Obama's choices

By GottaLaff

Marc Ambinder makes it easy to see what P.E. Obama's up to. Here are the basics. Go here for a few more details:

-- choosing Democratic comity and spending over a thinner, broader coalition by reducing the profile and scope of his tax cuts

-- choosing health care over national cap-and-trade, at least in year one. Just watch this one....

-- promising to solve the entitlement quandary by commission and consensus, rather than by proposing. Note that Obama and other Democrats, during the campaign, referred to Social Security and Medicare as promises to keep, rather than "entitlements," which transfers the moral responsibility onto the government. Now it's back to "entitlements." [...]

-- favoring journalists. Is the New York Times is out, and the Washington Post are in. Certain conservative voices are in, others are out. Some liberal bloggers have the administration's ear; others get no love. [...]

-- ignoring press fretting over a harried transition. Gallup finds that 83% of Americans surveyed believe that the Obama transition has been a success. [...] Americans are growing slightly less pessmistic and slightly more optimistic about their futures. (I said slightly.)

Keep track of Obama's promises at National Journal's Promise Audit.

Reid Lobbied Against Appointing Jackson

By GottaLaff

Ever wonder why we choose to post what we post? Once in awhile in Comments, we get a mild complaint or two. Well, here it is: We post what's out there, what's available to us, and, obviously, what we hope is interesting to readers.

Paddy and I also, for the most part, put up what strikes an emotional chord in us, for whatever reason.

We also try to amuse once in awhile, and ignore the "real" news, just for a change of pace.

One other thing I'd like to make very clear: We don't necessarily agree with the content of an article. If we don't add commentary, it doesn't mean we agree (or disagree) with it. We simply though it was informative or interesting. My opinions have often been mistaken for those of the author of an article.

With that, I'm posting something that I find a little boring, because there's very little out there today:

Just days before Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was charged with trying to sell President-elect Obama's U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder, the Chicago Sun Times reports Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called to "make it clear who he didn't want in the post: Jesse Jackson, Jr., Danny Davis or Emil Jones."

"Rather, Reid called Blagojevich to argue he appoint either state Veterans Affairs chief Tammy Duckworth or Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan."

I'll be so relieved when Blago and the remnants of his polluted wake disappear.