wildcard451 0 #1 January 24, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/23/campbell.brown.lobbyists/index.html And so it begins... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 426 #2 January 24, 2009 Change you can believe in. Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #3 January 24, 2009 The executive order was a Hope-Based Initiative "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #4 January 25, 2009 Why was I cynical? Why am I cynical? Why will I continue to be cynical? This is why. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TankBuster 0 #5 January 25, 2009 Obama flashes irritation at press room visit By: Jonathan Martin and Carrie Budoff Brown January 22, 2009 11:50 PM EST President Obama made a surprise visit to the White House press corps Thursday night, but got agitated when he was faced with a substantive question.Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration with a Deputy Defense Secretary nominee who lobbied for Raytheon, Obama interrupted with a knowing smile on his face. “Ahh, see,” he said, “I came down here to visit. See this is what happens. I can’t end up visiting with you guys and shaking hands if I’m going to get grilled every time I come down here.” Pressed further by the Politico reporter about his Pentagon nominee, William J. Lynn III, Obama turned more serious, putting his hand on the reporter’s shoulder and staring him in the eye. “Alright, come on” he said, with obvious irritation in his voice. “We will be having a press conference at which time you can feel free to [ask] questions. Right now, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to you guys - that’s all I was trying to do.” What a buffoon.The forecast is mostly sunny with occasional beer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt.Slog 0 #6 January 25, 2009 Looks like Gates made the choice: "Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he had requested Lynn be appointed as his deputy and that an exception to the lobbying rules be made. Gates said, he understands Congress needs more information before it will feel comfortable with the appointment." "At a Pentagon news conference, Gates said he asked for an exception to ethics rules to hire Lynn, a former Pentagon comptroller. "I felt that he could. play the role of the deputy in a better manner than anybody else that I saw," said Gates, who served as Pentagon chief under George W. Bush and is staying on under Obama. "I was very impressed with his credentials. He came with the highest recommendations of a number of people that I respect a lot." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bodypilot90 0 #7 January 25, 2009 Quote Change you can believe in. bahahaha sure looks like the messiah is flawed. looks more like Brian than jesus. (as in life of brian) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rushmc 23 #8 January 25, 2009 Quotehttp://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/23/campbell.brown.lobbyists/index.html And so it begins... It is very hard to say that he is not who he said he was going to be. Why? Becuause the tingly up the leg fawning orgasmic media gave him a complete pass. Expect for a few out there, no one looked into what or who we were getting. I had an idea. So far, seems I was right in my opinion and I have not been surprised yet."America will never be destroyed from the outside, if we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #9 January 25, 2009 Oh! Gates made the choice. I feel better now. We wouldn't want Gates' boss telling him whom he can't have. Ethics rules are great, so long as exceptions are made at the request of subordinates. Either get rid of the rule or enforce it. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Capt.Slog 0 #10 January 25, 2009 QuoteOh! Gates made the choice. I feel better now. We wouldn't want Gates' boss telling him whom he can't have. Ethics rules are great, so long as exceptions are made at the request of subordinates. Either get rid of the rule or enforce it. Indeed - selecting a Bush holdover for SecDef was clearly an error of judgment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #11 January 25, 2009 QuoteEither get rid of the rule or enforce it. I believe you are a lawyer...right? If so, doesn't the following waiver justify the situation? Sec. 3. Waiver. (a) The Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or his or her designee, in consultation with the Counsel to the President or his or her designee, may grant to any current or former appointee a written waiver of any restrictions contained in the pledge signed by such appointee if, and to the extent that, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, or his or her designee, certifies in writing (i) that the literal application of the restriction is inconsistent with the purposes of the restriction, or (ii) that it is in the public interest to grant the waiver. A waiver shall take effect when the certification is signed by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget or his or her designee. (b) The public interest shall include, but not be limited to, exigent circumstances relating to national security or to the economy. De minimis contact with an executive agency shall be cause for a waiver of the restrictions contained in paragraph 3 of the pledge. source:http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/ExecutiveOrder-EthicsCommitments/Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airdvr 210 #12 January 25, 2009 Maybe he should have waited until everyone was in place. "Oooh..oooh..look at me! I'm signing executive orders!"Please don't dent the planet. Destinations by Roxanne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #13 January 25, 2009 Quote Maybe he should have waited until everyone was in place. "Oooh..oooh..look at me! I'm signing executive orders!" ...and with his left hand, using multiple pens...what nerve!Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1969912 0 #14 January 25, 2009 Quote Quote Maybe he should have waited until everyone was in place. "Oooh..oooh..look at me! I'm signing executive orders!" ...and with his left hand, using multiple pens crack pipes...what nerve! Minor change "Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ." -NickDG Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #15 January 25, 2009 QuoteAnd so it begins... Indeed. bipartisan spirit crumbles Mr Obama has told Republicans in Washington to stop listening to the right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh, risking a new culture war with conservative voters... ...he enraged other Republicans by reversing George W Bush's ban on funding international aid to charities that perform or provide information about abortions... After less than a week in office, Mr Obama's presidency is already encountering the very partisan bickering he had pledged to stamp out during his first 100 days... He faces mounting criticism over his $825 billion economic stimulus plan... The president responded with a clear signal that he is prepared to ram the bill through without the bipartisan consensus he promised to construct... After the euphoria of his inauguration, Mr Obama's team have been handed a cold dose of political reality. A series of controversial policy decisions, mistakes and unforeseen events has brought home the difficulty of bridging the divisions in Washington... Mr Obama has pledged to end the culture wars on social issues... and did not allow television cameras to film him signing the executive order reversing the Bush abortion funding ban... Meanwhile the decision by the Food and Drug Administration to approve the first human trials of embryonic stem cells, anathema to the Christian right, has intensified the bubbling culture war... Republicans are also angry that the economic stimulus plan contains funding for contraceptives and other Democratic pet projects... Republicans are also criticising Mr Obama's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp with no plan for the detainees still incarcerated there... The revelation last week that 60 former inmates have returned to terrorism... Having announced new ethics rules banning lobbyists serving in his administration, the president was immediately forced to make an exception for his deputy defence secretary... The president has also reacted badly to his first taste of tougher questioning from the previously supine Washington press corps, when asked a substantive question about the ethics affair... The White House's failure to arrange for television cameras to record Mr Obama's second swearing in, infuriated broadcasters... A Democratic strategist who has run two presidential campaigns told The Sunday Telegraph: "What can I say? 'Welcome to Washington, Mr President'.Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/4331839/Barack-Obama-picks-a-fight-with-Rush-Limbaugh-as-bipartisan-spirit-crumbles.html The party is over. It's time for the same old screwed-up politics as usual. And all of this is just after four days in office. Forget about those promises for "change". Who will they blame? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
likearock 2 #16 January 25, 2009 Divide and conquer. The oldest trick in the book. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #17 January 25, 2009 Yes - it appears that the exception would apply. It would apply! The purpose of the rule is to prevent dirty lobbyists from govt. positions. A good rule. A good rule. But you know, sometimes the dirty lobbyist is on YOUR SIDE!!! AAAAHHH. AHHHHHH. That's when the PURPOSE OF THE RULE IS MET! We don't want any Hughes guys unless vouched for by a BUSH HOLDOVER THAT'LL TAKE THE FALL! Now now. I understand that this whole political thing may get a little heated. Our new President, in hisw wisdom, has built in exceptions to the ethics rule. There are times when an upstanding fella may need to take a job as a lobbyist to make ends meet. And there may, of course, be times when a lobbyist for Raytheon or Boeing is the most knowledgeable in the field of national security. Likewise, in these times the economic situation may justiry HIRING EX-ARTHUR ANDERSON PARTNERS - NOW LOBBYISTS - AS TREASURY UNDERSECRETARIES TO HELP MOVE THE BUDGET DEFICIT TO "SUBSIDIARY" KWAJALEIN TO IMPROVE BOND RATINGS AND PAINT A ROSY FEDERAL PICTURE! AAAAAHHH. AAAAAHHHH! Now, now. I understand that the rules are there for a reason. There's a reason. THERE'S A REASON! In all seriousness, folks, cannot just about any position be waivable? Is there nobody else who could do the job effectively? Isn't that "exigency?" Or is this a matter of them liking the guy so much that he's worth the waiver? I think hthis guy is a good cat and probably the best for the position. I also think Obama's admin has the best of intentions with this. But - this is the sort of thing that can bring "change" to a standstill. The admin, hopefully, will learn that sticking to your own rules establishes confidence. Exceptions to rules (such as my rule against cheating on my wife has no exigent circumstances) tend to swallow the rules and render them useless. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #18 January 25, 2009 Quote The party is over. It's time for the same old screwed-up politics as usual. Well, if that's the case...it doesn't seem like the party is over for you then..."more of the same"....isn't that what you wanted?Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #19 January 25, 2009 I don't blame Obama for this. Obama is the boss. He's got a friendly Congress. The GOP, through its own incompetence and mismanagement, is now out of power. Come on! Partisanship is the game. Each side, being partisan, won't budge. If anyone buys any politician promising to put an end to partisanship, that person should pay close attention to the rectal tissue surrounding the head. Obama didn't sign an executive order putting an end to partisanship. The GOP is mad? Boo hoo. Note to the GOP - YOU WERE KICKED OUT BECAUSE YOUR POLICIES SUCKED. So a change in policy is consistent with the new admin. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #20 January 25, 2009 Quote ...thanks for that. Quote Now, now. I understand that the rules are there for a reason. There's a reason. THERE'S A REASON! Now this sounds like Lewis Black...very funny. Good points, but I'd say that its a bad time to jump the bipartisan ship right now like some are anxious to do...grab a violin like Wallace Hartley and keep your composure. I don't think this is too serious, but I get your point...there is a minimal potential for problems.Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #21 January 25, 2009 Wallace Hartley? Tha was the guy on the Titanic, right? A hero. But if I see composure leading to decomposure, I'll be a bit more heated. My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #22 January 25, 2009 Fair Enough.Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GeorgiaDon 380 #23 January 25, 2009 QuoteIn all seriousness, folks, cannot just about any position be waivable? Is there nobody else who could do the job effectively? I nominate Nerdgirl! Don_____________________________________ Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996) “Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #24 January 25, 2009 Quotecheating on my wife tend to swallow render them useless. Your wife should kick your ass for using those phrases in the same sentence. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildcard451 0 #25 January 25, 2009 I'm still wondering where any of obama's followers are on this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
