Blog Title: Democrat Taylor Marsh Broadcasts Live Talk Radio and Blogs Politics

Obama Decides to Christen Rick Warren the New Billy Graham

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Well, this tears it.

CNN labeled Warren "America’s pastor" a while back. That he was also the guest preacher for the Clinton Global Initiative is equally appalling. But this latest move brings back the first big cringe worthy moment I got from Barack Obama back in 2006, which was when he lectured Democrats on faith. It looks like we’re set to tangle on this issue again.

President-elect Barack Obama’s swearing-in ceremony will feature big names like minister Rick Warren and legendary singer Aretha Franklin, the Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies announced Wednesday. Warren, the prominent evangelical and founder of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, will deliver the ceremony’s invocation. read more..

Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery will deliver the benediction.

Katharine Jefferts Schori

I’ve been having a private war with many organized religions for years, mainly over their disallowing women to lead. It’s one reason I’m an Episcopalian. It’s time men quit running the churches, leaving women in minor roles. If the Catholic church had female priests it’s doubtful their pedophilia disgrace would have been left to explode. Picking just one example Obama could have chosen, I’m not saying Obama had to choose a woman like Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. But having met her and heard her preach, I can tell you unequivocally that she’d at least send a message that wasn’t misogynistic and homophobic. Of course, she’s not Obama’s buddy either, so she’s out. (I’m also unaware if she plays basketball.)

That I’m not surprised he picked Warren tells you where I think Obama is heading and he’s not even been inaugurated yet. He’s made few happy with this one, however. It’s like Obama decided purposefully to give liberals the finger. It’s not gone unnoticed by other Obama supporters either.

"Ugh," says Andrew Sullivan, feeling the same as I do, that Obama giving a nod to "Christianists" is a horrific omen.

Todd Beeton: "Spit in the Eye."

Oh Puke!, just about says it all.

Firedoglake: Prop 8 Homophobe Rick Warren to Deliver Inaugural Benediction.

Feministing: Obama picks anti-gay, anti-choice pastor for inauguration ceremony.

Shakesville...

Steve Benen... and many, many more.

Nothing like the new Democratic president sucking up to this anti women’s civil rights, anti gay rights, conservative Rick Warren. The contempt Obama’s choice says for all things liberal is stunning.

I don’t care that Warren isn’t a policy adviser. It’s like Obama is now going for the Mr. America title. That’s more important than standing up with representative faith that is part of Democratic ideals, which includes a strong lead on civil rights, but also healing the sick through humane scientific advancement like stem cell research.

Billy Graham became the presidents’ preacher decades ago. I guess now that Warren has been invited in to spiritually christen the new Democratic administration, after voting for McCain, something he basically admitted on his wingnut radio tour, we’ve officially got a new preacher king. Just ignore the right-wing politics he pushes.

One Last Time Into Crazyland

BY TAYLOR MARSH

The holidays are bringing slow news days and lots of emptiness to fill with stories that wouldn’t normally see the light of a cable show or web page. But since it’s close to the end of the year, it’s fitting that we go one more time into the crazyland. Caroline Kennedy has offered the occupants a new opportunity, with her first appearance upstate likely only to offer more fodder. Lawrence O’Donnell also reports that Mrs. Moynihan has now given her seal of approval (h/t GeoT @ "In the News").

But how much do the unhinged fringe hate Caroline Kennedy? Let just one of the emails I have received on the subject outline the ways:

"Caroline Kennedy is a two bit nothing who has accomplished nothing in her life. read more.. Hillary supporters like myself hate her with a passion that cannot be described.For Caroline to succeed the great Hillary Clinton would be an insult not only to Hillary but to those who support Hillary.To us this socalled princess of Camelot is a loathsome creature because of her over the top grandstanding on behalf of Obama. Obama should reward Caroline by making her ambassador to Ireland-even that is too good for someone of her meager ability and talent. For Patterson to appoint Caroline just because she is experiencing empty nest syndrome and could raise a lot of money would be totally irresponsible on the part of Patterson." - rs

Honestly, it almost makes me want to root for Caroline Kennedy. There’s a germ of derangement out there that is reminiscent to what Hillary received at the beginning of her budding hate fest. Few are talking about the other great candidates; just opining on the evils of Caroline and all things "Camelot." Targeting her through someone who worked for Joe Lieberman and who now works for Kennedy hardly seems like reason to disqualify her. What, is anyone who worked for a Dem most of us can’t stand now a political pariah? Do people really need to be reminded that campaign ads pull out all the stops? That winning is all in these campaigns?

That said, with an eye on one of Kennedy’s possible opponents she’ll have to defend the seat against, Peter King will not go quietly to a Kennedy. Can Caroline withstand a re-election fight? It’s hard to say, because we don’t know a thing about her, except that until now she’s not wanted to do public battle on anything before.

Another Presser, More Blago

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Regional reporters, latest appointments, and another question about Blagojevich and "transparency". Obama’s answer? All questions will be answered next week. That President-elect Obama will be on vacation in Hawaii, as people across this country celebrate Christmas makes the timing perfect, even if it irritates the traditional media.

Frankly, I’m glad Obama will be on vacation. Maybe he’ll find the personality he had during the election season, because so far watching his press conferences as well as his weekly radio addresses is akin to watching plants grow. A little more personality and less canned drivel is in order.

Dana Milbank opines:

... Still, it often seems as though Obama is choosing his words in a way that will make them the least interesting. Asked about his earlier disparagement of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Obama replied that "this is fun for the press to try to stir up whatever quotes were generated during the course of the campaign" -- as if the words came from a rogue word processor rather than from Obama’s mouth. Asked about the Blagojevich affair on Monday, Obama again retreated deep into the passive voice: "There is nothing in the review that was presented to me that in any way contradicted my earlier statements that this appalling set of circumstances that we’ve seen arise had nothing to do with my office." read more..

Obama’s got a long way to go before his press conferences are must see TV.

But as for must reads, I’m waiting for a new book to arrive at my door that puts Tenet drunk in a pool screaming about Jews.

As for Obama being Time’s "person of the year," I was half expecting it to be Sarah Palin.

Upon Leaving, Bush Decides to Prepare... Obama

BY TAYLOR MARSH

One question: Considering Bush’s utter incompetence and foreign policy failings, why would President Obama, once inaugurated, follow any of Bush-Cheney’s suggested contingency plans?

Via the NY Times:

The White House has prepared more than a dozen contingency plans to help guide President-elect Barack Obama if an international crisis erupts in the opening days of his administration, part of an elaborate operation devised to smooth the first transition of power since Sept. 11, 2001. The memorandums envision a variety of volatile possibilities, like a North Korean nuclear explosion, a cyberattack on American computer systems, a terrorist strike on United States facilities overseas or a fresh outbreak of instability in the Middle East, according to people briefed on them. Each then outlines options for Mr. Obama to consider. read more..

Interesting that Bush was also given warnings by the Clinton administration, all of which he either ignored, some of which might have saved us all a lot of grief.

Between Gates, Jones, Biden, and of course Clinton, something tells me that Barack Obama will have his own ideas, but also already know what’s coming his way.

Hey, but thanks, George. Thoughtful of you to finally decide to prepare.

111th Congress, Senate Chairmanships

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Senator John Kerry, someone who I’ve met and interviewed as well, is finally in a post that fits him perfectly. A place where the topics and issues give him a platform to lay out what Democratic foreign policy priorities represent and mean in the 21st century. It may not be the first job he wanted (or second), but it’s one for which he’s prepared.

That Senator Joe Lieberman is among the chairman assignments below is not something anyone should trumpet, but it’s what President-elect Obama preferred. We’ll see how far "post-partisanship," a true fantasy if ever there was one, gets Mr. Obama.

The following are the list of anticipated Chairmanships for the 111th Congress: - Senator Herb Kohl, Chairman, Senate Special Committee on Aging - Senator Tom Harkin, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture - Senator Daniel Inouye, Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations - Senator Carl Levin, Chairman, Senate Committee on Armed Services - Senator Christopher Dodd, Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs - Senator Kent Conrad, Chairman, Senate Committee on Budget - Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation - Senator Jeff Bingaman, Chairman, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources - Senator Barbara Boxer, Chairwoman, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works - Senator Max Baucus, Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance - Senator John Kerry, Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (upon the resignation of Senator Joseph Biden) - Senator Edward Kennedy, Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions - Senator Joseph Lieberman, Chairman, Senate Committee on Homeland Security - and Governmental Affairs - Senator Byron Dorgan, Chairman, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs - Senator Dianne Feinstein, Chairwoman, Senate Intelligence Committee - Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary - Senator Charles Schumer, Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Administration - Senator Mary Landrieu, Chairwoman, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (upon resignation of Senator Joseph Biden and Senator John Kerry assuming Chair of Foreign Relations) -Senator Daniel Akaka, Chairman, Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs **Senate Committee on Ethics Chairperson will be recommended by the Senate Majority Leader and adopted by Senate resolution **Joint Economic Committee Chairperson alternates with each Congress. The House of Representatives will chair the Committee in the 111th Congress

Cheney's Appointment with The Hague

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Of course, he doesn’t have one, but it would be justified, using his latest admissions, which hang him out.

This is an exit interview for the history books. One that certainly isn’t about legacy resurrection, something that cannot possibly be done where Vice President Dick Cheney is concerned.

KARL: Did you authorize the tactics that were used against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? CHENEY: I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared, as the agency in effect came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn’t do. And they talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do. And I supported it. KARL: In hindsight, do you think any of those tactics that were used against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others went too far? CHENEY: I don’t. read more.. KARL: And on KSM, one of those tactics, of course, widely reported was waterboarding. And that seems to be a tactic we no longer use. Even that you think was appropriate? CHENEY: I do.

Clearly, not only did Dick Cheney condone torture by the United States, but he admits to "helping get the process cleared," wherein he becomes guilty of war crimes.

Of course, we knew this all along. However, the brazen way in which Mr. Cheney proudly espouses torture, while simultaneously almost daring anyone to do anything about it, reveals the spineless weakness of Congress, but also the American citizenry, neither of whom have shown any outrage on the scale fitting Cheney’s extra-constitutional machinations.

In his retirement, I hope Mr. Cheney does a lot of traveling. ...and on one of his trips it would be fitting justice if some industrious government body comes down on him like a ton of naked Abu Ghraib tortured bodies, forcing him to answer for what he’s done as vice president.

But it’s more likely that Bush-Cheney will ride into history as the teflon Administration, with only a hurled size 10 shoe to show for their executive overreach and horrific atrocities.

Word

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Via the Chicago Sun-Times:

Sneed hears rumbles President-elect Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is reportedly on 21 different taped conversations by the feds -- dealing with his boss’ vacant Senate seat! read more..

Emptywheel deconstructs it.

Consider this a free for all. You pick the topics.

UPDATE: Evidently, Rep. Louise Slaughter has endorsed Caroline Kennedy for Senate. It took 24 hours, with Senator Harry Reid urging Paterson to appoint her. I know, shocking the Dem establishment is on board.

The Obligatory Clinton Post Re: Caroline Kennedy

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Clinton supporters running rhetorically amok? No! It can’t be so. Cue the haters, the jealous, and those out for revenge. This Politico headline says it all.

I mean, seriously. After "Hardball" yesterday, with Chris Matthews stirring up the Clinton-Kennedy fantasy feud, you would have thought that world peace had been declared, because nothing was so important for Matthews and his ilk than to make up out of whole cloth a feud on which Secretary of State designee Clinton could care less about engaging.

"This is entirely Governor Paterson’s decision, Senator Clinton completely respects the privacy of his process so will not be commenting on it or any individual candidate, nor does any third party speak on her behalf." - Philippe Reines.

Steve Clemons asks the right questions (as usual) about a possible Senator Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg), though you’ll have to ignore the unfortunate headline.

Sam Stein has more, but unfortunately relies on "multiple reports" of HRC supporters being idiots about the Kennedy possibility, even though Clinton has nothing to do with their political jealousies.

...and yes, I’ve heard from some of HRC supporters who don’t like the idea, but frankly, almost all of them are still in revenge mode, something that is not only a waste of time, but too petty for the problems we face today. Ignore the peanut gallery on this one.

As Clemons says in the post I linked to above, it’s not like Caroline is Sarah Palin, and she was nominated to be vice president, without one clue about anything remotely qualifying her for the job.

This is a non-issue for Clinton, who has moved on to matters of State, which with the world as it is upon Bush’s leaving will certainly keep her busy. But still, it evidently has to be said out loud. Don’t expect Matthews or other haters to drop it, however. Drama is their beat.

Norm Coleman and Wife Lawyer Up

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Well, this is an interesting development.

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) and his wife have retained a criminal defense attorney in the FBI investigation into whether a donor sought to funnel tens of thousands of dollars to the couple. The Colemans have retained former assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Kelley to represent them in an investigation resulting from two lawsuits filed shortly before Election Day, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported Tuesday. The suits allege Coleman donor Nasser Kazeminy, who has also hired a lawyer, sought to funnel $75,000 to Coleman through his wife’s employer in violations of ethics laws. read more..

Star Tribune has more.

The Trouble with Warlords

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Following up on this post from last week, a formal request has been made to Gen. McKiernan about securing a grave site in Afghanistan, which McClatchy has reported on being disturbed. It involves Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, an Afghan warlord and a key U.S. ally in ousting the Taliban regime, someone who is believed to have committed horrible atrocities against prisoners buried at the site.

Physicians for Human Rights, whose investigators discovered the site in 2002, urged U.S. Army Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of U.S. and NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, to provide the troops and logistical support required by the U.N. to secure the area against further disruption. "Full protection of the grave will be dependent upon NATO forces being given the mandate to preserve any remaining evidence and safeguard any surviving witnesses," Frank Donaghue, the chief executive of the Cambridge, Mass., organization, said in a statement. read more..

Dostum is one of many warlords the U.S. utilized in removing the Taliban, which simply pushed them into Pakistan to wait and plot the comeback happening now, proving how ineffective U.S. policy under Bush has been in Afghanistan. This obviously isn’t Abu Ghraib, but it certainly is in the category for Afghanistan since the U.S. arrived, only the man believed guilty is a warlord with over 2,000 believed dead from his practices. He’s just one of the men responsible for carrying out U.S. policy that gave warlords the power in place of a real plan to put Afghanistan back together using the government and Afghans, not relying on warlordism. It’s all coming back to haunt us. It’s the mess Obama will inherit next month.

Senator Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg)

BY TAYLOR MARSH

The last time this came up the discussion got quite boisterous. There’s a little more beef to the story this time, with the NY Times having the story:

Ms. Kennedy will ask Gov. David A. Paterson of New York to consider her for the appointment, according to the person told of her decision. The governor was traveling to Utica today and could not immediately be reached for comment. If appointed, Ms. Kennedy would fill the seat once held by her uncle, Robert F. Kennedy. Ms. Kennedy has been making calls this morning to alert political figures to her interest. read more..

Remembering Hillary Rodham Clinton, who became just Clinton with no Rodham to help her husband, it’s interesting that Caroline Kennedy, no Schlossberg to emphasize the Kennedy, is walking into the family biz at midlife.

Again, I don’t care one way or the other about this one, though I do have an interest in the story as a life long studied expert of J.F. K. There are obviously good arguments to be made for other candidates besides CKS. The ones against Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg) begin because she’s a Kennedy, which is part of the "aristocracy" nonsense. Remember, our Founders were rich land owners. The other is that she’s not experienced enough. Again, when our Founders created the country they hadn’t a clue what they were doing.

Also let me say that I learned through my older big brother what politics is all about, which isn’t a bad way to go. On a differently level entirely, to say that Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg) has learned quite a bit from her family isn’t exactly a bad way to get to know about politics either.

But one thing is clear. Caroline Kennedy wants to be a senator from the great state of New York. What do you think?

Snowing in Vegas

BY TAYLOR MARSH

Let it snow!

No traveling for the Christmas holidays, for work or pleasure, so I find myself where I’ve been marooned for the last years, in Las Vegas. ...and it’s snowing! This is the third year in a row we’ve seen snow. It isn’t sticking, but it’s still snow. It’s sticking!

This is my last Christmas here after some time in a town that started as a radio venture, but ended in a surprise love affair with a man who has turned into the greatest gift (and surprise) of my life. For those of you who aren’t aware, I was in town for less than 24 hours when my husband came in to turn my gas on... The rest is, well, a marriage. Next year brings a new town and many possibilities, which I’ll talk about at another time.

Today’s a rather busy Monday for me, because Mark’s big brood is coming in tonight for a holiday get together. Lots to do, obviously. Always look forward to visits from his family, no matter the stark differences between us. It keeps life interesting, especially for someone like me who his child free by choice.

So, let’s make this a topic free for all. Obama and Blago news:

Public ratings of Barack Obama are unscathed by the scandal swirling around Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich’s apparent effort to trade off his power to appoint Obama’s successor to the U.S. Senate, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. More than three-quarters of Americans approve of the way Obama is handling the presidential transition, up significantly from three weeks ago, and a slim majority in the new poll said the president-elect has already done enough to explain any connections his staff may have had with Blagojevich. read more..

The Shoe Thrower Uprising

BY TAYLOR MARSH

There is no doubt that anyone throwing a shoe at the President of the United States would be jailed. The reaction from that arrest is what’s most interesting.

Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets Monday to demand the release of a reporter who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush, as Arabs across many parts of the Middle East hailed the journalist as a hero and praised his insult as a proper send-off to the unpopular U.S. president. The protests came as suicide bombers and gunmen targeted Iraqi police, U.S.-allied Sunni guards and civilians in a series of attacks Monday that killed at least 17 people and wounded more than a dozen others, officials said. Journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, who was kidnapped by militants last year, was being held by Iraqi security Monday and interrogated about whether anybody paid him to throw his shoes at Bush during a press conference the previous day in Baghdad, said an Iraqi official. read more.. (emphasis added)

George W. Bush is not only hated in this country, but in the Arab world he is the very embodiment of The Ugly American.

Oh, and by the way, some are pointing to the Secret Service, asking where they were on this one, which is rather remarkable considering Bush doesn’t do open events. So the audience was a known quantity and no one expected a shoe from a journalist. That’s the point.

The only reason Bush went to Iraq was to put an exclamation point on the Bush doctrine, which he and his supporters hail as "keeping us safe." The trip to Baghdad was to be a PR propaganda tour to enhance his legacy. Instead, President Ego got a shoe hurled at his head. Not by some citizen, but by a journalist who had once been kidnapped by militants. Sustaining a presidential ego comes with a price attached.

This event is representative of what Bush-Cheney has left Obama-Biden. The Shoe Thrower Uprising on the "hero’s" behalf is representative of a huge opportunity. There is no way Democrats can do any worse than the outgoing crowd, which has become a global embarrassment, a disgrace fitting of a dirty shoe.

I Made A Surprise Visit To Baghdad But All I Got Was A Lousy Size 10 Shoe

BY TAYLOR MARSH
--updated--

On behalf of the American people, I’d like to thank the gentleman who threw the shoe at Bush. It quite accurately sums up how I feel about Bush, Iraq and all things concerning his presidency and foreign policy. (Yes, this is snark for those too dense to sense it organically.)

Think Progress also has a tape of Michael Ware describing it, which is priceless.

That’s what Bush gets for going back to the scene of his greatest incompetency.

It was also reported that Dana Perino suffered some sort of black eye. That’s really too bad, but I’d take a physical black eye compared to Scott McClellan’s buffoonery in believing anything Karl Rove said to him.

This is sure a great thing to add on to George W. Bush’s legacy tour: On his last trip to Baghdad before leaving office, President Bush was greeted by a shoe being hurled at his head. Chalk it up to karmic justice, however small. (Full stop on snark - see above)

Welcome to Our World

BY TAYLOR MARSH

As if we need a report to be reminded what a colossal mess Bush-Cheney made of Iraq.

An unpublished 513-page federal history of the American-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts an effort crippled before the invasion by Pentagon planners who were hostile to the idea of rebuilding a foreign country, and then molded into a $100 billion failure by bureaucratic turf wars, spiraling violence and ignorance of the basic elements of Iraqi society and infrastructure.

For more proof, see Odierno:

Odierno said some U.S. troops would remain at joint security stations in training and support roles. "We believe we should still be inside those after the summer," he told reporters at a U.S. base in Balad, north of Baghdad. His remarks came before he welcomed Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who arrived for a brief, unannounced visit.

About Afghanistan, a country worth more concerted energy, before it falls into the abyss again, something that would surely come back to bite the U.S. and the entire region. We have made things worse, so the least we need to do is repair what we’ve screwed up. Nobody likes it.

... He had put his finger on the heart of the problem. We and our friends in Kandahar are thunderstruck at recent suggestions that the solution to the hair-raising situation in this country must include a political settlement with "relevant parties" -- read, the Taliban. Negotiating with them wouldn’t solve Afghanistan’s problems; it would only exacerbate them. Ask any Afghan what’s really needed, what would render the Taliban irrelevant, and they’ll tell you: improving the behavior of the officials whom the United States and its allies ushered into power after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. read more..

At least someone is writing about our National Guard, which has been eviscerated under Bush-Cheney.

Revenge: Woman Blinded by Spurned Man Invokes Islamic Retribution.

Saudi women talk about divorce in the first forum of its kind.

Israel: ’Iranian ship to Gaza has hidden agenda’.

Columbia’s "Captian Nemo of the Cocaine Trade."

Mexico’s kidnapping scandal just got some high profile press.

Oh joy, Equador.

...and in the obligatory Blago news... Will Blagojevich resign on Monday like some reports are hinting? Here’s his response: "I’ll have a lot to say at the appropriate time," Blagojevich answered.

But more importantly: Why is Michael Madigan waiting to impeach Blagojevich?

Consider this a news free for all.