Sunday Morning "Talking Heads" Guests 1-25-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

This is the first Sunday morning the pundits will be referring to Barack Obama as Mr. President. The newly sworn in President has had a busy first several days on the job so expect lots of analysis and discussion Sunday morning.

Sure to be mentioned is the do-over swearing in performed by Chief Justice John Roberts at the White House. One aspiring CNN reporter tried to make a deal out of the fact media cameras were not invited to the do-over, taking a swipe at the transparency promised by the President. Hard to buy into that attempted "gotcha" moment by that reporter, when the Obama administration informed the press of the do-over, provided a photo and a audio of the swearing in, part two.

The real news was the signing of executive orders by President Obama to close Guantanamo Bay, ban waterboarding and all harsh interrogation techniques not allowed in the Army Field Manual, and the identification and closing of secret U.S. prisons located around the world. This was a clear and loud signal to the world that the U.S. was going to end the questionable actions undertaken under the George W. Bush administration.

Other executive orders signed by the President, included pay freezes for White House staffers making over $100,000, new ethics rules to be followed by staff, and a reversal of a Bush order, allowing U.S. funds for family planning organizations overseas..

The first round of confirmations of the incoming cabinet were finalized, including Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Holdup on confirmations for Eric Holder for Attorney General and Timothy Geithner for Treasury Secretary will also receive scrutiny this morning.

Expect some discussion this Sunday morning on the appointments of George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke as special envoys to the Middle East and Pakistan/Afghanistan respectfully. Some pundits may say this is an immediate erosion of Clinton's power as Secretary of State. However, it only makes sense to have experts in certain foreign policy issues devoting full time toward resolution to problems in those areas.

The status of the President's Economic Stimulus bill will also be discussed. The President indicated he expected to have it on his desk for signature by mid February.

Of course all the gossip surrounding the withdraw by Caroline Kennedy from consideration for the vacant New York senate seat will receive attention. Also, the tongues will be wagging pertaining to Kristen Hillibrand, the new Senator picked by NY Governor David Paterson.

So plan to have your favorite coffee or tea nearby and tune in to enjoy this Sunday's "Talking Heads". The following is a list of the scheduled guests on the shows. As always, check your local listings for time and channel.

NBC "Meet The Press" - David Gregory scores with new Director of Economic Council, Lawrence Summers. Also appearing is House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Oh.). The roundtable includes Michelle Norris, Thomas Friedman, and Stephen Hayes.

ABC "This Week" - George Stephanopolous will interview House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calf.). The roundtable will include Carly Fiorina, George Will, Cokie Roberts, and Sam Donaldson.

CBS "Face The Nation" - Bob Schieffer will have as his guest, Vice President Joe Biden.

Fox News Sunday - Chris Wallace will have Senators John McCain (R-Az.) and Charles Schumer (D-NY).

CNN "State of The Union" - John King will have NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Representative Mike Pence (R-IN.)

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Democratic Chatter 1-21-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, President Barack Obama will receive his first daily intelligence brief - as he begins the first first day as President. Now begins the arduous task of governing for the Obama administration. This afternoon, he will meet with the Joint Chiefs to discuss foreign policy issues. The President also plans to meet with his economic advisers today.

In case you missed President Obama's Inauguration Speech, you can watch it here. It was a good and measured speech which focused on the hard times ahead and the need to work together.

I would give a higher rating to several other of his notable speeches including the speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the speech in Philadelphia on race issues after the Reverend Wright controversy erupted during the campaign, and his Democratic Party nomination acceptance speech at "Mile High" stadium in Denver.

However, it set the right tone. Now is the time to go to work at solving the major issues facing Americans today.

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The Senate confirmed 7 of his Cabinet nominees yesterday - all were approved by a voice vote when the Senate convened at 3:00 PM ET. The Secretaries confirmed were: Energy - Steven Chu, Education - Arne Duncan, homeland Security - Janet Napolitano, Interior - Ken Salazar, Agriculture - Tom Vilsak, veteran affairs - Eric Shinseki. OMB director Peter Orzag was also approved. Hillary Clinton will face a roll call vote today in the Senate for Secretary of State but is expected to be confirmed easily. Politico.com has more here.

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Congressional Luncheon goes well, Kennedy, Byrd fall ill - Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) suffered a seizure and taken to the hospital. Doctors say the seizure was brought on by fatigue - Kennedy, is battling brain cancer and seizures are common after the surgery and treatment he has received. Senator Robert Byrd (D-W. Va.) who has been battling ill health for some time also experience some difficulty but is expected to be ok. TheHill.com has more here.

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Obama orders halt to all pending regulations - in a wise move, chief of staff Rahm Emanuel informed all agency heads to halt all pending regulation - often, an outgoing administration will try to push regulations through at the end of their term in office. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Obama seeks to suspend for 120 days prosecution of Gitmo detainees at Guantanamo Bay - this will allow his administration to review the current process and make recommendations for changes as necessary. It is no secret President Obama intends to close Gitmo, it is just a matter of time. The Washington Post has more here.

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Israel withdraws from Gaza - perhaps wanting to make New President Barack Obama's life a little easier, Israel completed their withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Hamas remains defiant so do not expect this situation to go away. The New York Times has more here.

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Democratic Chatter 1-13-2009

George Wenschhof Bio

Today, President-elect Barack Obama will have lunch with Democratic Senators - during their weekly luncheon get-together, Obama will urge them to support the release of the additional 350 Billion remaining in the bailout bill. He will also be talking up his stimulus bill. The NY Times CaucusBlog.com has more here. It is now one week until Inauguration Day.

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Roland Burris now the Senate-Designate from Illinois - in the latest version of the two-step, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) indicated he believed Mr. Burris will be sworn in this week. The Chicago Tribune has more here. It appears the swearing in will be tomorrow or Thursday, depending on the availability of Vice-President Dick Cheney who will preside over the swearing in.

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Hillary Clinton confirmation hearings begin today - in another strange twist, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) will hold the first confirmation hearing for Clinton. John Kerry had lobbied hard for the position of Secretary of State and had to settled for the chair of the foreign relations committee which became open when Joe Biden was selected as Vice-President. The NY Times has more here.

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Meanwhile, NY Governor David Paterson says his interview with Caroline Kennedy was impressive - The Governor had sent 15 potential candidates a questionnaire to be answered as he worked toward making his selection to fill the soon to be vacant Hillary Clinton Senate seat. He is following up with individual interviews. The NY Daily News has more here.

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While over in Minnesota, the lone remaining undecided contest results in an unfilled senate seat - Al Franken (D) had been certified the winner by the Illinois canvassing board after the conclusion of the state mandated recount. However, incumbent Norm Coleman, as allowed under state law, has filed suit contesting the results. When Al Franken asked Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) and the Secretary of State to issue a election certificate, he was turned down due the the lawsuit pending by the Coleman campaign. It appears this seating of a Senator from Minnesota will take a little longer. MSNBC.com has more here.

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Obama set to order the closing of Guantanamo Bay prison - it is likely he will order in the first week of his presidency, the closing of Gitmo, the military prison used to house suspected Terrorists under the Bush administration. CNN.com has more here.

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