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President Obama's nominee to become commissioner for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission signed a manifesto praising polygamy and arguing traditional marriage should not be privileged above other forms of union. Chai Feldblum, an outspoken homosexual rights activist and Georgetown University law professor, is a signatory to an online petition entitled "Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision For All Our Families and Relationships." The organization defines itself as "a diverse group of nearly twenty LGBT and queer activists [who] came together to discuss marriage and family politics as they exist in the United States today." The manifesto, first noticed by...

Today at The Heritage Foundation I had the opportunity to attend a panel hosted by former Attorney General Ed Meese. The panel was put in place to give President Barack Obama advice when he chooses his nominations for the Judicial system (the Supreme and Appellate courts). On the panel were Walter Dellinger, Stuart Taylor, and Jonathan Adler.

A list of Obama's potential high-level appointees who have withdrawn from consideration - mostly for failure to pay taxes - since Obama took office in January.One of the most interesting phenomenons of the Obama administration so far is the difficulty he has had finding honest people to fill top-level positions. Every few days since he has been in office, another potential cabinet appointee is in the news for tax evasion or other financial corruption.Let's rehash the list so far.New Mexico Democratic Governor Bill Richardson, nominated for Commerce Department Secretary. He withdrew on January 4 after it emerged that he was...

Team Obama just can’t seem to set its starting line-up. Nominees, potential nominees, and rumored nominees continue to drop like flies. Annette Nazareth, a former commissioner with the SEC, made “a personal decision” and pulled her name from consideration to be Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s top aide. Then, in a huge blow to TV viewers around the world, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, said he no longer wanted to be considered for the Surgeon General job because of “personal reasons.” Seems to us that “personal reasons” has now become Liberalese for “I haven’t paid my taxes for the...

Remember that 9 page information sheet all the Obama nominees had to fill out before they would be considered for a job? The press made a huge deal about the new, ethical tone Obama was bringing to Washington. The One was not going to be blindsided like Clinton with a Zoe Baird problem. And it specifically asked about tax problems. This is turning into a farce. First we had Geithner, then Daschle, then Nancy Killefer, and now Labor Secretary nominee Hilda Solis also has a tax problem. More . . .

Let’s face it. It’s always about “the economy,” stupid or not. And for the foreseeable future it will be so in spades, a fact, by the way, that demands Republican leaders follow main street conservative principles as they devise economic policies that put the American people first. However, like the executives of our auto companies, Republicans must understand they can’t survive by fixing one thing at a time; for especially in politics, issues have a way of coming up when least expected — taking a stance on a judicial nominee, for example. I mention the judiciary because with regard to...

Fifteen days before the election, serious gaps remain in the public’s knowledge about the health of the presidential and vice-presidential nominees. The limited information provided by the candidates is a striking departure from recent campaigns, in which many candidates and their doctors were more forthcoming.

Cannot Post due to copyright issues: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/03/17/080317taco_talk_hertzberg

The following is a roundup of candidate developments in the 2008 presidential race, from CQPolitics.com. • Debates to Spring Forth Early in New Hampshire: CNN and two prominent New Hampshire news organizations announced Friday that they will join forces to stage back-to-back presidential candidate debates this April in that crucial “first-in-the-nation” primary state. Television station WMUR and the Union Leader newspaper — both based in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city — are partnering with the cable news network to produce the debates, scheduled for April 4 and 5. Contenders for the Democratic nomination will meet in one debate, while the...

It's getting to the point where the conservative - dominant - wing of the Republican Party needs to take out a want ad in the newspaper or post a listing on Craigslist.com to find a candidate for president. In the field taking shape before our eyes, none of the top four contenders is likely to satisfy their delicate palates - made more arrogant and discerning by decades of victories. Rudy Guiliani? Pro-choice, pro-affirmative action, pro-gay rights, pro-immigration, pro-gun control Rudy? Righties will vote for him only if they have lobotomies first. Remember how the New York City Council prohibited the...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a concession to the Senate's new Democratic majority, four of President Bush's appeals court appointees have asked to have their nominations withdrawn, Republican officials said Tuesday. These officials said that William Haynes, William Myers and Terrence Boyle had all decided to abandon their quest for confirmation. Another nominee, Mike Wallace, let it be known last month that he, too, had asked Bush to withdraw his nomination.

White House Counsel Harriet Miers, the Supreme Court nominee who withdrew after a conservative revolt last fall, has allegedly vetoed several recommendations offered by conservatives to fill vacancies on federal courts. The White House would not directly respond to the charge, which was made this morning during a conference call with more than 40 conservative leaders. Two people on the call—whose identities I promised to keep confidential—said they had inside knowledge of the recommended nominees whom Miers nixed.

This week's Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Judge Samuel Alito appear to have given rise to a new sport in the blogosphere: Whack-A-Pol. Here's how the game is played: Every time a senator pops up with a comment on Alito, bloggers whack 'em down with a rhetorical hammer. But unlike the game Whack-A-Mole, where the nimble moles often avoid the blows by ducking into their holes, no senator -- regardless of party or popularity outside the realm of mouth-to-mouth combat over judicial nominations -- can escape the jabs of bloggers. Even worse, bloggers tend to prefer hammers of the sledge...

In a surprise announcement that shocked the economics community, President Bush named Robert McCleskey, his personal tax accountant, to succeed Alan Greenspan. McCleskey, who has little or no track record in the area of monetary policy, will now face the rigors of a grueling confirmation process. Given the defining nature of the appointment and the challenges of filling Greenspan's legendary shoes, some observers were surprised the President chose McCleskey, a man who has never written on anything vaguely related to the Federal Reserve or monetary issues. When asked about why he chose McCleskey the President responded aggressively. "He's a heckuva...

Senate confirmation of President Bush's choice to be U.S. ambassador to the European Union has been delayed for several weeks, and the nominee may not take his post until well into November. Bush's choice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is serving under a recess appointment and may never be confirmed. The reason: the individual whims of two Republican senators. Freshman Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida last week temporarily blocked the confirmation of longtime GOP stalwart C. Boyden Gray to the EU for petty political reasons. Much more serious because its effect looks permanent, Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio...

The commotion surrounding the President's two nominations for the Supreme Court illustrates far better than any other recent mediastorms the extent of the damage that has already been done to the institutions of the United States. The pundits, both theirs and ours, in their arguments about how the nominee will rule, have apparently utterly lost sight of the objective. During the Clinton Administration the Republican Senate abdicated their sworn responsibilities to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, when they acquiesced in the installation of Judge Ginsburg on the court. The accepted concept was that each President should...

I am a bit confused. Bush was re-elected by his conservative base on the understanding that he would appoint strict constructionist judges with traditional values. Bush chose Harriet Miers to replace Sandra Day O’Connor. Miers is pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment, and is definitely not a judicial activist. Exactly the kind of person Bush’s base wanted. And all I have heard over the last week is wailing, crying, moaning, sulking, and general hell-raising from conservatives...... -- excerpt --

MOOSEMUSS. Yes, MOOSEMUSS. That is what came to mind when the discussion amongst the right about the Harriet Miers nomination went into full tilt yesterday…MOOSEMUSS. Hat tip to Mr. Atos for planting the seed with his Bangalore Torpedo piece, and after all the rancor yesterday, I thought, MOOSEMUSS. I don’t buy the theory that in an instant, that the President, who incidentally, got the GWOT right, and the John Roberts nomination right, who has Dick Cheney as his VP and Condi Rice as his SOS…blew a gasket and has gotten this completely wrong. I thought…maybe …MOOSEMUSS. I think that the...

Democrats must insist that the Senate not vote on John Roberts' confirmation to be chief justice until after Sandra Day O'Connor's successor is also named. The Senate needs to evaluate both picks together in assessing their impact on the Supreme Court, now and for years to come. Also, Democrats need to make clear that since President Bush has already picked a conservative in Roberts for one vacancy, the other selection needs to be a more moderate Republican in the mold of O'Connor. Otherwise, a court that currently reflects a moderate mainstream view could become one that would be significantly further...

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroederhas been nominated for the 2005 Nobel peace prize, the German press agency (DPA) reported on Tuesday. Guenter Grass, Germany's 1999 Nobel literature laureate, told DPA Monday that he considered Schroeder a candidate for the peace award because of his strong opposition to the US-led war against Iraq. Other names mentioned included former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Indian musician Ravi Shankar, and former Czech president Vaclav Havel.