Obama still losing supporters and appointees

WASHINGTON (AP) - CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta won’t be the next surgeon general, the Obama administration confirmed Thursday. Gupta, 39, a neurosurgeon with star appeal, was seen as President Barack Obama’s first pick for the job. He would have brought instant recognition to the office of surgeon general, a post that has lacked visibility since the days of C. Everett Koop during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

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Gupta withdraws from surgeon general search

WASHINGTON (AP) - The person Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wanted as his chief deputy withdrew from consideration Thursday, dealing a setback to the agency as it struggles to address the worst financial crisis in decades.

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Treasury secretary’s choice for deputy withdraws

At least on Wall Street, the honeymoon is over for President Barack Obama.

Polls still show the President has strong popularity among the general U.S. population, and Obama continues to command power in Congress. But among investors, fairly or unfairly, there is griping that the new Obama Administration is at least partly to blame for the recent slide in stocks. Since Nov. 4, Election Day, the broad Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index is off about 25 percent, and since Jan. 20, when Obama took office, the “500″ is down 15 percent.

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Wall Street not sold on Obama

DETROIT – Of all the words in General Motors Corp.’s 402-page annual report, none is more jarring than two written by the company’s auditors: “substantial doubt.”

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GM’s auditors raise the specter of Chapter 11

The stories say it all. No upstanding citizen in his/her RIGHT mind wants to be associated with the debacle that IS the Obama administration.

And the last little blurb concerning General Motors, Obama and Company will just give them however many BILLIONS of OUR money it takes to keep on losing BILLIONS of OUR dollars.

Are you fed up yet?? How much more is it going to take for YOU to blow YOUR top regarding this travesty of a presidency?

Ill. governor names Burris to replace Obama

CHICAGO (AP) - Gov. Rod Blagojevich has defied U.S. Senate leaders and his own state’s lawmakers by appointing former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate. Blagojevich announced his decision in Chicago on Tuesday with the 71-year-old Burris at his side.

The governor praised Burris’ integrity and said he hopes that the allegations against him don’t “taint this good and honest man.”

Burris says he’s eager to get to work in Washington. He says he’s proud of his accomplishments and vowed to uphold the integrity of the office.

Burris says he has no connection to the charges against Blagojevich, who was arrested on Dec. 9 and accused of trying to profit from appointing Obama’s replacement.

Burris was the first African-American elected to major statewide office. He’s served as Illinois’ comptroller and ran for governor three times - the last time losing to Blagojevich.

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Ill. governor names Burris to replace Obama

OK, I have already been branded a *racist* by some, now I guess I’ll be branded even further so.

We do NOT need an African-American in the Senate of this USA. We do NOT need any African-American in ANY shape, form or fashion in any capacity seated in any aspect of the government of this nation. We don’t need African-Americans in this nation. Period! There, I said it.

I have NO use for anyone that is African-American. I have no use for anyone that is Mexican-American or German-American or any other hyphenated American. All that this nation needs is AMERICANS. America 1st, God and Country, fire breathing *Death to all the try to destroy this nation* AMERICANS!

There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. ~Theodore Roosevelt~

This block-quoted paragraph can’t be re-posted too many times. It can’t be seen by Americans too often. It must be the 1st thing that ALL Americans think of when they hear the words anything-American.

I don’t give a damn what color my elected officials are, as long as they are nothing more than Americans, they can be green with purple polka dots, it really doesn’t matter! Race isn’t the issue with me, Americanism is the REAL issue for me, and with all REAL Americans as well. A hyphenated American is not an American at all!!

TR said it then and it still holds true today.

McCain scolds GOP for whacking Obama

In a surprising rebuke to the warriors who fought for him through tough times, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday sided with President-elect Barack Obama and scolded the Republican National Committee for fanning the Illinois corruption scandal.

On ABC’s “This Week,” host George Stephanopoulos asked: “The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mike Duncan, has been highly critical of the way President- elect Obama has dealt with this.

“He’s had a statement every single day, saying that the Obama team should reveal all contacts they’ve had with Governor [Rod] Blagojevich. He says that Obama’s promise of transparency to the American people is now being tested. Do you agree with that?”

McCain replied: “I think that the Obama campaign should and will give all information necessary. You know, in all due respect to the Republican National Committee and anybody — right now, I think we should try to be working constructively together, not only on an issue such as this, but on the economy stimulus package, reforms that are necessary. And so, I don’t know all the details of the relationship between President-elect Obama’s campaign or his people and the governor of Illinois, but I have some confidence that all the information will come out. It always does, it seems to me.”

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McCain scolds GOP for whacking Obama

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Your guy didn’t win because I voted for Bob Barr. Boo-Hoo.

I am almost glad that McCain came out with this, his true side, the one that I screamed at damn near ALL of you about. The RINO side, the more Dem than Repub side, the pandering, doddering old man that hasn’t got a clue.

Why would it be out of line for Obama and Company to show exactly what contact he and his staff have had with Blagojevich? Why is it a bad thing for the RNC to actually stand up and do exactly what REAL Republicans should be doing? What’s wrong with acting like Republicans, and not just Dem Lite? Why is that wrong?

I do NOT disagree with any of you that feel Obama is quite likely going to be a disaster, but McCain would have been one as well, on nearly ALL of the exact same issues and at all of the exact same levels. Until such time as we ALL stand together and demand MUCH more from our political parties and their leadership than that which we are being forced to accept, people like McCain, Obama and Blagojevich are ALL we’re going to have.

McCain is a confused old man, he doesn’t have a clue. He is also a gun grabber, always has been, I don’t care what he said in his rambling panderings to the NRA and American gun owners. He did NOT change his spots. And that ‘I voted for Palin’ thing some are so fond of saying as a justification for voting McCain, well, that’s just sad. Palin would have been the VP and that’s all. She could in no way have over-ridden ANY decision McCain would have made.

Here is the FULL and honest truth folks, Obama is about to become the president of this nation, and do you know who is at fault for THAT?? Yeah, you and me, and every other poor dupe that didn’t set the wheels in motion that could get a real Conservative on the ticket. That one hurts, but it IS the truth. Maybe now some folks will wake up and smell the coffee, if we can still afford coffee after an Obama presidency.

And you can take this as Gospel too, our economy is a wreck. Anyone with half a brain knows that. Bush has been the man in charge for the last 8 years. McCain was set to become Bush V.3, nothing more, nothing less. Financially, it can’t get too much worse than it is, but if, or when it does happen, it’ll be Obama’s fault, I can hear that already. And ya know, it may BE his fault, at least to some degree, but he hasn’t been the one in the White House for the last 8 years!

And personally, I am damned glad that McCain isn’t the one that’s going to be there for the next 4 years! At least with Obama you know what to expect. With McCain, well, you have NO idea what’s going to be his next faux pas, it’s that *maverick* thing I guess.

Ill. Gov. arrested in Obama successor probe

CHICAGO (AP) - Federal authorities arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper’s editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Otherwise, Blagojevich considered appointing himself. The affidavit said that as late as Nov. 3, he told his deputy governor that if “they’re not going to offer me anything of value I might as well take it.”

“I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain,” Blagojevich allegedly said later that day, according to the affidavit, which also quoted him as saying in a remark punctuated by profanity that the seat was “a valuable thing - you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

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Ill. Gov. arrested in Obama successor probe

Anyone that reads my blogs knows, I LOVE a feel good story, and THIS is a feel good story if ever there was one!

I don’t care WHAT political party they belong to, Dem, Repub, Libertarian, Indy, makes NO difference to me, I HATE crooked politicos! There is nothing that makes me ANY happier than to see a crooked official get arrested. I am elated when they have their feet held to the fire. And if we’re so lucky as to see them actually go to prison, well, that is a great day for American government!

Blagojevich also was charged with using his authority as governor in an attempt to squeeze out campaign contributions.

His chief of staff, John Harris, also was arrested.

When an elected official breaks the public trust there is almost always a co-conspirator! These guys don’t come up with their scams and so forth on their own, they are NOT criminal geniuses. All they are is greedy and corrupt politicians! And hopefully this won’t be the last one to go down!

Vitter, *Cold Cash* Jefferson, DeLay, Edwin Edwards, the list is long and regardless the party, if you can ferret them out, great, take them to the woodshed. BUT, if you can’t prove the accusations, if you can’t obtain a conviction in a court of law, then leave the guy alone and let him go on with his life.

Cross Posted at The American Conservative