Thanks Jane.

I don’t dislike CK, but I was wondering how she was going to save face…

You won’t have Caroline Kennedy to kick around any more!

I like Caroline and don’t really care if she’s the junior Senator from New York or not. ;-)

a bit offtopic: John Boehner will be taking questions on Digg.
If you have a Digg account, please go vote on the questions or ask your own: http://digg.com/dialogg/John_Boehner_1

ya know, i like her too but i think she would be underpowered as a senator right now. burris, of course, is a joke. poor fellow.

It just seemed to me that she wanted the appointment to be given to her. She didn’t work too hard to get it, other than using her name and her incompetent “handlers”. Her performances were incredibly lackadasical, saying the standard, Democratic cliches without any real passion behind them.

I’m glad she dropped out.

Kennedy was a weak candidate from the start, and both New York and the Democrats stood to lose a lot of she choked in the Senate.

if she really wants the job, there is no doubt she can win Connecticut if she begins her work in public service right now

was he bre*stfed?

why does he cry so much?

what are his ideas for stimulating the economy? (please be specific)

I like Burris. To me he seems he’ll be like Ted Kennedy by screaming on the floor of the Senate with a bulging forehead vein and messed up hair! LOL But, I could be wrong. We’ll have to wait and see how he does. ;-)

let me remind everyone, we do want a kennedy if they are able and ted should take care of his health, I think we all agree on that, we need him in the senate but his health is more important, he does nothing for us if he passes from the work he puts in

caroline needs to begin her public service today, she must not decide to stop simply because she was not experienced enough for hillary’s job

maybe obama can give her some seat that is high profile, maybe she can work for the hill, maybe she can work for teddy but she needs to get her feet wet starting today

You know, some people are just better suited for different areas of life than other areas. EG I really didn’t care for HRC as first lady. She really rubbed me the wrong way. But I thought she rocked as a Senator, whether I agreed with her or not.

Same with CK. She is much better suited to be a private citizen with influence and being one of those beacons of charity and philanthropy, than a pol. just my take.

Damn Greenspans — they can’t get anything right!

In case anyone was worried, Obama was sworn in again by Roberts today.

you think he will be like the rep lady from watts? Boy, i hope so.

It seemed to me that Caroline Kennedy was a Trojan horse for Bloomberg, which would be a very good reason for a Democratic Gov to appoint someone else.

David Paterson handled the whole situation quite artfully, and in the end did the right thing. Color me impressed.

And trying to run a 3 Card Monte game on a blindman, and still losing?

Impressed is right!

Thank you. I was getting worried about that because all the wingnutrolls were already screaming that he could not do anything because he is not the actual President. Hope there was tape rolling to “prove it” to the conspiracy wingnuts.

*sigh of relief*

Hey, maybe he was sworn in properly, but DID HE BRING HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE?!?!1!!

Roland Burris has a lot in common with John McCain.
Both are lifelong pols who, in the twilight of their careers, saw one last opportunity for higher office which would call for some ethical flexibility.
Burris’ gambit succeeded, McCain’s failed.
I suspect that Burris will surprise critics in this corner.
The shoes of Junior Senator from Illinois are not as oversized as the previous wearer’s current performance would indicate.

Do you mean the muslim birth certificate or the foreign Hawaiian birth certificate? /s

snort!

i wonder who made that happen?

Exactly – I read someplace where she said she’d be happy to ‘accept it’ if it were ‘offered’ to her, but that she was not going to run for it. “Accept it”? What is this – a plaque? A trophy for “most available Kennedy at the moment”? As a resident of New York State, I do not want anyone to represent me who is not willing to run and fight for it.

Makes you wonder if something like that was happening all this time. The timing of her withdrawal is weird I guess.

What are you talking about, Jane? Caroline Kennedy is a pugnacious streetfighter and she proved it by–oh wait, is that an ambassadorship at the door?

Yeah! This just bothered me so much–that her entrance into politics should be as New York’s Senator, the pressure from Bloomberg & Co, the cowtowing to political aristocracy and the Kennedy mystique, and how damn weak she was at every attempt to explain why she should be annointed senator. This gladdens me.

If she’s serious about entering politics, then go for it. Run for something. But I somehow doubt that will happen. Back to a 3 day a week (if that) job of raising money for charter schools, which is not my idea of a progressive agenda. Back to working to high dollar donor circuit.

Story at Huff Post didn’t say anything about that. Just that it took place in the Map Room…..maybe so Roberts could find his way out. :)

I was hoping he’d refuse, the oath has been amended throughout history and Obama is actually setting a precedent, retaking the oath is acknowledging the first time it was not rendered officially

not

happy

Apparently the spin now is that Kennedy was ready to be announced by Patterson, but that Kennedy withdrew “for personal reasons”. So there’s the “face-saving”.

But to go through all of this and then roll out suddenly newly discovered “personal reasons” seems a bit disingenuous. It almost makes it appear that this was all about her ego. But if she wants to run again in two years how will the “personal issues” go away?

She can probably make something up about how she needs to be there for Uncle Teddy.

exactly!

they obviously offered her something while they were all in DC — and it was clear that we didn’t want her, so it wouldn’t have helped Paterson in his election bid to appoint her.

here’s an interesting question;

had a suit been filed challenging obama’s presidency based on the oath he took, and the reagan bush court decided to hear it, would roberts recuse himself?

I doubt it

Per Olbermann, Kennedy has not dropped out of consideration. Via David Gregory, fwiw.

Kennedy family member says CK has not withdrawn.

KO just announced that per the Kennedy family – She has NOT withdrawn her name from the senate appointment

KO just said that a Kennedy source says she has NOT withdrawn her name from consideration, apparently there was a “mis-communication.”

Keith Olbermann just annouced that Kennedy has NOT withdrawn her name citing a communication with the Kennedy family.

What’s your beverage?

I can tell we are watching KO …… different time zones but all on the same page…

KO reporting that Caroline has not recused herself from the Senate.

it’s totally face-saving, and not believable at all — pathetic, actually.

KO reports just now that a family member says CK has NOT withdrawn her name.

off topic but important…Keith Olbermann on Countdown just aired an interview with a former NSA employee who stated that during the Bush administration, the government monitored, without warrants, communications of members of the U.S. news media who had no known connection to terrorist groups, directly contradicting statements made by the now disgraced former president George W. Bush.

I hope somebody is writing a post on this issue for FDL. Not that this news should surprise anybody, but the report confirming it by a former NSA employee seems significant.

Actually Rutherford B. Hayes was sworn in twice but I can’t find out why yet.

How has the oath been amended? Certainly there is the little “coda” that’s been attached at the end “So help me God”…but that’s not actually part of the oath. Teddy Roosevelt didn’t say it. And it’s even unclear if it was typically said until the 20th century. The first claim that George Washington said it was from that notorious historical liar, George Washington IRVING, who created more BS about the first President than a buffalo creates methane.

hey, guess what;

rush just said he thinks obama’s ruling makes it easier to hold bush to account for his crimes…he then goes on to call that action “banana republic”

he kills me;

LIMBAUGH: What I’m afraid of is that what Obama did with this executive order is actually make it easier for the media to go get Bush documents. Because you know Pelosi and some of the guys over in congress are talking about war crimes trials and charges and so forth.

What I’m afraid of is what Obama’s done here is made the gathering of the information for this kind of stuff– This is not American. This is not America. This is not what America does. We don’t– This is Banana Republic kind of stuff[…]

his head is going to explode me thinks

Now we know why impeachment was taken off the table!

Cleveland and Coolidge both re-swore the oath under similar mis-recitations.

No precedent, just another opportunity for the President to see if, in fact, the seizure-prone Chief Justice could get it right a second time.

Given that the whole Supreme Court were present as “witnesses” and none made any effort to immediately correct the statement would suggest that all of them might have to recuse themselves.

that is great news, see my 41

I need to buy stock in popcorn

heavens!…oh my!…*puts ands to cheeks and makes a big “0″ with mouth and repeats, “oh my”

So how is Kennedy going to put the toothpaste back in the tube…… Is she or isn’t she….. with this big “breaking news” on all the networks…… someone is making shit up….

how damn weak she was at every attempt to explain why she should be annointed senator

That’s pretty much it. She did this to herself. She had the name and any forum she wanted to explain what she stood for and what she would do for New Yorkers, and she passed on it everytime. I think New Yorkers would have been receptive to her, but she refused to give them any reason to be.

IIRC it was Julia who suggested she might be a good choice for the National Endowment for the Arts and I think she is right.

I hope somebody is writing a post on this issue for FDL.

ditto!

POETIC JUSTICE!

Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias selected as Gitmo prosecutor.»

Rhe NSA swept everything from everybody (just about). Read Bamford’s Shadow Factory.

Wow! Thyen that means that they knew all about the Cheney-Rove-Scooter contacts with the media. For Bush to “get to the bottom of this” (Plame Leak) he’d just have to have asked the NSA…which presumably had his permission to do this surveillance. Let’s see how the media reacts to this…as it will totally shut down any ability to have “sources”.

The retaking of the Oath was what my old partner used to call a “belt and suspenders” legal maneuver.

perris had made the point that business trade secrets, proprietary information and inventions were wide open to be stolen by the people who had access to the Data Mining operation’s information. The potential for insider stock trading is also great. Nothing is a secret for Dick Cheney.

Let’s see how the media reacts to this

*listens to the sound of teh crickets*

Yep, as someone with a bit of experience in the telecom industry, once you put those cables and their fibers through the splitters, you get it ALL.

I’m sure the media knew they’re communications were being monitored. Why else do you think they were such lapdogs? (Well, besides their lack of spines.)

A phrase we at Chez Siberia on the Susquehanna use all the time.

All of the possible contenders, and their fans, presumably have access to the New York media, which is essentially the national news media. So, anyone could have been a source for this report.

I like it because it embarrasses Mrs Greenspan, though….

I hope somebody is writing a post on this issue for FDL.

Perhaps better yet, an online clearinghouse to track all the whistleblower revelations that (I hope) will be forthcoming.

thanx for remembering hackworth

that’s where we missed the boat too, we were all “it’s against the constitution, it violates my rights!”

instead we should have shouted;

“THEY ARE STEALING FROM ME, WHY ARE YOU ALLOWING THEM TO STEAL FROM ME!”

that would have been far more effective

This is what the Constitution says:

Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Taking it does not necessarily mean repeating it. Technically just accepting it would be sufficient in my opinion.

Sounds like a list! Hugh?

Funny, I knew this post was coming — but thought you might display an ounce or two of class by holding back, just a tad, on the warmed over shit-slinging at Ms. Kennedy out of deference to her uncle’s condition and the reported (unconfirmed) connection it had with her reported (unconfirmed) decision to withdraw.

Not to mention the common sense to hold off on crowing your triumph until the report was confirmed.

So much for class and common sense.

I heard that interview also. I do hope he is just the first of many Whistle blowers to come forward to out all the crimes of the BushCo’s.
As he said he took an oath to the Constitution and not to any agency or group. We need more Federal employees to come forward now that Retribution is OFF the Table Nancy.

Everybody at FDL and the other premier liberal blogs knew the bastards were data mining for years. Can any media elites, especially friends of Rove, eg: David Gregory, really feign surprise?

Right On Bro. That was the way to frame it.

Also re NSA, from item 252 of my scandals list, remember this?

(The program in question involved a secret room at an AT&T facility in San Francisco into which traffic from AT&T’s major fiber optic routers was split off. Only technicians with NSA clearance had access to the room. The room and program were “discovered” by a then AT&T technician Mark Klein. Documents he obtained showed that the design for the room was completed by December 2002 and that construction on it began in early 2003. Its designation indicated that the NSA had other such rooms. The room contained equipment that could strip out and analyze network and customer usage information. It also had peer linking cut ins from February 2003 which connected it to the electronic feeds for virtually the entire internet. Where did all this information go? It’s hard to say although DARPA’s Total Information Awareness program (TIA) is run out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia.)

KO had a picture of that room up during part of his interview.

WARNING

A real virus is going around the Internet marked as “Obama’s Acceptance Speech” and/or “Amazing Speech by Obama”…

http://www.snopes.com/computer…..speech.asp

And from item 12

It has been suggested that what the NSA was using in its surveillance was a program called Main Core, a searchable database of databases. It is rumored to contain data on 8 million Americans deemed suspicious (yes, I don’t know what that means either) who in case of national emergency would be subject to anything from arrest to heightened surveillance. It may have been this massive warrantless surveillance, real or potential, of huge numbers of Americans that troubled some, like James Comey and Jack Goldsmith, at the DOJ. It screamed lack of probable cause and smacked too closely of being an enemies list, only a lot bigger.
In addition to this, the Administration appeared intent on exploiting the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) to expand the scope of its surveillance. This act requires telecoms to configure their equipment to facilitate governmental wiretapping. While the act was not envisioned as a means of large scale warrantless wiretapping, it could with the help of service providers like the telecoms be turned into one.

OMG … they did it without a Bible … more fodder for the ReichWingers !

ANS THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

Sister Hamsher, ken you or any other FDLer explain to me why Bobby Kennedy Jr. was not considered in New York or has not been run out as a possible successor to Ted in the future in Mass? The only thing I’ve heard is that he’s positioning himself for a run at Likuderman in 2012…are there distinct or identifiable factions in the Kennedy clan? Is Bobby not popular in Massachusetts or is somethin else goin on here that I’m too old ta understand?

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THE WAR IS OURS NOW NO ONE WILL FIGHT IT FOR US!!!

I think maybe Ted Kennedy is feeling his years, and is starting to think that Caroline might be the right person for him to hand his seat to. Give him a few years to groom her for his seat, and then have her run for it in 2010?

Bob in HI

Yep every bite of it, so easy to store it all and Data Mine it, can even be done on the fly. As for Cheney’s portfolio needs to be scrutinized and that of his whole family, for that matter all of the Bush Administration’s looking for key investments.

And although I never got around to including it in my list, remember the story Pasdar and a similar story about Verizon communications passing through Quantico?

http://blog.wired.com/27bstrok…..wer-f.html Pasdar on Verizon backdoor for wiretapping

Oh, I think there will be plenty.

I don’t know the answer to your q, but I’ve seen him in public and he is not impressive. He seems nervous, his voice cracks, he thumps his heel up & down while seated. I like him a lot but think the package doesn’t have all the necessary elements.

What is worse is that used the Kama Sutra.

Perhaps the Cuoma “machine” is trying to “steamroll” Caroline? Nah. I’m sure Andrew and his “handlers” would never be able to do anything like that anyway, since the Cuomo name has little recognition and few connections in New York politics.

At least the Cuomos are known for being solid Liberals, right?

The truth is that Ted Kennedy doesn’t have a few years. I’m not sure he has one.

Bobby backed Hillary over Barack…hard. Plus that voice…yeesh, even though I like what he says a lot of time, it’s challenging to make it through his entire radio show.

Citizen eCAHNomics:

I think he’s got some serious residual dope use damage and his voice is a problem but not one that couldn’t be overcome…I’m afraid he’s probably fried up…I jest wanned ta know though.

UPDATE: 9:20PM EST David Gregory of NBC reports that Caroline Kennedy HAS NOT withdrawn her name.

Then all the more reason for giving her an out in NY, if she can get an in, in Mass.? If Ted were to resign, who would appoint his successor?

Bob in HI

he has no time at all and that is why he was released from the hospital.

Citizen Hugh:

We will be lucky ta have Ted for 6 more months…and even if we do he won’t have the energy ta work the point for a healthcare bill.

I heard him in the context of the book tour for Riverkeepers, which was quite awhile ago. He seemed to like what he was doing. I think if he had political ambitions, I think we’d have seen it by now.

Do you have sources for this? Several Presidents have taken the oath twice, but this was mainly because they took office on a Sunday (when the formal date of entering office fell on that day) and they had a private swearing with a public inauguration on the Monday following. Monroe, Taylor, Hayes, Wilson, Eisenhower and Reagan each gave a public address and were sworn in a second time, on the Monday following their initial accession to the office. No source I’ve been able to locate suggests a “re-do” as a result of a flub. There was simply a second public “performance” that had no legal necessity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I…..-NoBook-23

WADR to Mr. Olberman, his handling of the FISA issue suggests that he’s a little more interested in his team winning than he is in what’s actually going on.

There are similar rooms in 15 other locations in the country so they blanketed the whole country!
Investigate
Indite
Prosecute
Imprison

Citizen cinnamonape:

Why are we wastin’ time and space on this issue…it’s rediculous, he took the oath end of story!

That’s going to be a sad day. For that reason alone, I’d like to see Caroline as a senator…if the people of New York would like that. Seems like they don’t, though, and Caroline will have to work for the job in 2010.

Does he have a few more years to do this? It’s not looking like it.

do you have a source for the 15?

It seems that if NSA is doing this the new FISA bill could be challenged as unconstitutional since it is random search and seisure of a communique.

Well that’s what happens when you respond without reading the rest of the thread first.

Plus, he has a disease that causes voice to sound like it does. A friend’s husband had to go on disability (a salesman) because of this issue.

How could us New Yorkers, after suffering with Schumer and the Clintons, now face up to Mario Cuomo, Jr. Did he leak the “story”? The Cuomos and the Kennedys have no love lost between them.

*spew*

Interesting. I didn’t know the cause, only that his voice would not be a plus in a political career.

Makes you wonder if they did a dress rehearsal beforehand, which would technically be a legally valid “taking”. After all, one doesn’t NEED to take it at the actual ceremony. As long as they got the words right on one “run through” and the individual offering the oath was a legal Federal official it should be valid. It would be ironic if Obama ran through the oath with the Sergeant of Arms or something, and that’s the legal oath…even if it was a “practice”.

Citizen Julia:

Give me a break…Olbermann was jest repeating what had already been announced and then the retraction hit jest in time to bury his lede on the illegal surveilance. Come on, Olbermann’s situation with the FISA thing was one of opinion and not reporting and I’m still pissed at Obama and the whole “liberal” crowd on that one.

It’s painful to listen to until you get used to it.

Caroline Kennedy backs full marriage equality, but I’m not sure what actual steps she has taken to make that happen.

I didn’t raise the issue, Norske. As pointed out, there wouldn’t be anyone to legally challenge the issue, it doesn’t have merit, and it was probably done by “the letter” before the event in a rehearsal. I’m not worried at all. But it’s a bit weird that Roberts redid the oath. Maybe because he wants to be the “oathgiver” of record.

Doesn’t say anything about it in his wiki.

However, it does say that he wanted NYS sen if Hillary won prez but after Obama won he said he didn’t want it. That was, of course, when CK said she wanted it and she had supported Obama. Sounds like the Kennedy clan should get there acts together. First they want it, then they don’t then they withdraw, then they don’t.

bama’s fisa call upset me too. i came to grips with it bc i think he would do the right thing. we don’t know the full story. that is my position until i find out he is a shill fer the gov’t.

Not at this moment but I will look around for the locations. I do know a few like NY City, Atlanta, Washington, Dallas, Seattle, La… but they are off the top of my head I sure I can Poke around and find the rest.

Mccaskel’s a moron about Afghanistan. She sez that Pak should force drivers to drive our supplies thru the Kyber pass.

Citizen Loo Hoo:

It’s possible to get used to it and he is a lot more articulate than Caroline and he doesn’t need “co-authors” for professional publications. If the folks in New York want someone else it seems ta me that’s good for her, saves her and the family some embarrasment…I’m not sure we want dynastic appointments for disinterested rich folks who have a sense of noblesse oblige…this is a point in our history that folks are beginnin ta get interested in politics again so I think we should encourage new blood or make the advantaged folks work for it.

i’m afraid i don’t know the major (fibre) grid nodes. appreciate yer help here. thanks.

Mccaskill: the stoopid, it hurts.

Citizen cinnamonape:

I wasn’t goin after you…I’m jest tired of the whole thing, it’s like a buddy of mine used ta say back in the day:”It’s inconsequential and anyways it don’t mean nuthin’.”

You’re right, Norske.

HA!

Yea, that Olbermann…what a maroon. And the Kennedys…pfft…no bigger scourges of Liberalism has this world known.

Oh, if only Hillary had won the nom, everything would be so much better right now with Howard Wolfson, James Carville, and Geraldine Ferraro in the Admin. Hey, Ferraro…now she’s more than “qualified” and has run and been elected before. Seems to meet all the requirements for being a Senator! And she’s tough to boot. What a great choice!

Here are some links for some of the info, all sites are not listed but it sure does paint the picture of what has been going on.
http://techliberation.com/2007…..tions-hub/

http://www.schneier.com/blog/a…..ing_n.html
I will continue to poke a bit and get back.

The man may be blind but he can see (politcally speaking).

Kennedy currently co-hosts Ring of Fire on Air America Radio with Mike Papantonio.[19] Kennedy does so despite suffering from spasmodic dysphonia,[20] a disorder that makes speech difficult and causes the voice to sound quavery.

In a January 2007 interview in O, The Oprah Magazine, Kennedy hinted that he might run for the position of United States Senator from New York, if Hillary Clinton were to win the 2008 Presidential election.[39] The Senate seat currently held by Clinton is the same seat to which RFK Jr.’s father Robert F. Kennedy was elected in 1964. Kennedy announced on 2 December 2008, however, that he was not interested in taking Clinton’s seat, soon to be vacated if she is confirmed as Secretary of State. [40] Instead, Kennedy’s cousin, Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late Pres. John F. Kennedy, has expressed interest in taking the senate seat, though she has avoided such limelight in the past. [41]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R…..nnedy,_Jr.

Here is another interesting article from Wired:
http://www.wired.com/politics/…..estic_taps

thanks for the links. later.

And Lastly check out this one http://www.internettrafficreport.com/namerica.htm It has all the major links and an update of how each is functioning.

Paterson was a little disturbing in this video however:
http://maxblumenthal.com/2009/01/547/

Bless you, love, but it’s not nearly as binary as that, and occasionally people get a little tribal.

It happens. No-one gets hurt unless they go overboard trying to pretend it doesn’t.

Kennedy officially withdraws, issues statement

It’s over.

The last comment left out the link for some reason.

Thanks!

Did I sneeze?

“A little tribal.” Yes, people do. They certainly do.

Traditionally tribes are led by elders who, in theory at least, would be able to pick their battles most wisely.

Jane was colored “impressed” by Paterson. Well, color me Badd:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu5Fgz1pSJE

She did withdraw. MSNBC was wrong.

(i wouldn’t trust what the family says anyway — Kerry Kennedy was MSNBC (she’s Cuomo’s ex, btw) and didn’t even know enough to confirm whether Caroline was pro-choice or not.)