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First there was the Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner who failed to pay $34,000 in taxes and now former Senate Democrat Majority Leader Tom Daschle who failed to pay $120K.

Damn, don’t any of Obama’s Cabinet picks pay their taxes on time? Or obey the tax rules of ordinary Americans?

So, get out the crying towel for Dasche as he supplicated himself before a closed-door session of the United States Senate.

Fighting to salvage his Cabinet nomination, Tom Daschle pleaded his case Monday evening in a closed meeting with former Senate colleagues after publicly apologizing for failing to pay more than $120,000 in taxes. President Barack Obama said he was “absolutely” sticking with his nominee for health secretary, and a key senator added an important endorsement.

The White House both underscored the magnitude of the problem and tried to downplay it in the space of seven words. “Nobody’s perfect,” said press secretary Robert Gibbs. “It was a serious mistake. …”

Nobody was predicting defeat for Daschle’s nomination as secretary of health and human services, but it was proving an unsavory pill to swallow for senators who only last week confirmed Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary despite his separate tax-payment problems. It’s an issue that strikes a nerve among lawmakers’ constituents who are struggling with their own serious money problems.

The only consistency we have in seen lately in the Obama Administration is that Cabinet appointees have tax problems.

Good grief……

By the way, Tom Daschle will likely be confirmed with the help of BO (Bend Over) Republicans who respect “CLUB SENATE” more than the taxpayers who sent them there.

Today there is a feature puff piece in the Los Angeles Times saying the “reformed reformer” Jerry Brown, currently California’s Attorney General is running again for California governor – 35 years after winning the seat.

Well, this has been no secret in California political circles for many months and Brown known for years as “Governor Moonbeam” has raised a ton of money for the race.

Why should the GOP be happy with the prospect of having one of its candidates, either Steve Poizner, California Insurance Commissioner or Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay run against Brown?

Look at this recent poll:

Note the favorable/unfavorable ratio for Jerry Brown. And, Brown is 70 years old and will face off against a younger generation of pols.

The likelihood of Brown winning the Democrat Primary election in June 2010 will be high. He will face off against a Democrat cast of many( some will undoubtedly drop out) – all much younger candidates but each with their on set of unfavorables: Gavin Newsom, the Mayor of San Francisco – Gay Marriage and extra-marital sex scandal; LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa – exra-marital sex scandal with a Latina news reporter.

A young, vigorous Republican business oriented candidate will be able to win in financially ravaged California.

Jerry Brown’s political baggage from over 4 decades of political nonsense will also be campaign fodder for the GOP media campaign – from the appointment of Rose Bird as California Supreme Court Chief Justice to the oppositon to Proposition 13 to sleeping on a mattress while he was governor.

Please Jerry run……Run Jerry run…..

Looks like GOP Senator Judd Gregg will be leaving his New Hampshire Senate seat to become President Obama’s Secretary of Commerce.

Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire is the leading candidate to become President Barack Obama’s commerce secretary, an administration official said Saturday, in a decision that could come as early as Monday.

Gregg’s appointment would add another Republican to Obama’s Cabinet at a time when the president is preaching a bipartisan message and working to build GOP support for his agenda.

But it also could potentially tip the power balance in the Senate, if the Democratic governor of New Hampshire decides to name a member of his own party to take Gregg’s place.

Jim Geraghty over at National Review has the poop on who will be appointed by a Democrat governor to replace Gregg for the remaing two years of his term. And, how this may mean a return to the Senate by former and recently defeated Senator John Sununu.

My understanding is that a deal has been struck that Obama will appoint Judd Gregg and that Gov. John Lynch (a Democrat) will fill the seat with Bonnie Newman (a “Lynch Republican”) who will (most likely) commit to NOT running again in 2010, thereby leaving the seat open setting up a Lynch vs. John Sununu Senate race.

Bonnie Newman will caucus with the Republicans and will likely be reliable on many spending issues, but she is NOT a supply sider by any means and will not shy away from tax increases.

John Sununu lost his seat in the tidal wave of Obamamania – 52 to 45 per cent with 3 per cent voting Libertarian.

The seat will be competitive for the GOP to retain.

Stay tuned……

American voters ask: Apologize to Iran for what?

Just 11% of U.S. voters think America should apologize to Iran for “crimes” against the Islamic country – one of the prerequisites demanded by the Iranian president before he will agree to meet with President Barack Obama.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 73% oppose such an apology.

Obama in an interview last week with al-Arabiya, a 24-hour Arabic language satellite network, offered to end nearly 30 years of bad relations with Iran if the Middle Eastern nation is ready to “unclench its fist.” Ahmadinejad responded by demanding an apology for U.S. “crimes” against Iran and calling for major changes in U.S. policies toward his country.

Other interesting results of the poll:

• 52 per cent of American votes view Iran as an ENEMY of the United States.

• 56 per cent believe Iran should be required to stop developing its nuclear weapons capabilities before a meeting is allowed between the presidents of the two countries – a precondition.

• 36 per cent believe relations between the two countries will get worse over the coming year, while 33% think they will get better.

• 77 per cent of American voters say Iran’s nuclear program is for weapons development.

As Alaska Governor arrived as a POLITICIAN OF CONSEQUENCE in the Washington social scene at the Alfalfa Club dinner on Saturday night, she is now back to business.

Palin arrived wearing an elegant black satin evening gown and a matching wrap. Longtime observer of the Washington social scene, Letitia Baldrige, formerly chief of staff to first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, said Palin’s attendance at the posh gathering underscores her arrival as a politician of consequence.

“It’s something that everybody who’s anybody in politics wants to be invited to,” Baldrige told the McClatchy News Agency.

The Alfalfa Club did not allow women as members until 1993. Late Saturday dozens of powerful women streamed in, among them Palin and Obama’s new Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Among the men seen entering the high-wattage affair were former US Defense chief Donald Rumsfeld and former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger.

News reports citing participants said Palin was the object of jovial ribbing, on the heels of her breakthrough last year as the first woman on a Republican Party presidential ticket.

The ‘Cuda has issued this press release regarding her position on the Democrat and Obama Economic Stimulus Bill.

Governor Sarah Palin this weekend met with business, economic and political leaders in the nation’s capital to discuss problems she sees for Alaska with the pending economic stimulus package in Congress.

“Alaska and other states need to be treated fairly,” Governor Palin said. “Much of the stimulus plan we’ve seen focuses on spending for government programs that would be a burden on states to continue funding, and doesn’t focus enough on spending that actually does put people back to work and stimulate the economy. Working with our D.C. staff, I took advantage of the opportunity to speak with Democrats and Republicans to voice my concerns. I appreciate their time and assistance in paying attention to our state.”

Governor Palin discussed troubling elements in the stimulus package including provisions that punish Alaska for forward-funding education, the mass transit funding formula that will limit Alaska opportunities but will pour money into other states, and the “shovel-ready” criteria for projects that northern climates might not be able to accommodate consistently due to the shortened construction season.

The governor continues to express concerns first identified in a Jan. 7 letter to the Alaska congressional delegation about the overall level of spending and the hugely increased deficit our nation is growing. Under the legislation, the U.S. would continue sending money to OPEC nations even as it continues to borrow and miss opportunities to develop domestic supplies of energy.

“Worst of all, the stimulus package rewards states for not planning when it comes to prioritizing for things like education, as Alaska has planned ahead by forward-funding 21 percent of our General Fund dollars for this very important priority,” said Palin. “It appears only those states that did not plan ahead with education will benefit. States like Alaska should not be punished for being responsible; yet that’s what the plan means for Alaska right now.”

The governor has asked the nation’s leaders to look at these issues to ensure fairness in the stimulus package and that the package does not harm the long-term fiscal health of the nation. Contrary to some news reports, she looks forward to continuing to work with Alaska’s congressional delegation to accomplish the state’s goals.

What is most interesting is Palin’s reluctance to do press availabilities during her trip. Remember the Republican Governor’s Association meeting after the November election and the bitchin’ and moanin’ that Palin was upstaging her GOP colleagues?

A lower key approach may indeed benefit the Governor at this point in time.