Tim Fernholz

Like Matt, I’ve been alternately irritated and bewildered by claims that Obama, now that he’s elected, will not withdraw from Iraq or keep any number of other promises because actually governing as a liberal is untenable for [insert silly reason here]. This isn’t to say that Obama is necessarily a reliably progressive voice, or even […]

Well, Governor Bill Richardson is back, baby — Barack Obama today will nominate him to be the next secretary of commerce. (For a man who once broke the world record for number of hands shook in eight hours, it seems like he’s now gunning for number of cabinet posts held in one lifetime). Obama tell […]

Tom Perriello, the newly elected representative from Virginia’s 5th District — you may have heard of him — is already helping his constituents recover from the recession, even though he hasn’t been sworn in yet: He’s put together a directory of local businesses and blasted his e-mail list, urging folks to do their holiday shopping […]

This week, think tankers welcome December with some hearty tax code analysis, an entree of means-testing federal education aid, a side of Japan’s military policy and, for dessert, the latest challenges in low-income housing subsidies. Bon appetit! Making tax cuts permanent. With the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts set to expire at the end […]

Probably the best argument against Hillary Clinton’s appointment as secretary of state is that the staff she chooses for the State Department may not be progressive thinkers who advised Obama’s campaign but rather old Clinton hands — a decision that would rob the next generation of foreign policy professionals of a chance for advancement and […]

The transition team announced this morning that Louis Caldera will be heading up the Office of Military Affairs in the White House. A former secretary of the army during the Clinton administration, Caldera is a West Point graduate who is currently a law professor at the University of New Mexico. Though reports indicate that there […]

Mike DeBonis, or, ahem, Loose Lips, offers a meticulous daily run-down of D.C. politics that today included this little bulletin: Laissez les bon temps rouler: Jim Graham bill “would allow bars and restaurants licensed to serve alcohol to keep pouring until 5 a.m., and to keep doors open 24-hours per day between Jan. 17 and […]

One of the clever things about the Catholic church has been it’s ablity to maintain its status as a political force and a tiny state, and have some effect as a kind of diplomatic go-between and agenda setter.Think of the Vatican as the internationl equivalent of D.C. “Congresswoman” Eleanor Holmes Norton, say. The U.S. has […]

Politico has a run down on what Obama’s “war cabinet” means. None of it surprises if you’ve, say, been reading TAP the last month or so, but number five is really funny: He is willing to jettison campaign promises to suit the political landscape Every president does it, but Obama is breaking (or at least […]

John Kerry, who gets to become chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations after he wasn’t picked for secretary of sate, reacts to the announcement of the Clinton appointment with grace: “President-Elect Obama has chosen a terrific national security team to protect our security and help restore America’s rightful place in the world.” As […]