Needlenose

The above graphic, via Markos, answers the question I raised last week about the security features of the new Obamamobile.  (No tips regarding darkblack’s query whether the cigarette lighter would work, though maybe the fire extinguisher is a hint.)

If there’s anyone thinking or writing a sequel to that Harrison Ford Air Force One flick, I suppose it would be helpful to know if the POTUS has direct access to the pump-action shotgun.

More info available from U.S. News.

Guest post from Spy Buddy:

Well folks get ready for a prolonged recession-the Senate Finance Committee cleared the nomination of Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary.  Is this the best Obama can do? In fact, Geithner could have been a prime candidate for a Bush appointment due to his incompetence or corruption.

First, Geithner didn’t pay his 2001 and 2002 taxes until he was nominated-CNBC has reported the IRS waived Geithner fines, what you or I would have had to pay.  Obama, and other Geithner apologists, say this was an oversight.  Lets see, not paying your taxes for four years in a row is an oversight?  He either thinks he is above the law or he’s just incompetent.

A second reason, and a more important, Geithner should not be confirmed is due to his previous position as president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  There he worked closely with Henry Paulson on several projects, bailing out AIG and TARP- is this an oversight, plain incompetence or corruption? I don’t need to talk about AIG since everyone remembers how AIG executives partied on taxpayer dollars in California. Remember the purpose of TARP was to help provide liquidity for banks so they could lend money to people who were refinancing or lending to small businesses etc. So under this guise, Paulson and gang distributed funds with no attention to ensuring that banks would use it to increase lending.  This is one of the biggest rip offs of public funds since the no bid contracts that the Cheney/Bush administration gave away to their buddies.

Geithner is one of many available bankers and/or economists available to treasury secretary—believe me there is a glut in the market, just check out any street corner in NYC.  Lets get one who can pass the character test and one who pays taxes as well as one who is competent.

Amen to that!  Thanks, Spy Buddy!

*Update* Geithner Says China Is Manipulating Its Currency – no shit, Sherlock!  Let’s see what you plan to do about it.

As much as I hate to side with a Repug, Obama should withdraw Lisa Jackson as candidate head of the EPA; that’s much too important of a role right now to go to Michael Brown in a dress!

*Update * – While he is at it, he should also find a new Director of National Intelligence - Retired Adm. Dennis Blair is apparently unclear on the concept of ‘torture‘ :

“I don’t mean to reopen those cases,” Blair said. “I’m hesitating to set a standard here.”

Michigan Democratic Sen Carl Levin told Blair, “If the attorney general designee can answer it, you can too…”

I’m happy to see that Obama is off to a good start!   Long boring speechifying aside, he’s done more in his first 24 hours than Bush did in his first year (good thing in retrospect!)!  Already he has:

* Put a halt to the Gitmo kangaroo trials and drafted an executive order to close that torture center down

* Frozen White House salaries in solidarity with the rest of us

* Established tight ethics rules for his staff

* Put in calls to the leaders of the Palestinian and Israeli ‘tribal leaders’ and announced he plans to help broker a peace accord

* Established New Freedom of Information Act

Not bad!

Meanwhile the Repugs (not including McCain) are already trying to stymie his appointments and the passage of his economic stimulus package.  To be expected of course, although I thought they’d lay low a bit longer while they plot their obstructionist maneuverings.

*Update* – missed this – he put a hold on Shrubya’s last minute odious regulations pending review.

It looks like the Kurds are preparing for the inevitable dissolution of Iraq following the increasingly likely and potentially more rapid US pullout from Iraq.  Sensing the inevitable, Barzani does some sabre-rattling over Maliki’s plan to legitimize Arab ‘tribal councils.’  

It’s not hard to imagine us getting sucked back in the quicksand.

Via email, but I’m told it was in a Washington Post slideshow from the inauguration yesterday.

Swopa’s pal Sistani, possibly inspired by Obamamania, is repositioning himself as the Ayatollah of Rock Da Votah:

“His eminence urges all residents, men and women, to participate in the coming elections, and stresses not to boycott it despite not being totally satisfied with the previous electoral experience,” a statement from Sistani’s office said.

It added that Sistani “stands at an equal distance from all candidates.”

Via email:

I’m pretty sure this is the corner in question:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=300+Bush+Street,+San+Francisco,+CA

Update: Apparently, the entire length of the street was relabeled.  Nice work.

War Nerd uses the Gaza war to make the point that the age of ‘total war’ (where civies are acceptable targets) is currently in abeyance.  The point he doesn’t make is that Israel seems to have mastered the art of the ‘focus group’ atrocity – pushing the limits of war crimes to kill civilians, trash infrastructure, do so and collectively punish a population – but stopping just before the point where they’ll lose political support among US politicans or provoke a serious civilian action in Europe such as a boycott.

Not convinced?  What could be more cynical then their agreement to a cease-fire on the day before the Obama inaguration?  I guess they want to figure out what they can get away with with the new guy.  Shrubya was the Larry King of cis-Jordan power-brokers, but they probably have figured out that Obama may actually pay some attention to what is going on.

My anecdotal bellwhether of course are a few die-hard liberal Jewish friends, who, while they decried the Iraq war, tow the line on Israeli politics of occupation.  None of them were shaken by the recent atrocity exhibition, so it seems Israel got away with it again.

It really makes you wonder though just what Israel can get away with, if torching civilians with white phosphorus, destroying their homes and fields, denying them power and foodstuffs and any but the most minimal contact with the outside world.  What would it take to get the Euroweenies to take action?  To revolt my bellwhether pro-Israel liberal pals?  To get the supposedly sympathetic Arab neighbors stop jawing and take any real action?

*Update* After lying for a few weeks, Israel admits to frying Gazans.  As they say,  ”Like Father Like Son.”  Israel is really our ‘Mini-Me,’ isn’t it?

9:03 am, Pacific time: Are wingnuts going to try to declare Obama’s swearing-in void because he and Chief Justice Roberts fumbled and stepped on each other’s lines?

9:06 am: I could have done without the “O-ba-ma” chant (however brief) at this particular moment.

9:07 am: My guess as to his first line was, “My fellow Americans, we are well and truly fucked.” Instead, he said, “I stand here humbled by the task before us.” Close enough.

9:09 am: The line about “they will be met” (referring to the country’s challenges) seems intended as the first signature moment in the speech, but Obama rushed it a bit.

9:13 am: Speaking of signature moments, has any president ever lifted one from a Hollywood musical?? (“Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off…”)

9:15 am:  “What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them…” I sure hope he’s right, but I have a feeling Obama’s going to have to move the earth, and not just say it’s moved.

Daily Kos has the full text of the speech.