A whole host of problems, including some accusations of serious impropriety, have cropped up over at my old outfit, the United States Parole Commission:
Memos, e-mails and court records spin a yarn of internal discord that threads together the unauthorized entry, an old murder outside San Francisco, a commissioner's resignation and attempts to win funding to improve a rural highway in Missouri. Players in the drama include a former special assistant to President George W. Bush, a past member of the Black Panthers and even a former Justice Department official who oversaw the politically tinged dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys.
Of course, it should come as a surprise to no one that the Gonzo Justice Department was corrupted and broken at the outset. This is just another small chapter in what has become a long, sad tale. You have your work cut out for you, Attorney General Holder.
I admit I was surprised by the apparent misuse of power by Chairman Reilly, the man who accepted my resignation after George W. Bush was inaugurated. He was (and still is) a Republican, but he was gracious to me and understanding of my situation at the time. I guess graciousness and understanding don't necessarily preclude corruption.
I worked closely with the men and women -- the staff -- at the Parole Commission in one of the best jobs I've ever held, and found them to be hard-working and honest public servants who took their job very, very seriously. I'm sorry for them that this story happened at all. They deserve better.
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Consumer confidence in the U.S. jumped by the most it has in six years.
Confidence among U.S. consumers jumped in May by the most in six years, fueling speculation the economy will recover later this year.
The Conference Board’s sentiment index surged to 54.9, higher than forecast, according to figures from the New York- based research group today. A report from S&P/Case-Shiller showed home prices continued to plunge.
Unfortunately, Florida didn't follow the trend: consumer confidence has dropped.
Florida's consumer confidence index declined from April to May by one point to 71 -- compared with a benchmark of 100 established in 1966 -- reflecting consumer pessimism about personal finances, a University of Florida survey released today said.
The personal finance component fell four points to 40, one point above the all time low of 39 in December.
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My three favorite stories of the day around new nominee for Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor:
Right out of the gate the morons at the RNC leak their talking points. Fun drinking game: watch the TV news shows and any time some Republican dork uses one of these points, you have to take a drink! Go ahead and call in sick tomorrow.
Ambassador Korologos gives a neat kind of how-to on being a "sherpa" for a Supreme Court nominee. It sounds a lot like the process described by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich in his book, "Locked in the Cabinet," which I just read again.
And finally, this. I always said that Mike Huckabee was not nearly as bright as everyone thought he might be. And he is certainly more sloppy than we all thought. Boy, between him and the RNC, Republicans just had a bad day today, didn't they?
Check out President Obama's video introducing Judge Sotomayor here.
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I don't think this is going to end well for Senator Roland Burris.
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Cynthia Tucker discusses rapper T.I.'s non-repentance, and more.
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Check out Max Brantley, who, as usual, is exactly right.
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Bob Herbert is right, too.
Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, introduced a bill to establish a national infrastructure development bank that would use public and private capital to fund projects of regional and national significance. These are projects that are badly needed and would be a boon to employment.
[snip]
It’s not just about roads and bridges, although they are important. It’s also about schools, and the electrical grid, and environmental and technological innovation. It’s about establishing a world-class industrial and economic platform for a nation that is speeding toward second-class status on a range of important fronts.
It’s about whether we’re serious about remaining a great nation. We don’t act like it.
I hope that as we work on getting Americans back to work, we start, as Mr. Herbert suggests, with the American infrastructure.
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Please watch this amazing and heartbreaking Foreign Policy photo essay, "The Land of No Smiles." This is North Korea, an increasingly frightening place.
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Action Alert!
-- More later --
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