Obama, Part II: Remodeling the cabinetry

[Valmy]

Great, long face in charge.

I would enjoy it just to laugh at the Swiftboat guys.

[Maximus]

I'm sure the Iranians would enjoy it too.

[garbon]

So I've been seeing this link shared a lot on facebook which apparently points out how terrible the media is.

http://petraeusaffair.tumblr.com/

I'm a little confused as I think the news has said a whole lot about Sandy and most major news sites still have something about Sandy on their front page somewhere.  Is it a sad commentary that the media has given us updates on a relatively new story?

[Phillip V]

[Legbiter]

 

Ike successfully combined banging Kay Summersby and kicking Nazi ass.

[Sheilbh]

Marc Ambinder made an interesting point on this:

One secret reason Petraeus had to resign NOVEMBER 15, 2012, AT 5:52 PM   70 COMMENTS
Debunking 5 post-election political myths
What the heck, FBI?
5 thoughts about the Petraeus affair we're not supposed to think
When he admitted having an extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell, CIA Director David Petraeus, as a senior civilian in the presidential chain of command should something go catastrophically wrong in Washington, violated special behavior codes for officials who might one day be forced to execute nuclear strikes. 

In classified presidential emergency action documents, the CIA director is among the dozens, if not hundreds, of officials who are listed as National Command Authority successors in the event that higher-ranking officials are no longer able to do their jobs.

Because under certain circumstances he'd have ready access to the nuclear satchel, Petraeus was indoctrinated into the Personnel Reliability Program, which evaluates and monitors the lifestyle and behavior of Americans with access to nuclear command and control mechanisms. Adultery is not a minor sin under the PRP rules.

The details of so-called "nuclear pre-delegation" is one of the most tightly held secrets in the U.S. government. The first 18 presidential successors are spelled out by law. But it is not clear whether the pre-delegation lists follow the Constitutional chain of command.

After retiring as a general, Petraeus was confirmed by the Senate as a civilian, and was probably given emergency action training by the White House Military Office, which runs the Continuity of Government program. In that role, he could serve as one of the two people needed to confirm codes that would key Permissive Action Links (PALs) and activate launch sequences, adhering to the U.S. Strategic Command's two-person rule for nuclear weapons. Precisely what would need to happen for an official like Petraeus to be in the catbird seat is classified, the result of decades of highly secret rules and provisions that are kept locked in safes.

And so seriously does the U.S. government take the PRP that if a missile wing commander is scheduled to get a wisdom tooth extraction, he or she must notify the squadron's PRP officer, who will transfer power to the deputy commander until the commander's doctor certifies in writing that he or she is able to function normally again.

When Petraeus conceded having an affair to DNI James Clapper, Clapper had several reasons to insist on his resignation, one of which was the director's exalted position in COG programs. Another was simply that the CIA director is held to a higher standard of trust and rectitude by foreign officials, who might take strategic advantage of his public embarrassment.

The current nuclear war plan for the United States is numbered "OPLAN 8010-08" and entitled "Strategic Deference and Global Strike."

If you find that interesting I recommend any/all of Peter Hennessy's books

[Darth Wagtaros]

Ike successfully combined banging Kay Summersby and kicking Nazi ass.

Just conjecture. On the banging anyway.  He kicked Nazi ass though.  Looks like Europe will need him to do it again though.

[Razgovory]

Ike successfully combined banging Kay Summersby and kicking Nazi ass.

Just conjecture. On the banging anyway.  He kicked Nazi ass though.  Looks like Europe will need him to do it again though.

Oh I think a Somali with a pocket knife would be enough to stop Slargos.

[garbon]

And she's out. Sucks for her.

"If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities," Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama, saying she's saddened by the partisan politics surrounding her prospects.

"That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country...Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time," she wrote in the letter obtained by NBC News.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/report-susan-rice-withdraws-from-sec-of-state

[Phillip V]

Who's the new top contenders for SecState?

[merithyn]

And she's out. Sucks for her.

"If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities," Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama, saying she's saddened by the partisan politics surrounding her prospects.

"That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country...Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time," she wrote in the letter obtained by NBC News.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/report-susan-rice-withdraws-from-sec-of-state

I always wonder, when these things are "leaked", if the president doesn't call them up and say, "Look. This isn't going as planned. I can find something else for you, but I need you to bow out on this thing. Okay? And we'll make your letter public so that way it doesn't look like I screwed up picking you in the first place. Got it?"

[Grinning_Colossus]

The Obama administration has a long history of deliberate, strategic 'leaks.'

[derspiess]

And she's out. Sucks for her.

"If nominated, I am now convinced that the confirmation process would be lengthy, disruptive and costly – to you and to our most pressing national and international priorities," Rice wrote in a letter to President Obama, saying she's saddened by the partisan politics surrounding her prospects.

"That trade-off is simply not worth it to our country...Therefore, I respectfully request that you no longer consider my candidacy at this time," she wrote in the letter obtained by NBC News.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/report-susan-rice-withdraws-from-sec-of-state

From what I read, what likely did her in was the growing opposition in Democrat circles (supposedly Hillary herself preferred Lurch). 

[Kleves]

Did Rice have anything to recommend her aside from being an Obama crony?

[derspiess]

Did Rice have anything to recommend her aside from being an Obama crony?

She's a two-fer.  Plus she had the valuable "well Obama seems to like her so she must be perfect" endorsement from Languish Dems.