Joe and Dick: Looks Like Everything Went Swimmingly
I can’t tell whether all the giggling was from nervousness or just because Joe and Dick have been in DC for longer than forever.
And Biden’s staff isn’t telling:
"The Vice President-elect and Dr. Jill Biden met with Vice President Cheney and his wife Lynne at the Naval Observatory this evening. The Bidens thank the Cheneys for welcoming them into their home and for their gracious hospitality," said spokesperson for the Vice President-elect Elizabeth Alexander.
No giggling from Dick, though. And no word on the man-sized safe, either.
I think Lynne was telling Jill about all the steamy bizarre sex in her new book.
While frisking Jill for contraband.
It’s worth noting that Lynne–she of the lesbian sex novel–is the one wearing the pants here. What would all those people who attacked Hillary for her pantsuits say?
I love the way CHeney closes the door on the official photographer. He just loved having to do this, huh?
Is there solid evidence they got back out alive?
There goes two hours commuting every day. USNO grounds look nice, great view in the evening smog skyward; yet, the way I understood the unsolved mystery of the fire story, it occurred in the Ike office building, instead of the observatory.
Yeah, but doesn’t Jill now have to commute two hours?
In a private train.
Huh? I mean what does the link signify? It would have to be private. Jill can no more take the train than Obama could have flown commercial to see his grandmother. Probably less expensive to helicopter her to Wilmington.
More generally, do we know yet what is in instore for Mses O and B?
O.M.G!! Dr. Jill Biden’s focus is in reading, remedial writing for adults, AND she likes working with adults returning for more education.
My God, I’d love to talk with her over lunch sometime… jeepers!
Meanwhile, did anyone notice at about 00:40 that Cheney skittered right away from the notably taller, more fit Joe Biden. I’ll give the asshole this much credit — even he realizes that next to Biden he looks like a slob.
Made. My. Day.
Aren’t there remedial needs in DC? Bet she could get a job there if she didn’t want to commute. I see that Biden’s son is going to Iraq before Thanksgiving too. Maybe it’s a good time to move altogether…rent their place out?
Noticed that right away. How tall or short is Cheney?
Damn that man deserves to be in prison. Will we ever witness justice?
The internets say Cheney is 5′ 8″, and Biden is about 6′. Bush is about 5′11″. Obama is over 6′ 1″, and looks a lot taller than Bush. Michelle Obama is 5′ 11″. Our team towers over their team in every way.
I thought that all representations of this location were pixelated to thwart the bad guys…
Um, Jim, that was to protect the bad guy.
Loo Hoo
Yes, they are referred to as Republicans; but there will be several fewer soon.
Heh.
Hmmmmm…. Good question.
Anyone wanna ask Mrs Laura Bush**?
** I actually know quite a few teachers, and also fully credentialed school librarians — even elementary. Let’s just say they seem to feel that Mrs Bush failed to make the most of her opportunities to influence education and reading policies at the federal level. All I need to do to piss off my friends is say, “And what do you think of No Child Left Behind”…? But I don’t, because I’m just not quite that evil ;-))
As my bumper sticker says, No Child Left A Dime.
Oh, lordy.
Well, at least the damn kids can’t read that bumper sticker.
Maybe we ought to be concerned with such close contact for any extended period of time.
Look at how Bush was when he entered office in 2001L overtly fit and apparently mentally alert, sure speaking Texan light but with still with the ability to form full sentences basically intact…
And now look : so often at a loss for the right word, constantly prone to comical gaffes, frequent displays of megalomania and knee-jerk aggression, acting on half-baked conspiracy theories and unable to stop trying to explain himself in oversimplistic monosyllables and polysyllabic babble, going off at length and at unpredictable and inappropriate times over ambitions to impose imperial ambitions on other nations, like bombing wedding parties and funerals based on the Godfather theory that those sorts of tribal bonding events bring together the evil doers, and invading to effect regime change and calling it “spreading democracy”. It could just as easily have been, I dunno, re-draw other countries’ national borders.
But mostly watch first for those tell-tale verbal gaffes – and don’t say you weren’t forewarned.
KO- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton?
Sec. of State Hillary Clinton – Not Gonna Happen.
Why? 4 letters – B I L L
Just think about it for about 5 minutes.
ummmmm…. it only took me 5 seconds.
do I get a prize?
;-))
Yes, but…
1. Keeps Hillary off the 2012 table (SoS can’t run against Obama).
2. Shares the tough burdens facing Obama on Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel/Palestinian conflict, etc.
3. Keeps Bill “in the tent pissing out”, but not in the driver’s seat.
4. Formidable pairing come 2012 Obama re-election againt anything the Repugs throw up.
Not saying I’m for it necessarily (nor opposed to it), but I can see some of the benefits for Obama.
Have you seen Obama’s vetting requirements? I suspect they’re almost as stringent as the VP ones, and those were one of the hurdles to a Hillary VP.
Obama is definitely not interested in appointing someone SOS if her husband has been cozying up with dictators.
I’m unsure just who of any stature or experience will be able to ace that vetting.
Not saying that one should reward those who cozy up with dictators, but that it seems almost all the folks who circle the foreign policy arena, when out of office lobby/represent foreign folks and states that don’t emulate Mary Poppins.
And secondly, if anything, I hope this puts the kibosh to John Kerry’s shameless, over-the-top, self-promotion for this position.
Methinks that Kerry’s public push for this position is really all about “him” and not about any known skills that he could bring to the post.
Kerry seems more to be trying to resurrect his image from that of a dull, overly verbose and ineffective leader.
I’m not sure that Kerry entirely deserves this perceived image, but I also would note that he has spent a couple of decades in the Senate with little of note accomplished in either name or deed.
Well, when he proposed a ‘law enforcement’ paradigm to fight terrorism in 2004, he was practically laughed out of the U.S. But look at the French and the Brits — that’s the paradigm they use, and it works.
Not saying he should be SoS, but this conversation is due for a revisit and it would be nice if he could support this notion within the Senate.
I’d actually like to see Kerry get something done…in the Senate for once. *g*
Sounds like maybe Kerry’s natural field of effective operations might not be the Senate but somewhere else, somewhere like SoS. Just wondering if the skill sets for the two might not be fairly divergent.
I dunno. Don’t know if he would be my choice or not, but I fail to see how John Kerry isn’t pretty qualified for the job. He speaks several languages, has travelled extensively abroad, has served on the Foreign Relations Committee for 20 years and is very well thought of and respected overseas.
Oh, and this is his wife:
A resume that might come in handy on diplomatic trips abroad.
Does the above not constitute “known skills that he could bring to the post”? Again, not sure he would be my pick, but Obama could do a lot worse.
Teresa at State then, perhaps yes. *g*
Seriously, as to John Kerry, he’d still not be anywhere near the top of my list. I’m still asking what has he ever actually accomplished, and I was asking this of myself during the 2004 Campaign even while supporting his eventual candidacy.
I still think it is a lot about John’s wounded ego and boredom in the Senate at not actually doing much of consequence there.
Clearly you are forgetting about his dealings with Ortega (not Noriega).
(This is a bit of a joke if you are not familiar with it)
Don’t forget that Kerry did lead the BCCI investigation. That was only 25+ years ago…
Was going to mention that, but figured now that the Patriots are coming back in the second half, Marcy would show up and detail BCCI.
1. Obama’s not worried about Clinton running against him in 2012.
2. Not really.
3. Uh… (resisting several funny, but slightly unfair retorts) Not worth the risk…
4. Not much help.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion. *g*
Rumors (not facts mind you) suggest that Hillary hasn’t crossed 2012 off her “To Do” list.
In any event, politics do make strange bedfellows.
Those two statements aren’t necessarily in conflict.
Say what you will about the Clintons, they are party loyalists; Hillary will not be running against an incumbent from her own party in 2012. This is just silly talk.
I know, I’m just throwing red meat to the Mad Dog…
The things I’ll do for food always amaze me. *g*
Aye, he be a hungry MadDog!
Yes. *g*
Why not? The rest of the world loves Bill. Are you saying that Obama or the Obama team feels threatened by Bill?
Strategically what is a better spot for Hillary in regard to her effectiveness and running in eight years? Better to have her in the Senate, Sec of State. Supreme Court?
34 Bmaz according to theresa’s official biography “led a relatively privileged life” not sure who her biographer was but this made me choke! They needed to say very privileged life relative to 99% of the people on the planet
Does anyone think Wesley Clark in the running for Secretary of Defense. I have a great deal of respect for Clark.
No, I’m not saying that Obama or his team feel threatened by Bill. Hillary has two problems caused by Bill. First, we, as a society, don’t have a model for a successful and powerful politician whose spouse is an ex-President. That creates a ‘all bets are off’ dynamic that increases the percieved risk of appointing Hillary Clinton to any position. The second problem is that Bill Clinton is, well, Bill Clinton. If I wanted to put somebody’s picture in the dictionary to illustrate the concept of ‘loose cannon’, I’d pick Bill Clinton. He’s an enormously powerful ally who can inflict real damage on the opposition, but the blowback will, at the very least, damage a few toes on your side, and, at the worst, tear a hole in your ship…
If Obama wants to get creative with the Clintons, I’d recommend he leave Hillary in the Senate and appoint Bill to be Ambassador to the UN. As you say, he’s got real cred with the rest of the world. He’d get to stay in New York City and he’d have a forum equal to his persona.
Obama needs to figure out how to deal with Bill Clinton, because Obama will likely end up in the same place, ex-Prez who’s too young to quit the stage entirely.
Your points make sense
I always wondered why Bush did not appoint Clinton as an Ambassador to the UN. This would have looked good for the Bush thugs
First, because Bush’s ego couldn’t take it.
Second, because the ideological headcases in the Neocon contingent couldn’t take it.
Third, b/c Rover wouldn’t have signed off for it.
Fourth, b/c Cheney had other plans and was wiring the system to screw Powell.
FWIW, whoever Obama selects needs some really, really strong leadership in Africa. The US has been so Euro-centric and also focused on Russia; Africa has too long been given short shrift IMHO. In a ‘hot, flat, crowded’ planet a lot more attention needs to be paid to Africa IMHO.
I like the idea of Hillary for Secretary of State. She knows the turf, and is respected throughout the world even more than she is here in the USA.
Thank you, EW. *sigh*
I could imagine the current VP chatting over hors d’ovres, trying to suggest to Biden names of stalwarts who would provide continuity of foreign policy. Barack Obama seems to have a gauged process for vetting for key posts. One of the people working on State appointments has credentials in N.Korea affairs; LauraR had her list posted yesterday. The way the demarcation line separating that country developed Seoul is much like a peninsula of the south extending into the other half of the country. UN also will be an important external face of the new administration, especially if congress eventually has enough revenue visible to bolster US work there. I think TTSFKerry is a centrist Republican, which might help the president advance the new outreach concepts. Although the screeners reach to many strong elements in the party and in the national pantheons, I am hoping the choices are original in the spirit of the change theme.
Totally OT, but of interest to EW and company – From the NYT: Chances Dwindle on Bailout Plan for Automakers
I was surprised to see that entrance to the VP’s mansion has a dead bolt. I can understand regular residences needing one, but is this mansion ever left empty and unguarded?
Doesn’t Cheney trust his men to protect him, his man-sized safes, and Lynne?
…Kerry did lead the BCCI investigation…
Yes, however, I’m not nearly as keen on the Kerry report as, say, David Corn is. Kerry took that investigation right up the point where it started to get really interesting–a long story but, in short, up to the point where the CIA quit talking and billions of dollars disappeared into Pakistani nukes and some pretty sketchy arms deals–and then poof! Nothing. The report makes for interesting reading and, yeah, I’m sure Kerry was up against some pretty powerful players (including, oh, Cheney) but it accomplished nothing. Robert Morgenthau ended up handing out the (two, I think) indictments and Kerry never pursued the investigation into the CIA. If anything, Kerry’s report played into the hands of the people who deserved the most scrutiny. Maybe he tried his best, maybe it was a Skull and Bones thing, maybe no one could have done better, I’m not sure. But based on the results, I don’t count it as a point in Kerry’s favor.
Take a look:
http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/
Fun BCCI fact: Robert A. Altman, who was indicted, along with Clark Clifford, by Morgenthau, is married to Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman.
See, for example, this part of the report:
http://www.fas.org/irp/congres…..pendic.htm
…Further investigation is needed to understand the extent to which BCCI and Pakistan were able to evade U.S. and international nuclear non-proliferation regimes…
…The use of BCCI by central figures in arms sales to Iran during the 1980’s. The late Cyrus Hashemi, a key figure in allegations concerning an alleged deal involving the return of U.S. hostages from Iran in 1980, banked at BCCI London. His records have been withheld…
…financial dealings of BCCI directors with Charles Keating and several Keating affiliates and front-companies, including the possibility that BCCI related entities may have laundered funds for Keating to move them outside the United States….
… The alleged relationship between the late CIA director William Casey and BCCI. As set forth in the chapter on intelligence, numerous trails lead from BCCI to Casey, and from Casey to BCCI, and the investigation has been unable to follow any of them…
And so on. The meat of Kerry’s BCCI report is in an appendix.
For those of you keeping score, the indictment count on Renzi just jumped by 8 to 43. That guy can really rack ‘em up!
Can Former Republican Senator Lincoln Chaffee be pulled into play for any spot on the Obama team? What is his expertise? Chaffee seemed so honorable during the John Bolton (well more like pissed off) and Condi Rice hearings. He voted against the 2002 war resolution.
Chaffee seems to be a straight forward, honest, above the belt kind of player.
He’s a trained blacksmith; good at shoeing racehorses. As Mayor in RI? Not much there. But pleasant.