Scott Brown to be sworn in as Massachusetts senator Thursday

By GottaLaff

Earlier I posted about this possibility. Now it's a done deal.

How long did it take before they would swear in Al Franken again?

Sen.-elect Scott Brown, the successor to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), will be sworn in to office Thursday afternoon, giving Republicans 41 seats in the upper chamber. [...]

Brown's legal counsel wrote Gov. Deval Patrick (D) and Secretary of State William Galvin asking them to certify the election results immediately, which would allow him to be sworn in to the U.S. Senate as early as Thursday.

"While Sen.-elect Brown had tentatively planned to be sworn into office February 11, he has been advised that there are a number of votes scheduled prior to that date," his attorneys wrote. "For that reason, he wants certification to occur immediately."

That's all it takes? Weren't there a few votes that needed Franken's participation? Yeah, there were.

Dear Senator Kennedy, this is for you

By GottaLaff

Senator Paul Kirk:

Via TPM:

The Boston Globe reported that when Kirk arrived in Washington today, he first paid a visit to his late friend's grave, in Arlington National Cemetery.

Tears.

VIDEO: Senator Al Franken, finally sworn in

By GottaLaff

Standing O!



About time.

Al Franken Swearing-In coming up in 2 minutes

By GottaLaff

Live Stream here. CSPAN 2.

UPDATE: Wow, that was fast. It's over, he's getting thunderous, extended applause! The applause went on for about 2 minutes, with spontaneous cheers erupting ... lots of hugging.

Biden swears in Panetta, who promises honesty as CIA director

By GottaLaff

Honesty is the best policy:

Vice President Joe Biden presided at a ceremonial swearing-in for the new CIA director, Leon Panetta, at the intelligence agency's headquarters in Langley, VA, where he was cheered by employees.

Biden said as one of the agency's "leading customers" that he demanded the "unvarnished truth." He said that the CIA must "look around corners" and "imagine the unimaginable."

And the vice president underscored that a hallmark of this administration's foreign policy and diplomacy would be engagement, which he characterized as "active and aggressive."

In his remarks, Panetta said he wanted the agency to re-establish a working relationship with Capitol Hill. And he vowed, "We have to be honest." [...]

The new CIA director said that integrity and respecting law were the main missions of the agency. He said that the primary goal on his watch would be to provide leadership -- too often, he said, "we have governed largely by crisis."

Swearing... in

By GottaLaff

I didn't realize the new vice president could be sworn in by a felon:

Cheney to swear in Biden

The disputes over the Illinois and Minnesota Senate seats are stealing the spotlight, but there'll be other drama on Capitol Hill during today's swearing in of the 111th Congress.

The most interesting picture of the day could be Dick Cheney swearing in the man that will soon replace him as vice president, Joe Biden. As sitting vice president, Cheney presides over the Senate — and Biden is not only vice president-elect, but the newly re-elected senior senator from Delaware.

I just watched the last few seconds of the Nation of Dick presiding over the swearing in ceremony... but surprise! no swearing (from him, not me). Go Cheney yourself, Dick of Dicks.

Ted Kennedy was the last one who was sworn in before I posted this.

Talk about mixed emotions.

Obama to use Lincoln Bible for swearing in

FYI, the image is the real bible.

"Washington, D.C. - On January 20th, President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office using the same Bible upon which President Lincoln was sworn in at his first inauguration. The Bible is currently part of the collections of the Library of Congress. Though there is no constitutional requirement for the use of a Bible during the swearing-in, Presidents have traditionally used Bibles for the ceremony, choosing a volume with personal or historical significance. President-elect Obama will be the first President sworn in using the Lincoln Bible since its initial use in 1861.

'President-elect Obama is deeply honored that the Library of Congress has made the Lincoln Bible available for use during his swearing-in,' said Presidential Inaugural Committee Executive Director Emmett Beliveau. 'The President-elect is committed to holding an Inauguration that celebrates America's unity, and the use of this historic Bible will provide a powerful connection to our common past and common heritage.' "