Comment, news and views from the US Elections.
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 Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has been appointed to the post of Health Secretary in Barack Obama's Cabinet, according to reports on CNN  and the Capitol Hill paper Roll Call.
The appointment of Mr Daschle - the first to Mr Obama's Cabinet - will not surprise observers as the South Dakota senator had already been announced as head of the President-Elect's healthcare policy group while he prepares to take office on January 20.
His 18-year Senate career saw him rise to become the top Democrat in the chamber, a position he held for ten years from 1994 including a two-year spell as Majority Leader when the party held the Senate from 2001 to 2003. Prior to his election as a Senator Mr Daschle served for eight years in the House of Representatives.
In October 2001, while Senate Majority Leader, Mr Daschle's offices were targeted in an anthrax attack. No one was hurt.
One of Mr Obama's earliest supporters, he encouraged the first-term Illinois senator to launch his presidential bid and was widely reported to be a favourite for chief-of-staff until the appointment of Rahm Emanuel.
Since losing his 2004 Senate re-election bid he has worked as a policy adviser to the law firm Alston and Bird. He is also a visiting professor at Georgetown University and fellow at the influential thinktank Center for American Progress.
 The plot of the West Wing has been invoked more than a few times during Barack Obama’s ascent to the Oval Office, most recently with the  appointment of the chief-of-staff who inspired the acerbic character of Josh Lyman. Now, it seems life could imitate art once more as rumours begin to fly that the president-elect could make the ultimate bipartisan gesture of offering his Republican presidential rival a post in his Cabinet.
As Mr Obama prepared to meet with John McCain today to discuss future cooperation, there was speculation on a number of respected blogs that the Democrat could be considering offering his former opponent the post of Energy Secretary.
It would certainly be a neat end to a contest that has cleaved so faithfully to the storyline of the award-winning show that its writers could do well to consider careers as political oracles: in the final series, a presidential showdown between little-known Latino Democrat Matt Santos – based on Mr Obama – and ageing maverick Republican Arnold Vinick – inspired by Mr McCain – ends with the former becoming America’s first Hispanic president before offering his former rival the plum job of Secretary of State.
The two men’s well-known differences on foreign policy would rule out that particular position but on energy, the (admittedly pale) green credentials of Mr McCain – McCain the senator, that is, as opposed to McCain the base-pandering candidate – make him worthy of serious consideration.
But is it true?
Continue reading "Is Obama eyeing McCain as energy secretary?" »
 As the President-Elect mulls his Cabinet, we take a look at the runners and riders.
Secretary of State
In the Frame:
Senator Hillary Clinton – Mr Obama’s vanquished primary rival has emerged as a leading contender after it was confirmed she attended a secret meeting with the President-Elect this week. Joe Biden, who is said to have a key role in deciding the post, has expressed admiration for her knowledge of foreign affairs. As an added bonus, the appointment would prevent her from taking shots at an Obama administration in preparation for another run at the presidency.
Senator John Kerry – The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee and Vietnam veteran has a long history of involvement in US foreign policy, having played a key role in exposing illegal CIA activities in support of the Nicaraguan Contras and sponsoring numerous bills relating to terrorism and defence. But though he was initially tipped as a favourite, well-placed sources have suggested this is no longer so. He may instead inherit Mr Biden’s role as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson – The failed 2008 primary candidate has both Cabinet and foreign policy experience as former Clinton energy secretary and ambassador to the United Nations. He has also been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the release of hostages and political prisoners in Iraq, Cuba and North Korea.
Former Senator Tom Daschle – Arguably a less experienced candidate though the former Senate Majority Leader has served on the Veterans Affairs Committee and was an intelligence officer in the US Air Force before entering politics. He threw his weight behind Mr Obama early on and later became a national campaign co-chair – his loyalty has likely earned him a post, if not this one.
Republican Senator Dick Lugar – Mr Obama is keen to appoint a Republican to the Cabinet to promote bipartisanship and may offer State to Mr Lugar if he doesn’t do it elsewhere. The senator spent six years at the helm of the Foreign Relations Committee and much of his work has been focused on disarmament around the world. Co-sponsored the Lugar-Obama Proliferation and Threat Reduction Initiative and backed Mr Obama’s foreign policy approach during his campaign, but may not want the job.
Former UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke – A highly experienced diplomat, has been Assistant Secretary of State for both Europe and Asia and was a top foreign policy adviser in Mrs Clinton’s presidential campaign. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize no less than seven times.
Top of agenda: talks with Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela; deal with a resurgent Russia, tackle the Middle East peace process; surf a swelling wave of global expectations.
Continue reading "Team Obama: the runners and riders for the next Cabinet" »
Barack Obama's legions of weary campaign staffers have learned they'll be getting a little extra reward for all their hard work. According to the NY Daily News, the Obama campaign has informed staff that they will receive an extra month's salary in their paychecks this month. In addition, they'll also be able to keep their campaign laptop computers and Blackberrys, though they'll be required to pay income taxes on the electronic equipment.
While it's not uncommon for campaigns to give "win bonuses" to key staff, it is unusual to give such bonuses to the vast numbers of low-level staff. Most campaigns can't manage to scrape together the sort of money it takes to do such a thing even if they'd like to. Based on the Obama campaign's September payroll, the checks along will cost them somewhere around $3 million, meaning he ended the campaign with significant financial resources left over.
 Gun stores across the United States are reporting a massive surge in sales as buyers rush to stockpile firearms in case of a ban under soon-to-be President Obama.
 Inquiries by the New York Times found gun shops in several states reporting sales several times higher than normal, with owners reporting widespread fears that an Obama administration
“He’s a gun-snatcher,” Jim Pruett, owner of Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo in northwest Houston, told the newspaper. “He wants to take our guns from us and create a socialist society policed by his own police force,” added Mr Pruett, a former radio personality.
The store owner said that sales last Saturday, just ahead of the election, were about seven times higher than a usual good Saturday.
Meanwhile David Nelson, a co-owner of Montana Ordnance & Supply in Missoula, Montana, reported sales about 30 per cent higher overall since Mr Obama declared his candidacy almost two years ago. He said his buyers were “awake and aware and see a dangerous trend.”
“People are concerned about overreaching legislation from Washington,” he said. “They are educating themselves on the Internet.”
Figures from federal authorities reflect a similar surge around the election.
In Colorado last Saturday, the number of background check requests for would-be gun buyers was the highest ever recorded in one day, according to figures from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
“We’re not really sure who is promoting the concept that a change in federal administrations might affect firearms possession rights,” an agency spokesman, Lance Clem, said, “but we do know that it’s increased business considerably.”
In some high gun ownership areas, Democrats have been distributing fliers assuring residents that Mr Obama supports the rights of individuals to own firearms.
The president-elect repeated that assurance on the campaign trail yet it is not so much this that has stuck in the conservative consciousness as his much reported remark that "bitter" small town Americans "cling to guns and religion".
The popular website, Amazon.com, moved quickly this morning to remove a Barack Obama Hallowe'en mask from a category listing "Terrorist Costumes."
The LA Times blog, Top of the Ticket, caught their mistake and captured a screenshot of the page. Click on the image below for a larger view.
Just asking, how does a company that does millions and millions in sales each year let something like this slip through? Woops.
 An already nasty race is getting even nastier with both parties trading allegations of voting irregularities and underhand tactics. Here, I take a look at the 10 dirtiest incidents in US electoral history - in no particular order.
Thomas Jefferson and James Callender
 The long and inglorious history of dirty tricks in US electoral politics stretches right back to 1800, in what was only the second contested presidential election. Vice-President Thomas Jefferson hired Scottish-born journalist and pamphleteer James Thomas Callender to slander his opponent, the incumbent president and formerly great friend, John Adams. In published writings, Callender accused Adams of being a “repulsive pedant” and “a hideous hermaphroditical character which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman”. In return, Adams' camp called Vice President Jefferson "a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father." The attacks sunk ever lower with Adams being labelled a criminal and Jefferson an atheist, but Jefferson’s smears-by-proxy were ultimately more successful with Callender convincing most Americans that Adams was set on attacking France, clinching the election for him.
However the tactics later backfired as Callender, after serving jail time for the slander of Adams, turned on Jefferson and began to train his attacks on him. Callender wrote in a series of articles that Jefferson had fathered children by his slave, Sally Hemings, and later, after that scandal ran its course, eventually blew over, exposed the President's attempt to seduce a married neighbor years earlier.
Continue reading "Lies and more lies: the 10 dirtiest tricks in US electoral history" »
 Barack Obama and John McCain broke off from the ferocity of the campaign trail to give each other a good-humoured roasting at last night's Al Smith memorial dinner, a traditional pre-election stop. Watch the videos and cast your votes in our comedy election - results to be revealed on Monday. Then scroll down for our list of famous Al Smith dinner jokes.
NB - In the John McCain clip, the first few words of his opening are cut off. Apologies - this is currently the most complete footage available and it will be replaced when possible. But don't worry, all you miss are the obligatory acknowledgements.
Colin Powell, 2002
"They even had an election in Iraq earlier this week. Saddam Hussein won with 99.999% of the vote. And Saddam Hussein asked his prime minister, "What about the rest?" The prime minister said, "Supreme leader, what more could you want?" "Their names!". In Baghdad, they don't have hanging chads, they just have hangings."
Al Gore, 2000
"I did think it was effective (on the campaign trail) when I weaved in stories of real people in the audience and their everyday challenges. Like the woman who's here tonight, whose husband is about to lose his job. She's struggling to get out of public housing and get a job of her own. Hillary Clinton, I want to fight for you!"
George W. Bush, 2000
“This is an impressive crowd. The haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base.”
Michael Dukakis (5ft 6 inches), 1988
To George HW Bush (6ft 2 inches): "You've said many times in this campaign that you want to give America back to the little guy. Well, Mr Vice-President, I am that man.''
John F Kennedy, 1960
"I had announced earlier this year that if successful I would not consider campaign contributions as a substitute for experience in appointing ambassadors. Ever since I made that statement I have not received one single cent from my father."
Tony Blair, 2007
"Recently I stood on the Mount of Temptation, near Jordan where Our Lord is said to have spent 40 days and 40 nights. One of the guides , whose family has witnessed the consequences of the conflict over the decades, remarked a little ruefully; “Couldn’t Abraham, Jesus and Mohammed have found a different part of the world to be born in ?”
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1968
"Just the other day one of our foremost newspapers quoted some of those famous "inside sources" to charge that a certain important archdiocese suffered from "government by crony." Well, as I have said before, "These are the New York Times that try men’s souls."
John McCain, 2005
"We Republicans aren’t having much fun there these days. Tom DeLay has been indicted; Bill Frist has been subpoenaed; senior White House aides investigated by a special prosecutor: the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court facing a difficult confirmation. Or as our friends at Fox News call it, a slow news month."
After John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his Vice President, Barack Obama had completely lost a 10 point advantage among women. According to today's TIME poll, he has regained his advantage with an extra cushion to spare. Obama now leads the McCain/Palin ticket among female voters by a margin of 55-38.
If Palin performs well at tomorrow night's debate, however, there's always the chance she could give McCain a much-needed boost in this all-important demographic.
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