Obama Takes Another Crack at Commerce

Staff / Truthdig Feb 24, 2009 Fourth time's the charm? Barack Obama's two official picks to serve as commerce secretary both had to drop out. Another candidate withdrew her name before it was ever announced. Now the president is reported to have offered the job to former Washington Gov. Gary Locke. So who is he? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israel’s Kingmaker in Legal Limbo

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2009 With his party holding 15 seats in the Knesset, Avigdor Lieberman of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu is poised to pick Israel's next government. Lieberman would like a choice cabinet post in exchange for anointing the next premier, but he's under investigation for allegedly laundering millions of overseas dollars. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Another Nominee Bites the Dust

Staff / Truthdig Feb 13, 2009 Apparently nobody wants to be President Obama's commerce secretary. The second candidate for the post, Sen. Judd Gregg, has dropped out. The Republican senator cited "irresolvable conflicts," including the stimulus package and the census. That's what you get for trying to make nice with those fussy Republicans. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Another Nominee With Tax Problems

Staff / Truthdig Feb 6, 2009 What exactly was the point of that endless questionnaire Team Obama famously had prospective worker bees fill out? A fifth Obama nominee has run into some controversy, the fourth due to a failure to pay taxes, although in the case of Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis, her husband is to blame. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

In Washington, Public Policy and Private Wealth Are Hopelessly Tangled

William Pfaff / Truthdig Feb 6, 2009 Barack Obama in Washington reminds one of Diogenes in Athens, with his lantern in search of an honest man. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Obama: ‘I Screwed Up’

Staff / Truthdig Feb 4, 2009 "I'm frustrated with myself, with our team," the president said Tuesday as he worked the cameras to try to limit the fallout from his appointee implosion. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Ethical Malpractice

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Feb 3, 2009 No need to fumble for words that sum up the stew of hypocrisy, arrogance and insiderism that is the unfolding saga of Tom Daschle. This is the audacity of audacity. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Cabinet Confirmations: 7 and Counting

Staff / Truthdig Jan 21, 2009 Well, Hillary Clinton will have to wait a little longer, but seven others whom President Barack Obama tapped to join his Cabinet had gotten the all-clear from the Senate as of Tuesday afternoon. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Richardson Withdraws Bid for Commerce Secretary Post

Staff / Truthdig Jan 5, 2009 As President-elect Barack Obama transferred to Washington, D.C., from his Chicago HQ this weekend, his first big political problem from within the ranks of his Cabinet choices began: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, nominated by Obama, withdrew from consideration as commerce secretary because a scandal is brewing in Richardson's home state. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

From ‘Mission Accomplished’ to ‘So What?’

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Dec 23, 2008 The history-be-my-judge interviews that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been giving recently help me understand their choices -- but also reinforce my confident belief, and my fervent hope, that history will throw the book at them. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Choice for Education Secretary Marks a New Path

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Dec 19, 2008 Because Arne Duncan gets along with teachers unions but is also seen as a reformer, his selection was interpreted as a politically shrewd, split-the-difference choice by Obama. But that is not the whole story. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Tough Road Ahead for New Economic Appointees

Staff / Truthdig Dec 19, 2008 On Thursday, President-elect Barack Obama introduced three top financial appointees who will help him with the unenviable task of revamping the government's economic regulatory system and "crack[ing] down on this culture of greed and scheming that has led us to this day of reckoning,” as Obama put it. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )