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Shocking: VP Joe Biden Starts to Measure Oval Office Drapes and Then Barack Obama Retakes Oath of Office
Barack Obama’s botched Oath of OfficeDue to the FLAP of Barack Obama’s botched Presidential Oath of Office, Obama has retaken the Oath.
Chief Justice John Roberts has administered the presidential oath of office to Barack Obama for a second time just to be on the safe side.
The unusual step came after Roberts flubbed the oath a bit on Tuesday, causing Obama to repeat the wording differently than as prescribed in the Constitution.
White House counsel Greg Craig said Obama took the oath from Roberts again out of an “abundance of caution.”
The chief justice and the president handled the matter privately in the Map Room on Wednesday night.
Well, after Chris Wallace of Fox News in the video above said that Obama was maybe not President. But, really this is over-kill.
Then, there is the issue of Vice President Joe Biden.
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John Roberts
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Caroline Kennedy Withdraws Her Name from Consideration to Replace Hillary Clinton in the United States Senate
Caroline Kennedy responds during an interview, Friday, Dec. 26, 2008 in New YorkCaroline Kennedy is out.Caroline Kennedy has told Gov. David Paterson that she is withdrawing her name from consideration to replace outgoing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the U.S. Senate, The Post has learned.
Kennedy cited “personal reasons,” according to sources.
Her stunning move comes as sources revealed that Paterson had intended to appoint her to the now-vacant seat today.
The 51-year-old Camelot daughter’s decision removes the highest-profile name in the ring to step into Clinton’s seat, as she departs after getting confirmed as President Obama’s Secretary of State today.
The surprise decision leaves a crowded field of about 15 people, mostly elected officials, vying to replace Clinton – including Long Island Rep. Steve Israel, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, upstate Rep. Kirstin Gillibrand and Rep. Carolyn Maloney.
For the first time on Tuesday, shortly after Obama was inaugurated, Paterson acknowledged publicly that he is considering state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for the slot.
Now, the field is cleared for New York Governor David Paterson to appoint Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to the seat which in turn clears the field for Paterson to win the Democrat Party nomination to run for Governor in 2010.
Paterson was NOT going to appoint Kennedy and allowed her a face saving withdrawal. Thus, ends the very short political career of Caroline Kennedy.
The United States Senate seat from New York became vacant this afternoon when Hillary Clinton resigned after her confirmation as Secretary of State.
Previous:Is it Caroline Kennedy to Replace Hillary in the Senate? Well Maybe
Caroline Kennedy Fades In Yet Another New York Poll – Andrew Cuomo Up By 15 Points
Caroline Kennedy Fades In New York Senate Poll – Andrew Cuomo Now Preferred
Caroline Kennedy Sinks in the Polls But Does it Matter?
Technorati Tags: Caroline Kennedy, David Paterson
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Hillary Clinton Confirmed as Secretary of State
Senator Hillary Clinton smiles as she testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington to become the next U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary has been confirmed as Barack Obama’s Secretary of State.
The vote was 94-2 with GOP Senators David Vitter (Louisiana) and Jim DeMint (South Carolina) voting no.Earlier in the day, there was a renewal of the McCain-Cornyn feud over the nomination.
Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton
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Rudy Giuliani and Tim Pawlenty – Republican Party 2.0
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani discusses the GOP with David FrumRudy wants to nudge the social conservative issues to the background, not alienate voters and recapture the youth and suburban vote. Watch all of the video above to get his point.
The problem with Rudy when he ran for President was his personal baggage with his marriages and Bernie Kerck.He would have won the GOP nomination against McCain even with HIS far more liberal positions on social issues.
He is talking about returning to a “BIG TENT GOP.”
After all, the GOP has lost all of the Northeast, Far West and now parts of the Midwest in the Electoral College. But, is the GOP willing to deemphasize social issues like abortion, stem cell research and gay marriage – even to win elections?
Only, if the GOP is smart.
A little different approach is found in this interview of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty is of a different generation than Rudy but is essentailly formulating the same “NEW IDEA” method to win back elections.
Question: Back at the RGA meeting [last fall]], you talked about the party needed to get beyond Ronald Reagan. What do you mean by that? The RNC chairman candidates — all they really talk about is Reagan.
Answer: Well, I think I said in my state of my state, but I can also say it about my own party: we can’t be so in love with the past that we miss the future. And the world is changing very rapidly, and there’s a lot of technological change, demographic change, cultural change, and it’s all approaching us at a very rapid speed. And I think the Republican Party fondly remembers Ronald Reagan, and we should. He’s going to go down in history as one of the great presidents. Our challenge is to have the solutions of the 1980s not be the solutions that we have in 2008s. .. A lot has happened since the 1980s. There’s been a lot of change. We can be true to those values and principles, but half of the country doesn’t remember Ronald Reagan very well. If you’re under 40, 35 years old, Ronald Reagan is kind of a foggy notion. All I’m saying is, yes, let’s celebrate that, let’s learn from that, let’s build on it, but let’s talk about new ideas, new leaders, for the future.
The Republican Party is in dismal shape after the two terms of President George W. Bush. The Democrat Party enjoys super majorities in the Congress and now occupy the White House.
Times, demographics and the culture is changing. The GOP can either morph into a competitive, outreaching, ideas driven collection of leaders or slink back into the irrelevancy of a generation of Democrat Party rule.
Technorati Tags: GOP, Rudy Giuliani, Tim Pawlenty
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Maverick John McCain Bails Out His Old Drinking Buddy Hillary Clinton
The Maverick is back.John McCain has just come to the rescue of his old drinking buddy Hillary Clinton, bucking his colleague John Cornyn by calling for an immediate voice vote on her confirmation as Secretary of State.
In his first maverick-y move of the 111th Congress, McCain took to the Senate floor to call for unanimous consent to skip the 4:30 p.m. roll call on her nomination.
And he pressed John Kerry, who was deeply amenable, to deal with the matter right after lunch.
“I just talked to with Sen. Cornyn and he doesn’t object,” said McCain, who once bonded on an overseas trip with Clinton by doing shots.
“Sen. Cornyn is happy to yield back time and go to a voice vote once everybody has had their chance to speak,” said spokesman Kevin McLaughlin.
So far, every Republican except Cornyn has risen to say they want her confirmed as quickly as possible.
Ahhhhh the McCain conservatives love to hate is back – turning the Senate GOP Caucus into GO-ALONG Eunuchs.
But McCain, last year’s Republican nominee for president, argued that the Senate should skip the time-consuming roll-call vote and confirm Clinton by unanimous consent. “I think the message that the American people are sending us now is they want us to work together and get to work,†McCain said.
McCain has kept a low-profile since his November loss to Obama, but has enjoyed an unusually close relationship with Obama since the election. On Monday night, Obama held a dinner in McCain’s honor, and Obama has recently consulted McCain on foreign-policy issues, including the war in Iraq.
While McCain said he had spoken with Cornyn to receive his approval for skipping the roll-call vote, McCain and Cornyn have had well-documented battles in the past, including a heated exchange in 2007 over immigration legislation .
Here is the video of Senator John Cornyn capitulating on his hold of Hillary Clinton’s confirmation as Secretary of State.
Looks like Hillary will be confirmed and sworn in by the end of the afternoon.
Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton, John Cornyn
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Obama Says Chief Justice John Roberts Not to Blame for Flubbed Oath of Office
Barack Obama’s botched Oath of OfficePresident Barack Obama says it is not Chief Justice John Robert’s fault.
President Obama isn’t blaming Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts for slipping up as he recited the president oath of office during Tuesday’s inauguration ceremony.
Obama said Roberts actually helped him as he gave the oath, and that he was grateful.
“We’re up there, we’ve got a lot of stuff on our mind, and he actually helped me out on a couple of stanzas there,†Obama told ABC News backstage at the “Neighborhood Ball.â€
“So overall, I think it went relatively smoothly and I’m very grateful to him.â€
Various media and blogs have blamed either Roberts or Obama for the flub. Transcripts suggest that Obama broke in earlier than Roberts expected in repeating the oath, and that this may have thrown the chief justice off. He then put the word “faithfully†at the end of the phrase “I will execute the office of the United States†instead of at the front of that phrase.
Yeah, it makes no difference unless you are saying the oath should be administered again and Obama is NOT President.
Good grief…..
Next time, the Chief Justice and President-Elect should have a cheat sheet.
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, John Roberts
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Poll Watch: Meg Whitman in Tie With Jerry Brown for California Governor in 2010 – Leading All Others
Economic recovery press conference: Eric Cantor, Mitt Romney and Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO and McCain campaign adviser answer questions submit by the American People via YouTube, January 15, 2009
The latest poll from Rasmussen is extremely favorable for former eBay CEO Meg Whitman in the race for California Governor in 2010.The race may be nearly two years away, but early match-ups for the 2010 gubernatorial election in California show that it’s likely to be a close one.
With the state’s current Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, ineligible for reelection, the most prominent name mentioned on the GOP side is former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, and for now she beats two of the three leading early contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
The Poll:
- Meg Whitman – 38% Vs. Jerry Brown (California Attorney General and former Governor – 40%
- Meg Whitman – 37% Vs. Gavin Newsom (San Francisco Mayor) – 34%
- Meg Whitman – 41% Vs. Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles Mayor) – 34%
Favorability:
Forty-three percent (43%) of California voters view Whitman favorably, including 10% Very Favorable, while 22% view her unfavorably. Just five percent (5%) have a Very Unfavorable opinion of Whitman. A third of voters (34%) don’t know enough about her to form an opinion.
Brown is the most well-known name to California voters and is viewed favorably by 46%, including 24% who say that view is Very Favorable. Thirty-eight percent (38%) have an unfavorable opinion of Brown, with 26% Very Unfavorable. Just 16%, however, are not sure what they think of the 70-year-old Brown who has been a fixture in California politics for nearly 40 years.
Newson is viewed favorably by 36%, unfavorably by 41%, and 23% are not sure what they think of him. Thirteen percent (13%) have a Very Favorable opinion of Newsom and 25% a Very Unfavorable view. Villaraigosa’s ratings are 38% favorable, with 13% Very Favorable, and 42% unfavorable, including 27% Very Unfavorable. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure what they think of Villaraigosa.
Flap had mentioned that since Steve Poizner, California’s only statewide elected office holder, was running for Governor that perhaps Whitman should should run for the United States Senate instead. But, with these excellent poll numbers, it is fiull speed ahead with the governor’s race.
But, what will a contested GOP primary election do to her unfavorability ratings?
Stay tuned….
Watch Meg Whitman on video at the press conference referenced above.
Technorati Tags: Meg Whitman, Steve Poizner, Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa
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Barack Obama Orders Halt to GITMO Prosecutions
Prior to Barack Obama’s inauguration a big deal regarding Guantanamo Bay was made regarding a reversal of Bush policy on the terrorist detainees and the location of their incarceration. An executive order was to be made immediatley following Obama becoming President.In one of his first acts in office President Obama has ordered the U.S. government to suspend prosecutions of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay for 120 days, military officials said Tuesday.
Papers filed at the U.S. prison camp said the request is made “in the interest of justice and at the direction of the president of the United States.” It seeks a delay in proceedings until May 20.
“The judges will receive the requests and review them, and we anticipate a ruling soon,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Defense Department spokesman.
Tuesday’s directive was issued verbally through Defense Secretary Bob Gates, according to a military official.
This is a big deal?
A Reagan – Iranian hostage release inauguration moment?
No, it is more symbolism over substance or Plus Ca Change from Obama.
Ed Morrissey explains why the Obama decision is nothing but delay.
In this case, justice delayed is not much of a change at all. Did Obama not have an idea of how to proceed when he took office? A four-month delay only means that the detainees will have to wait that much longer to see any adjudication of their status. Why not allow the tribunals to proceed, at least to get a finding of fact from them? If Obama wants to invalidate the process later, he can also invalidate their findings. It’s difficult to see what Obama expects to get from a further delay, especially since one of the main complaints about Gitmo has been the length of time the men have been held without adjudication.
The delay would only be meaningful if Obama intended to free all of the Gitmo prisoners, something that the ACLU has urged. Somehow, I don’t think Barack Obama would be that foolish. It would be tough to win re-election as the man who set Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 actors free simply to win favor from Europe’s elite.
In the end, Obama’s policy may not be that different from the Bush Administration. Campaign rhetoric is one thing; actual governance is another.
Here is another example of Barack Obama’s policy positions having an expiration date. Now, this is real change.
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Guantanamo Bay
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Day By Day by Chris Muir January 21, 2009 – Donovan Would’ve Gagged
Reverend Joseph Lowry’s benediction at Barack Obama’s inauguration yesterday certainly set the tone for a post-racial Presidency – NOT.So, has Brack Obama’s inauguration heightened tensions between white Americans and everyone else? A them vs. us mentality in the culture?
Remains to be seen. But, Lowry did not make a good start.
Previous:
Technorati Tags: Day By Day, Barack Obama, Joseph Lowry
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links for 2009-01-21
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CNN has learned Gen. David Petraeus is returning to Washington to attend the meeting President Barack Obama is planning to have Wednesday with the Joint Chiefs and his wartime commanders.
That meeting is expected to involve discussion of troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan and the new president is expected to tell commanders he wants them to plan to have combat forces out of Iraq in sixteen months– as he promised in the election campaign.
Petreaus will have just arrived from Afghanistan and Pakistan and is expected to brief Obama on the latest developments in that troubled region.
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Perhaps or he may wait a while. -
Address Gun Violence in Cities: Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.
How, precisely, does the Obama Administration plan on "making guns in this country childproof"? Mandatory trigger locks?
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Beats me, Jim -
Well, isn’t this special? After overstaying her visa, ignoring a federal deportation order for years, escaping apprehension in Boston, and taking refuge in Cleveland, the destitute illegal alien aunt of Barack Obama somehow found her way to Washington, D.C., today for her nephew’s inauguration.
Federal immigration officials couldn’t find her, but she was spotted by several media outlets and partygoers around the Beltway.
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But, ICE could not find her. Snort -
U.S. stocks sank, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average to its worst Inauguration Day decline, as speculation banks must raise more capital sent financial shares to an almost 14-year low.
State Street Corp., the largest money manager for institutions, tumbled 59 percent after unrealized bond losses almost doubled. Wells Fargo & Co. and Bank of America Corp. slumped more than 23 percent on an analyst’s prediction that they’ll need to take steps to shore up their balance sheets. The Dow’s 4 percent slide was the most on an Inauguration Day in the measure’s 112-year history, according to data compiled by Bloomberg and the Stock Trader’s Almanac.
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The stock market does not have much faith in Obama. -
How about objective, Helen?
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Waving cardboard red, white and blue "W"s, thousands welcomed George W. Bush and his wife on Tuesday to their post-presidential home in Texas. "The presidency was a joyous experience, but as great as it was, nothing compares with Texas at sunset," Bush said to cheers from the crowd of about 25,000 as former first lady Laura Bush stood at his side. "Tonight I have the privilege of saying six words that I have been waiting to say for a while — it is good to be home."
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Frustration Mounts After Many With Tickets Wait Hours, Only To Learn They're Not Allowed In
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The crowd packed on the west side of the Capitol grounds serenaded President Bush in mocking fashion when he took to the inaugural stage alongside Vice President Dick Cheney.
"Nah nah nah nah, hey hey, good-bye," a section of the crowd chanted.
The crowd packed immediately below the podium received Bush in stony silence when he took his seat on the stage surrounding the podium where Barack Obama was scheduled to take the oath office to become the 44th president of the United States.
The jeers are among the final public feedback Bush will receive as president.
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Some folks have no class. But, remember President Bush was termed out and won two terms despite their jeers.
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