Staffing news comes in threes.

So, in the last forty-eight hours or so, we’ve learned:

  1. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is either leaving his job, or being shoved out of it, in the very near future;
  2. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag is going to be likewise leaving his job… not that anybody can tell the difference, given that WE DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE A BUDGET THIS YEAR BECAUSE DEMOCRATIC POLITICIANS ARE A PACK OF COWARDS*;
  3. and Commander of US forces in Afghanistan Stanley McChrystal has just decided to commit career suicide by badmouthing the Ambassador of Afghanistan – via the magazine Rolling Stone.

Anyway, it’s a trifecta: a Chief of Staff who can’t keep the White House running smoothly, a Budget Director who can’t  create a budget, and a top military guy who can’t keep his mouth shut about the civilian powers**.  That’s one heck of an executive branch staffing record that the White House is accumulating there – and it’s only Tuesday.  At this rate, we’ll wake up on Friday to the news that Steven Chu*** has just burned down the Department of Energy as part of a tragic toasted bagel accident.

Moe Lane Continue reading Staffing news comes in threes.

Hey, remember when Obama wanted Judd Gregg for Commerce Secretary?

And remember when a bunch of groups got freaked out about it because it meant that a Republican would be instantly aware of any organized shenanigans designed to muck about with the Census?

And remember when the President hastily pandered to those groups by declaring that Gregg wouldn’t be overseeing the Census?

And remember how Gregg then – and quite rightly – told the President what he could do with his Cabinet position?

Remember all that?

Continue reading Hey, remember when Obama wanted Judd Gregg for Commerce Secretary?