Tag: Cabinet

Gabbard For DNI

The political circus continues….Trump has picked his nominee for Director of National Intelligence, US top spy, Tulsi Gabbard…..seriously?

Will she be confirmed to serve on the Council of Useful Idiots?

Good question.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he selected former Hawaii Congresswoman Lt. Col. Tulsi Gabbard to be his Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Gabbard, a member of the National Guard, was in Congress from 2013-2021. A former Democrat, she recently announced she was joining the Republican party and endorsed Trump in his race against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Gabbard has been an opponent of US involvement in the Ukraine war since Russia launched its invasion. “This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if Biden Admin/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia’s legitimate security concerns regarding Ukraine’s becoming a member of NATO, which would mean US/NATO forces right on Russia’s border,” she wrote on X on February 23, 2022.

During a presidential run in 2020, Gabbard made opposing “regime change wars” central to her campaign. She staunchly opposed US involvement in Syria and made a trip to the country in 2017 to go on a fact-finding mission. While in Syria, she met with President Bashar al-Assad, enraging hawks in Washington.

Gabbard also made clear during her campaign that while she opposed regime change wars, she was a hawk when it came to the war on terror. “When it comes to the war against terrorists, I’m a hawk,” she said in 2016. “When it comes to counterproductive wars of regime change, I’m a dove.”

(antiwar.com)

Does this choice make sense?  Not in my world.

Since Trump has thumped his chest about ending wars then I can see why he might look toward Gabbard.

But as a sound responsible choice I do not see it.

Why?

I do not think she has the gravitas to run a massive government program….I could be mistaken but time will see just how qualified she is for this position.

Will this make our intel service better?  Will it make us safer?

That is yet to be proven….

Trump just keeps nominating amateurs for his cabinet…..weak individuals that will probably be easy to manipulate to his will.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Gaetz For AG

The DC rumor mill is all a buzz with news that Trump may tap Rep. Matt Gaetz for the Attorney General spot on his cabinet…..

President-elect Trump has made his pick for attorney general and will nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. Trump makes the case for Gaetz in a lengthy Truth Social post that reads in part:

“Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice. Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System. Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department. On the House Judiciary Committee, which performs oversight of DOJ, Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization. He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law. Matt will root out the systemic corruption at DOJ, and return the Department to its true mission of fighting Crime, and upholding our Democracy and Constitution.”

On X, Gaetz replied, “It will be an honor to serve as President Trump’s Attorney General!”

I disagree with Donald….Gaetz not gifted just a major distraction….but my opinion does not matter for there is more news….

It is a Trump show and as always there has got to be a twist here and there….

Matt Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives Wednesday shortly after President-elect Donald Trump announced his nomination of Gaetz for attorney general. The Florida Republican thus seems to have squashed the House Ethics Committee probe into allegations of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct, and drug use, though reports on the status of that are unclear. Per Politico, the committee was set to release its report on the investigation within days, and with Gaetz’s resignation, it is unlikely to be formally released (though it could still be leaked). The Hill, however, reports that the probe was in its final stages, but will go no further because Congress no longer has any jurisdiction to investigate Gaetz.

“He issued his resignation letter effective immediately from Congress. That caught us by surprise a little bit,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters during a Wednesday night press conference. Johnson said Gaetz resigned so that his seat could be filled more quickly, but Politico’s sources speculate he actually made his abrupt exit in order to end the ethics investigation. Among other things, Gaetz is accused of having sex with a minor. Politico’s sources also say Gaetz’s fellow Republicans cheered his departure due to bad blood after his role in the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

What trickery is this?

He has rubbed many the wrong way will he be confirmed?

I am not the only person questioning this selection….this disbelief comes from fellow Republicans.

Reaction was swift and intense following President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that Matt Gaetz (who quickly resigned from the House of Representatives) is his pick for attorney general. Outlets including the Guardian, the New York Times, Newsweek, Axios, NBC News, ABC News, NPR, Mediaite, the New Republic, CNN, and even the conservative Washington Examiner were using words like “stunned” to describe the reaction of Gaetz’s fellow Republicans to the announcement that the embattled former lawmaker, who was recently investigated by the Department of Justice for alleged sexual misconduct, would be considered to lead that same department. (The Times went with “alarm and dismay,” while Axios went with “shocked and appalled.”)

Multiple sources reported there was an “audible gasp” among House Republicans who were meeting when Trump’s announcement was made. A reporter said she saw one House Republican laughing so hard he started crying, and a Republican senator reportedly “snorted” when hearing the news. Some quotes from others in the GOP:

  • “I was shocked at the nomination,” Sen. Susan Collins said. “This is why the Senate’s advise and consent process is so important. I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz’s hearing.”
  • “I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski. “We need to have a serious attorney general. And I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card.”
  • “Gaetz has a better shot at having dinner with Queen Elizabeth II than being confirmed by the Senate,” Rep. Max Miller said, calling the appointment “silly” and saying he thinks even Trump knows Gaetz will never be confirmed.
  • Rep. Don Bacon put it bluntly when asked for a comment: “I’ve got no good comment.” Rep. Mike Simpson was similarly blunt when asked if Gaetz has the character to be AG: “Are you sh—ing me?” From Sen. Tommy Tuberville: “Holy cow.” From Sen. Joe Manchin: “No one could believe it” when news broke on the floor of the Senate.
  • Lawmakers who spoke anonymously got even more blunt. “We wanted him out of the House … this isn’t what we were thinking,” said one.
  • Others, however, expressed at least tentative acceptance of Gaetz as AG, with a few suggesting they’d support whomever Trump picks for any role. “I’m not surprised that the president picked somebody that is going to shake it up, particularly at the Department of Justice,” said Sen. Shelley Capito, who added that Gaetz “still has to go through the process, he still has to be vetted by the Judiciary Committee, and I think that is going to be the biggest indication as to whether he meets the standards of an attorney general.”
  • Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said he’s “inclined to support” whomever Trump chooses, echoed those remarks. “Confirmation hearings will be important. [Gaetz] will have some tough questions to answer.” On the subject of confirmation hearings, Sen. Joni Ernst said—while chuckling—”He’s got his work really cut out for him.”
  • Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, was one of the people taking the president-elect’s side. “I like Matt a lot. I know him very well, and I’m confident that if the Senate confirms him, he would do a good job,” Rubio said. “And again, the presidents are entitled to have the people that they want in these key positions to carry out the mandate that’s been delivered to him by the voters of the United States.”
  • One person who’s unequivocally happy for Gaetz is his longtime ally Lauren Boebert. “So proud of my friend and America’s next Attorney General, @mattgaetz!” she posted on X. “We’ve stood together. We’ve fought together. We’ve won together.”

It’s gonna be a long four years.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Naming Names For The Trump Cabinet

For the next week or so I will be writing about the possibilities from the incoming administration…..mainly so people have an idea of what to expect.

I am a junkie so I am always interested in seeing who the new president will choose for his cabinet….this is a preliminary list of the considerations….

I expected in finding that all his loyal supporters would be in the race….and I was right in that thought….

Donald Trump is the president-elect, so now the question turns to his future cabinet. Multiple outlets are reporting on the biggest names in the mix:

  • Secretary of State: According to the Washington Post‘s sources, Sen. Marco Rubio and former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell are among the contenders. The Wall Street Journal has those names as well as former senior State Department official Brian Hook, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Sen. Bill Hagerty, and former Trump national security adviser Robert O’Brien.
  • Secretary of Defense: Sources say former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is a top contender. Other names in the mix include O’Brien, as well as former Rep. John Ratcliffe, who served as Trump’s director of national intelligence, and Rep. Mike Waltz, a military veteran and former Pentagon official. Sen. Tom Cotton has also been floated by multiple outlets for either defense secretary, attorney general, or director of the CIA, but sources tell Axios Cotton plans to decline any administration role.
  • Attorney General: In the running to head the Department of Justice, sources say, are Ratcliffe, Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Eric Schmitt, state attorneys general including Missouri’s Andrew Bailey and Kansas’ Kris Kobach, Mark Paoletta (former general counsel of Trump’s Office of Management and Budget), and former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton.
  • National Security Adviser: Grenell and O’Brien are also being considered here, as are Keith Kellogg, retired three-star Army general and former national security adviser, and former Defense Department official Elbridge Colby.
  • Director of National Intelligence: Waltz is also reportedly being considered here.
  • Secretary of the Treasury: Sources say Hagerty and Clayton are also in the mix here, as are billionaire hedge fund investor John Paulson, economic adviser Scott Bessent, Trump transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick, and Robert Lighthizer, Trump-era US trade representative. Reuters reports Larry Kudlow, Trump-era director of the National Economic Council, is also a possibility.
  • Chief of staff: Sources say his top campaign adviser, Susie Wiles, is a top contender. Other names being considered reportedly include Brooke Rollins, former Trump aide who is now part of a Trump-aligned outside group; Lutnick; Russ Vought, Trump’s former budget chief; and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
  • Commerce secretary: The other transition team co-chair, Linda McMahon, is reportedly being considered, as are Rollins, Atlanta businesswoman Kelly Loeffler, and Vivek Ramaswamy.
  • Homeland Security Secretary: Contenders reportedly include Tom Homan, Trump-era acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Chad Wolf, Trump’s former acting Homeland Security secretary, and Chad Mizelle, former DHS acting general counsel.
  • Press Secretary: Campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt is seen as likely to transition into the White House version of her role.
  • White House Counsel: Republican operative Mike Davis is being considered for this or another legal-related post.
  • Other big names: Trump has made it clear Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will have some sort of role related to health or possibly the Food and Drug Administration. Elon Musk is also believed to be set up in some sort of advisory role. The Guardian reports he suggested forming a Department of Government Efficiency, which would see Musk advising Trump on spending cuts. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is also expected to join in some capacity, and Brendan Carr, who is affiliated with the controversial Project 2025, is said to be a contender for the post of FCC chairman. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson may be in the mix. And of course, Stephen Miller is expected to be back in some fashion.

Looking over this ‘maybe’ list and I see no confidence in my mind that the choices will keep the US as a champion of anything but appeasing Trump.

This will be a sad, sad chapter in this nation’s history and we can thank 51% of the electorate for that sadness.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Tanden In Trouble

Biden’s pick to lead the Office of Budget and Management, Neera Tanden, is in trouble…..it seems that she had a few mean spirited Tweets that the GOP and couple of GOP wannabes in the Dem side did not appreciate…..but what did she write?

Glad you asked.

In November, GOP Sen. John Cornyn said there was “zero chance” that Neera Tanden, President Biden’s nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget, would be confirmed. He may have been right. Moderate Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Mitt Romney said Monday that they would oppose Tanden, Politico reports. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said Friday that he will vote against her confirmation, meaning the nomination will fail if she can’t get at least one Republican vote. All three senators cited Tanden’s history of mean tweets, one of which described Collins as “the worst,” reports the Guardian.

Manchin said he believed Tanden’s “overtly partisan statements will have a toxic and detrimental impact on the important working relationship” between Congress and the office, which has a major role in overseeing agency budgets. Collins said Tanden’s decision to delete more than 1,000 tweets after the election “raises concerns about her commitment to transparency,” while a Romney spokesperson said it would be “hard to return to comity and respect with a nominee who has issued a thousand mean tweets.” Tanden is now likely to be the first Biden nominee to fail, though the White House is standing by her. “Looking ahead to the committee votes this week and continuing to work toward her confirmation,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Monday.

Really?

After four years of constant mean Tweets by a president and this is what they want to use to disqualify her from the post?  And yet they championed many of the mean Tweets by Donald the Orange.

Seriously?

There is so much more that should disqualify her….

Tanden positions: – Cut SS, Medicare & Medicaid – Deny Palestinian human rights – Opposes $15/hr min. wage – Supports wars to steal resources from developing nations

I believe that those would disqualify her….but I am not a partisan hack…..so real life means more than some silly social media BS.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Biden’s CIA

I would like to leave behind now the moronic action of 06 January and return to the scrutiny of Biden’s Cabinet picks.

He has made his choice to lead the spy agency, the CIA…..

President-elect Joe Biden announced Monday he has chosen veteran diplomat William Burns to be his CIA director. A former ambassador to Russia and Jordan, Burns, 64, had a 33-year career at the State Department under both Republican and Democratic presidents. He rose through the ranks of the diplomatic corps to become deputy secretary of state before retiring in 2014 to run the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace. Amid tumult in the State Department after President Trump took office in 2017, Burns held his tongue until last year when he began writing highly critical pieces of the Trump administration’s policies in Foreign Affairs and other publications, reports the AP. Burns has been a staunch advocate of rebuilding and restructuring the foreign service, positions Biden has aligned himself with.

In an opinion piece on the pick for the Washington Post, David Ignatius frames the choice: “What’s likely to have appealed to Biden … is [Burns’] reputation as a nonpartisan figure who served in hard places—Russia and the Middle East—and over the years developed close relationships with the countries that are the CIA’s key liaison partners. His biggest challenge will be dealing with a quirky, cliquey CIA culture that is often resistant to change. CIA operatives have been masterful over the years at bending new directors to their priorities.” And from Biden himself: “Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure. The American people will sleep soundly with him as our next CIA director.”

There you have the fluff piece on the new nominee….a person I am not convinced is the best choice to run the agency…..because he will eventually be consumed by the culture.

In nominating former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns to be CIA director, President-elect Joe Biden has chosen a highly experienced diplomat to lead a hydra-headed agency.

But, if past is precedent, the highest hydras who head calcified fiefdoms at CIA can be expected to resist any real control from the top. They are more likely to try to co-opt top management or make end runs around it. This is not new.

Most senior CIA operations officers, in particular, have never been comfortable with meaningful supervision, lest it lead to reining them in or impinging on their ample budgets. With secrecy always in play (including strict application of the “need-to-know” principle), Burns will need a good deputy – preferably a strong outsider – to avoid being blind-sided – or diddled.

Burns lacks proven experience managing organizations as large and variegated as the agency, so the jury is out on whether he will be able to do it.

Can William Burns Change the CIA?

All in all….it will be “same as it ever was”…..

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“lego ergo scribo”

Gay Transportation

Please do not let the title confuse you…..

The news has broke…..Mayor Pete a candidate for the Dem nomination in 2020 has been tapped to be the next SecTrans…..and we will be beat about the head and shoulders with this news….you see in case you forgot…..Pete is gay.

Another of Joe Biden’s former primary foes is getting a key role in the new administration. The president-elect will nominate Pete Buttigieg to serve as transportation secretary, reports CNN. Assuming he’s confirmed by the Senate, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, will be the first openly gay Cabinet secretary, notes Politico. Buttigieg was widely expected to land a significant role. The Washington Post recounts that when Buttigieg dropped out of the presidential race, he endorsed Biden at a pivotal moment before the Super Tuesday primaries. Biden then compared Buttigieg, who served a tour in Afghanistan as an intelligence officer in the Navy Reserve, to his late son Beau.

“It’s the highest compliment I can give any man or woman,” Biden said at the time. “I promise you, you’re going to end up, over your lifetime, seeing a hell of a lot more of Pete than you are of me.” Biden has not formally announced the move yet, but after Reuters first reported the pick via anonymous sources, a slew of major outlets have confirmed it through sources of their own. One area of possible friction: Reuters notes that progressive groups and Black leaders fault Buttigieg for not doing enough to fight systemic racism during his mayoral reign in South Bend.

I say congrats to Mayor Pete….but the news needs to let his orientation go…..is he qualified?

His sexual preference should not be news.

Sorry to be a downer here…..

Once again Biden is rewarding the Centrists with NO policy ideas and ignoring the idea people of the party….and that tells me where this country is going…..nowhere…..his gayness does not alter the facts.

Predictably, Biden’s sterile roster of cabinet picks seem geared toward appeasing a mythical political center that no longer exists, if it ever did.

Biden is a politician who is unlikely to disappoint his followers for the simple reason that he has few truly devoted adherents and offers them little of substance. Mostly, he delivers on small things, tiny symbolic acts that serve to mask the broader betrayals of movements and aspirations he claimed to represent but never had any real interest in. Unlike Obama, idealism was never Biden’s calling card. His entire career he has sold a brutal brand of pragmatism behind a dental implant smile.

At least Pete is NOT an Obamite…..he can be said to be the future of the party…..I say nope….maybe his personality but NOT his policies.

Remember that “Blue Wave” that was predicted…..it fell on its face because there was NEVER any proof of this mythical “Wave”…..https://lobotero.com/2020/11/30/the-massive-blue-wave/

THe government is stuck in the “Centrist” mud……spinning its wheels and going nowhere.

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“lego ergo scribo”

Obama Redux?

Our new president-elect is set about putting a cabinet together to run this country and so far he has done nothing that would have me believe he wants his own mark on the presidency.

Why would I say that?

So far he has nominated people from the Obama admin….so is he trying to make the Obama years to extend another 4 years?

Foreign policy–Obama…..

President-elect Joe Biden’s latest picks for upcoming national security and foreign policy posts have received mixed reviews from progressives, as leaders and activists express concern, as well as hesitant approval, over the administration’s exclusively Obama-era transition team. 

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on Monday announced their nominations for some top policy posts, including secretary of state; secretary of homeland security; director of national intelligence; national security advisor; and US ambassador to the United Nations, among others. 

While progressive congressional leaders have largely stayed away from harsh criticisms, progressives activists, who last week largely condemned Biden’s choice of Pentagon advisers, are accusing the incoming president of going with nominations that will extend US interventionist policies.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/joe-biden-cabinet-signals-return-obama-era-foreign-policy

Because he cannot get past the M-IC there will be little difference between Obama and Biden admin….foreign policy and national security…..

Joe Biden has named a group of Obama-era officials for top foreign policy and national security positions in his prospective administration.

The former vice president intends to nominate Tony Blinken, who was deputy secretary of state under former President Barack Obama from 2015 to 2017, as secretary of state.

Alejandro Mayorkas, deputy secretary of homeland security from 2013 to 2016, is Biden’s choice for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mayorkas would be the first Hispanic to serve in the position if confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/biden-selects-7-obama-era-officials-top-administration-positions

I see nothing changing in these endless wars and the massive corruption and influence of the M-IC on our government.

Is this what you wanted for your vote?

I have said many times before and after the election that nothing will change….only the fool on the Hill….this is what you get when you vote against a person and not for policies or values.

And a poll that gets little attention bares out what I keep saying….

Bolstering calls for President-elect Joe Biden to keep business insiders and industry lobbyists out of his Cabinet, new survey results reveal that 68% of Americans want members of the U.S. Senate to reject any corporate-linked nominees proposed by the incoming president.

The Data for Progress poll, sponsored by Demand Progress and first reported Tuesday by The Daily Poster, found that a majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents across all documented demographics agree about how the Senate should respond to such nominees.

The majority of likely voters surveyed believe that if Biden tries to install corporate executives and lobbyists in top positions of his administration, senators should vote against confirming them and urge the president-elect to “instead put forth nominees who have worked to forward the interests of everyday Americans.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/25/new-poll-shows-68-americans-want-senators-block-any-corporate-biden-nominees

I know…..polls are usually wrong….is that your choice of attack?

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“lego ergo scribo”

Biden’s National Security

President-elect Joe Biden is still in the process of picking his cabinet and advisers…..this time it is his NatSec team….

Declaring “America is back,” President-elect Joe Biden introduced his national security team on Tuesday, his first substantive offering of how he’ll shift from Trump-era “America First” policies by relying on experts from the Democratic establishment to be some of his most important advisers. “Together, these public servants will restore America globally, its global leadership and its moral leadership,” Biden said from a theater in Wilmington, Delaware. “It’s a team that reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it.” The nominees are all Washington veterans with ties to former President Barack Obama’s administration, a sign of Biden’s effort to resume some form of normalcy after the tumult of President Trump’s four years in office.

Biden’s nominees were a clear departure from Trump, whose Cabinet has largely consisted of men, almost all of them white, the AP reports. Biden’s picks included several women and people of color, some of whom would break barriers if confirmed to their new positions They stood behind Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris spaced apart and wearing masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

  • The president-elect’s team includes Antony Blinken, a veteran foreign policy hand well-regarded on Capitol Hill whose ties to Biden go back some 20 years, for secretary of state; lawyer Alejandro Mayorkas to be homeland security secretary; veteran diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be US ambassador to the United Nations; and Obama White House alumnus Jake Sullivan as national security adviser.
  • Avril Haines, a former deputy director of the CIA, was picked to serve as director of national intelligence, the first woman to hold that post, and former Secretary of State John Kerry will make a curtain call as a special envoy on climate change. Kerry and Sullivan’s positions will not require Senate confirmation.
  • Biden said his choices “reflect the idea that we cannot meet these challenges with old thinking and unchanged habits.” He said he tasked them with reasserting global and moral leadership, a clear swipe at Trump, who has resisted many traditional foreign alliances.
  • Biden celebrated the diversity of his picks, offering a particularly poignant tribute to Thomas-Greenfield. The eldest of eight children who grew up in segregated Louisiana, she was the first to graduate from high school and college in her family. The diplomat, in turn, said that with his selections, Biden is achieving much more than a changing of the guard.
  • Mayorkas, who is Cuban American, offered a nod to his immigrant upbringing. “My father and mother brought me to this country to escape communism,” he said. “They cherished our democracy, and were intensely proud to become United States citizens, as was I.”

“Cannot change things with old thinking”?

Seriously?

Everyone there is old school Dems

Once again Biden proves that he has NO intention in “changing” things.

More bullshit from the president-elect.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Secretary Of Treasury To Be

My continuing look at the possible people that are being considered for the cabinet and admin of president-elect Biden…..this time I look at the proposal of ex-Fed chief Yellen as the next SecTreasury….

The first woman to lead the Federal Reserve is set to become the first female Treasury secretary. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal and the AP that President-elect Joe Biden has tapped 74-year-old labor economist Janet Yellen, who chaired the Fed from 2014 to 2018, for the role. Yellen also served as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers during Bill Clinton’s second term. If she is confirmed by the Senate, Yellen will lead the Biden administration’s efforts to help the economy recover from the pandemic, though unlike in her role in the Fed, she will have to deal with a deeply divided Congress on measures including another stimulus bill, the New York Times notes.

Yellen has long focused on reducing unemployment and fighting income inequality, though she has also warned that federal spending should be reduced to a more sustainable level. In a September interview with the Journal, she said Congress needs to spend more to fight unemployment and save small businesses. “There is a huge amount of suffering out there. The economy needs the spending,” Yellen said. Politico reports that before news of the Yellen pick emerged, Biden said Democrats would be pleased with the choice. “You’ll find it is someone who I think is—will be accepted by all elements of the Democratic Party, from the progressive to the moderate coalitions,” he said.

Once again Biden is turning to those people that will continue the slide of the Middle Class….so his promises in campaign were total BS as I said it was…..

She has had 30 years of fighting unemployment and wage inequality….so far it has been for naught…..

Just another Centrist” without anything new to bring to the table….typical Biden .

The only thing to change will be the gender of the secretary of the Treasury if she is confirmed by the Senate.

So far I am batting a 1000…I said after he was declared to be the winner of 2020 that little will change…..and so far I am right on target.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Will Michele Be The New SecDef?

SecDef?

That is government-speak for Secretary of Defense.

I have been spending some time trying to help my readers get a grip on the people that Biden will choose for his cabinet and in turn will be leading our many policies…….,many of those policies have been failures but few will admit.

The front-runner for SecDef is one Michele Flournoy.

I remember her back during the Obama days when he was searching for a SecDef and Chuck Hagel was the leading contender….the year was 2012…..

With opponents of a potential nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R – NE) as Secretary of Defense now centering on the idea that nominating a “white man” would reflect badly on the administration, former Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy has emerged as a seeming consensus candidate for advocates who see her as less likely to make any real policy changes.

A former appointee under President Clinton, Flournoy founded the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) to advocate a more “pragmatic” national security policy. In practice this has meant a policy that never questions the notion that military action abroad is a “force for good,” while arguing distinctions without a difference, as when Flournoy endorsed “withdrawing’ from Iraq by leaving 60,000 troops there more or less indefinitely.

Appointed the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy by President Obama in 2008, Flournoy rarely made waves, backing the administration’s policy without exception. A lone noteworthy spot in this term was in 2010, when the Pentagon publicly repudiated her for saying it was unlikely that the US would attack Iran in “the near term.”

(antiwar.com)

I find Biden uninteresting and she will be the perfect fit in his cabinet…..Flournoy’s general uninterestingness makes her a model choice for lobbyists hoping to keep policy unchanged and the gravy train flowing.

Like I said she is the hands on favorite to lead the Pentagon…..but unlike a loyal readers of IST, https://libertasandlatte.wordpress.com/  I do not think she is what this country needs…..at this time.

She is tied tooth and nail to the defense industry and their desires may well come before the needs of the troops.

Even her thoughts are scary…..

The next Pentagon chief could cement the US’ already hard defence line on China, with one contender suggesting that American forces could bolster deterrence with the ability to “sink all” Chinese vessels “within 72 hours” in the South China Sea.

“For example, if the US military had the capability to credibly threaten to sink all of China’s military vessels, submarines, and merchant ships in the South China Sea within 72 hours, Chinese leaders might think twice before, say, launching a blockade or invasion of Taiwan; they would have to wonder whether it was worth putting their entire fleet at risk,” Flournoy said.

Defence and diplomatic observers said that realising that idea would come at huge cost but appointing its advocate would signal that the US would keep piling military pressure on China.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/11/15/20/a-harder-us-line-potential-pentagon-chief-floated-idea-to-sink-china-fleet-in-72-hours

These things said need to be scrutinized……and scrutinized hard!

But she is still the duck in the barrel for Defense…..Defense News takes a look at her…..

The next U.S. defense secretary must be prepared to invest heavily in game-changing technology, even if it comes at the cost of existing capabilities, in order to maintain a credible deterrent for China and Russia, according to former Pentagon official Michèle Flournoy.

“Our ability to deter is — it’s not gone, but it’s an eroding asset,” Flournoy, who is seen as a top contender for the job of defense secretary should former Vice President Joe Biden win the November presidential election, said at the Aspen Security Forum on Aug. 6. “And we’ve got to pay attention now to making sure that we attend to that and invest in” needed capabilities.

“I think there’s, sort of, two parallel efforts that have to happen. One is investments that may take a decade to be fully realized and integrated into the force. Another is the question of, what can we do in the next five years with what we have, but use it differently,” she explained.

https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2020/08/10/flournoy-next-defense-secretary-needs-big-bets-to-boost-eroding-deterrence/

These endless wars will remain endless….and corporate profits will increase and the troops will be second thought….not much changes.

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