the obama administration

This morning, President-Elect Barack Obama announced his cabinet. We congratulate the picks and hope the Senate will provide a quick confirmation for the new Obama administration. Meet the newcoming presidential team below.


Joe Biden, Vice President




Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff




Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State




Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense




Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury




Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General




James L. Jones, National Security Adviser




Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security




Robert Gibbs, Press Secretary




Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

Following today's announcement of the national security team, we're still awaiting announcements from the president-elect on his choices for domestic leaders for Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Education, and Secretary of Health and Human Services.

The Real Reason Bush Wants to Revive the Immigration Bill

After suffering a humbling defeat only a few short weeks ago, the Bush administration is pushing a revised immigration bill like its life depended on it. Current editorials opine about how Bush's experiences growing up with Hispanics in Midland, Texas shaped his compassion for immigrants, and that he's fighting for this legislation as part of his legacy, that it will be the signal piece of legislation for Bush's second term.

Bull.

There are plenty of good reasons to tackle the immigration policy and bring a sensible and humane piece of legislation to the floor. But don't kid yourself. With polls slipping, the Republicans (especially those outside the executive branch who will soon be facing re-election challenges) would like to get this issue behind them. The debate on our borders always had the potential to split the Republican Party like no other issue. You know when you hear stalwart conservatives denounce the zealots on rightwing radio that the Republican Party isn't helped by this debate.

No, the real reason is much more cynical. It's exactly because the issue is red meat to conservatives that it is important to have this debate now. Because no other issue besides abortion can so galvanize the public. And what the Republicans need now is something to grab the headlines, something that will send the Rush Limbaughs and Ann Coulters over the deep end. Because what else could distract the public from Vice President Dick Cheney's absurd assertions that he is no longer subject to oversight or accountability?

Think this is too cynical? That risking the future of conservatives who will soon be defending their records to a disgusted public puts the stakes too high? It's as Rovian a strategy as attacking an opponents strength. Or dumping unfavorable news on the Friday before a holiday weekend.

Remember when just after the elections the Democrats were riding high on their recent election victories, and politicians like Jack Murtha were suddenly talking credibly on withdrawal plans? The administration had gone on record saying a new war plan was in the works.

What happened next? Daddy Bush brought in James Baker to craft the report of the Iraq Study Group. Bush Sr. might have actually thought he was buying his son a way out short of total capitulation, but he underestimated Dubya.

Bush grabbed onto the report and immediately challenged it. So rather than the Iraq Study Group recommendations being the compromise to begin winding down the war, it reset the debate. He also immediately signalled he was delaying the announcement of his new war strategy, which then coincidentally came out at the beginning of the legislative session. Instead of having the spotlight to themselves to highlight their agenda on popular issues such as the minimum wage, Pelosi and Reid and the rest of the Democrats were relegated to the business section while front pages and editorials debated the pros and cons of the President's new strategy.

And what was the President's new plan? A surge. In the light of almost unanimous opposition from his own military advisors, he called not for a withdrawal, but for a plan to increase troop levels. It was the most inflammatory decision he could make. Of course, it wasn't going to work, but again, it reset the debate. When was the last time you heard anyone discuss Murtha's proposals? Or even the Iraq Study Group? Yes, our brave men and women are fighting and dying every day, not for a military strategy, but a political one, not for winning wars, not even for winning elections, but simply to preserve power.

So we will have another bitter debate on immigration, one only slightly more likely to succeed than the last one. But it might still serve its intended purpose - to distract the public from the fact that our second-highest elected official has declared himself above the law.

Rahm Emanuel is introducing legislation to defund Cheney's office.

....if you really believe that you're not part of the executive branch, we should[n't] fund you in the executive branch....."

"It's not like I'm looking for this fight," replied Emanuel. "But if the vice president wants to act like he's unaccountable and above the law ... I'll meet that."

In any other presidency, in any other time, this would be the run-up to a constitutional crisis. In the Bush administration, its a good reason to whip up the immigration debate.

DCCC to target NRCC Chair

Robert Novak has some good news and some bad news for the Republican party. First the good news: Jack Abramoff is telling friends that nothing he is revealing to federal prosecutors as a result of his plea agreement on fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy will implicate Tom DeLay. Alright, technically it's only good news for DeLay. Abramoff doesn't promise he won't sing about other members of the House, including Ohio congressman Robert Ney.

Now the bad news: There are reports the DCCC may be targeting the chair of the NRCC in the 2006 congressional elections:

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign committee (DCCC), has taken the unusual step of targeting his Republican counterpart, Rep. Tom Reynolds, for defeat in his upstate New York district this year. There is no record of a House campaign committee chairman ever being defeated for re-election by the opposition party.

The DCCC claims secret polls showed the supposedly safe Republican district represented by Reynolds is competitive this year. Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, in 2004 won re-election to a fourth term with a surprisingly low 56 percent. His Democratic opponent was retired industrialist Jack Davis, who spent $1,250,000 of his own money in 2004 and is trying again.

Where would the DCCC get the chutzpah to pull something like this? Whatever happened to bipartisanship in Congress? Why, this is unprecedented!

Of course, there was that little incident with Tom Daschle. You know, the Senate Minority Leader who was defeated by John Thune in November, 2004 after an unprecedented campaign where Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist broke tradition and actively campaigned against his counterpart. The result was the first race a senate majority or minority leader has lost in over 50 years. Daschle's crime, according to Frist, was that he was the chief obstructionist to President Bush's policies on tax cuts, judicial nominees and the war in Iraq. Of course, a lot of Democrats were scratching their heads about that one, seeing as how his tax cuts went through, not once but three times, his judicial nominees were appointed and the war in Iraq...well, don't even go there (no pun intended).

For an example of Senator Daschle's unpardonable crimes:

...he angered Republicans and unnerved a few Democrats when, with the nation on the brink of war with Iraq, he said he was "saddened that this president failed so miserably at diplomacy that we're now forced to war."

Daschle later said he regretted the timing of his criticism and expressed strong support for U.S. troops in Iraq.

Yes, it's painful to remember how successfully the Republicans were able to steamroll the Democrats in the early years of the Bush administration. But that's history now. If the November elections deliver a Democratic majority in the House, the Democrats are going to issue subpoenas faster than New Rome issues traffic tickets. Senator Frist, along with henchman Tom DeLay in the House, rewrote the rules of partisanship that are now coming back to haunt them. Too bad neither one of them will be around after the elections to reap their just rewards.