Kennedy/Obama Supporters Diss Gov. Paterson for Selection Process

New York Congresswoman Kirstin Gillibrand and Gov. David Paterson, Photo credits: PostStar.Com, Glens Falls, NY

Diehard supporters (read Obama supporters) of Caroline Kennedy’s bid for Hillary Clinton’s U.S. senate seat are taking their anger out on Gov. Paterson; Paterson had the gall to appoint Congresswoman Kirsten Gillilbrand, an upstate centrist who has paid her dues in New York politics.

There continue to be odes to Caroline across the media today. After all, she who withdrew from the running before Paterson’s announcement of his pick had special status:

CAROLINE’S A FRIEND OF OBAMA AND THE KENNEDY FAMILY. SHE WOULD HAVE HAD THE PRESIDENT’S EAR, THE BACKING OF THE KENNEDY MACHINE, AND MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!

Listening to David Brooks and Mark Shields on Jim Lehrer’s NewsHour at PBS last night, I relied on Buddhist mindfulness training – attending to my breathing while half-smiling - to remain calm when Shields testily complained about Paterson’s process for making the selection.

The Left of course continues to take shots at Gillibrand. But scanning the online coverage, I was surprised to discover Brian Keeler’s favorable remarks (Huffington Post), and Keeler’s link to Casey Morris’ piece (Daily Kos) that is also supportive of Gillibrand.

Keeler explains that when both he and Gillibrand ran for office in upstate New York in 2006, their districts overlapped, and they wound up at some of the same events where he got to know Gillibrand as a candidate. Keeler writes:

“In those events, I'm here to report that she was the first one to arrive and the last to leave... answering every question and showing real interest in people's lives. I was very busy myself, but my admiration for her grew as I watched a confident, attentive, ambitious, candidate evolve into a quality Congresswoman who represented her District with passion and dedication.

“I know many on this site {the Huffington Post} are disappointed in this decision, but, when I heard about the opening, my first thought was of Congresswoman Gillibrand. In fact, when all is said and done, I can't think of any other appointment who:

“Has legislative experience;

Can raise the kind of money that will need to be raised over the next 4 years;

Has broad popularity upstate;

Has the support of the woman she is replacing

“There will be plenty of time to debate upcoming votes and everyone will have a chance to contact the Senator and voice your opinion... and, I can guarantee that she will listen.”

Read more of Keeler's post here.

Over at the Daily Kos, Casey Morris begins:

“Kirsten Gillibrand is my Congresswoman. And it seems that she is poised to become my next Senator from New York, which will no doubt make many progressives nervous, if you look at her on paper alone.

“But those scorecards don't tell the whole story, and when you look at those scorecards and how she fares on the Democratic Purity Testing Scale, you would do well to remember one very important thing: Kirsten Gillibrand is a Democrat representing a Conservative Republican district.

“It's a district that she has won twice. The first time she won it with a bit of a nudge of Republican Frat Boy extraodinaire, John Sweeney. But the second time she won it, she was the number one target of the NRCC, she ran against a self-funder who spent $7 million of his own money, against the $5 million she raised, and though he ran one of the slickest and most D.C.-type top level consultant expensive campaigns I have seen, she still beat him.

“She beat him comfortably.

“Below the fold I will tell you what I know about her, how I know it, and how this committed Democrat beat back two different Republicans in a conservative Republican district."

Go here for Casey Morris's diary; it’s well worth reading.

Has the Huffington Post Turned on Obama?

Three days since Barack Obama was sworn into office, it’s startling to read the screaming headlines at the Huffington Post, earlier known as Obama’s top online mouthpiece – Obama himself was known to drop a post there every now and then. Before his inauguration, you could count on Huffpo to give a positive spin to everything Obama, but take a look at four headlines pulled from today’s edition:

Obama Irritated by Serious Question at Press Meet and Greet

(Politico’s Jonathan Martin asked about Obama’s appointment of Raytheon lobbyist William Lynn as second in the command in the Pentagon)

Obama’s First Missile Strike

(18 killed in Pakistan)

Concern in Labor Community that Obama Won’t Act on the EFCA Soon

(the Employees Free Choice Act)

Obama to GOP: I Won

(what happened to bipartisanship?)

Gillibrand Known for Bold Political Moves and Centrist Positions

New York’s Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand and former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton

Writing for the NY Times today Danny Hakim and Nicholas Confessore fill in the details of Gov. Paterson’s selection of upstate Representative Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate.

According to the article, Gillibrand has an impressive background as both a candidate for office and as a congresswoman.

“ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson was preparing Friday to announce at a noon news conference his selection of Representative Kirsten Gillibrand, a 42-year-old congresswoman from upstate who is known for bold political moves and centrist policy positions, to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a person who spoke to the governor early Friday.

“An aide to Ms. Gillibrand confirmed early Friday morning that she had accepted the appointment.

“Ms. Gillibrand is largely unknown to New Yorkers statewide, but is considered an up-and-coming and forceful lawmaker in her district and has gained considerable attention from Democratic leaders in Washington.”

The article offers more biographical information about Gillibrand:

“Ms. Gillibrand, who lives near Hudson, N.Y., just outside of Albany, with her husband, Jonathan Gillibrand, a financial consultant, and their sons, Theodore, who is 5, and Henry, who is 6 months old. (Ms. Gillibrand received a standing ovation on the floor of the House from her colleagues for working right up to the day she gave birth to Henry.)

“Ms. Gillibrand, who had never held public office, won her seat in 2006 against great odds, defeating a four-term Republican incumbent in a race that turned intense and nasty in its final days.

“She proved to be a formidable candidate, raising millions of dollars and assembling a campaign organization that aggressively exploited the personal and political baggage of her opponent, Representative John E. Sweeney, who frequently found himself on the defensive.”

Hillary’s Star Quality Shines Attention on State Department

Tom Brune at Newsday.com reports:

"WASHINGTON - On her first day as secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday did what she does best: She used her star quality to shine attention on a State Department that felt it had been in the shadows for far too long.

"With a broad smile, Clinton won excited, almost giddy, applause and cheers from hundreds of diplomats, foreign service officers and staff as she worked a rope line in the department's packed main lobby yesterday morning.

"As if to underscore Clinton's role both as the high-profile public face of U.S. diplomacy, and as a member of his team of rivals, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden paid an unusually early visit to Foggy Bottom.

After taking credit for naming Clinton as secretary of state, Obama stepped aside as she introduced George Mitchell newly assigned to the Middle East and Richard Holbrooke to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Brune continues:

"She showed up at 9:15 a.m. and after a short ceremony, went to her office and phoned her counterparts in other countries, including Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. She then took an intelligence briefing and toured the building before holding a closed meeting with Obama, Biden and national security advisers."

Brune concludes:

'"Though it was a day of smiles and camera flashes, the uncertainty and gravity of international affairs weighed heavy. "This is not going to be easy," she said, upon arriving. "I don't want anybody to leave this extraordinarily warm reception thinking, 'Oh, good,' you know, 'this is going to be great!' It's going to be hard."'

It occurs to me this morning that naming Hillary Clinton as secretary of state may turn out to be the smartest decision Obama has made since elected president.

Obama Picks Raytheon Lobbyist as Second in Command at Pentagon

President Obama just announced new ethics laws tightening the restrictions on lobbyists working in government. But get this – ABC’s Justin Rood reports:

‘“Experts and watchdogs say they cannot fathom how President Obama's choice for the Pentagon's second-in-command, currently a lobbyist for a defense giant, could be nominated under the principles of his new ethics rules.

‘“It appears to be a black-and-white case. I am unaware of what makes it so gray in the mind of President Obama," said Winslow T. Wheeler, a former congressional budget staffer now with the Center for Defense Information, on the president's choice of Raytheon lobbyist William J. Lynn to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense. Wheeler said it would take a "gigantic loophole" to squeeze Lynn, a top executive for defense giant Raytheon who registered to lobby for the company as recently as last June, into the office.

“Obama's executive order, which he signed Tuesday, would appear to ban lobbyists like Lynn from working in executive branch jobs related to the work of their former employers. Moreover, it would force appointees to recuse themselves from any business their former employers might have an interest.

‘"We need to close the revolving door that lets lobbyists come into government freely," Obama said yesterday upon signing the order.

‘"I think they need to re-evaluate [Lynn's appointment] after their strong stance on government openness and ethics," said Scott Amey, of the Project on Government Oversight. His group opposes Lynn's confirmation.”’

To read more on this puzzling development, go here, and let’s hope – there’s that word again – that President Obama will sooner, rather than later, start practicing what he preaches.

Hillary’s First Day At The State Department (Video)

Watch Hillary greeted by hundreds of cheering employees on her first day on the job at the State Department.

In the Age of Obama “Skeptics should step up, not aside”

It hasn’t been that long ago that I considered myself a liberal idealist, even something of a Pollyanna. Nevertheless I’ve been stunned by the collective swoon of the Democratic Party and the media at the feet of Barack Obama – uninterrupted since the moment he announced his candidacy for the presidential office.

The media hype continues unabated in the aftermath of Obama’s undeniably pedestrian inaugural address, which is why the sobriety of Joan Venochi’s op-ed in the Boston Globe this morning is such a welcome relief.

In her response to Obama’s speech, Venochi explains the difference between cynics and skeptics:

“PRESIDENT OBAMA took time in his inaugural address to set up scapegoats for any future troubles: those annoying cynics.

‘“Addressing those "who question the scale of our ambitions," the new president said, "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them."

“He seems to overlook a key difference between cynics, who constantly question the sincerity of motives, and skeptics, who ask questions but can be persuaded by results.”

Venochi continues:

“Obama's election is welcome evidence of a dramatic ground-shifting in American politics. It is a chance to move the country forward after years of gridlock. Despite the hype, Obama isn't the Messiah, but he seems smart, serious, and focused enough to outline an ambitious agenda for change. He deserves a chance to implement it.

“In the meantime, it isn't wrong to ask for details, acknowledge obstacles, and raise tough but fair questions about the means of carrying out an agenda and the players who will do so.

“In fact, Americans should be questioning their leader more, not less, and the media should be leading the charge, not shrinking from the task.

“This country just witnessed what happens when it gives a president the benefit of the doubt at a time of crisis. It's too bad so many skeptics stepped aside after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, giving President Bush permission to launch a war on a premise that turned out to be false.

“The situation is even more complicated today, given the international fallout after the Bush years and the economic turmoil at home and abroad. At this time of crisis, skeptics should step up, not aside.”

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