MONTREAL — A Quebec comedy duo notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state has reached Sarah Palin, convincing the Republican vice-presidential nominee she was speaking with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
America elected you on a promise of hope and change. America regrets it. In 2010, we are taking our country back. Blue collar democrats, libertarians, independents, and conservatives. We love our country. We are proud of our founders. And we will fight for our traditions. We don’t want your revolution!
President-elect Barack Obama is calling for Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to resign. That’s according to an Obama spokesperson. Earlier this week, Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges. He’s accused of conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat vacated by Obama in exchange for financial benefits for himself and his wife. At a news conference, the President-elect said he had no contact with the Governor about selling his Senate seat and added that he’s saddened by the news. Blagojevich is free on bail.
Obama told reporters this week that it’s time to deal with the issue of climate change in a serious way. With former Vice President Al Gore at his side, he said the time for denial is over. Gore, Obama and Vice-President Elect Joe Biden met privately in Chicago to discuss energy and climate change. A spokeswoman for Gore said he wasn’t seeking an official position in the new administration, but the meeting prompted speculation about what the former Vice President’s exact role in an Obama White House might be. The President-Elect said the purpose of the meeting was to learn how new environmental policies can spur job creation and jumpstart the economy.
Former Senator Tom Daschle is Obama’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The President-elect made the official announcement earlier today. The former Senate majority leader from South Dakota said he plans to write the health care proposal that Obama will submit to Congress next year. Daschle said he hopes to have the plan enacted by next year, but added that it will take several years to implement. The former senator is currently on the health care advisory group of Obama’s transition team.
As Obama continues to fill out his Cabinet, Democratic sources say the President-elect is close to naming his pick for energy secretary. Steven Chu, who’s a physicist and runs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is reportedly Obama’s choice. Sources say Obama will also name Carol Browner to be the newly created climate director inside the White House. Browner was the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Clinton administration.
OIL SPILL “TOP KILL” ATTEMPT RESUMES AS PRESIDENT VISITS GULF
Today
President Obama is expected to give statements from Louisiana on the progress of the oil spill cleanup and the status of the so-called top kill maneuver. Officials had initially reported moderate success with the maneuver, which pumps mud and drilling fluid to counteract the oil pressure, but paused the effort when too much fluid leaked along with the oil.