Scandal Overshadows Environment

Today Obama confirmed the appointments of: Steven Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as Energy Secretary, former EPA chief Carol Browner as a coordinator of energy and Climate Policy, former New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Lisa Jackson as EPA director, Senator Ken Salazar as Interior Secretary and Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Nancy Sutley to run the White House Council on Environmental Quality. These appointments as well as Obama’s other environmental announcements were overshadowed by questions surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Apparently, when asked about the governor, Obama switched from saying "I have never spoken to the governor on this subject. I am confident that no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat," to that his advisers were not involved in any “inappropriate” talks with Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich or his aides over the vacant Senate seat in Illinois to finally “I would ask your patience, as I do not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation.” Does this sound familiar? Wait! There’s more… Apparently US Attorney Scott Fitzgerald (even more familiar) did in fact ask the president elect to stay silent, and found that Obama’s appointed Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is one of a “handful” of advisors who did in fact speak with Blagojevich about candidates to replace Obama as State senator. Nothing has directly tied Obama to the governor, despite the efforts of the RNC, except tapes in which Blagojevich refers to Obama as a mother #$%*-er. Thusfar, Obama is clean as it comes to this investigation. Although Obama seems to be surviving in the polls, we shall have to wait and see what happens to him and his administration as the investigations continue.

Obama Pledges Massive Public Works Program

With six weeks to his inauguration, Obama continued to announce more details about the make up of his administration and its priorities. He proposed a massive new public works program, designed to employ 2.5 million people by 2011. It will work on infrastructure improvements, ranging from bridge repairs, to school upgrades, to new highways.

Obama announced his appointments of retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to lead the Department of Veterans affairs, and retired Marine Gen. James Jones as his National Security Adviser. Both were critical of the invasion of Iraq, and retired shortly after the fall of Baghdad. Also announced were the appointments of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary, Susan Rice as United Nations ambassador and Eric Holder as attorney general.

In other news, yet another suit questioning the legitimacy of Obama's birth certificate will go to the Supreme Court, which is expected to announce its verdict Monday.