Obama Becomes President...Again!

Is the Obama presidency already in reruns?

No.

He took the Oath of Office a second time, tonight !
So, story: A lot of media are reporting that this whole thing was brought on by the White House Counsel Greg Craig (best name ever) and Joe Biden's stupidity. At the ceremony to swear in Obama's White House staff, Biden said the following, according to Politico:

“My memory is not as good as Justice Roberts,” Biden said at the swearing in of White House staffers Wednesday afternoon.

The staffers in the room laughed, but Obama stood stone faced and visibly annoyed:


Last night on the air, this happened:
And Fox News anchor Chris Wallace said: "We're wondering here whether or not Barack Obama in fact is the president of the United States. They had a kind of garbled oath. It's just conceivable that this will end up going to the courts."

The White House then issued a statement saying that they had decided, out of thoroughness, to have Justice Roberts come to the White House to administer the Oath once more. Apparently a lot of people, including "professional" Chris Wallace, think that Obama is not officially the President, and that since yesterday, Joe Biden has actually been the President, since the Oath of Office for the President was not properly administered, and was somehow in violation of the 22nd Amendment.

Wrong. The 22nd Amendment was put in place strictly for the two-term limit rule...good 'ol George Washington and Thomas Jefferson didn't want young America turning into a Monarchy.

Additionally, the 20th Amendment was called into question, since some thought that at noon yesterday our country was leaderless, because the Oath had not been given. Article 2 of the Constitution, that lays out the oath, was effectively superseded by the 20th Amendment, which states that the President and Vice President relinquish power at precisely noon on the 20th day in January...regardless of whether the President-elect has taken the Oath.

There's some tricky language, but the 20th Amendment makes distinction between "entering upon the execution of the office" and "term of office shall start at noon." Meaning, that President Obama's term started at noon yesterday, but didn't enter into the execution of his duties until after he was sworn in.

Rest easy, America, Obama is actually our President !

I'm really glad Obama stuck up for Chief Justice Roberts, too...give the guy a break, it was his first inauguration, and he didn't plan on looking like a douche, he wanted to go without notes and look impressive.

Sidenote: I watched the National Prayer Service that the President attended, and...wow.

Day One...

One final note...I have discovered the best source for all the political information on the new Obama Presidency. Politico has a comprehensive diary of everything that the Administration is doing, and it's immensely interesting to read.

Politico 44

A New Day Has Come...

Well, I'm sitting here parked on the couch, Krispy Kreme donuts and milk in front of me, awaiting the start of the Inaugural ceremonies, and I thought I'd post some thoughts as I see things on my television screen. I plan on trying to get a peek at each news channel, mainly because eventually each one of them makes me angry and forces me to flip to another one. Look for pull-quotes of stupid things news reporters say, stupid things people in the crowd say, counts of how many times I hear overused words or cliches, and many more random bits of Inaugural-ness. Barack my world, bitches !

- 9:30 am: Merideth Viera on "Today" on NBC keeps saying "There he is!!" when Obama appears on the camera, and said something about history that didn't make sense. One thing to note though, they showed the President-Elect leaving St. John's Church on those screens on the National Mall, and the crowd exploded already...I've been reading that Washington, D.C. is just bursting at the seams with people trying to see this event. The subways started running people at 4 AM, and there's an estimated 2 million people on the Mall to watch...

**After seeing Dubya and Obama and their wives on the steps of the North Poritco at the White House...I wonder what George is thinking. Maybe, "Hmm, you aren't John [McCain]..." ?

10:40 AM: Spike Lee is interviewed on ABC, and along with wearing a ridiculous white fur hat, he appeared to be high...because he couldn't think of where he was. I'll chalk it up to nerves, though. Some chick who was interviewed said she'd been sending blogs to her family every second on her cellphone...something each cellphone carrier explicitly asked customers to NOT do...so we'll see how long the cellular network around D.C. lasts before imploding.
- Over on NBC Governor David Patterson made some awful joke about Michelle Obama being a woman, and no one laughed, including me. Maybe someone forgot to read him the punchline...
Oh, and Ted Kennedy has an ultimate hat on. He looks like Churchill, only the kooky version.

Another important note: I refuse to flip over to CNN at all today, in order to keep my sanity...and to boycott their ridiculous Facebook collaboration to have people instantly update their status so all their friends can see what they are thinking each and every second. I choose to get information from a real news channel, not a gimmicky broadcast aimed at young people who have nothing better to do with their lives...

More to come
P.S. the motorcade is GINORMOUS

11:20 AM: ABC's anchors will not shut the hell up and just let us watch the event. Charlie Gibson is like Biden: long-winded, and tells the stupidest anecdotes and tries to be poignant when it just comes off as arrogant. NBC oozes professionalism right now, as Brian Williams actually apologizes for their microphones picking up some of the chatter on the stage, and someone who is clapping excitedly right next to the microphone. Every channel could learn something from Brian Williams' class.
11:28 AM: Laura Bush says "Hey Everybody" as she comes down the steps. Haha.

*How awesome would it be to have Marine Corp guards around you all the time, a Marine Corp band that basically follows you everywhere, your own Cadillac limo, and an infinite number of Secret Service agents blanketing you at all times. When I watched Obama's train rally in Delaware the other day, I was amazed at the number of agents forming a half circle around him.

I can't get over the image of Obama's two daughters, and Michelle Obama, walking down those stairs, just that image of this new American family that has arrived...I'm not going to say Kennedy-esque like all the media does, but you know our politics have changed for good when you look at that image.

11:37 AM: George W. walks onto the stage, to a very very ligth applause, and no reaction from the enormous crowd whatsoever. I think he's just glad to be done with this job so he can let Obama deal with everything now. And I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but it's somewhat fitting that Cheney is in a wheelchair after some kind of moving injury yesterday...

More later

11:39 AM: Joe !! I'm sorry, but if I hear one more mention of how Joe Biden loves freakin' Amtrak, I am going to punch something. Biden is a good man, but he's a two-faced politician. A year ago he didn't even like Obama, and now look where he is. I don't know whether it's a testament to Obama's grace or Biden's ability to swallow his pride in order to advance his own career...

11:45 AM: Obama is introduced, and oddly, the announcer says "Barack H. Obama" Was this intentional??

12:08 PM: The Chosen One is sworn in...and look what I found...the words to Hail to the Chief! Sing it with me !

Hail to the Chief we have chos-en for the na - tion,
Hail to the Chief! We sa-lute him, one and all._______
Hail to the Chief, as we pledge co-op - er -a- tion_____
In proud ful-fill-ment of a great, no-ble call.____

Yours is the aim to make this grand coun-try grand-er,
This you will do, That's our strong, firm be-lief.__
Hail to the one we se-lect-ed as com-mand-er,
Hail to the Pres-i-dent! Hail to the Chief!

12:12 PM: Holy crap, President Bush #41 wins the prize for most ultimate hat!!
And NBC loses points for showing Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans two times in the last hour

12:45 PM: OK, I caved...I flip to CNN, and immediately flipped back. Their reporter compared this inauguration to Nelson Mandela's...and Campbell Brown says that the crowd is "A Yes We Can kinda Crowd" ... and then on CBS they interviewed some douche who said that humanity's and America's struggle has been going on for "thousands of years," and that he had no idea how many people were here but that he witnessed history. Good god.

12:50 PM: Bush gets on Marine One...I don't know why but he looked grumpy during Obama's speech...almost like "dang, this Barack guy is pretty good. I need a taco." And as he's walking to the helicopter...he just looks like he's pissed that he's a regular citizen again. BUT then he made a joke and he and Barack laughed. Haha good work George.

3:10 PM: And journalists now are clamoring over the fact that Senator Kennedy had a seizure...CNN is in full freak out mode, and trying to question any politicians within earshot. CNN, go fuck yourselves.

Meanwhile:


3:26 PM: An interesting comparison that I have been thinking about. A presidential inauguration is about as ceremonial as it gets in America, but think about how taxing it must be. I remember how exhausted I was after Michigan's commencement...and I am sure that's what it "feels" like...just like it's a college commencement ceremony, just about 10000000 times more intense and fancy. It followed a very similar program that a university commencement does...only Obama's graduating to the Oval Office!
NBC gets bonus points for making a joke about Obama needing nicotine once he got into the limo...which by the way is HUGE. If I were in that crowd I'd be like, "Hey Mr. President! What's your gas mileage! (limo is a Cadillac...NBC had fancy graphics about its run-flat tires)"

Just an incredibly dignified event that makes America look darn good :)
More soon

4:07 PM: He's outta the limo ! Woooo Chosen One
Text of Obama's amazing speech goes here. I'm going to have to replay it several times, but WOW, he is just such an eloquent man...and the fact that he wrote his own speech, and didn't tinker with it...he's a writer and an academic, and he's our President now. I found this great NYT article the other day...and I believe it now more than ever after hearing that speech. Obama the Harvard Man is in the White House now instead of George the Legacy Son.

*My remote stopped working so no more quips about the other news channels failing at covering this thing...but I'm going to dig around for interesting insight from my favorite journalists.

4:30 PM: Bahahaha, Al Roker completed Brian Williams' challenge to get Obama to wave to him. "Mr President! Mr. President! he shouted" and Obama pointed to him and said "It's warm!"
+10000 points to NBC

4:46 PM: The Presidential Viewing Box is quite a sight...the fanciest skybox/luxury suite in the country, that's for sure.

- The Atlantic's endorsement of Abraham Lincoln in 1860
- Chicago Trib's thoughts on the oath of office goof
- Historical perspective on the Inauguration
- ABC News found the cost of the ceremonies

I don't forsee anything else spectacular occurring, so I'm going to sit back and watch the parade.

What a country. Tim Russert said that...don't forget it.

Hmm. Michigan Basketball

Ohio State 63, Michigan 58

I figure I could blog about this game since I was actually there...

After finally seeing Beilein's team in person for the first time, there's no denying that they are immensely improved over both the Amaker years and last year's horribleness. The problem is thusly: when Michigan's scorers can't hit a basket for minutes at a time like on Saturday night, they dig themselves an early grave that they'll never get out of. They tied cut the defecit to four going to halftime, and then tied it within the first three minutes of the second half. And that was despite not making a shot for what seemed like 10 minutes.

Novak, Grady, Lucas-Perry, Sims: 22 combined points
Manny Harris: 21 points
Stu Douglass: 12 points

I'm smart enough to know that an offense dependent on 3-point shots and getting scorers open for jumpers that doesn't get hardly any production from four of their five main scorers, it can't win a basketball game. Beilein made a great adjustment for the second half by switching to that brutal 1-3-1 defense that seemed to force Ohio State to take longer shots that Michigan was able to grab off the rim...but when Novak had almost as many rebounds as Sims, the conference leader in rebounds, something is amiss. I'll leave the rest of the game analysis to people who actually know what they're talking about. However, if it were me, I think I would make some lineup changes that can help Michigan get points instead of clangs on the rim:

Guard: Harris, Center: Sims, Scorers: Douglass, Jevhon Shepard (who I have not seen on the court since the first few games), Grady/Lucas-Perry (who I think may be getting a little gassed, he was yanked from the game several times)

Meanwhile, at halftime, the 1989 National Championship team showed up! Oh, and the Michigan players wore these slick throwback uniforms that Adidas made:
I may have only been 3 at the time, but the 1989 Michigan basketball team is a pretty remarkable story. Read a flashback from the AA News and the Daily, and then relive the Bill Frieder saga! That championship became the wedge in between some very rough years of Michigan basketball. Bill Freider had assembled a team that could beat anyone, and then he was fired by Bo Schembecler, who told the team that no Michigan Man would leave his school, and made Steve Fisher the interim coach for the '89 season. It is because of that championship that Fischer was able to bring in some guys named Webber, Rose, Howard, Jackson and King for the 1991-'92 season. Michigan was in the NCAA title game with four freshmen, and then made it back the very next year when they were sophomores. For some reason, I always remember those legendary baggy shorts. Everybody who loved basketball wanted a pair of those baggy maize shorts. They became a status symbol...and it was at that point that the Fab Five were icons, and they made Michigan the center of the basketball world for two glorious years. Four years later, in 1997, all the members of the Fab Five were gone, and Steve Fisher had been fired by Tom Goss for a bizarre off-the-court issue...and Michigan basketball fell into the eternal damnnation of college basketball. The '89 team is a reminder that the most unlikely of teams can climb to the top, and that's what Beilein has on this court, is the foundation for a dangerous, dangerous team.

Sidenote: Crisler Arena is a crazy mad hoppin' place to watch a basketball game again. Finally. The place was packed, the court looks great under the new lights, and the new score/videoboard is a behemoth. Not to mention they have the guy that does the PA at Comerica Park now! When it's loud, it is damn loud, and Ohio State was rattled a few times when they had some miscues and got everyone pumped up. I expect Crisler to be a major factor in some coming Michigan victories.

Final note: Charissa Thompson of BTN is officially the hottest sideline/courtside reporter in the country. Pic goes here:
Watch, now Michigan will turn around and stomp Michigan State in the next huge home game on the schedule. I'm just glad that Michigan basketball has some credibility to its name again...even though looking up into that black hole in the Crisler rafters where the 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners once hung makes people hang their heads in shame. No longer can we just joke that the best thing Michigan Basketball had going for it was the new Crisler Arena lights...

Michigan...Basketball!?

Alright, I'll confess: I'm a believer. Michigan Basketball has now won three more games than they did last season...and I just looked at ESPN's Bracketology and the RPI:

ESPN projects Michigan at a #9 seed in the NCAA Tourney. A 9 seed ! A year ago a 9 seed in the NIT would have been an achievement they were so bad. Interestingly enough, Joe Lunardi has them paired with West Virginia in the South region. That could be an epic tourney game that Michigan could actually win.

The RPI as of their 12th win, since they won #13 yesterday in dominating fashion, is at 33...their strength of schedule has gone down a bit since they played Oakland and Eastern and Savannah State, but the Tourney Committee *cannot* ignore two wins over top 5 schools and if Michigan goes deep into the Big (11) Ten Tournament, a tourney birth is a lock.

Keep the faith my friends...Beilein may have our boys dancing in March for the first time in 10 years.

SEX MULLET

Happy New Year...but not for THE Ohio State University...

Number of consecutive BCS bowls Ohio State has either gotten embarrassed in or, well, embarrassed in the last seconds of a game: Three.

Texas won the Tortilla Chip Bowl minutes ago, and all Michigan fans smiled, because we know it means one thing: the Big (11) Ten is officially in the crapper, poised for an epic Michigan return to stomp on the Big 12 and Pac-10.

As the VPs and Marketing people of the faceless sponsoring corporations presented trophies to Texas, I recall how I read a damning article on how much of a sham the college bowls have become (the seemingly incorruptable Rose Bowl included). Yahoo News has the article, and it's very insightful into what our beloved sport is becoming: centered around money, perks, and elimination of the presence of the NCAA altogether (note that the NCAA has nothing to do with the national championship anymore...it's basically a fledgling organization that receives money from big sponsors to have big-time schools compete for a lot of money, and is awarded a completely arbitrary championship that more times than not has been open for debate). We all praise Michigan for not caving to corporate sponsors for Michigan stadium -- the tradeoff was forcing Bill Martin to build the damn skyboxes to get athletic department revenue instead of having a few signs on the scoreboard -- but the parts of college football that we want to see fixed go unchecked in the name of dollar signs.  FOX has the BCS until 2010, then ESPN takes over, and even then, they have structured their contract so that a playoff system cannot be instituted. It has to take the mutual might of the universities, the NCAA, and even Barack Obama, to cleanse the best darn sport in the land !

Yahoo News Column.

P.S.  Does anyone know what the hell 'G' is ???

P.P.S. Stephen Ross is buying the Miami Dolphins. Amazing!

P.P.P.S. There was an epic mullet spotted on the Texas sidelines. Picture coming.

Fact vs. Artistic License: An All-too Frequent Problem

This is more a reason for me to gush about how ultimate Wired Magazine is, but I began to think more deeply about what I read in a column in the December issue. Scott Brown, the author, writes about the more-frequent appearances of "Eco-Disaster" films at movie theaters the last few years. Specifically, he cites the newest, The Day the Earth Stood Still, as one of the most glaringly preachy.  Keanu Reeves is an angry alien determined to punish the human race for raping the Earth and exhausting its natural resources.  Totally plausible, right?  It's only natural for Hollywood to latch onto certain issues of our time. Before Eco-disasters it was terrorism (and still is in some ways), before that it was governmental issues, like drug control and oil politics, and before that it was...well, I don't remember. Maybe end-of-the-world scenarios like Armageddon or Deep Impact. 

Hollywood likes to be trendy, and obviously global warming is the issue of choice for a lot of actors, producers and directors, but is the point to offer a message or just entertain the droves of movie-goers looking for an often-politically-incorrect story to make them not have to think for two hours?

The real issue here is something that I as a holder of a history degree have a problem with: artistic license to original source material. When filmmakers deliberately change source material so that it's updated or correlates more to something that's current. Case-in-point: Casino Royale is not about stopping a terrorist financier; Actual story: Bond must face Le Chiffre in a game of Baccharat (the game he plays in Goldeneye) to get the secret Soviet Agency SMERSH to take out Le Chiffre for blowing money they entrusted to him on investments in brothels in France, not Montenegro. The producers completely raped the original storyline that connects perfectly to the James Bond we see in Dr. No, in the interest of making a film about terrorism. Terrorism + James Bond = $$$ for Columbia Tristar. When Syriana was made, Stephen Gagan took the basic premise of Robert Baer's superb book See No Evil about the terrible abuses of power by the NSA and CIA in the Middle East in the 1970s and 1980s, and turned it into a film about the government's ties to MidEast oil conglomerates that led to the assasination of a Saudi Prince to push a pro-American brother of his into the throne of his ill father. Quantum of Solace was morphed into a slight commentary on the state of the world's water supply, but an emotion-driven story that doesn't even feature James Bond as the central character. The governor of the Bahamas tells him a story of his revenge on his unfaithful wife and how it left him with little to hold onto in terms of emotional baggage and his ability to put his sorrow behind him. 

With The Day the Earth Stood Still, the source material and title refers to what the world would look like had a nuclear war taken place, leaving the planet devoid of life. Keanu Reeve's character is meant to be the one that warns the world's leaders of the dangers of nuclear war. Not disregard for the environment. 

I have hope for two important films that open on Christmas Day, though. Ron Howard has already publicly said that Frost/Nixon uses every line of actual dialogue found in the transcripts to the Frost interview of President Nixon. For Valkyrie, there is a lot of material to pull from, as there is a book written by Hans Bernd Gisevious, and some mystery as to which of the German officers in Wermacht Heer was the point man for the operation. Tom Cruise plays Claus von Stauffenburg, but some maintain that General Friedrich Fromm was the only man who could have carried out the final attempt on Hitler's life on 20 July 1944 that would have allowed the German officers to arrest the SS and seize power from Hitler. It will be interesting to see which angle this movie takes, and if it's as accurate as it needs to be.

Why filmmakers feel the need to alter source material that provides all the details to an event is beyond me, but it sure is annoying when they alter something that is recorded fact in the interest of selling a few more tickets. I will be thoroughly ashamed if Valkyrie just places von Stauffenburg at the center of the film and ignores the intricacies of the plan that they had to achieve in order to make their move on Hitler. American filmmakers have already screwed up enough of our own historical events (Pearl Harbor *SIGH*, U-571, the list goes on and on), so I suppose it's time to start screwing up other nations' history.

The Winner Is...

Was there ever any doubt ?

Runners-Up included: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, French Prime Minister Nikolas Sarkozy, Governor Sarah Palin, and Zhang Yimou (who is he you ask? he's the man that designed all those amazing productions seen at the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics).

I think it was a given that President-Elect Obama would be the person of the year here in America, but...the world? I think Mr. Zhang would have been an interesting choice, given the times we live in (internationally, that is) -- coincidentally, I finished Thomas Friedman's latest book, and he devotes an entire section of the book to China, and it just seems like China is the most up-and-coming place on the globe right now -- why not pick a man that was tasked with presenting "the good side of China" to the world?

Lots of person of the year-related content up on Time.com now so hop over there to check it out...can't exactly argue with slapping Obama on the cover of a magazine for the 32485437078623th time, but that's why I like that they put that excellent illustration on it instead...he's a symbol of the greener pastures that lie in waiting for us Americans. When Franklin Roosevelt accpeted the Democratic nomination in 1932, he said, 

"Throughout the nation men and women, forgotten in the political philosophy of the Government, look to us here for guidance and for more equitable opportunity to share in the distribution of national wealth... I pledge you, I pledge myself to a new deal for the American people... This is more than a political campaign. It is a call to arms."

Obama's the guy to call us to arms...roll up his sleeves and take it in the gut for a year or maybe two of his term as President, and I'm guessing that's why he is TIME's Person of the Year.

Job's Done. The Bitch is Dead.

I'm tremendously proud of our Senate here as the clock strikes 11:30 pm on Thursday December 12th, 2008. It is on this day that the immient implosion of the U.S. automobile industry may become a reality. I truly hope this is the last time I ever have to write about this crap, other than when it's reported that Detroit has been sold to Canada or something.

Approximately thirty minutes ago, I was flipping channels waiting for Jon Stewart to come on, and all the cable news channels were at commercial breaks. Until I flipped across Fox News, and noticed the text on the screen had nothing to do with the rerun of Bill O'Reilly's show that was on. It said:

"Alert; Auto Bailout Loan Dies in Senate, 57-32"

After I was done giggling, imagining the three auto CEO's being awoken in their beds by a phone call from some assistant, saying that this happened, I thought, "Wow, this government actually allowed this thing to fail." And then I thought about Speaker Pelosi fainting in her living room. And then I envisioned President-Elect Obama spouting profanities. Haha

By the way, notice that the vote does not total 100 members? Who were the eleven senators that didn't even vote I wonder??

It appears the big issue that caused such a lopsided vote, was the UAW. The NY Times explains:

The automakers would also have been required to cut wages and benefits to match the average hourly wage and benefits of Nissan, Toyota and Honda employees in the United States.

It was over this proposal that the talks ultimately deadlocked with Republicans demanding that the automakers meet that goal by a certain date in 2009 and Democrats and the union urging a deadline in 2011 when the U.A.W. contract expires.

I didn't even know that the U.S. automakers paid more than the two big Japanese companies. How could they afford to do that if they were on the edge of bankruptcy? And why would the damn union come out and say "Yea, you know how we were willing to do anything to save these jobs? Well, we'll do anything but that." It just breeds a climate of distrust, and there already was quite a bit of distrust leading up to the vote on this bill...and now the average American can look at UAW Chief Ron Gettlefinger, and lump him in the same breath as Wagoner, Mullaley, and Nardelli.

Thomas Friedman once again rails against the bailout in his Wednesday column

Here's what each company submitted as their reformed plans for the second testifying session:

General Motors:  Request $18 in loans, reduce its $60 billion debt by half, explore selling Saab, Ponitac, and Saturn, break even in 2012

Ford: $9 billion in reserve loans, launch hybrid and electric cars in 2010, convert truck plants to small car ones, become profitable in 2011

Chrysler: $7 billion in loans at low interest (just to make it through 2009), cut work force and health care benefits, CEO Nardelli will take a salary of $1 (Ha !)

This has turned (wrongly) turned into a political battle, with people in Detroit trying to point fingers at the GOP for killing the industry -- just because Mitt Romney writes a blunt editorial a month ago -- and the fact that no one in Detroit batted an eye when the White House decided to pull the proposed funds from legislation marked for making more fuel efficient technology! And watching Gettlefinger this morning, he is dodging the question coming from a smart reporter. The reporter is repeatedly asking him, "So, are wage cuts an option?" and Gettelfinger just spouts off something about how they're working hard and they love their country.

If the only casualty in this mess is that the UAW is dissolved (fat chance) I would dance in the street. But don't worry, the all-powerful Henry Paulson will step in and just hand these guys a check because Bush told him to.

What Universe am I In?!?!?

Raise your hand if you thought by mid-December Michigan basketball would have beaten two top-five schools and likely be playing better basketball than Michigan State right now???

Yeaaa, didn't think so.

I felt enormously left out that I hadn't found a ticket to the Duke game, but as amazing as seeing that flood of maize rush the field - er - floor (have to remember this is M Basketball), I enjoyed watching it on national television almost as much...the last few times Michigan was on ESPN nationwide, Dickie V was in the house and they blew chances to win. But it was more satisfying knowing Bilas was sitting there with his shoe in his mouth. 

Michigan also has an ace-in-the-hole come Christmas time...a gift from Santy Claus really:

Laval Lucas-Perry will be eligible to play on December 20^th

Lucas-Perry is this guy. He left AZ when Lute Olsen bailed, and Beilen raves about his shooting skills. Only a three star recruit, but look what Beilein is doing with his current guys! Zack Novak, the kid who nailed all those clutch three-pointers is only a three-star guy, and a Scouts, Inc. ranking of 40. Huh!? Kid looked like freakin' White Glen Rice or something! Deshawn Sims, on the other hand, is a beast, and it only made me opine for Ekpe Udoh even more, because this team would be unstoppable with him in the paint and Sims nailing jump shots and backdoors. 

And Kelvin Grady learned how to pass! OMG! 

And looky what I found:

Men's Basketball - Michigan Wolverines (2008-2009)

RPI Rank: 11    SOS Rank: 5     Record: 6-2 (0-0)

Anyone who thought Michigan was going to have to wait until 2010 to break the NCAA Tourney streak, me included, has obviously underestimated how good a coach Beilein is. So long, NIT !

Random sidenote: Brandon Graham was on the floor with everyone jumping up and down. Haha

!#&%$#@!^$#%@#$!

For the past 48 hours, I have been having the most ridiculous problems trying to play that game up there ^^^, Crysis. I happened to be in Gamestop asking if they were hiring, and they had a big sale going on, and Crysis was sitting there with a big, red "Save $30" sticker on it, so I couldn't resist, and I figured since I have a pretty powerful computer finally, I'd be able to run it pretty well. My Vista machine contains the following:

AMD Athlon 64 3500+  2.2 GHz

2 GB OCZ Dual Channel RAM

Nvidia 8600 GTS 256MB

Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value card (finally got it to get along with Vista)

Shockingly, the framerate is pretty good, but there's a different issue with this one: The SOUND!!! Oh my lord it sounds terrible. This is similar to what I experience on my system, and during the entire time I play, not just in spots:

Horrible, god-awful to listen to right? Yea, and guess what? There's no way to fix it!

I have scoured the internet for solutions to this for people that are having this same problem, and there is nothing from Crytek, nothing from Microsoft, and nothing from EA.

The inCrysis Forum has a 19-page discussion that has been open for over a year, with people coming up with all kinds of solutions, the most viable being (1) changing the paging file of the RAM, (2) checking driver versions, etc., and other things. Also, another forum called nVnews has a clue in a discussion that says basically:

Microsoft didn't implement hardware use with DirectX10, so it instead uses software and can't process as much.

Normally, this would be fixed in some sort of patch or hotfix, but Crytek no longer makes patches for Crysis because an expansion has been released since the most recent patch. Great.

The last clue is the particular sound hardware that Crytek used for Crysis, called FMOD. It's extremely advanced and uses a TON of channels, but, in their forums, the version of the software that Crysis uses is specifically mentioned as being HORRIBLY out of date (version 4.07.23)! And in order to upgrade the software within Crysis, there needs to be a patch!

I went directly to fmod.org, and downloaded a new version of the software, and it installed, then I ran Crysis again, and opened the console, and saw that the FMOD version had not changed...

Basically this amounts to (1) Microsoft not having the proper compatibility for advanced sound hardware and allowing different options for output, and (2) Crytek being too lazy to see that there's an issue with their game and not upgrading a simple piece of software to improve performance on the types of machines that most of their customers have (i.e. yours truly).

Game Developer 101, folks: FIX YOUR G#&DAMN SOFTWARE when thousands of people say on the internet, "Help, we need a fix for this so we can play your flippin' game!"

Will the national champion please stand up ??

I for one welcome our new BCS computer overlords !

First, let me wish all fellow sports fans a Happy Jimmy V Week!  Always some great college basketball to be had during this week, especially the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Michigan gets Maryland tonight and the Dukies on Saturday. Go Blue!

Did you hear it on Sunday evening, echoing across the country? Ranging from the sun-soaked hills of L.A. to the plains of Texas to the beaches of Florida? A loud, booming cry for something that...well, makes sense?

That booming echo was: P-L-A-Y-O-F-F- P-L-E-A-S-E !!!!!!!!

The current Bowl Championship Standings are as follows:

1. Alabama (0.9713 avg.)

2. Oklahoma (0.9351 avg.)

3. Texas (0.9223 avg.)

4. Florida (0.8851 avg.)

5. USC (.08076 avg.)

*per USA Today

...and so on.  These are the only numbers that really matter so late into the season, as the other BCS bowls are a pretty clear picture (Penn State to the Rose, Cincinatti to the Fiesta, Utah to the Fiesta or Orange, Boston College/Va. Tech to the Orange, Boise State to the Fiesta, Ohio State (dammit) to the Fiesta, and Oregon State/USC to the Rose).

Last week, OU and Texas were swapped. Then OU ran up the score on Oklahoma State late in the 4th quarter by way of some silly OSU mistakes to get some style points, and Texas was sitting there, idle, collectively groaning and watching their Big 12 title hopes go down the drain. But fear not, Longhorns! You are not to blame, and you still have hope!  The Big 12 is absolutely stupid for agreeing to let the higher BCS ranked team be their representatives for their conference championship. That shows a complete lack of loyalty to your own conference, and a selfish thirst for the bigger financial draw (Oklahoma likely carries more "weight" than Texas in a bowl setting, despite being humiliated two years ago and getting destroyed last year by Rich Rodriguez's players)

So the scenario is thus: On Saturday, Alabama and Florida will play for one of the BCS spots, and Oklahoma and Missouri will play for Oklahoma's ticket. What happens if Missouri wins?  A ClusterF*#k.

The BCS people might as well just throw those five teams in a hat and decide that way, because that's basically what this amounts to, is who gets lucky at the end of the year to fall into the title game.

The SOS (Strength of Schedule) rankings are as follows, with the toughest-ranked schedule being #1, and so on, but listed in the order of the current BCS standings:

79. Alabama

1. Oklahoma

4. Texas

11. Florida

54. USC

The computer rankings vary (I watched a very fascinating and alarming expose of the six guys who do the computer rankings, and I felt afraid.) but as far as I can deduce, they are as follows, based on the above SoS rankings and quality wins and other factors:

1. Oklahoma

2. Texas

3. Alabama

4. Texas Tech

5. Utah

6. Florida

7. USC

8. Penn Shhhhtate

So the computers believe that Oklahoma losing to Texas still warrants them a higher ranking, and an undefeated SEC team is ranked third.

This directly clashes with the two top 25 polls, the USA Today and AP polls. Get this: 

Coach's Poll: Alabama (58 first place votes), Oklahoma (2 first place votes) and Florida (1 first place vote).  Mack Brown didn't even vote for his own freakin' team!

AP Poll: Alabama (62 first place votes) Florida (3 first place votes), Texas (o votes)

Thus, the computers have affected Florida's chances for a title shot, the SoS rankings have screwed USC, and the two Top 25 polls have screwed Texas! All of these teams are playing extremely well right now, and who wouldn't love to see Alabama battle Texas, Oklahoma battle Florida, and USC battle Utah or Penn State in a small playoff system that gets rid of the arbitrary rankings that have way too much variability and human stupidity involved?

Lastly, here's how crazy the scenario can get after this coming Saturday's games:

-Florida beats Alabama, giving them a lock on the #2 BCS ranking

-Missouri beats Oklahoma, giving a mad scramble for #1 amongst Texas, Florida, and Alabama

-USC beats UCLA by a wide margin, yet is given a spot in the Rose Bowl over Oregon State, a team they lost to and Penn State destroyed.

If any combination of these things happen, then: Florida will be in the national title game with a team that is likely Oklahoma or USC, Oregon State will get barred from a Rose Bowl birth that they essentially earned, and Texas will be passed over by any one of these teams due to their lower BCS average, including a team they beat by ten points.

Can anyone explain to me just who in the hell is #1 and #2????

Isn't it scary that this:                                                

and this:

became this:

AAAAH IT'S HIDEOUS! LOOK AWAAAAAY!

And on a sidenote: those who hate Notre Dame got their wish as Charlie Cheesecake was allowed to stay on as head coach for at least another season!

The True Mad Men

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General Motors' entire marketing team should be shot. Right after Rick Wagoner is executed by firing squad comprised of all the workers he has laid off due to GM running out of money.

Yesterday the company announced that their endorsement contract with Tiger Woods would end a year early so that GM can cut advertising costs while the company avoids bankruptcy. General Motors' advertising expenses are insane. They spend $240 million on sponsoring golf tournaments and other sporting events (over $20 million on golf alone). And Woods's contract entitled him to free use of Buick automobiles for any tournament, but GM will not disclose the annual payout Woods gets from GM. I once read a book about Tiger Woods's endorsement deals back in 1997, and at the time, for example, American Express would pay him $30 million over three or five years. This year Nike signed him to $100 million over 5 years...so GM surely pays him at least $5 million a year to drive around in a car brand that doesn't even sell 200,000 units annually, and the median driving age is 68.

Meanwhile, the company is making cuts across the board of business expenses. The most sensible one being the decision not to power the 562 clocks in their offices because it's too expensive to replace batteries or change them on daylight savings...

- General Motors' current advertising budget is $3 billion.

- Rick Wagoner makes $2.2 million per year...after raising his salary back to full compensation this year (had been making $1.5 million after a 50 percent cut).

- General Motors spent $1 billion to develop the Chevrolet Volt, but guess what ? They have no cash to bring it to market by the 2010 target.

And, Oh, look here!  GM has also decided to cut TWO corporate jets from their fleet. A GM spokesguy says:

"It is response to budget cutbacks in general due to the sales slump and credit crisis," Wilkinson said, adding that two other planes were cut in September.

This coming after the hypocrisy of those three auto CEOs flying to Washington at a cost of $20,000 per round trip per man.. My favorite "them being at a loss for words" moment was when a Congressman from New York told them, "There is a delicious irony in seeing the three of you come off a private jet with tin cups in your hand." The most interesting case is Mr. Wagoner, who has publicly said that GM is cutting costs of executives who travel around the country, but his own costs will not be reduced, so he can keep his private jet. However, when the three executives return to D.C. after the Thanksgiving holiday because Speaker Pelosi gave them a complete mulligan, they may take carpools.

A 21st Century Michigan Football Manifesto

Isn't it remarkable that for the first time in most of our lifetimes, we all witnessed quite possibly the worst season of Michigan football in 129 years? Think about that: this is the first time in FORTY years that the win-loss record has been below .500.  I saw a thing where Michigan State had 2 consecutive winning seasons for the first time in almost that long.  All Michigan does is win football games!  It's only natural then, that a ton of the old-fashioned types or the panicky types fear for the future of Big Blue. It is to those folks and any others who are waning in their faith for the Yellow and Blue that I offer my manifesto.

Things change, but the tradition of Michigan does not. I don't have to sit here on a soap box and go over all that's been said about why Rodriguez was or was not the perfect hire for Michigan. I personally believe that in 2 seasons Michigan will be in Pasedena. People like Jim Carty say Rodriguez eroded the family values put in place by his predecessors. Maybe, but only to replace them with new ones. Rodriguez personally met with each player when he got to Ann Arbor, and on Senior Day accompanied Brandon Harrison on the field because his parents were late getting to the Big House. I have a different view: Rich Rodriguez was caught off guard by the aura of Michigan. Can anyone besides Bo, Carr, Moeller and now Rodriguez truly explain what it's like to step into the head job at the most legendary program in college football? No. Rodriguez just simply could not have been prepared for what to expect. No one jumped on him at West Virginia because he told some critical fans to get a life...because he was their guy, he was from within. If Lloyd Carr had said something like that we all would have laughed and said, "That's 'ol Lloyd, sticking up for his program." Why is it any different when a guy from outside the program does it?

Michigan's bowl game streak may be over, something many thought would never happen (Ha!), but if that's the casualty for putting something in place that will enable the program to win for years to come, then fine.

There's one redeeming aspect in all of this:  At least we aren't Notre Dame 

Number of players that left when Bo was hired: 65

Number of players to leave so far in the Rodriguez era: 7, may be 8 if McGuffie bails

- Rich Rodriguez Contract: 6 years, $2.5 million/year

- Cost to the University if he were fired after year one:  $4 million dollars plus $300,000 base salary plus $1.65 million for one year of compsenation = $5.95 million

- Charlie Weis contract: 10 years, $4 million/year

- Cost to University of Notre Dame if Weis is fired in year four, after a 6-6 season: $20 million

And so, my fellow Maize and Blue brethren, it is thus said:

Rich Rodriguez is not Lloyd Carr. In fact, just about the furthest thing from Lloyd Carr. That's a good thing.  Isn't it weird that the media could actually access the Michigan football coach? This falls into my point about how RR was so underprepared to deal with the baggage that comes with being the head football coach at Michigan: at times you could see frustration in his mannerisms, he snapped at reporters, but in the good like "why did you ask that" way, and was a little too off the cuff, but in a way it's good because RR has a PERSONALITY. Now, that's nothing against Carr, especially since I have personally met the man. I have never been in awe of anyone more than Lloyd Carr.

We can finally stop having to say Michigan wastes its talent by going 8-4 every season. Because after 3-9, how can it get any worse?? Do you think Rodriguez will allow any recruit to come in from this point on with the same phone-it-in attitude that a lot of Carr's guys had (see: Morgan Trent)? No. Anyone that doesn't buy into his system and what is expected of them as players will be stripped of their starting job or will leave the program in a pissy fit of anger (see: Justin Boren -- seriously, the guy left because Rodriguez cursed at him too much and Barwis made him feel fat.)  Tate Forcier is coming here on January 2nd and is already pumped to take away Threet's job.

We have witnessed the one and only season in the history of Michigan football in which a walk-on quarterback was asked to lead a horrendous team and thus cause him to be even stinkier. I have never seen a quarterback as bad as Nick Sheridan, and it just shows how Lloyd Carr completely forgot to recruit other quarterbacks to fill in for Ryan Mallet, his assumed starter. What in the world would we have done if Steven Threet had not transferred last year?

Badges of Fandom were earned this past season and helped to attrition the less-than Michigan faithful. Those of us who stood in utter shock as Toledo charged onto our field, victorious, or those who held onto hope at halftime of the Wisconsin game and stayed put as thousands of others filed for the exits. Or those who stood in the combination rain and snow storm, shivering, ever-hopeful that Nick Sheridan would complete one damn pass to put Northwestern to bed. WE are true Michigan fans. I'll remember all these games this year almost more than any others in the 17 years I have been sitting in that stadium watching champions being born. It tested our will as Michigan Men, but we still came to the stadium every Saturday because we know what is at the end of the tunnel.

Never again will we endure a season with losses to ND/OSU/MSU in the same season. Rodriguez will never forget Weis attempting to throw a 60 yard bomb with a 3 score lead, or that dick Dantonio saying that only if his team had a 3-9 record would they have been embarrassed losing to Penn State, or Tressel putting his benched senior quarterback in a game he had no danger of losing control of to pile on two more TD's, with Woody Hayes's famed 50 point beatdown in 1967 lurking in the back of his brain (anyone who says that wasn't what he was trying to do is fooling themselves).

Just keep this vision in your head: Rich Rodriguez, standing on a platform, hoisting a crystal football, marking the awakening of the Sleeping Giant of college football. Desmond Howard said during Ohio State week that he believes. We all should, too.

We. Will. Be. A. Fucking. Machine.

An Unprofessional Review of "Fable II"

Peter Molyneaux may concede that "Fable II" is not the 100 percent perfect masterpiece he had hoped Lionhead Studios had churned out this time around, but who's criticizing? Okay, the game is 99 percent a masterpiece, and one percent crazy glitches and a few design choices. But luckily for Molyneaux, there's a one percent margin of error in my mind.

Hundreds of years after the events of the first Fable, in which a slightly homosexual sorceror recruits an orphaned boy to come to a place with other annoying people including a stupid douchebag Guild Master who annoys the hero all the time, we re-enter the lands of Albion to play as a character vaguely connected to that ancestral line of heroes experienced in the first game. "Hero X" experiences great tragedy and is again rescued by a mysterious magical hero who talks to him through a dog, and must exact revenge upon the villain, Lord Lucien (who looks eerily like Andrew Jackson -- symbolism???) in a rousing good show of an adventure that is the best RPG since Morrowind.

The mark of a great game is when the designers put something that hasn't been done before into their work. Enter Molyneaux's crowning achievement of Fable II, the loveable dog. The whole point of the game is that the player feels connections to both his character and others in the world. To see virtual beings interact just like real people is amazing, and you know it's for real when you witness the change in expression on the dog's face when the character has been away from him for long periods of time. Molyneaux wants us to feel compassion or hatred for things in his world, and it's remarkable. The amount of freedom to create a unique character is something I hope is copied and tweaked many times over, because it's highly enjoyable.

The world feels so much different than other RPGs, too. The towns are old, the terrain unaltered. Molyneaux has admitted that they deliberately gave it a European feel, and it shows. The countryside reminds me of Lord of the Rings just a little, and unlike most RPGs where walking everywhere feels laborsome, I actually enjoy wandering around, and that's because of the dog:  Molyneaux programmed him to be completely aware of everything around him, and he finds any and all treasures hidden from view. Fable II isn't necessarily a complex story or complex in its philosophy, it's just complex in what you can do in the world, and that's something not seen before.  I'm OK with the fact that there wasn't some shocking plot twist or a truly epic plot, because it's different!

Credit Molyneaux for admitting that Fable II has some bugs and things, but geez are there some pretty silly glitches. At one point, my character's son was frozen in place for days, so I couldn't interact with him or get him to follow me, so I had to wait until it fixed itself somehow. At times the dog gets stuck on objects and just walks back and forth in place, and if he happens to be pointing out dig spots or treasure, you cant get him to show you where it is unless you walk way behind him to get him unstuck and then carefully tiptoe towards where you had been walking. Also sometimes in combat enemies get stuck on the ground or the character himself gets stuck, and has bitten me in the rear a few times. The Xbox at times struggles to load everything off the disc quickly, so characters will start talking but nothing is coming out of their mouth, or the dog will be just a shadow on the ground following you around. Most are just funny more than irritating.

The genius of Fable II is that it takes the core formula of the first game, expands it, improves it, and makes it a whole heckuva lot more fun, and that's all anyone could have hoped for. It's extremely polished, addictive as hell, and I'm glad it's here. Molyneaux can only craft his true masterpiece from here on out, because he's got the template for a terrific game right in his lap.

It Exists !!!

RollingStone just reported that Axl Rose has posted the ENTIRE Chinese Democracy album up on MySpace to stream over the internet. Wow !

After an initial listen, it really does sound like a reincarnation of the old GNR that became legendary on Appetite. It's bizarre though to listen knowing that Axl is the only original member on this record. The poor guy made all his other former bandmates so angry that none of them wanted to work on the album with him ! Give him credit though for *finally* getting this thing pressed onto disc. It's remarkable.
We've heard glimpses of what a new GNR would sound like, when the band Velvet Revolver showed up a few years ago with those other GNR members (Slash included) in tow, and they made a killer first album, the second not quite as good, but it still made us wonder, "if only Axl was here." Now Axl has emerged out of the darkness with his iconic voice in front of him, and he sounds damn good.

If there was ever a time to appreciate what GNR gave us twenty years ago, it's now. Imagine if the band had not disintegrated and Axl's ego had not kept an album like this from being out in the open for 13 years. GNR would not be the legendary rock band that made their first album one of the best ever made, but something more: ever-lasting. And that's what Axl has done with this album. Made the GNR name stand for something once more.

RollingStone gives Democracy four stars out of five in a great review, and it's well deserved: GNR is one of my favorite "lore bands," because to me, they were the pioneers of modern rock and roll...they know their roots and there's no band that is more quintisentially L.A. than GNR. Axl waited 13 years to make this record, and GNR has one of the more fascinating backgrounds of any rock group. The fact that Appetite for Destruction was even made is an achievement in itself, and has a pretty fascinating story (in this RollingStone cover story) Forget Metallica, forget Motley Crue, forget everyone else, Guns n' Roses are the patron saints of rock and roll, and I can't wait to hold their completed opus in my hands on Sunday.

Guns n' Roses last public appearance in 2002. I remember jumping up and down when they came onstage because I had never ever seen them perform live.

a TARP to cover the shame that is Detroit

Democrats are proposing tacking on another financial bailout, in the form of $50 billion in loans for the Detroit automakers. Well, $25 billion now and another $25 billion after the new year.

Jenny Granholm and Carl Levin are the main proponents of the legislation, but of course Speaker Pelosi and the Auto companies themselves are also pressing for the cash. I found this internal GM email that illustrates just how desperate they are. More importantly, a few notable journalists have written some pretty pointed arguments against this idea, and I am in accordance:

Thomas Friedman wrote a brilliant column berating the bailout plan. His hatred for General Motors is so biting that it's funny. However, it was preceded by the excellent Paul Ingrassia in the Wall Street Journal. And Charles Krauthammer brings up the union argument.

Friedman was all over the place this week, appearing on the Daily Show, and then on CNBC this morning (Part 1 & Part 2)

And finally, the clearest signal to me that General Motors deserves to die, are the private comments of Vice President Bob Lutz at a private dinner in January:

"–Hybrid cars like those made by Toyota “make no economic sense,” because their price will never come down, and diesel autos like those touted by Chrysler are also uneconomic. The only place in Europe that diesel-driven cars are big, he said, is where diesel fuel is half the cost of regular gasoline; in most places there, the costs are comparable and diesel has little market penetration.

– Global warming is a total crock of shit. I’m a skeptic, not a denier. Having said that, my opinion doesn’t matter." (With the battery-driven Volt), “I’m motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2 (argument).”

– With more and more good-quality cars on the market these days, “you’ve got to look at the business artistically, too. Part of our business is creating blockbusters–just like the movie business–yet we never think of ourselves that way. A car is an exciting mobile sculpture that you want to own, drive and be seen in. That’s why (auto-industry) comeback stories are always design-driven.” One GM car that fills that bill, he said, is Cadillac’s CTS."

*Source

I find it shameful that the Democrats want to spend taxpayer money on rewarding incompetence in an industry that America should have no excuse being the laughing stock of the world in. How much longer can General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler survive on a dead business model? The answer: as long as they keep getting handouts from the government to make bad products.

*My* Obama Cabinet 2008

I truly believe President-elect Obama has a unique opportunity to assemble one of the most unique cabinets ever assembled by a new president. It's at least refreshing to not have a President who appoints men who worked under his father's administration (listening, George?), but I would be a bit worried if Obama continued to install Clinton administration veterans (If they are truly qualified, then fine).

So we know that Rahm Emanuel of Illinois will be the Chief of Staff, and I agree with the choice. It would have been dumb not to pick someone with whom Obama had a prior relationship. Though Rush Limbaugh called Emanuel a "Chicago thug" on his radio show the next day. Shouldn't the White House Chief of Staff be somewhat aggressive? It seems like a job that requires a little bending of elbows and standing up to people. I have to believe that Obama is not going to do everything Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid say...it's amusing that the Democrats think they have carte blanche with a legislative agenda -- two things may prevent that, (a) Obama just ignores them and (b) If the Republicans hold onto the Alaskan Senate seat of Ted Stevens and Al Franken loses in Minnesota, it isn't a clear-cut majority in terms of voting. And by the way, what in the hell is with their treatment of Senator Joe Lieberman ? Senator Reid publicly said this in regard to Lieberman's support of John McCain:

“It was wrong, and it was improper. If we weren’t on television, I’d use a stronger word of describing what he did ... Joe Lieberman is not some right-wing nutcase, Joe Lieberman is one of the most progressive people ever to come from the state of Connecticut."

Hello, my name is Harry Reid, I admire Joe Lieberman, and want to take away his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee and demote him to a lower chair on the Veteran's Committee. Real nice. I'm glad the Congressional Democrats favor bipartisanship...

Anywho, back to Barack. Of course all of the news channels speculate as to who will be offered what post, but right before Election Day Politico took some better guesses. But I think Obama can do better for some of the positions. The New York Times is also closely following the potential new team, as well as Huffington Post. It was pretty impressive watching Obama give that press conference last week with that team of ultimateness behind him (save Jenny Granholm). If he can show that kind of thoroughness in his consideration for the rest of his advisers, it certainly looks infinitley better in comparison to the Bush team.

I'm no expert of course, but it's almost like common sense combined with watching too much "The West Wing" to be able to conjecture a Presidential cabinet (Politico guess goes italics):

**Oh, and check out this nifty NYT tool to guess the Cabinet ! Also American University's neat transition study, and CQPolitics' tool.

1. Secy. of State: John Kerry / Kerry *seems* like a good pick, but I would get so very tired of hearing him talk....what about Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana, he's been on a lot of those Iraq trips and is pretty pragmatic.
2. Attorneys General: Janet Napolitano / This woman is from Arizona so she is likely pretty centrist...at this point anyone is better than Gonzales.
3. Treasury Secy.: Tim Geithner / That guy used to run the NY Fed, but I would advocate for Paulson staying on, I think he's done well with the financial crisis, not rushing things
4. Secy. of Defense: Robert Gates / Another person I'd like to see stay on, because it seems like he knows what he's doing...but what about Chuck Hagel, the one Republican opposed to the war?
5. Secy. of Agriculture: Tom Vilsack, some guy from Iowa / whatever, he's a farmer, let him have it; Or else there's some guy from the Farmer's Union to pick.
6. Secy. of Energy: Schwarzzenegger!?!? / That would be cool, but what about Al Gore !!!
7. Secy. of Education: some guy named Joel Klien from N.Y. / how bout U of M's own Maris Visnovskis ! :-D
8. White House Council: I vote for Bradford Berenson, a former White House Council, he's a genius.
9. EPA Chief: some dude named Robert Sussman. / someone else smart, I hear James Woolsey has some kind of environmental expertise.
10. Secy of Veteran's Affairs: Max Cleland ? / John McCain !!
11. Homeland Security: anyone not named Chertoff / What about Joe Lieberman !
12. Secy. of the Interior: Bill Richardson maybe ? Or John McCain !
13. Commerce Secy.: I list this because the Commerce Secretary is enormously important to internet regulations, and will have to fight Joe Biden on net neutrality, so Obama will have to pick someone like Ted Steve....er....Maria Cantwell of Washington or former Virginia Senator George Allen.
14. Secy. of Health and Human Services: Howard Dean of course...how convenient that he's no longer DNC Chair

Random Posts:
Chief Economic Adviser: Paul Krugman !!
Special Assistant to the President: Ron Podesta (Lobbyist Hater)
Climate Czar: None better than Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. This man is truly passionate about the environment, and explains global warming better than Al Gore does.
Rumored "Auto Czar": David Bonior, former MI Congressman, and NOT Jenny G
Ambassador to the United Nations: Colin Powell !!
National Security Adviser: this is a tough one...because the current one, Steven Hadley, is a fool: Bob Woodward rails against him in his latest book; BUT, Richard Clarke needs this post.

President-Elect Obama can certainly do whatever the heck he wants, but it's critical that he recognizes the immense opportunity to put his first stamp on Washington. If it's all Democrats, fine. The difference is if they are all qualified or not, and most of the people he's considering are qualified. He's already made the right decision to take it slow, but I'm reminded that when Bill Clinton took office, he waited until the very last minute, but that's why Obama has this amazing transition team working day and night to ensure that he gets the best people around him before January 20th so that they can start doing America's work and not the Democrats' work. The country can't afford anything less.

Morning in America...

Anyone not moved to tears at some point last night, is not an American. I can't offer much insight, but I know that never in my young life have I felt like an American more than I did at 11pm last night.






The entire world is in awe of us as a nation, and it gives me goosebumps to look at headlines from around the world:

Brazil, Quebec, Colombia, Prague, Ecuador, Paris, Berlin, Athens, Reykjavik, Dublin, Torino, Jamaica, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Johannesburg, Barcelona, Stockholm, Damascus, Istanbul, Brussels, Bulgaria, Rome, Krakow, Romania, Madrid, Beijing, Tehran, Jerusalem, London. And Nambia.

The world is a big place, and there's one word that does not require translation on any of these pages: Obama.






In retrospect, RollingStone magazine led the charge for this man, endorsing him last March. They know progressive politics better than anyone, and relish this moment: Obama is McGovern, McCarthy, and Carter for them, and we are all in for a remarkable journey.

Obama's speech here. And McCain's here. I felt so humbled by McCain, too. These two gave us an election for the ages, and it's just as much a victory for McCain as it is for Obama.
Tom Friedman's Tuesday night column.

Way to go, America.



*Photos from the Chicago Tribune