banking issues still to be clarified tomorrow (tomorrow) and housing issues
we dont' know yet how much additional money we're going to need
ultimately govt can't substute for private capital that's gone out of system

6---Jake (Tapper)
how figure if what we've done is working or need to go to plan B
O--initial goal is save or create 4 mil. jobs
2--are credit markets operating effectively, business still can't get credit
normalize credit markets
3--stabilize housing market
can stem foreclosure rate, help stabilize housing values
4---job growth

7--CNN
Afghanistan troop withdrawal timetable and no more sneaking the war dead back into country
---O---
blah-blah more dead today, signing letters to families
---media coverage of dead policies---are reviewing, he needs to evaluate
--re:Afgan. "big challenge" (heh)
national govt. seems very detached from what's going on around country plus Taliban a big deal
---Holbrooke and Petreuas --- coordination with diplomacy and development and allies
bottom line: "This is a situation in which a region served as a base to launch an attack that killed 3,000 Americans"
---can't allow Al Q to operate and have safe havens in that region---
no timetable yet

8--Helene Cooper

will next bailout require banks to make loans
O---he's avoiding preempting SecTreas
but "one of my bottom lines is is the money flowing to consumers"
package designed to help do that

9--Major Garrett

Biden said 30% chance will get it wrongg--what talking about

O--not sure what B meant, but "any single thing that we do is going to be part of the solution, not all of the solution" and not everything they do will work out

10--Michael Fletcher--Wapo
?reaction to A-Rod's disclosure of steriod use
O---depressing, message to kids, baseball finally taking it seriously,

11--Helen!!!
re: Pakistan and safe havens in Afganistan---any country in Middle East have nuclear weapons? (she wants him to say Israel, nobody will do that in case you haven't noticed)
O---Holbrooke must warn Pakis they endangered as much as we are by the Al Q camps
re: nukes---"I don't want to speculate. What I know is this..."volatility puts everybody in danger...we with Russia must lead the way on this, we start reducing our arsenals together to give us standing to have more

12--Huffpo--Sam Stein
Leahy wants to set up bush admin. investigation
O--hasn't seen the proposal---but has said his admin. is going to operate in a way that leaves no doubt that w ndo not torture, abide by Geneva while vigorously pursuig those who will do us harm
"nobody is above the law" and where clear instances of wrongdoing, ppl should be prosecuted but more important to look forward rather than back
esp. members of intel
community

13--Mora Liasson---NPR (I am less than impressed with her)
bipartisanship---what need to do
O----old habits hard to break
coming off an election, people want to test the limits of what they can get, a lot of jockeying, positionng for next election
--people can't afford it right now
for the record R's were brought in early---pleasantly surprised---"I suppose what I could have done was start out with no tax cuts...then let them take the credit"
--need education reform (Dems, I'm looking at you) and entitlements need to be reformed (R's I'm looking at you)
---"my whole goal over the next 4 years"---pull people together around a pragmatic agenda
oppty with the recovery package---econ advisors to R's say we need a serious, spending effort
--"I am the eternal optimist" over time people respond to civility and rational argument

Tom Daschle

"In Washington there are whores and there are whores, and then there is Tom Daschle."

It's important. Read it. This is the system and party is irrelevant. I'd been staying away from Greenwald because he tells me things I don't want to know.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

From TPM:

A federal grand jury probe of the firings of nine U.S. attorneys during the Bush administration is focusing on the role played by recently retired Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and former senior Bush White House aides in the 2006 dismissal of David Iglesias as U.S. attorney for New Mexico, according to legal sources familiar with the inquiry.

And Rove is cooperating with the AG's investigations now that he realizes ignoring subpoenas won't work forever.
Oh, yes, I likeee.

'

You May Not Remember

Monica Goodling, but I miss her. I really do. (Snark.)
And I kinda like this Obama guy, too.

On Monday, the Justice Department undid a small part of the damage that top officials caused in a scandal of politicized hiring and firing during the Bush administration. The department rehired an attorney who was improperly removed from her job because she was rumored to be a lesbian...As NPR reported in April, a top aide to the attorney general had heard a rumor that Hagen was a lesbian. Discrimination based on sexual orientation is against Justice Department rules. But Monica Goodling, senior counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, had Hagen removed from her job anyway.

Kudos to NPR on breaking this story originally.

Daschle Withdraws

Wow. Just wow.
I thought they'd tough it out. Biden and Obama were making phone calls for him yesterday.
So, it must have been the Senate colleagues behind closed doors that clinched it. Look, Tom, the R's are gonna distract the country with this for weeks and we've got a stimulus package to take care of. Do yourself and us a favor. Do what's right.
Okay, or maybe we'll out the rest of it and then what?
Sheeit.
Yeah my jaw dropped.
UPDATE: I was gonna add "it was greed what got 'im."
And sure enough, one of Sullivan's sources supplies this:

Tammy Duckworth!!

I kinda like this guy Obama. From TPM:

WASHINGTON (Feb. 3, 2009) - President Barack Obama has announced his intent to nominate L. Tammy Duckworth, director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, to be the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)...As a helicopter pilot flying combat missions in 2004, she suffered grave injuries when her helicopter was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade, losing both legs and partial use of one arm.

A Little Precious

meaning a tad overwritten (or underedited) but Esquire's profile of the man who ran the Obama campaign is worth a read anyway.
Overwritten as in:

Plouffe's face has a windburned clean to it...His mouth becomes a cartoon shape when he smiles, a sunny crescent.

Okay, way overwritten.

The White House Team

Vanity Fair has a series of portraits by Annie Liebovitz taken inside the White House on inauguration day. I like this one best because these are my people, watching "the press."

Day Three

My favorite headlines this morning are at Huffpo:
1. Obama To Lift Gag Rule, Restore Funding For Family Planning
2. FDA Approves First Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Steny, Newt, Pat!!!

What kind of a name is Steny, anyway?

HIGH-FIVE INAUGURATION! - watch more funny videos

Helen!!

Here's a slideshow of the first two days. Note who's in the front row at today's press briefing.
Yay!

Day Two: Guantanamo Redux

Via Sullivan's blog, Greenwald again nails it.
My only quibble (Word Challange!) is the use of the word "unexpected.
Heh.

Barack Obama will have spent his first several days in office issuing a series of executive orders which, some quibbling and important caveats aside, meet or actually exceed even the most optimistic expectations of civil libertarians -- everything from ordering the closing of Guantanamo to suspending military commissions to compelling CIA interrogators to adhere to the Army Field Manual to banning CIA "black sites" and, perhaps most encouragingly (in my view): severely restricting his own power and the power of former Presidents to withhold documents on the basis of secrecy, which has been the prime corrosive agent of the Bush era. As a result, establishment and right-wing figures who have been assuring everyone that Obama would scorn "the Left" (meaning: those who believe in Constitutional safeguards) and would continue most of Bush's "counter-Terrorism" policies are growing increasingly nervous about this flurry of unexpected activity.

And, trust but verify. Who said that?

: Writing on his new Washington Post blog, Greg Sargent highlights the types of vital issues that are unresolved by these Executive Orders and which have the potential to undermine, it not entirely subvert, the progress that Obama made this week. That's why ongoing vigilance, rather than complacency, is so crucial.

The Best Inuaguration Collection

according to Taplin.

Day One: Guantanamo

From Glenn Greenwald via Andrew Sullivan:

It appears that the Guantanamo judges will be receptive to the Obama administration's request to stay these commissions, as another military judge -- this one overseeing the proceedings against five detainees accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- just ordered the commissions stayed for 120 days, as Obama ordered his prosecutors to request. And the Swiss Government today announced that it will agree to accept released Guantanamo detainees if that helps close the camp, which Switzerland, like most of the civilized world, considers a blight on Western justice and an ongoing violation of international law. Those are fairly rapid (and encouraging) events for the first 24 hours.

I know you really don't want to know about this. I don't either. But it is Day One, so somebody thinks it's important.

In December, 2003, when he was (at most) 18 years old, Jawad -- according to Guantanamo prison logs -- attempted to kill himself. In 2004, he was subjected to the so-called "frequent flier" program, where, in a two-week period alone, he was moved to a new cell 112 times -- an average of every 3 hours, in order to ensure he was sleep deprived and disoriented. Over the six years at Guantanamo, Jawad was repeatedly subjected to extreme cold, bright lights, and various stress positions. He was often kept in solitary confinement or in "linguistic confinement," isolated from anyone who spoke his only language (Pashto). As recently as May of 2008, while Jawad was at Guantanamo, he was beaten so badly by guards that, weeks later, he still had extreme bruises on his arms, knees, shoulders, forehead and ribs.

This is documented, folks, by his original prosecutor, who resigned from the case in protest. Greenwald has the links. You cannot say, as the Germans did , that you didn't know.