Obama is giving the green light for states to set their own auto-emmisions standards. This will push automakers to stop trying to sue the State of California. It will get the auto manufacturers to get their mess in gear and finally make cars with far less of a carbon footprint. High time, I say.
Another Bush policy bites the dust. God I love progress.
The grass isn't all that is wrong about the state of our National Mall. The grounds and monuments have been in a state of disrepair for years. CBS Sunday Morning has a segment on it not long ago, complete with images of disrepair more stark than these. There is already a grassroots organization devoted to saving the Mall.
Personally, I think a few hundred "shovel ready" jobs can be created just from getting our national mouments in DC in order.
www.savethemall.org
http://www.savethemall.org/pdf/080629cbs-sunday.pdf.
I'll give you three guesses to which one.
Impeached Gov. Blagojevich, on the first leg of his media blitz timed to the start of his impeachment trial, in an NBC interview broadcast on The Today Show Sunday compared himself to human rights heros Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.On the press offensive, Blagojevich has lined up national interviews--NBC, ABC, "The View" to run as his impeachment trail starts Monday before the Illinois state senate in Springfield.Blagojevich, wearing a blue ivy league shirt, told NBC's Amy Robach that he has not prepared mentally for possibly going to prison. The impeachment was triggered by Blagojevich's Dec. 9 arrest on criminal charges, including trying to auction off President Obama's vacant senate seat.As Dec. 9 unfolded, Blagojevich told NBC, "I thought about Mandela, Dr. King and Gandhi and tried to put some perspective to all this and that is what I am doing now."Blagojevich is not going to participate in his defense because he says the rules are rigged against him. He will not be in Springfield for his trial; instead he will be doing nationally televised interviews.The governor told NBC that the state Senate trial will be so unfair, he could bring in "15 angels and 20 saints led by Mother Theresa" to testify on his behalf and "it wouldn't matter."
Impeached Gov. Blagojevich, on the first leg of his media blitz timed to the start of his impeachment trial, in an NBC interview broadcast on The Today Show Sunday compared himself to human rights heros Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.
On the press offensive, Blagojevich has lined up national interviews--NBC, ABC, "The View" to run as his impeachment trail starts Monday before the Illinois state senate in Springfield.
Blagojevich, wearing a blue ivy league shirt, told NBC's Amy Robach that he has not prepared mentally for possibly going to prison. The impeachment was triggered by Blagojevich's Dec. 9 arrest on criminal charges, including trying to auction off President Obama's vacant senate seat.
As Dec. 9 unfolded, Blagojevich told NBC, "I thought about Mandela, Dr. King and Gandhi and tried to put some perspective to all this and that is what I am doing now."
Blagojevich is not going to participate in his defense because he says the rules are rigged against him. He will not be in Springfield for his trial; instead he will be doing nationally televised interviews.
The governor told NBC that the state Senate trial will be so unfair, he could bring in "15 angels and 20 saints led by Mother Theresa" to testify on his behalf and "it wouldn't matter."
I've loved her and I have hated her.
I don't always agree with her decisions. I loathed her during the primaries. I still refuse to help pay for her campaign debt.
However, her confirmation hearing for SOS brought out the best in her. Hillary struck me that day as one hell of a taskmaster. She did her homework and was absolutely thorough in her understanding of the job.
Then today, when I saw the footage of her at her first day on the job, I was impressed by the reaction the people of the State Dept. had to her walking into the lobby. I figure they know more about how Clinton will be as SOS than I do, and I was relieved to see their response.
It's still early. I still have my doubts. Only time will tell how this will play out. But for the sake of the bridges we have to repair to the rest of the world, I am hopeful that this appointment will work out.
Make sure you MEMORIZE the Oath of Office before you give it so the White House Council won't have to have you give it AGAIN to the President the next day.
Roberts: "Are you prepared to take the oath, senator?"Obama: "I am"Roberts: "I Barack Hussein Obama"Obama: "I Barack"Roberts: "do Solemnly swear"Obama: "I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear"Roberts: "that I will execute the office of President to the United States faithfully [sic]"Obama: "that I will execute"Roberts: "the off...faithfully the Pres the office of President of the United States"Obama: "the office of President of the United States faithfully"Roberts: "and will to the best of my ability"Obama: "and will to the best of my ability"Roberts: "preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States"Obama: "preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States"Roberts: "So help you God"Obama: "So help me God"Roberts: "Congratulations, Mr. President"
From Taegan Goodards' Political Wire:
Bush will deliver the speech, expected to run 10 to 15 minutes, from the ornate East Room of the White House. He will have a small audience of people in the room, chosen for their stories of personal courage.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said Monday that Bush will "uphold the tradition of presidents using farewell addresses to look forward _ by sharing his thoughts on greatest challenges facing the country, and on what it will take to meet them."
The president also will defend his record, Perino said, but will show graciousness toward Obama and not attempt to revisit the old battles of his presidency.
Bush will speak in prime time, although no specific time has been set. The White House has requested airtime from the major television networks.
Perino said the speech will be the last scheduled public event for Bush as president until he appears on the North Portico to greet Obama on Inauguration Day, which is Jan. 20. Bush held his final news conference on Monday.
The White House says the ritual of a farewell address dates to the time of George Washington. Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan delivered goodbye speeches from the White House; Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford gave a final State of the Union address on Capitol Hill, Perino said.
"Joe the Faux Plumber" turned "Joe the Singer" turned "Joe the Rodeo Clown of War Correspondents" could use a real job for a change.
Then again, a steady paycheck from honest hard work at a job created by Obama's stimulus package would be undermining his "anti-communist" belief system.
Good luck in Nashville, buddy.
If Barack Obama was not "black enough" for your Congressional district when you were running against him for your House seat in 2000, then why are you so concerned about the racial identity of his sucessor in the Senate?
"With the resignation of President-elect Obama, we now have no African American in the United States Senate, and we believe it will be a national disgrace to not have this seat filled by one of the many capable African American Illinois politicians."
Bobby Rush, 2008
"Barack Obama went to Harvard and became an educated fool. Barack is a person who read about the civil-rights protests and thinks he knows all about it."
Bobby Rush, 2000
You are a very accomplished man and there is no doubt in my mind that you have what it takes to be a US Senator. However, Blago knew from the moment he appointed you that you would not be sworn into the Senate. He picked you precisely because you being prohibited from a Senate swearing-in would create racial tensions that would distract attention away from his own corruption scandal.
Blago does not give a hoot about you, the Democratic Party, Illinois, or the United States of America. If he did, he wouldn't have thought about auctioning off that Senate seat in the first place. Rod Blagojevich is all about Rod Blagojevich, and that is just the way it is.
You are being played. Your desire for that Senate seat has blinded you to the fact that everything you have achieved in your lifetime will forever be outweighed by Blagogate. If I were you I wouldn't even consider his appointment.
Rod Blagojevich has the obligation to surrender his post and turn himself in. You have the power to step aside and wait for his unavoidable impeachment. When the new Govenor is sworn in, then you can make it known that you would like to be Illinois' next Senator.
My God, this is a beautiful sight to see.
Hawaii, quality family time, and time to properly hold a funeral service for your grandmother has done you a world of good.
From Huff Po:
_ "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." _ September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan.
_ "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?" _ January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina.
_ "They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander in chief, too." _ Sept. 26, 2001, in Langley, Va. Bush was referring to the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.
_ "There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." _ Oct. 4, 2001, in Washington. Bush was remarking on a back-to-work plan after the terrorist attacks.
_ "It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." _ April 10, 2002, at the White House, as Bush urged Senate passage of a broad ban on cloning.
_ "I want to thank the dozens of welfare-to-work stories, the actual examples of people who made the firm and solemn commitment to work hard to embetter themselves." _ April 18, 2002, at the White House.
_ "There's an old saying in Tennessee _ I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee _ that says, fool me once, shame on _ shame on you. Fool me _ you can't get fooled again." _ Sept. 17, 2002, in Nashville, Tenn.
_ "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." _ Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill.
_ "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." _ Sept. 6, 2004, at a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
_ "Our most abundant energy source is coal. We have enough coal to last for 250 years, yet coal also prevents an environmental challenge." _ April 20, 2005, in Washington.
_ "We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job." _ Sept. 20, 2005, in Gulfport, Miss.
_ "I can't wait to join you in the joy of welcoming neighbors back into neighborhoods, and small businesses up and running, and cutting those ribbons that somebody is creating new jobs." _ Sept. 5, 2005, when Bush met with residents of Poplarville, Miss., in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
_ "It was not always a given that the United States and America would have a close relationship. After all, 60 years we were at war 60 years ago we were at war." _ June 29, 2006, at the White House, where Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
_ "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." _ Dec. 7, 2006, in a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
_ "These are big achievements for this country, and the people of Bulgaria ought to be proud of the achievements that they have achieved." _ June 11, 2007, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
_ "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." _ September 2007, in Sydney, Australia, where Bush was attending an APEC summit.
_ "Thank you, Your Holiness. Awesome speech." April 16, 2008, at a ceremony welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the White House.
_ "The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place." _ May 27, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz.
_ "And they have no disregard for human life." _ July 15, 2008, at the White House. Bush was referring to enemy fighters in Afghanistan.
_ "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." _ June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.
_ "Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." _ July 4, 2008 in Virginia.
_ "The people in Louisiana must know that all across our country there's a lot of prayer _ prayer for those whose lives have been turned upside down. And I'm one of them. It's good to come down here." _ Sept. 3, 2008, at an emergency operations center in Baton Rouge, La., after Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast.
_ "This thaw _ took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." Oct. 20, 2008, in Alexandria, La., as he discussed the economy and frozen credit markets.
Aren't you a slick little piece of work.
With less than a month to go until the inauguration of America's first black President, in an era increasingly described as "post-racial", you have thrown a wrench into the gears that are turning for your own impeachment by using identity politics for your own personal benefit.
Countless people (including myself) have observed that whoever you named to be Obama's successor in the Senate seat you were caught trying to auction off would forever be tainted with your corruption. I was hoping you would leave Obama's seat alone, but apparently that was too much to expect from a sleaze like you.
Now the person you have appointed, a former opponent in your own party and an African-American, is highly unlikely to ever be sworn into office by Harry Reid and company because you have your seal-of-approval all over him. Even members of your own legislature won't back your pick, and now you want the Illinois Supreme Court to back you.
What pisses me off is that you are stirring up a hornet's nest of racial politics because you know the black man you "want" for the job will never be confirmed for it. What you are doing is a stunt. In one swoop the focus is off of you and onto this appointee. In the process you are distracting us from the promise of a new era of a Presidency that is already trancending 400 years of oppression and disgracing the office once held by the man doing all that trancending.
I doubt you will realize even after you go to prison that you did this to yourself. We all know that. All you are doing now is interfering with our President-elect. He's got a big mess to handle very soon. We and Barack need a solid backing in the Senate so our Nation can finally move forward and Illinois just needs to have a leader it can trust.
Fess up, resign, and move on and out of the way. You were caught red-handed. Hand those keys over because you wrecked the car. Walk away before the bouncer kicks you out of the club. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
In much of the rest of the world, religious differences, especially when they are compounded by theocracy and state-sponsored religion, mean strife and bloodshed.
Often these "differences" can be something as trivial as disagreeing on who leads the faith when your prophet dies.
Or how your ancestor from 5,000 years ago wanted his sons to worship.
Or if priests should be celibate or be allowed to marry.
The list goes on and on.
The church I grew up in once had members who were in an uproar because my elderly great aunt and uncle wanted, for health reasons, to be baptized by dripping the water on their foreheads instead of being immersed in a pool in the baptistry behind the pulpit. If those naysayers would have had their way, they would have rathered denied my grandfather's sister and her husband membership into the congregation (and in the faith, entrance into Heaven), than to break a Baptist tradition that probably spans no more than three centuries.
My wish for the New Year is that more people at home and across the globe figure out how to co-exist with one another and realize these "huge" schisms in faith mean nothing when they hurt people and destroy the world.
Now, in closing, an example of a religious schism. These two churches happen to beside one another.
Happy New Year
Once upon a time, a man appeared in a village and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.
The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.
He next announced that he would now buy monkeys at $20 each. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.
Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer increased to $25 each and the supply of monkeys became so scarce it was an effort to even find a monkey, let alone catch it!
The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50 each! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would buy on his behalf.
In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: 'Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has already collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell them to him for $50 each.'
The villagers rounded up all their savings and bought all the monkeys for 700 billion dollars.
They never saw the man or his assistant again, only lots and lots of monkeys!
Now you have a better understanding of how the WALL STREET BAILOUT PLAN WILL WORK !!!!
This is how people like me find the "gateway drug" to liberal progressive thinking.
