A New Day in Foggy Bottom

It's important to note that the very large majority of people in this video are not political appointees.  In fact, most are probably career State Department and Foreign Service Officers who work hard at their jobs regardless of who is in the White House.  To me, that makes this response to their new boss all the more striking...

Housekeepers, Nannies, and Taxes, oh my !

Is this really happening? If the latest story is true - Caroline Kennedy decided to withdraw her name from consideration for the New York Senate seat because of "personal issues" related to problems with taxes and housekeepers.  Haven't we seen this before? Like, last week? And Kennedy, who has been running around the state of New York like a chicken with her head cut off trying to prove her political mettle, just realized this might be an issue? If this situation doesn't scream out for an segment of "Really!??! with Seth and Amy," I don't know what does. 

In fairness, given that this story has changed multiple times in the last 24 hours, this may not be the final story. No matter what the real reasons, however, there is no question that this bungled withdrawal is just another example of the sophomoric way in which this awkward campaign for appointment to the Senate has played out over the last month and a half.  New York deserves better. 

Big News from the First Day

The Obamastration has begun, and things appear to be forging forward at full steam. However, Bar's resting easy today as he finds out he'll be able to have a super top secret infinitely protected Blackberry (which I predict gets hacked into sometime in the next 3-6 weeks). I'm happy for him, I have the poor man's Blackberry, and cannot imagine having to sacrifice it for any reason at all. I mean, the poor guy's already had to give up one of his favorite vices, why should he have to give up another just because he's the most powerful leader in the land?

However, there's also some bad news, despite Blackberry access, all White House staffers will not be allowed to instant message, which is crushing my hopes to IM with Reggie Love and/or Jon Favreau. I'm going to have to reassess my stalking, ahem, I mean dating strategy.

OMB!

Yay yay yay! Today's the day! I don't think many people are doing much of anything at work. However, usual procrastination has been replaced by livestreams and CNN updates. There's a feeling of anxiousness and excitement, hope and emotion. I started with Hulu.com, which was providing live coverage. Even this normally intolerable station was enraptured by the spirit of the day, and the implication of history. I've since switched to MSNBC, and it's kind of hysterical. Matthews, Olberman, and Maddow are just no holds barred. My favorite line thus far was when Matthews said, "I think GWB is not interesting, and people will not want to hear about him after his presidency." I will be updating this through the day. And hopefully providing more photo updates care of equity partner, j-moad, and pumpernickle princess. Get excited kids because the change is gonna come...

Ongoing updates to follow...

• "There's a reason old people go South, the cold and the north is tough on the elderly" -Chris Matthews on G. HW. Bush looking quite old
• They get an embargoed copy of the speech. Off camera, Matthews can't contain himself..."Oh, it's so good! Look at it! Look!"
• The girls looks fabulous and age appropriate. Loves them. Malia is going to be so gorgeous, and Sasha is just too damn cute. How can I become the presidential nanny?
• Matthews just compared the scene to a Chia Pet. Um, what? Olberman can't hide his disgust..."Where are you going with this?"
• Rachel Maddow loves the ladies of the administration. "Jill Biden has her Ph.D. in education, and Michelle Obama, obviously, a high powered lawyer in Chicago."
  
• The crowd is singing "Goodbye" a la 8th grade basketball game. Hmmm, don't know how I feel about that.
• My office gathered in our main conference room, and it was a really great event. Just intense silence and a tangible sentiment of excitement.
• Some quick thoughts on the event: anyone else totally creeped out by Warren's "Sash-aaaah and Mali-yaaaaah"? We all giggled awkwardly.
• Aretha killed it. Her hat was certainly the most amazing thing about her. Also, I was really happy her cleavage was covered.
• There's a Hail to the Chief for VP's? Who knew?
• Michelle's brother is repping Princeton HARD with that scarf. Also, man, those Robinson kids look an awful lot like their mother.
  
• During the swearing in, couldn't you hear Michelle thinking, "C'mon Bar...you can do this. Pull it together." Update: Turns out that Justice Roberts is the one who dropped the ball and didn't say faithfully, and Barack gave him a chance to rectify himself, and then was a little thrown off for the rest of the oath taking.
  
• All in all fabulous and incredible. A proud moment. When the stock shots of the flags came up, I actually felt proud for the first time in a long time.
  
• When he finished his speech, President Obama didn't smile. You could see in his face that he was taking it all in, reflecting--if only for a hot second--as to what he just took on. As soon as he turned around and saw his family, the familiar smile crept back, and he was able to revel for a sec.
  
• The benediction was awesome, perhaps the best part of the whole affair.
• Tuning into the parade: Al Roker is standing on the parade route, and FREAKS out when Obama goes by. Mr. President just looks at him, and goes "It's warm!" Classic.
• The visual of Biden jogging at some points on the parade route are a pretty incredible juxtaposition to the Cheney being wheeled in to the earlier festivities. Also, Jill Biden is so sassy. Loves her.
  

After the inauguration was complete, I grabbed lunch with a friend on 130th street. Walking down 125th was amazing. People young and old alike--and literally all races, I think a bunch of tourists came to "Historic Harlem" to take in the scene--walked with flags and Obama gear. The sounds of his speeches have replaced the deafening raggaeton or rap that generally come from the guerrilla stereos that line the blocks. A guy jokingly hawked "Obama breathmints." There was just a sentiment of collective achievement and a sense of hope. This will fade over time, I'm sure, but the impact was palpable, and there is an element that core structure of race and politics has changed, and there's something truly amazing about that, you can't deny it, no one can.

So Long, Farewell

The sun is setting on the presidency that should have never been, and these final few moments I find myself catching up on the news I missed. Some mourn this day, as it will complete 8 years of comedic satire, and the fine folks at Letterman pulled together the following montage upon which for us to reflect. It's really quite amazing, and makes me (and equity partner, I'm assuming) really proud of our alma mater and fellow alumnus. Fare thee well GWB, may your afternoons in KPT be restful....and full of complete sentences.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

I just pilfered this off of my facebook newsfeed. The last minute is unsane and awesome. Hooray for Obama inspired pop outputs--Obamapop?

This Makes Me Happy

To borrow from another blogger friend of mine, this piece of news makes me very very happy. Who knows what will come to fruition once he's actually in office, but I think that the vision is there, and that's really truly very important...and exciting! Hopefully he can give me a significant cut of that $80 billion to pursue my Ph.D. and you know, help the kids...or something.

Update: Apparently Thomas Friedman is just as excited about the possibilities of this massive investment as I am.

Preparations Continue

Everyone is buzzing in anticipation for the events of the coming week. Ball gowns are being purchased, china polished, and final positions being filled. California's Legoland has prepared the exhibit above just in time for the big day (and will be on display through Memorial Day...book your trip now). [h/t seantice]

Awesome

Priceless. I'd love to see "Joe's" response.

Oh, To Be A Fly On This Wall

Today, the PEOTUS met with a collection of journalists including Maureen Dowd, Rachel Maddow, Eugene Robinson, Frank Rich, E.J. Dionne, and Andrew Sullivan.  

If someone had asked me (why doesn't anyone?), I wouldn't have been able to come up with a better list.  In fact, if I could, this is the group I would invite to my birthday party. 

This meeting comes on the heels of a dinner party with conservative columnists at George Will's house.  This is just incredibly smart politics.  The influence these columnists have on their readers can be immense, and in a time when it will be absolutely essential to maintain the public's trust, having an open, if not always agreeable, relationship with these journalists will be a huge asset.  

"Queen of Obama's Hot Nerds"

As is often the case, MoDo no doubt has the line of the day. 

However, the story of the day is this: Susan Crawford, the retired judge charged with overseeing the potential criminal cases against Guantanamo detainees, has become the first high-level Bush administration official to publicly declare that a U.S. detainee has been tortured while in custody.  

In the last 8 years, the government of the United States and their lawyers have repeatedly twisted the language of our laws, international obligations and even the Constitution, seemingly to suit their every whim.  Given this, I wouldn't begrudge anyone for believing that the law, especially as it is applied to the most powerful in our society, is an inherently malleable and unprincipled thing; existing more for lawyers to try and out-smart other lawyers in order to redefine the law for the benefit of a particular client.  After all, if government lawyers can simply make up their own interpretation what the law means, consistently pushing the boundaries of a common sense understanding of the English language, where do we draw the line? 

I would suggest that the judicial system, while imperfect, remains our last, best protector against this type of arbitrary or ideological interpretation of our laws.  Judges are the ultimate neutral arbiters of disputes, due in large part to their professional obligation to the rule of law which is predicated more on a common sense evaluation of the facts than ideology or other ulterior motives.  Does this mean that judges don't have some fundamental ideological beliefs that inform the decisions they make? Of course not.  "Common sense" does not exist in a vacuum, and reasonable people can disagree.  However, to date, judges, more than our elected representatives in either Congress or the administration, have often been the only group that has been able to restore some sanity to what has become a consistent disregarding of the law at the highest levels of our government. (see: government transparency, wiretapping, detention policy)  And now, thanks to Susan Crawford, someone with the legal authority to do something about it has called the the Bush administration's interrogation policy what it is: torture.

Straight Weezy

What a way to start the day...I just opened Bob Herbert's OpEd in the Times about the current state of the economy and can't get past the first line. Is that a Lil Wayne reference? Hopefully he'll some how integrate the phrase "Let the beat build, [expletive]" or maybe just add an audio link to this. Wow.

In Your Eyes

I just had a moment of cognitive disconnect. As I scrolled through the headlines on HuffPo, there was a featured article about waterboarding by Lloyd Dobler. I realize that HuffPo is a little bit campy and often features op-eds written by upper echelon celebrities, but it was a bit shocking nonetheless on this chilly Monday. Cusack poses two questions for the incoming AG Eric Holder about how to proceed with torture prosecution under the new administration. It's an interesting and eloquent read, but I really would prefer that he would stick to rom-coms because if he keeps this up it will mean more War, Inc., and less High Fidelity. Boo.

Dolla Dolla Bills, Y'all

Two of America's most powerful women--Suze Orman and Oprah--are teaming up to bring you fiscal security in 2k9er. For one week, you can download Suze's book Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan for free. Last night I had a dream that my mother told me i had to buy an apartment in New York City, but I didn't have enough money for a downpayment. This did not deter her demand, and I was left stranded. It was really disconcerting...hopefully Suze has some tips on how to ensure this does not happen. I'm also crossing my fingers that she offers some style tips at some point too.

In other great morning news, this would be my total dream.

Quick Quiz: Name the Current Surgeon General

No idea? Me neither.  

There is some exciting news for those of you who, like myself, have always had a liiiiitle crush on CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta - it seems he will have the post in the Obama Administration.