Obamanation Part I: Biden said that he would get tested within his first six months of office. Where R Da 30K more Troops in Afghanistan coming from?

In my last post I very clearly flipped the bird @ the Religious Right, well now Vladimir Putin of Russia and the National Security Advisor of India have done the same to American efforts in the War On Terror, eeh no wait what are we calling it now, that would be too provocative (We The People)! The attached video is an interview Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC via FIREDOGLAKE @ YouTube. Hoosier Pundit provides more information on the stories below:

In a setback to the escalating U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, the president of Kyrgyzstan said Tuesday that his government will shut down the American air base in his country. U.S. officials say that the Manas Air Base is vital to plans to send an additional 30,000 American troops to Afghanistan, a linchpin of President Barack Obama’s efforts to pacify the country.

The announcement by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev came in Moscow, not in his own capital, and shortly after the Russian government reportedly agreed to lend Kyrgyzstan $2 billion, write off $180 million in debt and add another $150 million in aid. Although the Russian government didn’t release a statement about the decision, the timing and place of the announcement indicated that the Kremlin had been involved.

In another news story, India has warned US President Barack Obama that he risks “barking up the wrong tree” if he seeks to broker a settlement between Pakistan and India over the disputed territory of Kashmir. MK Narayanan, India’s national security advisor, said that the new US administration was in danger of dredging up out of date Clinton administration-era strategies in a bid to bring about improved ties between the two nuclear armed neighbours. Mr Narayanan said in an interview with CNBC TV18:

“I do think that we could make President Obama understand, if he does nurse any such view, that he is barking up the wrong tree. I think Kashmir today has become one of the quieter and safer places in this part of the world.It’s possible that at this time there are elements, perhaps in the administration who are harking back to the pre-2000 era."

The first article continues: ....The problem was never in Krygyzstan. Biden predicted that world leaders would challenge Obama and his inexperience within the first few months of the administration, but they’ve already started to line up in the first few days. Iran launched a satellite on an ICBM to show they could go ballistic once they have nuclear weapons. North Korea reportedly has set up another ICBM for a test to threaten Seoul. Now Russia has flipped an ally in the war on terror — and all of this in the first 14 days of Obama’s presidency.

Another One Bites The Dust

First we reported on Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico stepping away from his nomination as Commerce Secretary under the Obama Administration, due to a Federal Investigation over government bond issues. The new nominee is Republican Senator Judd Gregg, from New Hampshire for Commerce, as revealed today during yet another press conference (Video: CSPANJUNKIE). Then we all learned about Tim Geithner, the Treasury Secretary's tax evasion history for four years, but he was still approved by the Senate.

I was originally okay with his original explanation, given the personal circumstances; however what I am not okay with is, that when he was informed of the issue for two of the four years, he resolved the issue at hand but did not resolve the other two years until much later when he got bitch slapped for them. That makes it a case of holding your cards to your chest politically and praying they don't find the extra Queen under your sleeve, rather than just 'fessing up and dealing with the consequences.

Tim still earns the Hunk of Flesh award for January, he is slick enough to get through the Senate approval process unscathed. He is kind of hot and geeky all at the same time, especially for being in his late forties, it makes one wonder what is under the suit and tie.

To top it off, former South Dakota Senator, Tom Daschle , now a lobbyist for Alston & Bird a health care law firm on K Street, came up for a vote as the Secretary for Health and Human Services, and it was revealed that he too had a current one hundred and forty thousand dollar tax evasion problem that hadn't been resolved until it came to light.

This is the same Senator who back in 1998 said, "Make no mistake Tax Cheaters! Cheat us all and the IRS should enforce our laws to the letter." and is now asking us to overlook these very recent infractions and subversion of the law. Senator Daschle, given his previous elected offices, which he lost in 2004, after serving in Washington D.C. since 1978, was viewed as a critical appointment, since he would give the Obama Administration pull in the Senate to get the Nationalized Health Care Package passed later this year.

So much for that bird taking flight.

President Obama reportedly slumped over the podium and expressed dismay over the entire tax fraud Nominees scenario, "I screwed up. I take full responsibility for it. And I'm taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again.". Tom Daschle "withdrew" his name from consideration as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Nancy Killefer, Obama's Performance Czar nominee, has withdrawn for the same reasons also. Afterward President Obama held a interview tour with the five major networks regarding this and other controversies. The following is excerpted from his interview with Chris Wallace on FOX NEWS:

WALLACE: Did you or anyone else in your administration tell Tom Daschle he had to step down as your nominee?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I'm not going to go into the details of it, but as has been reported, Tom made the decision that he was going to be too much of a distraction to carry out what he's so passionate about, which is health care reform. What I did tell him was that I take responsibility for this mistake. I mean, I think that Tom took responsibility for the mistake on his taxes. I think it was an honest mistake and I made the assessment — I made the judgment — that he was the best person to achieve health care reform and bring people together.
But, you know, what became clear to me is that we can't send a message to the American people that we got two sets of rules: one for prominent people and one for ordinary people. And you know, so I consider this a mistake on my part, and one that I intend to fix and correct and make sure that we're not screwing up again.
W: Well, the reason I ask is because yesterday in this office you were asked whether you supported him and you said absolutely.
O: Yes.
W: And it becomes clear from your answer that you played a role in the decision for him to
OBAMA: No, no, no, no, no. I don't want to — I don't want to misstate the issue here. Tom made the decision here. He called me and indicated this was his decision.
W: Would you have continued to back him?
O: Well, I don't want to get into hypotheticals, Chris. Here's what I'll say: I think Tom is an outstanding person. I think this was an unintentional mistake on his part but a substantial one, and there's no excuse for the mistake. He took responsibility for it.
Ultimately, I have to take responsibility for a process that resulted in us not having an HHS secretary at a time when people need relief on their health care costs. And so, you know, this is a mistake, probably not the first one I'm going to be making in this office, but what I'm absolutely committed to doing is fixing it, getting a highly qualified HHS secretary, and then making sure that we start providing some health care relief to families who so desperately need it.
W: On your first day in office, you signed an executive order on lobbyists.
O: Right.
W: That you said marks a "clean break with business as usual."
O: Yes.
W: And yet, in less than two weeks, you have signed waivers to allow the hiring of lobbyists to be deputy secretary at the Pentagon, deputy secretary at HHS and chief of staff at the treasury. Is that a clean break?
O: Well, that's three out of hundreds of appointments that we've made.
W: That is three of the top jobs that are really important.
O: Well, but let me say this, Chris. We disclosed these ahead of time. We set a very high bar, and everybody acknowledges that we have the toughest standards not only of people who have lobbied previously and the restrictions on them working in this White House, but also going forward, and those rules will still apply.

EDITOR: You can read the entire rough draft transcript and/or watch the interview via video.

So, we have Obama's Treasury pick getting in and these others hitting the road after setting the Administration up for a Public Relations nightmare. I thought the preinaugural vetting process which included the infamous 62 page questionnaire to be filled out by all people applying for a position with the new Administration, was suppose to have stopped this all ahead of time. This is what we call a consistent critical failure. After signing some of the most strongest employee ethics and lobbying restrictions, the Obama Administration then had to turn around and issue up to seventeen different waivers so far to high level individuals in all parts of government. So much for change you can believe in, it is politics as usual.

On a lighter more environmentally friendly note:

Perez Hilton is reporting that the latest issue of Vanity Fair, has embraced a green initiative, and recycled their cover picture of President Obama from July 2007 to their latest issue, with just a change of background and text.The photograph was taken by Annie Leibovitz.

Wilhelmina, a character of ABC's Ugly Betty, would have a cow if they ever reused a cover on MODE! The Political Cartoon regarding Tom Daschle is by Gary Varvel of the Indianapolis Star. Stay Tuned for Part 2.

It's An Obamanation: Equality Secured! Or Is It Just Promised? My children will see EQUALITY in my lifetime!

EDITOR: Before I get hate mail for this title, the play on words between Obama Nation versus Abomination, is not mine originally. It comes directly from the one black lady in the front, towards the left, in the Prop 8 Musical starring Jack Black as Jesus Christ.

The Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team has released its official civil rights agenda. The section on LGBT rights includes federal civil unions.

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do," President-Elect Barack Obama is quoted as saying. "Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect." The passage on relationship recognition goes much farther than modest proposals currently pending in Congress to extend domestic partner benefits to federal employees:

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples:

Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

Other LGBT highlights of the Obama plan:

• Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: passing the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act;
• Fight Workplace Discrimination: pass Employment Non-Discrimination Act;
• Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell;
  
• Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage;
  
• Expand Adoption Rights;
• Promote AIDS Prevention;
  
• Expanding beyond abstinence-only sexual education;
  
• Ending the federal ban on needle exchange

Why shouldn't the title read, "Equality Promised"?
(NOTE: Please play video after reading the EDITOR'S following commentary.
To find out more check the video credits below.)

Have we Queers all forgotten that these pledges to Our Community have been made before? These promises are held up as beacon for us to follow blindly. Only to be left dismayed, shocked, and found to be neglected and used by these same politicians, six months to a year later. We have been running around as long as the Hebrew slaves in the camel's sandbox. As of June of next year, it will have been forty years since Stonewall.It is time to enter into the promises of our land of the free and home of the brave.

We're HERE!; We're QUEER!. Get over yourselves, please!

Contrary to what has happened in the past, we will no longer sit idly by to watch our hopes for equality fall on the ground, get trampled over time and time again, and then wither away. We will no longer be forced to accept another one of our fellow Community members being discriminated against or killed, because we failed yet again to realize The American Dream. Now, is the time for no more Mr. Nice Gay! We will gain the recognition that "all men are created equal" is not just words on a piece of paper but a self evident and fundamental truth that this beautiful Country of ours was founded on, and will now live by!

THIS ISNT AN ISSUE TO BE DEBATED. My children will see EQUALITY in my lifetime! IT IS THE CRY OF THE HUMAN HEART TO HAVE LIBERTY IN LAW.

LGBT Leaders Voice Concerns Over Lack of Openly Gay Appointees
Kerry Eleveld | The Advocate | 08 DEC 08

The LGBT community played a prominent role in helping elevate President-elect Obama to the highest office in the land and now some powerful activists are hoping to see more inclusion in senior-level administration positions. No openly gay people have gotten the nod to date. Quiet concern among some LGBT activists has shifted to a low rumble over the fact that a majority of senior-level White House staffers and cabinet posts have been announced and not a single openly gay person is in the mix. One gay Democrat noted that the first tier of senior assistants to the president had been chosen and 8 of 15 cabinet secretaries have been announced and yet the LGBT community still has no representation....

Two factors in particular make the absence even more glaring. First, most other interest groups... already see themselves reflected in the President’s inner circle.... The source said LGBT folks inside the Beltway already saw red flags when the transition co-chairs and advisory board members listed on the website failed to include any members of the gay community.

... The LGBT community has one of the most well orchestrated processes for presenting qualified ...glbt... candidates to the Presidential Personnel Project. The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund along with the help of 10 other groups has already collected 1,400 resumes through their Presidential Appointments Project and delivered a binder full of qualified candidates to the transition team.....

Victory Fund spokesperson Denis Dison said the project started collecting resumes in January of this year and the process continues. He noted that about 3,000 appointments would be made overall, the vast majority of which have yet to be made. But he shared the sense of urgency about senior level positions at a time when most Beltway types believe the cabinet will be settled within the next two weeks.....

.... No openly gay, bisexual, or transgender person has ever served as a cabinet secretary. Members of the community who are widely considered to top the list for inclusion in the Obama administration are:

• Mary Beth Maxwell, ... for Secretary of Labor
• John Berry, ... for Secretary of the Interior
• Fred Hochberg, ... for Small Business Administration
• Tobias Wolff, ... for Justice Department, or for Deputy White House Counsel

.... The anonymous DC insider did express optimism about future appointments. “This is the kind of problem that's easily fixable,” he said. “But they need to be called into account – the community needs to stand up and say, ‘We're part of the team here, we helped you get elected and we need to be at the table.'”....
(EDITOR: This article has been cropped to main points. To read the full article click here, please.)

Gay ambassador likely to return under Clinton State Dept. by The Associated Press | 05 DEC 08

(Washington) Preparing for her new role as secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton is moving to surround herself with a cast of die-hard loyalists and veterans of her husband’s administration to help her cope with world crises and backstage Washington power plays.

One notable name on the list is Michael Guest, one of only two openly gay ambassadors ever to represent the United States overseas. Guest resigned from the foreign service in mid-career last December to protest the State Department’s treatment of same-sex partners of diplomats....

UPDATE: Guest became the nation’s second openly gay ambassador when Bush appointed him to the Romania post for a term lasting from 2001 to 2003. Guest had served for nearly 20 years as a career U.S. Foreign Service officer at the time Bush named him ambassador to Romania in 2001. After completing his term as ambassador in 2003, he became dean of the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, which trains Foreign Service officers. Guest created a stir in 2007 when he announced he was retiring from government service, in part, to protest a State Department policy that denies spousal benefits, including security protections, to same-sex partners of Foreign Service officers stationed at overseas posts. He said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had authority to provide some of the partner benefits but she declined to do so. Earlier this year, Guest said he was supporting Obama’s presidential bid.
(SOURCE: TAKEN FROM ARTICLE BELOW FOR CONTINUITY WITHIN THIS FORUM)

.... And to deal with internal Obama administration affairs, State Department bureaucratic politics and media pressures, the former first lady appears set to tap current Senate aides and former White House “Hillaryland” stalwarts, whose reputation for insularity and staunch protectiveness has already set off anxiety among career foreign service officers. State Department officials say they have been told to expect visits as early as next week from Clinton advisers who are working with President-elect Barack Obama’s incoming transition team. Members of the new administration’s team have been at State since mid-November, getting briefings and visiting officials there. Neither the transition team nor Clinton’s office would comment.
(Source: 365 Gay News); (Cartoon: by Gary Varvel of the Indy Star)

UPDATE: That is 7 queers of 300 appointees! Now granted this article is old; however, it does show an interesting pattern. Mr. Obama, do you realize you are 23 fags short on quota? ):

Obama names 7 gays to transition team
By LOU CHIBBARO JR, | Washington Blade | 18 Nov 08

Officials with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team this week named at least seven openly gay people to transition panels assigned to review federal departments and agencies. Three of the seven gays named to the transition panels: Fred P. Hochberg, business man; Roberta Achtenberg, former San Francisco Supervisor , and Elaine Kaplan, a labor attorney whom all held high-level positions in the Clinton administration. The Obama officials also named President Bush’s former ambassador to Romania, Michael Guest, to a transition panel assigned to review issues pertaining to the State Department (see article above).

“The Agency Review Teams for the Obama-Biden Transition will complete a thorough review of key departments, agencies and commissions of the United States government as well as the White House,” a statement posted Monday on the transition team web site states. The teams will “provide the president-elect, the vice president-elect, and key advisors with information needed to make strategic policy, budgetary, and personnel decisions prior to the inauguration,” the statement says.

Hochberg, a longtime gay Democratic Party activist from New York, served from 1998 through 2001 as President Clinton’s deputy and later acting administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Achtenberg served as Clinton’s Assistant Secretary of Housing and Equal Opportunity at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She later served as senior adviser to then HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros during Clinton’s second term in office. Kaplan served in the Clinton administration as head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is charged, among other things, with enforcing federal personnel policies and laws that prohibit discrimination against federal workers. Kaplan put in place policies that protected federal employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation. The other openly gay members named to the transition review teams, include:

• Rick Stamberger, president and CEO of SmartBrief, Inc., an online news publisher;
• Brad Kiley, an official with the Center for American Progress think tank;
• Thomas Soto, co-founder of Craton Equity Partners, a large “clean technology” investment fund based in Southern California.

Last week, reports surfaced that Obama was considering appointing his highest-ranking gay campaign official, deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand, as successor to Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean. Dean announced last week that he would not seek another term as chair. Obama transition spokesperson Stephanie Cutter has said neither Obama nor the transition team would comment on any potential appointees to government or party positions until such appointments are officially announced over the next several weeks.

(Source: THE SOUTHERN VOICE. My apologies for the crop job see below for an explanation.)

The Color Out Of Colorado: Video is courtesy of Sean Ray. These are the men of "Testify To Love", @ the 7th annual Cabaret to Fight AIDS, singing "Color Out Of Colorado" from Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly. Singers: Ryan Rigazzi is the lead, with Jorge Hernandez, Steve Valdez, Wade Crosson and Sean Ray. Musicians: Ron Jenkins, piano; Ben Bernstein, bass; and Erika Johnson, drums. Location: The Rrazz Room, San Francisco, CA. 22nd of April, 2008.

Explanation: Apologies to all of F6's loyal readers for the crop job. Whomever the Southern Voice and/or Washington Blade Editor that allowed this article to the printer needs to go back to school. I had to story board the original article three times in order to pull out the prurient parts of the article text versus the title.