NorthSideSox72

Election canvassing board unanimously rejects Franken's request to include thousands of absentee ballots. Looks like they are going to court.

False. The person below me has talked or cried their way out of a traffic ticket.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Nov 26, 2008 -> 08:37 AM) Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano I do like having a border Governor in this position. I feel there is at least a fighting chance of some sense being brought into the border wall. Of course now Homeland security is less about jets flying into towers and more about Mexican low skilled workers taking low skilled jobs from Americans. I thought it turned out she wasn't taking that job. Also, to clarify, Volcker is going to lead the "Economic Recovery Board"

Gobble Gobble.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 26, 2008 -> 08:22 AM) Here's his cabinet so far. Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel Vice President Chief of Staff: Ron Klain White House Press Secretary: Robert Gibbs White House Counsel: Greg Craig Senior Advisors: David Axelrod, Valerie Jarrett Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton Secretary of Treasury: Tim Geithner Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates Attorney General: Eric Holder Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Peter Orszag UN Ambassador: Susan Rice National Security Advisor: James Jones I'm not overly impressed with the Hillary pick but it otherwise seems like a pretty solid list so far and his strategy seems to be getting things done quickly. I thought Spitzer was in line for Attorney General but he literally screwed himself out of the job. Add... Richardson for Commerce Volcker as head of the economic council (not truly cabinet position - inner circle).

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 03:29 PM) Going back to our next, hopefully-non-cub-fan Treasury Secretary, here's Bloomberg painting a good image of the guy in terms of the disastrous CDS gambling system. Sounds about right. By the way, the WSJ pointed out recently that CME's attempt to get a swaps clearing house set up has been heating up, and gotten promises of federal funding to get it done and out there right quick.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 02:20 PM) Not quite. if it was controlled by the pirates, then I guess it cold still be considered a pirate vessel, epsecially if they were on it and armed. "The vessel continued its threatening calls and subsequently fired upon INS Tabar," the ministry said. The Indian frigate returned fire, setting the pirate ship ablaze and setting off explosions on board, the statement said." Fair game for return fire. I'm not saying the Tabar shouldn't have fired. Just that the claims that they had sunk the Mother Ship were a bit premature.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 01:52 PM) From a tactical and managerial standpoint it makes way more sense. The other problem is that an agency like this can't possibly be ready for every contingency and disaster accross the nation. Its very existance is a set up for failure. All the more reason to align it better with the National Guard.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 12:55 PM) WaPo. That all sounds pretty good. I may get blasted for this, but, I always felt that FEMA might do well if it and Border Patrol were managed by the military, working along side the National Guard.

If we trade Dye and don't get a CF elsewhere during the offseason, we'll probably see Jerry Owens out there to start the season.

QUOTE (Leonard Zelig @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 11:27 AM) I doubt anybody here has a problem with calling people what they actually are. Your other title was changed because it was derogatory and racist. Thank you. Your current title is just inaccurate, so I'm happy to leave it there to be giggled at if the author so desires.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 12:32 PM) I am a lot less inclined to believe in a conspiracy than I used to be, although my visit to Dealey Plaza a few years ago didn't have much of an effect on my opinion. Stone's JFK movie was interesting entertainment, but from everything I have read and seen, Jim Garrison (the Kevin Costner character)'s particular conspiracy theory has been completely debunked, and even amongst most die-hard conspiracy theorists, Garrison is regarded as somewhat of a nutjob. There are, however, two points made in that movie that are hard for me to ignore: 1) the Warren Commission's "magic bullet" theory (hilariously lampooned in "Seinfeld") is just plain difficult to swallow; and 2) the Zapruder film does seem to show JFK's head snapping "back and to the left," "back and to the left," "back and to the left." To accept Oswald as the lone gunman, one must not only buy into the "magic bullet" theory, but conclude that JFK's "back and to the left" head movement was some type of spasm. I understand that the latter is medically possible, but on film, it certainly does look like the result of a forward hit from the direction of the grassy knoll or triple underpass. On the other hand, that the assasination was some form of "coup" perpetuated by our military inductrial complex, or a "revenge" hit by Castro and/or the mafia seems to require even more of a stretch. You don't "have to believe" the magic bullet theory to believe there was 1 shooter. More likely, the timing issue was a matter of incorrect forensic investigation.

I wonder who the "other player" might be.

Remember that story about the Indian naval vessel destroying a Pirate "mother ship". Yeah, about that... oops?

Rosenthal's full column, including the Dye bits, and a mention about the Mets' jesitation over Havy.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 11:48 AM) His word was that there was a "froth", a number of local issues, but that they would go through some local corrections and it wouldn't be a big problem. Bernanke was actually more emphatic in saying there wasn't one after he took over in late 05. Link Interesting. So he did say there was some overpricing, but said there wouldn't likely be a dramatic correction. Guess he was wrong there.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 11:41 AM) Well, I hope you're right. All I'll say about the phrase "I'm sure he was aware of the housing bubble" is that way too many of the guys in charge, including Greenspan and Bernanke, were denying that there was a housing bubble even as late as 06 or so. Greenspan was denying it specifically? I don't recall that. I thought he even said that prices were overinflated, but then also said that a correction was in store. Maybe I am remembering someone else.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 11:22 AM) It's not answered in that article, but it would be really, really nice to know that his treasury secretary pick had been one of the 10 or 15% of people who were smart enough to recognize that the housing market was going bubble-crazy and that craziness was what was propping up the economy after the 01/02 recession. I know you can't get everything right. But that one was so easy and missed by so many people out of either greed or silliness that it'd be nice to have a treasury secretary who caught it. Or at least a treasury secretary as smart as me, because I caught it in 04 and was predicting back then that 08 would be a terrible election for the incumbent because the economy would be in the toilet. I am sure he was aware of the housing bubble. And the article does state his early awareness and expression of reservation on some issues that turned out to be really bad, when others said nothing.

Let's hope that Obama is smart enough not to appoint some partisan hack with no EM experience to the job. Maybe he'll just keep the current guy in there - he's a Coast Guard general as I recall, right?

QUOTE (YASNY @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 09:47 AM) If they get that 60th senate seat, he'll effectively have a blank check to do implement any and all of his 'agenda'. I think its highly unlikely he gets both the GA and MN seats. Maybe a 50/50 shot on MN, but a less that 10% chance in GA, if I had to guess. And even if it happened, its not really a fully blank check. The dems won't all agree with everything he does.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 09:45 AM) Call it a prediction. I understood that. But what exactly are you predicting? What new war will we be engaging in?

QUOTE (lostfan @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 09:05 AM) 90 yards is really nothing, if we're talking about a rifle and not a handgun. If I'm looking at the silhouette of a human, I can pretty much automatically hit it if I'm given enough time. I think it's also safe to say that anyone who knows how to fire a rifle can do it pretty easily too. I believe the weapon was an Italian-made carbine bolt action rifle. Not exactly high end sniper gear, but at 270 feet, hitting a human silhouette should be relatively easy for a trained shooter. 270 feet with a pistol on the other hand would be tough.

QUOTE (YASNY @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 08:19 AM) I wonder how many Obama voters will be happy when they receive their draft notice. That was kind of random.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 25, 2008 -> 07:53 AM) http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/11/25/business/25sorkin.php I think this article illustrates nicely the fact that there will be no sterling pick for this job. Anyone with enough experience to be useful will have scars, and anyone without scars will be unprepared. I also think that one specific sentence from the article illustrates both what it is that makes me most confident about Obama's leadership, and also, what he is looking for in his cabinet: All serious candidates for the Presidency are smart, more so than average certainly - yes, even W. But even among that crowd, Obama stands out. In almost every situation he's been in during his adult life, he has been "the smartest guy in the room". Since you cannot prepare for all things, you need to be that guy, to be effective as President. Obama is that guy, and looking at his cabinet picks so far, he's looking for the same thing in his stable. Its less about ideology, and more about intelligence and thinking/problem solving style.

Major indices finished up another 5 to 6% today, after big gains Friday. S&P up 11% in two days. Oil up 9% today, back to the mid 50's. I have to admit, my oil predictions were about $10/bbl off. I figured it would stick around the 60's, and flirt into the 50's a few times. Its been about 10 below that.