THE OTHER SHOE DROPS: Updates To Previous Posts
† The Poetry Corner: One month after his arrest on corruption charges, and one day after a special committee unanimously recommended (.pdf) an Article of Impeachment, the IL House of Representatives voted 114-1 to impeach Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). The state Senate is expected to start trial proceedings on January 26th; a two-thirds vote is needed to give Blago the boot.
WBBM-TV (Channel-2, Chicago reports that when he ran into journos after completing a jog, he made an allusion to Alan Sillitoe’s short story, “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” – a tale of defiance against The Man. He later ended a press conference by quoting Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses”:
Though we are not now the strength which in old days
Moved Earth and Heaven; that which we are, we are.
One equal temper, of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and by fate, but strong in will,
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Considering how Blago’s had Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) tied up in knots all week trying not to look like Bull Connor, these lines would have been equally apt:
And drunk delight of battle with my peers,
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
† Keep Your Friends Close: House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) is trying to torpedo Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s nomination for surgeon general, on the grounds that “It is not in the best interests of the nation to have someone like this who lacks the requisite experience needed to oversee the federal agency that provides crucial health care assistance to some of the poorest and most underserved communities in America.” The Hill reports that Conyers not only supports universal healthcare, but is also buddies with Michael Moore – and may be carrying water for the “Sicko.”
Here’s what the surgeon general does, according to The Washington Post’s Jennifer Huget, who asked the White House press office for a job description:
The Surgeon General serves as America's chief health educator by providing Americans the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury. The Surgeon General is appointed by the President of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate for a 4-year term of office. In carrying out all responsibilities, the Surgeon General reports to the Assistant Secretary for Health, who is the principal advisor to the Secretary on public health and scientific issues.
Huget concludes, “[t]he whole thing's vague enough that just about anybody qualifies.” She also doubts Gupta will have much influence over healthcare policy, seeing as how “the surgeon general reports to the assistant secretary for health - not even the actual secretary!”
Editorial Note: Conyers is not the only one gunning for Gupta. The New Republic says the CNN medical correspondent “is no stranger to the ethically sticky situation physicians often find themselves in with drug companies,” citing his co-hosting “AccentHealth,” pharma-sponsored video content produced by CNN meant to keep patients in doctors’ waiting rooms minds’ off how much of their day is being frittered away waiting to get called into the examining room.
† Embargo? What Embargo?: While admitting that the company knew sales of its printers were occurring despite trade sanctions on Iran, Hewlett-Packard Co. said it would stop distributor Redington Gulf from selling its products in Iran, reports The Associated Press:
[I]n a short statement … HP said it would clarify contracts with its distributors "to explicitly prohibit the sale of HP products in Iran." …
"Having recently examined the situation, we believe it's important to go beyond the letter of the law," HP's statement said.
The company emphasized that it never shipped directly to Iran and doesn't have any employees there.
† R-E-S-P-E-C-T: You Get As You Give: The Washington Post’s often droll but not always original (last item) Dana Milbank reports that “Barack Obama was elected president of the United States yesterday.” He explains:
Obama's win wasn't official until 1:35 p.m. yesterday, when Vice President Cheney, presiding over a joint session of Congress on the House floor, read out the final tally of the electoral college.
The lawmakers rose to applaud. But in the front row, Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the Republican leader of the Senate, remained planted. Gradually, he lumbered to his feet. While the others clapped, he buttoned his suit jacket - slowly. They were still applauding when he finished that task, so he buried his hands in his pockets. Then he sat down.
There's nothing quite like public petulance by our leaders to make the current age seem small. And McConnell had company in his bad manners. McCain, the vanquished Republican presidential nominee, skipped the ceremony entirely, along with two-thirds of the Senate. On the Republican side of the aisle, 41 seats were empty. …
Pelosi, seated next to Cheney, leaped to her feet to applaud. The vice president made an exasperated grin and looked down.
Dems (“Bush is not my president”) are just getting a wee drop of their own medicine.
† MSM, Obama Campaign: Joe Don’t Know Jack: The Stiletto doesn’t know whether to frame (third item) this story as “turnabout is fair play” or “if you can’t beat ‘em’ join ‘em’ so here goes: The Associated Press reports that Samuel J. Wurzelbacher (AKA “Joe The Plumber”) is off to Israel on a 10-day stint as a war correspondent for the conservative Web site pjtv.com. He tells Toledo’s WNWO-TV that he wants Israel's "'Average Joes' [to] share their story."
† Updates To Previous Posts (Dems Still Beset By Indecision, Infighting And Intrigue): The IL Supreme Court ruled that Secretary of State Jesse White's signature is not required by state law to validate Roland Burris' appointment to the U.S. Senate, removing one of the purported impediments to his being seated, reports The Associated Press:
"No further action is required by the Secretary of State or any other official to make the Governor's appointment of Roland Burris to the United States Senate valid under Illinois law," Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier wrote for the court in its unanimous decision.
White was adamant that he would not sign the paperwork unless the state Supreme Court forced him to do so. Looks like he will not be forced to do so.
So that’s the end of it, right? Um, not quite.
† Updates To Previous Posts (fifth item, Craig, Constituents Clash): Ex-Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) is finally throwing in the bathroom tissue on his legal effort to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from his 2007 sex sting arrest in a Minneapolis airport bathroom, which was rebuffed by two MN courts, reports The Washington Post:
The decision, which was first reported by the Associated Press, brings to an end a saga that began 18 months ago with a burst of scandal-fueled publicity and led to Craig retiring from the Senate under pressure from his colleagues.
Now a private citizen, Craig is reportedly forming a consulting company. He has also talked of writing a book about his career, downfall and "the state of politics in Washington today."
No doubt he’ll soon be flush with money.
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