Democratic Chatter 2-13-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

The House to vote on the 789 billion Stimulus bill today - this is the House-Senate compromise that came out of conference committee. It is expected to pass easily in the House and the Senate is expected to vote on it tomorrow. Time.com has more here.

--------------------

President Obama continues to stumble with Cabinet picks - the first three weeks of his Presidency has not been kind as a third Cabinet nominee announces his withdrawal. This time it was Republican Senator Judd Gregg (NH) who said yesterday his philosophical differences with the Obama administration would not allow him to serve as Commerce Secretary. Questions continue regarding the vetting process. When Gregg was announced as the nominee, liberal bloggers pointed out Gregg has supported discontinuation of the Commerce Department. TheHill.com has more here

--------------------

New chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee targets nine seats in 2010 - never too early to start the rhetoric. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) recently took over the chair from Senator Charles Schumer from New York who was able to claim large gains and a new Democratic majority while he served as chair. Menendez pointed out five open seats in Florida, Ohio, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Kansas and four other states where he feels Democrats will be competitive. The other states were Louisiana, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. Out of the last four states, the Senate seat held by Republican Arlen Specter is the most likely pick up with Republicans going after Specter in the Primary due to his support of the Stimulus bill. CNN.com has more here.

--------------------

Leon Panetta confirmed by Senate for CIA Director - there was some initial hesitation by some Senators who questioned his total lack of experience in the intelligence field. however, in the end, he was approved by a voice vote in the Senate yesterday. Hilda Solis, the nominee for Labor Secretary, won approval in the senate committee and will be scheduled for a senate vote as early as today. The NY Times Caucus blog has more here.

--------------------

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) proposes special commission to investigate possible wrongdoings by the George W. Bush administration - this is a hot topic among the more liberal Democrats who want investigation into possible illegal wiretapping, use of the Justice Department for political purposes, and the use of torture on detainees. A USAToday/Gallup poll conducted January 30 - February 1 showed 60% of Americans favored some type of investigation into these actions. While only 41% favored criminal probes. So far, the Obama administration has not indicated any desire to begin these proceedings. Gallup.com has more here.

--------------------

On the foreign policy front, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves today for her first official trip - she is off to Asia to visit China, Japan, Indonesia and South Korea. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke is in Afghanistan and Senator John Kerry (D-Ma.) is scheduled to visit countries in the Middle East next week. Politico.com has more here.

--------------------

To receive "Daily Email Updates" from Air-it-Out with George Wenschhof, click on "Subscribe to this feed" below.