that = than

It’s akin to putting the editors of Jane’s in charge of an armored division because they took some great pictures of tanks.

Ed, I’d wager that any one of Jane’s editors has significantly more intelligence experience that Mr. Panetta.

Putting him in charge of the CIA is madness.

What I cannot wrap my head around is that someone hired Panetta to hear him speak about something/anything. I cannot imagine I would get all excited about attending a meeting or a conference where Leon Panetta was the guest speaker. If I had to go I would bring a crossword puzzle to do or something. Why was this guy getting paid to speak?

HawaiiLwyr on February 5, 2009 at 12:13 PM

That’s the way to create a lobbyist, without calling them a lobbyist.
You pay someone to do a gig for $50,000 grand, and you have an ally…
Look at Carter, he gets big bucks from the middle east, and suddenly the middle east terrorists can do no wrong.

What I cannot wrap my head around is that someone hired Panetta to hear him speak about something/anything. I cannot imagine I would get all excited about attending a meeting or a conference where Leon Panetta was the guest speaker. If I had to go I would bring a crossword puzzle to do or something. Why was this guy getting paid to speak?

HawaiiLwyr on February 5, 2009 at 12:13 PM

Businesspeople always want to hear what is going on in Washington and why. They are pretty clueless about government and politics. Panetta was a major figure in the Clinton White House and in Congress before that, so he’ll be in demand as a speaker. But the fees people like him rake in for these speeches is obscene.

The post I responded to mentioned Bruce Springstein in its tirade, please read before you put your foot in your mouth.

DeathToMediaHacks on February 5, 2009 at 10:13 AM

I am pretty sure you wrote this:

Hank Williams also earns alot of money for concerts. If you have a problem with an elite class

DeathToMediaHacks on February 5, 2009 at 9:30 AM

Really, I am telling you, he is not up for a cabinet postition…honest.
He may run for the senate…but he is not running for a cabinet position…

I’ve never heard a Democratic politician ever say money is bad, capitalism is bad and that wealth should be curtailed.

DeathToMediaHacks on February 5, 2009 at 10:12 AM

Need some clarification here. You’re telling us you’re deaf or that you live somewhere without electricity?

Volcker then orders Larry to go do the ironing!

He has a pass that excuses him from physical education class.

BuckeyeSam on February 5, 2009 at 10:44 AM

LOL, would not surprise me!

death to media hacks: are you in between social studies and algebra when you post? Just curious.

Branch Rickey on February 5, 2009 at 10:30 AM

He has a pass that excuses him from physical education class.

Can’t say I disagree with any of that. Particularly in terms of Panetta and Daschle. In terms of “new voices” in the Administration they are in the minority, it’s shaping up to be (another) Dem administration. All we can do is see what happens. That said, Obama, at least, has started a conversation that was entirely absent in Washington the last 8 years. We didn’t blink an eye as Bush appointed industry lobbysts to regulate those same industries, now we’re paying attention and calling people out who are defense contractors and healthcare industry stooges. This is actually good. And if it took a Dem getting in power and some hypocritical partisanship to get both sides of the spectrum caring about lobbysts then so be it. I’ll look at Obama’s record in 2012 and see if how much his appointees have actually done anything new and different. If they have I’m on board again, if not I’m back on the sidelines.

DeathToMediaHacks on February 5, 2009 at 10:26 AM

Fair enough. I knew some of the hacks that went into the Bush administration and I was none too pleased about them.

I am concerned that Obama suffers from the same problem that Bush had – both came into the Presidency as relative rookies with few close friends and without a large circle of people who were personally loyal to them. So they had to turn to “the establishment” to find people to serve with them. Washington has become so appealing to people of both parties who came there to serve, becauee of the huge amounts of money being thrown around by the law and lobbying firms who just want that big name on the letterhead. You are simply not going to change Washington by populating your Administration with such people.

Barack Obama made great hay against Hillary Clinton by using the line “we are not going to change Washington by just sending the same people back there to sit in different chairs.” Would be nice if he would at least try to live up to his own campaign rhetoric.

http://youhavetobethistalltogoonthisride.blogspot.com/2009/02/fred-imus-proves-radio-is-still.html

We didn’t blink an eye as Bush appointed industry lobbysts to regulate those same industries

Who’s “We”, you and your chia pet? You’ve got to be joking or you never read a newspaper during the Bush presidency.

That said, Obama, at least, has started a conversation that was entirely absent in Washington the last 8 years.

Huh? 17 appointees so far who worked as lobbyists. Well yeah, that’s got a lot of people talking …. about his hypocrisy.