If Jim Johnson, the former Chairman and CEO of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae)(1991-1998) and Friend of Angelo, was forced to step down from the Obama campaign's vice presidential search committee because of his involvement in a deferred compensation scandal under his watch at Fannie Mae and for accepting of low-cost loans from major mortgage company Countrywide, then why is Congressmen Rahm Emanuel, who sat on the board of the equally corrupt Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) from 2000-2001, a time during which it lied about its profits to mislead investors, stepping up to be President-elect Obama's Chief of Staff?
One supposes that since he only worked at Freddie for some 13 months, most likely to draw a handsome salary to be used towards his first run at Congress, that he can't reasonably be held accountable for the shenanigans taking place under his nose. And truly, he is not responsible because his role on the board was a sham from the get go. President Bill Clinton appointed Emanuel to the board in his final year. Positions at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were rewards for loyal soldiers of the Clinton machine, a place to hang out, make some crazy coin and devote time to positioning oneself for later power positions. Sydney Brillo Duodenum seems to recall some palaver from Presidential Candidate Obama about not rewarding CEOs and board members of corrupt corporations, particularly those associated with the housing debacle.
The choice of Emanuel is interesting, particularly in light of the Ministry of Hope and Change's stated goal to "Free the Executive Branch from Special Interest Influence." What better way to do that than to hire the people who know exactly how it's done. Brilliant. Foxes. Hens. Houses. Whatever.
Here are some of the duties to be included in Rahm Emanuel's new portfolio:
Close the Revolving Door on Former and Future Employers:
No political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointee will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration.
Free Career Officials from the Influence of Politics: Obama will issue an executive order asking all new hires at the agencies to sign a form affirming that no political appointee offered them the job solely on the basis of political affiliation or contribution.
Reform the Political Appointee Process: FEMA Director Michael Brown was not qualified to head the agency, and the result was a disaster for the people of the Gulf Coast. But in an Obama-Biden administration, every official will have to rise to the standard of proven excellence in the agency's mission.Blah, Blah, Blah, BLLLLLAAAAHHHH, Blah: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Blahblahblah. Blah, Blah blah blah blah blah blah.
UPDATE 11/10/08: Well, that didn't long. The censors have splashed a tanker load of whiteout all over the Ministry of Hope and Change website.
According to a Wasington Times report:
Over the weekend President-elect Barack Obama scrubbed Change.gov, his transition Web site, deleting most of what had been a massive agenda copied directly from his campaign Web site. Gone are the promises on how an Obama administration would handle 25 different agenda items - everything from Iraq and immigration to taxes and urban policy - all items laid out on his campaign Web site, www.BarackObama.com.
Instead, the official agenda on Change.gov has been boiled down to one vague paragraph proclaiming a plan “to revive the economy, to fix our health care, education, and social security systems, to define a clear path to energy independence, to end the war in Iraq responsibly and finish our mission in Afghanistan, and to work with our allies to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, among many other domestic and foreign policy objectives.”
