Study: 19 Ambassador Nominees Bundled $4.8 Million for President's Campaign, Inauguration

..Got deleted eh? I'll try this again.
" What the heck is the problem? Awarding Ambassadorships to campaign contributors has been the status quo for generations now."
Obama ran a campaign on "change", and then staffed his cabinet with the same Washington/Wall Street insiders that helped to created our economic woes. But I guess you're right Bret, Obama awarding his fat-cat friends Ambassadorships, isn't so much a problem as it is an indication that Obama is just another business as usual politician, and all that talk about "change" was just manipulative hot air to win the votes of the gullible.

Oh my Lord. What the heck is the problem? Awarding Ambassadorships to campaign contributors has been the status quo for generations now. Why is everyone freaking out NOW that it's Obama doing it? Why is everyone acting like it's some totally new scandal? What's disturbing is that the news media is holding the black man to a totally different standard than past presidents.

"Obama can certainly claim a mandate with a clear popular vote win as well as an overwhelming electoral college victory."

I can claim I'm from outer space, but that doesn't make my car a flying saucer.

Obama comes from the same school of thought as every other republican or democrat that has ever been elected to ANY office comes from: the one that teaches that politicians are held to a different standard than your average citizen. Say whatever you want, as long as the end result is winning the election. Don't worry about the plausability of your statements, because there's always someone else to blame it all on.

Being a politician is his JOB. If he doesn't get elected to SOMETHING, he's unemployed.

Food for thought...

"you can't keep sending the same people to Washington and expect different results"...Obama, the do as I say, not as I do president.

There will always be millions of people blinded by this mans sweet talk an promises. It is comforting to see many of those that did vote for this guy are beginning to see that all his talk of change was a load of crap.

"Obama the candidate never promised perfection - that's just the straw man put forward by right wing Republicans - the image they tried to stick on him by calling him (repeatedly) 'the messiah'."

That's because Obama IS the Messiah.

On February 24, 2008, Louis Farrakhan made the following remarks while addressing a large crowd at Nation of Islam Saviour's Day 2008: "You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn't care anything about. That's a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth will hear, and the Messiah is absolutely speaking. Brothers and sisters, Barack Obama to me, is a herald of the Messiah. Barack Obama is like the trumpet that alerts you something new, something better is on the way."

To the best of my knowledge, Farrakhan is not a right-wing Republican.

"Obama the candidate never promised perfection"

No, only to heal the planet and slow the rise of the oceans...that's all.

Otherwiss, bizness as usual in the satellite operation of Mayor Daley's office.

Still waiting for the "change"?

President Obama has done less of this type of appointing than previous presidents - and way less than President Bush.

This is a change towards the better.

Obama the candidate never promised perfection - that's just the straw man put forward by right wing Republicans - the image they tried to stick on him by calling him (repeatedly) 'the messiah'.

Those of you who expect perfection in politicians never experienced the presidency of George W. Bush.

"Nothing about the people that he called "Speculators and Fat Cats" in order to demonize them, who were actually everyday people who were counting on that money for their 401K's"

yes those collecting enormous bonuses even while runnign their companies into the ground were just regular folk.

"Obama won by 11 Million votes and 7% of the electorate"

This was incorrect.

I meant to say nearly 10 Million but we might as well go with the actual count which was 9,522,083

"So let me get this straight Ryan C, out of all of the legitimate arguments that Nick in Virginia brought up, your only come back was that he was off a few tenths of a percent in the math"

The math was wrong and shaded towards the desired talking point. .

Not surprising a right winger prefers that but don;t expect a free pass on it.

Obama won by 11 Million votes and 7% of the electorate.

It was a resounding win.

"Trust me Ryan, by the time 2010"

In 2010 when the GOP should traditionally be picking up a few seats, they will be lucky to break even.

"and especially 2012 rolls around"

4 years is a long time in politics but the GOP crop for 2012 does not look promising (1 less now with Ensign going down).

So let me get this straight Ryan C, out of all of the legitimate arguments that Nick in Virginia brought up, your only come back was that he was off a few tenths of a percent in the math? All of the other legitimate arguments were glossed over. Typical leftist debate skills. No discussion of the illegal IG firings, no discussion of breaking 200 year old bankruptcy law by giving the unsecured GM and Chrysler lenders first crack at the money. Nothing about the people that he called "Speculators and Fat Cats" in order to demonize them, who were actually everyday people who were counting on that money for their 401K's. Nothing about his complete and total fabrication about transparency in his policies. Just that Nick was off by .8% or .9% in the wrong direction? Trust me Ryan, by the time 2010 and especially 2012 rolls around, this list and so much more will be up on a nice pretty PowerPoint slide for you to digest at the debates. When the loss comes, you can assuage your anger in knowing that you voted for the first black President, qualified or not. But really, what do I know. I have obvious problems with my limbic system.

It's exactly what Rod Blagojavich did, was kicked out of office for:
selling Illinois' Senate seat for
donations to his coffers !
Impeach him!

Well, it is his right to appoint whomever he wants. I would just like to know what happened to the Change and the Hope. Oh, you mean it's the same old crap? Yeah, that's pretty much what I figured. Get ready for the real change in 2010, Comrade.

Obama's hypocrisy on nearly every issue is a given. He promises the world and delivers nothing.

That said, I'll give him (fundraiser) ambassadorships like Belgium and Belize, not really the most pressing junctures of the world. But essential allies and powers like Japan deserve someone with expertise in the region.

This John Roos character, from what I can gather online, has no fluency in Japanese and no knowledge of Japanese affairs. That's a terrible slight to one of our most important allies. Same with Chris Hill, the failed State Department negotiator with North Korea, moving over to Iraq.

"but millions voted AGAINST him too. He did not win by a blowout, it was 52%-46%-2%"

You only get 52%(52.9%)for Obama by rounding down and 46% (45.6%) for McCain by rounding up

That's a 7% margin in popular vote close to GHW Bush's resounding win over Dukakis.

The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.

"There are 169 million registered voters in the USA. 62 million of them voted for Obama. That leaves 107 million who either did NOT vote for him or simply did NOT vote. That is hardly a mandate for Obama to run roughshod over our society."

Bush claimed a mandate with a slim margins in both popular vote and the electoral college.

Obama can certainly claim a mandate with a clear popular vote win as well as an overwhelming electoral college victory.

Mr.President,
I want to be also named an Ambassador and be sent to live outside USA on Secretary of State budget. I am US citizen with no criminal record, paying all my taxes in full and in time but I do not have just recently enough money to buy this post. What if I will sign to you an IOU with payments starting after my appointment? It seems me to be a fair treatment of not so rich US citizens willing to serve our country abroad!

Another liberal double standard.