It's Friday. Blow someone a kiss.

By Mona Goldwater, Signs & Gestures Ed.

Good morning readers! At long last, it's Friday. Blow someone a kiss. 

---o0o--- 

Lying and contractions

It seems to be conventional wisdom among investigators and interrogators that the use of contractions can be an indicator of truth. “I didn't take it” instead of “I did not take it.”

Two public examples of this that come immediately to mind:

President Bill Clinton: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

President Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook."

---o0o---

Eleven foot Bill Clinton

Ooops! Wrong statue!

Last weekend, hordes of Albanians collected in Pristina’s main square to welcome Bill Clinton, the guest of honor at a statue-unveiling ceremony. The Albanians put up the statue to commemorate President Clinton's role in the Yugoslavian war of 1999.

“I never expected that anywhere, someone would make such a big statue of me,” Clinton told the cheering crowd as he removed the cover, revealing a eleven foot bronze likeness of himself.

---o0o---

Obama set to name Senator Hillary Clinton head of State Department

By Pablo Fanque,
All This Is That National Affairs Editor
on hiatus in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico

Paintings/sign by Jack Brummet

This could get very interesting. It already is. Both Obama and The Clintons each have three negotiators haggling over the Secretary of State cabinet position. How many other top slots in the history of America have ever involved six negotiators? I can tell you authoritatively. None. Ever.

Is this a harbinger of factionalism in the nascent Obama Administration? Bill Clinton has said he would do "whatever it takes" to open the way for Hillary to get the State Department nod. Whatever it takes includes forgoing many lucrative (to the tune of millions a year) speeches, disclosing major donors to the William J. Clinton Foundation, naming and forgoing many consulting clients, and in general, clearing most of his activities with the Administration. That is a heavy load for a guy that has done it his way for the last 16 years or so. It is interesting enough that he is being let out of the doghouse after his angry and often race-baiting performances on Hillary's road to the White House.



click fo enlarge

Future President Barack Obama is on track to nominate The Senator as secretary of state after Thanksgiving an aide to his transition disclosed Thursday.

It is utterly fascinating the way this has played out in the press, with leaks, and positioning on both sides. No Drama Obama is wrapped up in this fascinating minuet under the full glare of the press [1] and bloggers. She is a fascinating choice for SoS.

Once again, Obama has buried whatever malignant feelings he might have ever held toward her. He is an amazing pragmatist and practicioner of the forgive and forget school of politics.



Sure, many people believe he wants her on the inside, because as President Lyndon Johnson often said, "it's better to have them inside the tent pissing out than outside pissing in." While many Democrats and beltway insiders openly question whether Clinton is too independent and ambitious to be the effective Secretary of State we desperately need, it is clear that Obama values her intelligence, diligence, experience, and yes, even chutzpah and moxie.

Large numbers of other Democrats believe in her too. Recent polls indicate that Hillary Clinton would have beaten John McCain by greater margins than Obama. Of course, that doesn't take into account the fact that her political organization collapsed in the face of Obama's clearly superior one. Would they have been able to put aside their infighting long enough to beat McCain? We will never know.

Clinton's nomination appears to be nearly a fait accompli. It will be fascinating to see whether she can live with the high degree of discipline Obama requires from his underlings. And that also applies to the 300 pound gorilla, Bill Clinton, who will need to spend a lot of the next few years sitting on his hands.

[1] Maybe not the full glare, with all the layoffs and downsizing of news organizations, including the latest one today: AP is cutting 10% of its workforce. Nearly every other major news organization has recently announced broad and deep cuts. "I guess this internet thing may actually really take off, after all."
---o0o---

George Bush at The Olympics/What Would Bill Do?

see Obama pictures

Billary, then and now

I wonder if we will address them as Presidents Clinton? Or what?

Bill and Hillary, then

Bill and Hillary, now
---o0o---

"He's being mean!":::::Obama Hits the Ex-Prez Over 'Troubling' Attacks

Sen. Barack Obama says he's ready to confront former President Bill Clinton, calling his advocacy on behalf of his wife's presidential campaign, "troubling."

Jump here to read more about Barack's snipes at President Clinton.
---o0o---

Alan Greenspan: "The Iraq War is largely about oil"

Alan Greenspan with his wife, the very talented journalist
and commentator Andrea Mitchell

This book is going to be great! The Republican Alan Greenspan, in his memoir, praises Bill Clinton for his financial restraint and for elminating deficit spending. He roasts President Bush for his profligate spending.

In my favorite part of the book so far, Greenspan writes:

“I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil."

The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World by Alan Greenspan goes on sale tomorrow.
---o0o---

Sketch of Bill Clinton using Faces 3.0

Click President Clinton to enlarge

This my latest attempt at using the Faces 3.0 identikit software. . .this time Bill Clinton. There is no white or grey hair--or blue eyes, or watercolor flag backgrounds--in Faces 3.0, so I did need to run it through Photoshop.

---o0o---