Rahm Emmanuel

Over time I have developed a lot of animosity toward Rep. Emmanuel (D-Ill) largely due to his arrogance, bullying tactics toward members of his own party, and other qualities that I generally associate with stature-challenged men. Today I salute him

As you may recall, there was a great deal of news this week about Herr Cheney's argument that the Office of the Vice President is not part of the executive branch of government. The Raw Story explains thusly:

The Office of Vice President Dick Cheney told an agency within the National Archives that for purposes of securing classified information, the Vice President's office is not an 'entity within the executive branch' according to a letter released Thursday by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

"The Oversight Committee has learned that over the objections of the National Archives, you exempted the Office of the Vice President from the presidential executive order that establishes a uniform, government-wide system for safeguarding classified national security information," Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the Committee's chairman, wrote in a letter to Cheney. "Your decision to exempt your office from the President's order is problematic because it could place national security secrets at risk. It is also hard to understand given the history of security breaches involving officials in your office."

According to Atrios

Rahm Emanuel issued the following statement regarding his amendment to cut funding for the Office of the Vice President from the bill that funds the
executive branch ... "The Vice President has a choice to make. If he believes his legal case, his office has no business being funded as part of the executive branch. However, if he demands executive branch funding he cannot ignore executive branch rules. At the very least, the Vice President
should be consistent. This amendment will ensure that the Vice President's funding is consistent with his legal arguments. I have worked closely with my colleagues on this amendment and will continue to pursue this measure in the coming days."

Good for him. Actions have consequences. If Mr. Cheney's office isn't part of the executive branch he'll have to find a new funding sourch.

Digby

who always rocks. I think I'm the only person in the universe who didn't know Digby is female.

I am proud to be a liberal.

Via Sinfonian

Know The "Candidates," Part I - Newt

We all know how important it is to Know The Candidates, so in the interest of my public and the small service I may provide, I'll focus on charactr.

Newt Gingrich, courtesy of Scoobie Davis via Skippy

Here's a summary of Gingrich's family life: 1) Gingrich marries his high school teacher, Jackie, who was seven years his senior; 2) Jackie puts Gingrich through college and she works hard to get him elected to the House in 1978 (Gingrich won partly because his campaign claimed that his Democratic opponent would neglect her family if elected--at that time it was common knowledge that Gingrich was straying); 3) Shortly after being elected, Gingrich separated from his wife--announcing the separation in the hospital room where Jackie was recovering from cancer surgery (the divorce was final in 1981); Jackie Gingrich and her children had to depend on alms from her church because Gingrich didn't pay any child support; 3) Six months after the divorce, Gingrich, then 38, married Marianne Ginther, 30; 4) "In May 1999, however, Gingrich [55] called Marianne [48] at her mother's home. After wishing the 84-year-old matriarch happy birthday, he told Marianne that he wanted a divorce." Happy Fucking Mother's Day. This was eight months after Marianne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; 5) In 2000, Gingrich, 57, married ex-congressional aide Callista Bisek, 34, with whom he was having a relationship while married to Marianne.

A Surprise For Me

I have a pretty tough shell, but when I watched the first woman, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, holding an infant grandchild, elected to be Speaker of the House, I was incredibly moved. I guess I never thought we'd get here. I'm so glad that we did.