Strike Three!

Charges of conservatism sink Obama commerce nominee.

JAMES TARANTO

Has President Obama broken the record for most cabinet nominees withdrawn in a new administration? The count currently stands at three: Gov. Bill Richardson (commerce), whose administration in New Mexico was the subject of a federal grand jury investigation; Tom Daschle (health and human services), who failed to pay taxes on his limousine; and now Sen. Judd Gregg (also commerce), who turns out to be a conservative Republican. We're leaving out Nancy Killefer, the White House's would-have-been chief performance officer, since that was a staff rather than a cabinet position.

The U.S. Senate Web site has a list of withdrawn cabinet nominations (just below the list of those that were voted down), but it is incomplete. It lists Daschle but not Richardson; it also lists Zoë Baird, Bill Clinton's first failed nominee for attorney general, but not Kimba Wood, his second one. (Both Baird and Wood hired nannies who lacked proper immigration papers; Baird also failed to remit payroll taxes on her nanny's employment.) Presumably Richardson's and Wood's nominations had not been formally submitted to the Senate before their withdrawal.

Still, as far as we remember, Baird and Wood were the only Clinton nominees to go down in the early days; and Linda Chavez (who merely befriended an insufficiently documented immigrant) the only one of President Bush's early nominees to be withdrawn.

It also seems that the phenomenon of cabinet nominees withdrawing over matters of ethics or other personal behavior is a new one. Before the Clinton administration, the last withdrawn nominee on the Senate list is Robert Wood, tapped by Lyndon B. Johnson as secretary of housing and urban development--on Jan. 9, 1969, 11 days before LBJ left office. The Senate never bothered to act on Wood's nomination. Prior to Wood, the most recent ex-nominee on the list is from the Grant administration. (We can think of at least one other omission, though: President Reagan's 1987 nomination of Bob Gates, now defense secretary, as director of central intelligence. Although this is not technically a cabinet post, Clinton's withdrawn 1997 nomination of Anthony Lake is listed on the Senate site.)

One could take the withdrawal of so many cabinet nominees as a sign of the Obama administration's high standards--except that the cabinet already contains at least two members with documented tax problems: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. And Rep. Hilda Solis seems on track for confirmation as secretary of labor despite her husband's having failed to pay off tax liens as much as 16 years old until last week.

Gregg apparently paid all his taxes, and was not accused of any violation of ethics or law. According to a statement he issued yesterday, he discovered while being vetted for the commerce post that he is a conservative Republican:

It has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.

Politico reports that "the White House--where some aides were caught off guard by the withdrawal--initially responded harshly to Gregg's announcement, portraying the New Hampshire Republican as someone who sought the job and then had a 'change of heart.' " But the administration surely bears at least part of the blame for this foul-up. If Gregg is a conservative Republican, presumably there is some evidence of this on the public record. He has been in Congress for nearly a quarter-century; didn't he amass a voting record during that time? And in the course of four campaigns for the House and three for the Senate, didn't he make any public statements that might have tipped someone off about his ideology?

Still, whatever the shortcomings of the White House vetting team, we suppose Gregg of all people should have known where he stood. The Associated Press quotes him explaining his mistake:

Gregg said he had always been a strong fiscal conservative, and told the Associated Press: "For 30 years, I've been my own person in charge of my own views, and I guess I hadn't really focused on the job of working for somebody else and carrying their views, and so this is basically where it came out."

So in a sense it's the Geithner story all over again: Gregg was caught in an error that stemmed from his being self-employed.

And before you beat up on the president for the Gregg fiasco, just remember that whereas Obama almost let a conservative Republican slip through, George W. Bush actually had several of them in his cabinet.

Flattery Will Get You Nowhere
Minnesota Lawmakers are hoping to win one for science, the Pioneer Press of St. Paul reports:

Legislation requiring manufacturers and dealers to sell cleaner-burning cars and trucks in Minnesota ran out of gas at the state Capitol last year.

But advocates are back and hope for more success this time around.

The Minnesota Clean Car Act, directing the state to adopt tougher state-based standards for tailpipe emissions, was introduced in the Legislature this week. It would be phased in over several years, beginning with 2013 vehicle models, and would lead to lower emissions of greenhouse gases, soot and smog.

Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, are the chief sponsors.

"We live in a world that has been famously described as hot, flat and crowded, and, as state leaders, it is up to us to take actions to make it less hot than it could be,'' Hortman said at a Capitol news conference.

As important as it is to make the world less hot, a victory here may prove pyrrhic unless lawmakers also act to make the world less flat before we all fall off.

The Cultural Contradictions of Keynesianism
"The folks at Associated Bank can forget about packing their bikinis and Bermuda shorts," reports Daniel Bice, a columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

They won't be getting their midwinter party in Puerto Rico, after all.

Battered by heated reaction from shareholders, politicians and the general public, CEO Paul Beideman on Thursday abruptly nixed a planned five-day excursion next week to a posh Caribbean resort for 100 top-performing staffers.

The trip was to come just three months after Associated's parent company accepted $525 million in bailout funds from the federal government.

"Based on feedback that we have received today, I have made the decision to cancel the recognition trip," Beideman said, backpedaling from his earlier defense of the trip.

The planned trip draw harsh criticism from, among others, Sen. Herb Kohl, a Wisconsin Democrat, who told the Journal Sentinel: "I am very disappointed. . . . There have been other violations, as you know, of companies that received funds or applied for funds, or did things not considered to be very smart or very proper. And I would put this in that category."

We can certainly see his point; we too are inclined to begrudge anyone who gets our tax dollars any luxuries they spend them on. But we've been hearing for the past few weeks that saving the economy requires a gigantic infusion of government money to get people spending again. It seems dubious for the people who tell us that to be denouncing companies that actually do so.

It is of a piece with President Obama's warnings that we face Armageddon unless Congress passes the so-called stimulus bill--and then expecting the bill, when it does pass, to restore confidence in the economy. When a crook points a gun at you and says, "Your money or your life," opting for the latter is the safer course. But even if you survive the whole experience, you will not end up feeling safer for it.

Why Can't Johnny Read the Conference Report?
This afternoon, by a vote of 246-183, the House passed the conference report on the so-called stimulus package. Senate approval is expected soon, which will send the legislation to President Obama for his signature. So what's in the bill? According to U.S. News & World Report's Paul Bedard, hardly anyone knows:

We're receiving E-mails from Capitol Hill staffers expressing frustration that they can't get a copy of the stimulus bill agreed to last night at a price of $789 billion. What's more, staffers are complaining about who does have a copy: K Street lobbyists. E-mails one key Democratic staffer: "K Street has the bill, or chunks of it, already, and the congressional offices don't. So, the Hill is getting calls from the press (because it's leaking out) asking us to confirm or talk about what we know—but we can't do that because we haven't seen the bill. Anyway, peeps [people] up here are sort of a combo of confused and like, 'Is this really happening?' "

It's that damn Republican culture of corruption again! This will all change if the Democrats ever win control of Congress.

The End of History: Part II
"Lawmakers Say All Issues Settled in Stimulus Bill"--headline, Associated Press, Feb. 12

'But the Industry Needs You!'

• "Phoenix Says 'No Turning Back' on Quitting Acting"--headline, Reuters, Feb. 12
• "Obama Bringing Stimulus Push to Phoenix"--headline, Phoenix Business Journal, Feb. 12

The Cure for What Ales You?

• "Obama to Big 3: Craft Plan That Works"--headline, Detroit News, Feb. 12
• "The Feds Ordered Sixpoint to Shut Down 'Hop Obama' "--headline, Brownstoner.com, Feb. 12

Life Imitates 'South Park'

• Officer Barbrady: "Here you go, Mr. Rancher. I got your cattle back for you." Rancher Bob: "Oh. Well, it doesn't matter now." Officer Barbrady: "What you do mean?" Rancher Bob: "You see, in the six days since the word 'veal' was officially changed to 'little tortured baby cow,' the market has gone dry. Seems that people see 'little tortured baby cow' on their menus, they don't feel like orderin'." Butters: "Really?" Rancher Bob: "Yep, damn things ain't worth spit now. I'll let 'em live outside with the other cows and live a normal life." Kyle: "Do you hear that, Stan? It worked! We've shut down the veal industry!"--dialogue from "Fun With Veal," aired March 27, 2002
• "Veal Gains Valuable Playing Time"--headline, Daily Camera (Boulder, Colo.), Feb. 12, 2009

Hopefully Not Doing Its Own Stunts
"Pakistan Sees Terror Role"--headline, The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 13

The Plot Has a Lot of Twists and Turns
"Casting Seems Best for Severe Ankle Sprains"--headline, HealthDay.com, Feb. 12

'I Hear She's Not Really a Virgin'
"Rival Urges Scrutiny of Virgin America"--headline, Financial Times, Feb. 10

He Can Say That Again!
"Bishop of London Says Redundancy Is Good for the Soul"--headline, Times (London), Feb. 12

We Know a Caterer Who Would Do It for Half That
"N. Shore Mom to Pay $2.5 Mil. for Underage Drinking Party"--headline, Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 12

Someone Set Up Us the Bomb
"US Finds Nigeria Bribes Case Groups"--headline, Financial Times, Feb. 12/

Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control

• "Dutch City Fears Loss of Pornography Archive"--headline, Associated Press, Feb. 12
• "Scientists Flabbergasted by Speedy Birds"--headline, Associated Press, Feb. 12
• "Transit Chief Blaring the Doomsday Siren"--headline, Metro (Boston), Feb. 13
• "Second-Grader Brings Hand Grenade for Show-and-Tell, Triggering Evacuation of Euless School"--headline, Dallas Morning News, Feb. 12
• "Cars Capable of Making a Political Statement"--headline, Detroit News, Feb. 11

Breaking News From 1
"Roll Call: Details Emerge on Madonna's Jesus"--headline, OMG.Yahoo.com, Feb. 13

News You Can Use

• "Want to Find Your Happy Place? Try 'Flower' "--headline, MSNBC.com, Feb. 12
• "Women's Faces 'Are Windows to the Soul' "--headline, Daily Telegraph (London), Feb. 11
• "Why You're Likely to Marry Your Parent"--headline, CNN.com, Feb. 11
• "Dying for Love? Brain Cocktail Might Help"--headline, MSNBC.com, Feb. 12
• "Make Sure 'Stimulus' Doesn't 'Sting' Women"--headline, USA Today, Feb. 13

Bottom Stories of the Day

• "When Sharks Don't Attack"--headline, Slate.com, Feb. 11
• "Cure for the Common Cold? Not Yet, but Possible"--headline, New York Times, Feb. 13
• "Belarus Absolutely Uncertain About Its Future"--headline, Pravda, Feb. 13
• "Canadian Industry Waiting for Its Ship to Come In"--headline, Financial Post (Canada), Feb. 12

Heart Attacks
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and not everyone is happy about it, Jennifer Graham reports in The Wall Street Journal:

There's increasing grumbling about Valentine's Day, a vaguely defined occasion that forces people, at arrow-point, to declare their deepest emotions, and maybe even to manufacture some that aren't there. Some call it FAD, "Forced Affection Day." True, there are those who bemoan the commercialization of Christmas, or the seemingly contrived nature of Mother's Day or Administrative Professionals Week. Yet Valentine's Day is the only American celebration with a resistance movement. It comprises singles who resent the incessant emphasis on romantic love, parents who resent the necessity of procuring 24 Disney princess cards with red lollipops attached, and devoted couples, married and not, who resent the compulsion of it all.

That's nothing. The Arab News reports that in Saudi Arabia, opposition to Valentine's Day has the imprimatur of the state:

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice intensified its vigilance over flower, chocolate and gift shops to confiscate items related to Valentine's Day, a perennial crackdown on a holiday perceived by many to be both Western and immoral.

These do not sound like the actions of a civilization confident in its own superiority. In a speech transcribed by the Middle East Media Research Institute, Egyptian cleric Hazem Shuman sounds even less confident:

Imagine that the Prophet Muhammad is standing before you, and so are the Jews and the Christians. The more you celebrate Valentine's Day, the more the Jews and Christians are happy, and the more the Prophet Muhammad is sad. The more you do this, the more the Jews and the Christians gloat at us, while tears flow from the Prophet's eyes. Do you want to make the Prophet sad and the Jews and Christians happy?!

He makes the prophet sound like Sexual Harassment Panda. He continues:

People, if Muhammad Ahmad Ibrahim holds a party, and George Mikhail whatever holds a different party, [Muhammad the Muslim] will wear the same clothes as [George the Christian], both will buy dresses for their wives from the same shop, both will seat their wives on the stage for all the people to see, both will book a hall in the same club, both will invite single men and women and have them intermingle, both will hire a band, musicians, and female singers and dancers, and both will have crowds intermingling outside the club. If you are invited to Muhammad's party, how would you distinguish it from George's party?

The more important question is, how do we get invited?