The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.-Thomas Jefferson

nemesis on February 26, 2009 at 1:53 AM

The way things are shaping up, the wheels will come off quickly/.

I’m starting to wonder if Obama is a Short Seller and cashing in by simply opening his stupid mouth

jp on February 25, 2009 at 4:41 PM

No kidding. If not he should be.

Why doesn’t Obama just appoint Daschle as “health-care advisor” or something?
Just wait a couple of months. It’s coming.

GarandFan on February 25, 2009 at 4:33 PM

Yep. Agree with you & all who posted this.

I don’t like Byrd, but he has a real point.

Look at Chu at the Department of Energy – he is an obvious figurehead, who will have no real authority.

Realist on February 25, 2009 at 4:26 PM

By that rationale, I’m not sure if Chu ended up in the right place, since he strikes me as precisely the kind of guy that Obama does want in his inner circle. Perhaps Obama made the staffing announcement too early (like November or December, wasn’t it?), at a time when his 100% White House-driven czar-opolis was just a beautiful dream? :-) And then simply stuck with it, rather than play the “new game”?

I have to keep reminding myself, this guy (Obama) is also an innovator. If he tries something outrageous in January and gets away with it, he’s liable to try something even newer, bolder and more unprecedented in March or April. And on and on…

He makes a good point about the secrecy of Dear Leader’s White House. Ironically, when the Bush/Cheney team was less than transparent, the liberals screamed and shrieked to the heavens. A few days ago on Democratic Underground, there was a thread about how refreshingly honest and transparent the Obama administration is. They keep sucking down the Kool-aid.

Maybe Byrd will squawk loud enough that someone will pay attention. Most likely, Byrd will die first. I’m sure that is what Obama is hoping for.

Shadow Cabinet… plain and simple.

Romeo13 on February 25, 2009 at 5:01 PM

Bingo! Making His Royal Heiny the perfect Hussein II bookend to Good Riddance Hussein.

media ~nuance~

And this mentality has lead them to undermine the rights of private enterprises and the rights of states. Furthermore they threaten to undermine the rights of the individual.

All in everyone else’s best interest, of course.

What can we do about it?

Isn’t this unconstitutional?

If so then why is it happening anyway?

PrincipledPilgrim on February 25, 2009 at 4:36 PM

Sue, sue, sue. Larry Klayman will probably do it. There was a successful lawsuit that recovered all the minutes and staff papers from Hillary’s health care task force, and another one over the energy task force that Dick Cheney headed. But the suits need to be filed NOW, not after the policies are made.

One thing the Republicans can really nail the Administration on is that almost all of these “czars” are white, while the actual Cabinet appointees are the window-dressing minorities. Does anyone really think Lisa Jackson is calling the shots at EPA, with Carol Browner sitting there in the White House?

Give him a couple of weeks.

I agree, this is a well thought out plan to centralize power, not save the economy.

What you end up with is essentially a Medieval court: no one doing any actual work; everyone intentionally kept at each other’s throats, jockeying for the king’s favor.

logis on February 25, 2009 at 5:46 PM

I wouldn’t mind that if it kept the democrats from spending a trillion a week.

Boxer Seeks to Ratify U.N. Treaty That May Erode U.S. Parental Rights

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/25/boxer-seeks-ratify-treaty-erode-rights/

Sugarbuzz on February 25, 2009 at 4:58 PM

Not surprising. How long before we ratify Kioto so we can start the transfer of wealth to third world countries?

“Aides say he believes the Cabinet structure is outdated because it doesn’t recognize that problems like global warming sprawl across several agencies, often requiring a sort of uber-Cabinet member – a czar – to confront them.”

Taking away all the structure and official hierarchy from an organization doesn’t make it more efficient. Obama is taking away the Cabinet, and he’s not replacing it with anything.

What you end up with is essentially a Medieval court: no one doing any actual work; everyone intentionally kept at each other’s throats, jockeying for the king’s favor.

Forcing all government action to go through the house and senate may have seemed like a stupid idea a year ago, but I bet you’re all regretting that so many cracks have been made in that system over the last 7 years.

Let this be a lesson to all of you: checks and balances are good things. They may make things harder when you’re in power, but you sure appreciate them when you’re not.

If someone can give me the time, I’ll set my TIVO.