Diary rescue, of a sort

A prolific author friend of mine offered up these recent musings from the political scene.

Subject: i'm afraid i have to agree with the gop here--barack is too little too soon


What’s in a Name, Barry?
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: December 2, 2006

If you call Barack Obama’s office to check the spelling of his middle name, the reply comes back: “Like the dictator.”

In the first rush of our blind date with the young senator from Illinois, we are still discovering things that are going to take some getting used to. Like his middle name: Hussein.

There were already a few top Democrats scoffing at the idea that a man whose surname sounded like a Middle East terrorist could get elected president. Now it turns out that his middle name sounds like a Middle East dictator. So with one moniker, he evokes both maniacal villains of the Bush administration. And to top it off, as Jennifer Senior noted in New York magazine, Barack rhymes with Iraq.

Republican wizards have whipped up nasty soufflés with far less tasty ingredients than that.

My reply: I agree with you Ed. Obama's day may come, but not in 08. And while Barrack may be too little too soon, I suspect Hillary Clinton is just too much for the voting public to stomach. I don't think Vilsack stands a chance. We shouldn't forget about folks like John Edwards, Wesley Clark or even Al Gore. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out. Meanwhile, the Democrats better make sure there's a good reason we're all so interested in who their nominee might be.

Subject: gee i wonder how that 9 bil cash disappeared in iraq

GSA Chief Seeks to Cut Budget For Audits
Contract Oversight Would Be Reduced

By Scott Higham and Robert O'Harrow Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, December 2, 2006; Page A01

The new chief of the U.S. General Services Administration is trying to limit the ability of the agency's inspector general to audit contracts for fraud or waste and has said oversight efforts are intimidating the workforce, according to government documents and interviews.

GSA Administrator Lurita Alexis Doan, a Bush political appointee and former government contractor, has proposed cutting $5 million in spending on audits and shifting some responsibility for contract reviews to small, private audit contractors.

My reply: Business as usual in DC.