What's all that nonsense about too many white men in important positions?

[No Elephants]

The president's cabinet 2009

I don't see Gates. Wiki has the full list here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_100_days_of_Barack_Obama%27s_presidency





The President's security advisors.



The President's current top advisers.
Valerie Jarret is in this photo, but obscured by a man standing in front of her, which doesn't seem to bother anyone, including the photographer.


I, for one, welcome the heat the administration is taking because I believe that this will make Obama more careful about his remaining nominees, less important or not. Cause everyone knows that Treasury, Defense, State and Commerce don't get more news coverage than, say, Interior during an recession cum war.

[No Elephants]

1. P.S. Sadly, Stewart took a dive into De Nile on this one.

[No Elephants]

2. P.P.S.Daschle, not Sebelius, was Obama's first choice for Health.

Both Daschle and Sebelius had, um, underpaid their federal taxes (as had four other Obama nominees), but Daschle's unpaid amounts were substantial.

In addition, Daschle had been receiving massive amounts (over $15 million) as a "consultant" *wink, wink* from the health care industry, so his potential for conflict was also substantial. The Senate refused to nominate him and I am glad of that.

Notable non-Cabinet appointment (per wiki)

Chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Sheila Bair1 (2009–2011)
Special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan
Richard Holbrooke (2009–2010)
Marc Grossman (2011–present)
Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Retired General James L. Jones (2009–2011)
Thomas E. Donilon (2011–present)
Special envoy to the Middle East
George J. Mitchell (2009–2011)
David Hale (2011–present)
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Robert Mueller2 (2009–present)
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Leon Panetta (2009–2011)
Michael Morell (Acting-2011)
David Petraeus (2011–2012)
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
Christina Romer (2009–2010)
Austan Goolsbee (2010–2011)
Alan Krueger (2011–present)
Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Mary Schapiro (2009–present)
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of National Economic Council
Lawrence Summers (2009–2010)
Gene Sperling (2011–present)
Chairman of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board
Paul Volcker (2009–2011)
Replaced by Council on Jobs and Competitiveness in 2011
Chairperson of the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness
Jeffrey R. Immelt (2011–present)

1Appointed by George W. Bush in 2006 to a five-year term
2Appointed by George W. Bush in 2001 to a ten-year term

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Barack_Obama


In all though, most underrepresented group in the entire Obama administration, Cabinet, advisors, the whole ball of wax?

Liberal Democrats.

[femrap]

3. So are we still

going to be stuck with Eric Holder? Has he done anything worthwhile? Maybe I just missed it. It just seems there are so many bad dudes out there stealing the taxpayer's money that someone should at least be indicted.

I haven't heard the word, 'subpoena' since the days of KKKarl Rove. Since he didn't answer it, do we no longer issue them?

[Enthusiast]

4. Yup............nt

[No Elephants]

5. Do we blame only Rove, or the Congress that had the power to arrest him, but did not?

Hillary left a subpoena lying around for a year, until she suddenly found the documents sought by the Subpoena in the dining room of the family quarters in the White House. Sounds as though she may have gotten word that they were going to take action against her.

Then again, Rove could have claimed Executive Privilege, I suppose.
.

We will probably never see the likes of Judge Sirica again, so crimes in the White House will go unpunished unless Congress abolishes Executive Privilege. I wish it would.

EP was very limited until Eisenhower expanded the hell out of it to shield himself and his advisors from crazy Joe McCarthy.

[No Elephants]

6. I just checked Holder's wiki.

He was consdered a gifted child in elementary school. He went to Stuyvesant High (aka, the sty). I have family members who went there at about that time. (Fun fact: in the License to Ill video, Adam Horowit of the Beastie Boys is wearing the Sty T-shirt of a female relative of mine.) It was a tough school, coveted by math and science nerds, ala Big Bang Theory.

But, he doesn't seem to have received any honors when is graduated from the Sty. Holder gets into Columbia, an Ivy League, and is graduated, but, again, no mention of honors. (This in a wiki that mentions his 4th grade honor.) Same with Columbia Law School.

Usually, the AG has a very distinguished academic record through law school graduation. Holder's only honor came in the 4th grade?

Then he gets out of school and goes to work for the government--assisting in the prosecution of a Democrat ensared by Abscam. Then--wait for it---Reagan appoints him to the D.C. bench.

He steps down from the bench to accept Clinton's appointment as U.S. Attorney for D.C. (Who in hell steps down from the D.C, bench to become the D.C. prosecutor? But it seems to have worked out for him, doesn't it?) And the first thing he works on is the end of a prosecution of another Democrat--Dan Rostenkowski.

Then, Clinton made him Deputy AG under Reno (who later appointed Ken Starr to investigate Clinton). He and Reno lost the landmark Heller second amendment cse, but I won't hold that against him as I do think the Republicans on the court made the decision on the basis of politics, not the quality of the legal work.

Holder was embroiled in the whole Clinton pardson for sale controversy in general, and the Mark Rich pardon controversy in particular. As to the Rich pardon, he said that he wished he had given it more thought(!). As to the pardons in general, he said, "I wish that I had ensured that the Department of Justice was more fully informed and involved in this pardon process", he said admitting the mistake." (Ya think?) And then.....

Holder briefly served as Acting Attorney General under President George W. Bush until the Senate confirmed Bush's nominee John Ashcroft.<19>


From 2001 until he became Attorney General, Holder worked as an attorney at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., representing clients such as Merck and the National Football League.<2><7> He represented the NFL during its dog fighting investigation against Michael Vick.<20>

In 2004, Holder helped negotiate an agreement with the Justice Department for Chiquita Brands International in a case that involved Chiquita's payment of "protection money" to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a group on the U.S. government's list of terrorist organizations.<21><22> In the agreement, Chiquita's officials pleaded guilty and paid a fine of $25 million. Holder represented Chiquita in the civil action that grew out of this criminal case.<22> In March 2004, Holder and Covington & Burling were hired by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to act as a special investigator to the Illinois Gaming Board. The investigation was subsequently canceled on May 18, 2004.<23>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Holder

Between his undistinguished acadenic career and what he did after graduation, he would not have been my choice for Attorney General. I doubt he would even have gotten a job at Covington and Burling, which hires the top law school students, with his record, but for the fact that he was obviously well connected politically by then. And, of course, his record reads more like a Republican's than a Democrat's.

At least now, I get why he prosecuted John Edwards for alleged FEC violations, but let McCain off.

So sick of herds of Trojan horses.

[Enthusiast]

7. "So sick of herds of Trojan horses."

Me too.

[No Elephants]

8. I fear that's all we have anymore. Politicians of both major parties do the bidding

of the very rich. So, it's no surprise that we got a lot of kabuki.

One person secret holds, which bills make it to the floor for a vote, etc.

Probably unconstitutional, too, as the Constitution requires that each house keep a record of its proceedings. A one person secret hold is a "proceeding."

The Constitution does allow secrecy, at "their" judgment. "Their" can refer to only the members of that house. And the judgment of the members of the entire body is expressed by a vote. So, keeping something secret would seem to require a vote. I don't think they take a vote on every secret hold.

Anyway...

Once the Republicans were the party of the poor. Abraham Lincoln is quoted as mocking the wealth of the Democrats.

But, at some point, Republicans proudly became the party of the owners and the coupon clippers, while the Democrats became the party of the workers. So, Republicans don't have to pretend as much.

[Enthusiast]

10. It is downright alarming.

Selective justice.

[No Elephants]

9. But, he did mention Seneca Falls in the Inaugural.

I'd never heard of it, though I suppose I should have.

And the mention no doubt makes up for the obvious lack of equal opportunity for women in the Obama administration (again, primary deals with Hillary aside).