1,000 Words

how bout one word...

huh?

I've heard I should be thinking about renting out our house for the week of the inauguration (all the way in Hagerstown--where, according to rumor, the hotels are already sold out that week). But then again, I guess I would have to find someplace else to live... What about it, KT? I'm very clean. And my husband could make you some authentic Swedish meatballs, complete with lingonberry jam. How can you resist?
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I'm going to do my best to get to the Inaugural Swampland Rendezvous ("Soiree in the Swamp"?). I'm looking forward to seeing you and other Swampland folks there.

I am so sad I won't be able to join you guys.
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Guess I'll take the day off and watch it on teevee.

AIG Holiday Party?

Hi Suzie. I hope to see you there. I have floor space in my brother's apartment, but am wondering about when I should show up. Will there be parking anywhere within the greater metro area?
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Poureme, speaking of AIG, have you been following the AIG conversation at the evil orange nation? I think it is pretty remarkable, and very smart:
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AIG's media relations maven, Peter Tulupman, has been responding to questions from the Daily Kos community, questions initially generated here, with answers to some of the Daily Kos user queries here and here. Later today, a third round of answers to those first round of questions will be posted.

CNN just the following:

Report: Obama Taps Gen. Shinseki For Vet Secretary

Transition To A New Government
WASHINGTON (AP) ― Democratic officials say President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to be the next Veterans Affairs secretary.

The officials said Obama will announce his selection Sunday. They spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid pre-empting the official announcement.

Shinseki is the former Army chief of staff who upset his civilian bosses in 2003 when he testified to Congress that it might take several hundred thousand U.S. troops to control Iraq after the U.S. invasion. He was forced out of his job within months for being "wildly off the mark." But his words proved prophetic after President George W. Bush in early 2007 announced a "surge" of additional troops to Iraq after miscalculating.

My cousin's step-grandmother in VA already rented her floor. I'm going to enjoy the inauguration from the warmth of a Let's Get Blitzed for Obama party instead.

Whoops - forgot to include "reported" in my first sentence. He is a fellow Hawaiian to the Prez-Elect.

More on Shinseki from the NYT in 2007:

New Strategy Vindicates Ex-Army Chief Shinseki

By THOM SHANKER
Published: January 12, 2007

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But the president's new strategy, with its explicit acknowledgment that not enough troops had been sent to Iraq to establish control, was a vindication for General Shinseki, who as Army chief of staff publicly told Congress as much just before the war began in 2003.

First vilified, then marginalized by the Bush administration after those comments, General Shinseki retired and faded away, even as lawmakers, pundits and politicians increasingly cited his prescience.

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The acknowledgment was far different from the harsh administration rebuttals after General Shinseki electrified Washington with his blunt warning that victory in Iraq would require more troops than were being deployed for the invasion.

He was the target of immediate rebuke from the Pentagon leadership, in particular from Donald H. Rumsfeld, then secretary of defense, and his deputy, Paul D. Wolfowitz. Mr. Wolfowitz dismissed the testimony as “wildly off the mark.”

Some civilians in government and military officers say General Shinseki's treatment intimidated other top officers.

“It sent a very clear signal to the military leadership about how that kind of military judgment was going to be valued,” said Kori Schake, the director for defense strategy on the National Security Council staff from 2002 to 2005, now a fellow at the Hoover Institution and a professor at West Point. “So it served to silence critics just at the point in time when, internal to the process, you most wanted critical judgment.”

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His comments brought to a boil long-simmering tensions with Mr. Rumsfeld, who had been scrubbing the war plans to reduce the number of invading troops. And they were politically explosive, coming less than a month before the start of the war, which proponents were saying confidently would be anything but a quagmire.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/washington/12shinseki.html

I wonder if we will ever find out where Cheney's secret evil lair is located. He has to return it right?

I just wanted to share something from the Washinton Post's Gail Collins in her column today
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Besides, if the Democrats did get the 60 seats, one of them would belong to Joe Lieberman. You may recall that although Lieberman spent the last year campaigning for John McCain (and, as it turns out, donating money to Republican candidates for the senate), the Democrats were so desperate to keep him in their caucus that they caved in to his demands to keep his committee chairmanship. If Lieberman had turned out to be Mr. 60, he would not only have wanted the committee, he would have insisted on being carried to all its meetings on a litter, borne by the fellow senators who failed to appreciate him, with Lindsey Graham running ahead, clashing cymbals.

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I am now president of the Gail Collins fan club!

jarais et al: Maybe we should think about regional Swampland get togethers - either to watch the inauguration or just to celebrate the new era another time. mudflats.com has done that. Commenters have had regional "mudstocks." I like "soirees in Swampland." I don't think I'm going to make it to DC either.
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wvng - I have heard that people who arrive so early they plan to stay overnight on the mall are going to be swept out in the morning before being let back in through security points. That's a recipe for a nightmare, isn't it. The metro is going to start running 4am though. I'm wondering if the downturn in the economy is going to affect the numbers planning to go.

sgw, when I read Collins yesterday I did think of you. Really.
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kathy, I think with the downturn in the economy even more people will go. Get yer hot cup-a Hope here. My gawd, even the NYTs was turned into a bunch of dfh bloggers by Bush's venal and clueless incompetence:
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Despite it all, Mr. Bush said he will “leave the presidency with my head held high.” And, presumably, with his eyes closed to all the disasters he is dumping on the American people and his successor.
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January 20th will be not entirely unlike the moment when Gandalf freed Theoden from Sauroman's spell: "Breathe the free air again, my friend." Can't wait.
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Yeah, geek.

Haikus to sgwhite's Lieberman Fixation

like an autumn leaf
cut loose and in slow descent
slow motion horror

Thank you.

One more:
Ahab fights his whale
Quixote tilts at windmills
White and Joe, the same

Last two, I'm out the door:
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Drip, drip of water
Flutter and flap of the wind
Joe is everywhere
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Waking or dreaming
It matters not anymore
He is all I see
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Thank you very much.

pourme
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Just remember that those are Gail Collins' words, not mine. And though I agree with them and wish that I had thought of them first I have definitely backed off of the Lieberman hate. Right now I am on the fire Harry Reid kick over this auto bailout. If the Senate doesn't vote on a bill this week I am going to blog everywhere on the lefty blogosphere about how we need to get Reid out of leadership IMMEDIATELY before his cowardice helps to turn this recession into a depression. I would much rather have a failed vote than no vote at all.

@sgw - If we're being serious, then all I can say is that I prefer the kind of leadership style Obama models: one which focuses on process and results over personality and pique. I think it is more effective and also builds a reinforcing culture of pragmatism.

pourme
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Who disagrees with that? Maybe the only disagreement you and I have is if allowing Lieberman to keep his chairmanship is pragmatic or cowardice. To me there is nothing pragmatic about legitimizing an enemy to buy his vote. Actually to me thats the kind of thing I thought I was voting against when I voted for Obama. But hey thats just me and thats just one issue.

pourme: you're good (though I don't want you to get a big head about that. - especially since you're occasionally naughty as well as goodl.)
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Sgwhite - Gail Collins is always worth the read. And yes, on the whole I think we're better off without the 60 votes.
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wvng - By the time of the election I expected Obama to win, so it wasn't the great big sigh of relief I thought it might be. But that's a very good comparison. It will indeed be like Saruman sent packing. Unfortunately, we may still have to endure the harrowing of the shire.

@sgw - I was disagreeing with your Reid tactics - "blog everywhere on the lefty blogosphere about how we need to get Reid out of leadership IMMEDIATELY" if it doesn't play out as you wish. I want less of that.

Unfortunately, we may still have to endure the harrowing of the shire.
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Well, there is that. Way to bring me down.

wvng - yeah I know; sorry about that, truly. But I think that's why Obama keeps saying it's going to get worse before it gets better. Not everything will be able to be recovered. But we will be able to breathe the fresh air again.

pourme
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So you want less of holding someone accountable and less of exercising free speech? Come on now. I am not talking about calling him out for wearing brown shoes rather than black shoes or because he prefers coke to pepsi. If he won't bring a vote to the Senate for a bridge loan to the auto makers he is not the right person to lead the Senate period. Most of us have given him a pass over the last two years even though he hasn't gotten anything accomplished and couldn't even block the FISA vote. At what point do you think somebody should speak up and out about Harry Reid pourme? Or should we just let him do whatever or not do whatever he wants indefinitely? Notice I didn't say I would criticism him before hand. But if Congress recesses without trying to save the auto companies when we just had jobs report come out that was the worst in over 30 years then action needs to be taken in my opinion and I am going to express that and ultimately I believe its the right thing to do. This post partisan ship stuff is being used to much as a blanket to my liking. Next thing you know the Republicans will be blocking Universal Health Care and someone we should just drop it in the name of bi partisan ship. Sorry, I am not with that.

I'm still going through PEW (post-election withdrawal) but Swampland is one of my few remaining links to the world. Let me add my cultural comparison to wvng's freeing of Theoden from Sauroman's spell: when the Beatles freed Pepperland from the Blue Meanies. All You Need is Love and a good online grassroots donation network. Anyway, thanks to all here who have enlightened me for the past year and shared their passion. Especially you, KT. I may be photographing for a client's inauguration party in D.C. so if I can I may stop by.

Oh no -- Obama's building another greek temple! Where is Scherer to denounce such arrogant self-aggrandizement?