Daschle's expertise and insights, gleaned over 26 years in Congress, earned him more than $5 million over the past two years, including $220,000 from the health-care industry, and perks such as a chauffeured Cadillac, according to the documents.

Back in June, 2008, when Barack Obama violated his clear commitment to filibuster any bill containing telecom immunity by doing the opposite: voting for cloture on such a bill and then voting of the bill itself, it was -- as Matt Stoller noted at the time -- Tom Daschle who defended Obama's behavior in The Washington Post, by invoking the two leading all-purpose, Obama-justifying clichés: "Those who accomplish the most are those who don't make the perfect the enemy of the good. Barack is a pragmatist."

What Daschle (and The Washington Post) didn't note, but Stoller did, is this:

Mr. Daschle’s financial ties to major players in the health care industry may prove to be even more troublesome as health reform efforts proceed. Like many former power players in Washington, Mr. Daschle cashed in on his political savvy and influence to earn $5 million in recent years, including more than $2 million from Alston & Bird, a law and lobbying firm; more than $2 million from the private equity firm, InterMedia Advisors, which provided the car and driver; and hundreds of thousands of dollars for speeches to interest groups, including those representing health insurance plans, medical equipment distributors and pharmacy boards.

Although Mr. Daschle was not a registered lobbyist, he offered policy advice to the UnitedHealth Group, a huge insurance conglomerate. He was also a trustee of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, on whose behalf he voiced opposition to a federal loan for a freight rail line near the clinic’s headquarters in Rochester, Minn. The loan was subsequently denied by the Federal Railroad Administration.

Mr. Daschle is another in a long line of politicians who move cozily between government and industry. We don’t know that his industry ties would influence his judgments on health issues, but they could potentially throw a cloud over health care reform. Mr. Daschle could clear the atmosphere by withdrawing his name.

Just imagine the roar we'd be hearing if those were McCain or Bush's nominees.

Just imagine the roar we'd be hearing if those were McCain or Bush's nominees.

• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.

• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.

• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.

• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).

• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.

• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.

• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.

• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.

• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.

• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.

• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.

• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.

• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."

• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.

• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.

• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.

• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.

• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.

• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.

• $500 million for state and local fire stations.

• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.

• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.

• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.

• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.

• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.

• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.

• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.

• $850 million for Amtrak.

• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint. (lol)

• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.

• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

Frankly, it's pissing me off. I voted for Obama, in part because he made it clear he wanted to take the power out of lobbyist hands. Now he appears to be reneging on that promise.

The comical part is all you fools lapped his bullshit up like cum drunk gutter sluts and now you are shocked that it is business as usual in Washington.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "business as usual." It's plainly clear that Obama is making a lot of changes. I just want a candidate to at least try to stick to their word when they make a promise, especially one as important as this.

Let's not pretend one broken promise is equal to the ridiculousness of the Bush administration. You want to say "I told you so," wait a couple of years.

Two of those tax cheats

* Eric Holder, attorney general nominee, was registered to lobby until 2004 on behalf of clients including Global Crossing, a bankrupt telecommunications firm [now confirmed].
* Tom Vilsack, secretary of agriculture nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year on behalf of the National Education Association.
* William Lynn, deputy defense secretary nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for defense contractor Raytheon, where he was a top executive.
* William Corr, deputy health and human services secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until last year for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a non-profit that pushes to limit tobacco use.
* David Hayes, deputy interior secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until 2006 for clients, including the regional utility San Diego Gas & Electric.
* Mark Patterson, chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for financial giant Goldman Sachs.
* Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, was registered to lobby until 2005 for clients, including the Coalition for Asbestos Resolution, U.S. Airways, Airborne Express and drug-maker ImClone.
* Mona Sutphen, deputy White House chief of staff, was registered to lobby for clients, including Angliss International in 2003.
* Melody Barnes, domestic policy council director, lobbied in 2003 and 2004 for liberal advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, the American Constitution Society and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
* Cecilia Munoz, White House director of intergovernmental affairs, was a lobbyist as recently as last year for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group.
* Patrick Gaspard, White House political affairs director, was a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union.
* Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff to the president’s assistant for intergovernmental relations, lobbied for the American Association of Justice from 2001 until 2005.

My question at this point is what, exactly, are you happy about?

"I think I screwed up," Obama said in a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
"And, I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again."

The Ledbetter legislation has been in the works since 2007. It passed the House and was killed in the Senate last year. There's been plenty of time for comment.

Why not keep that promise? It was a damned simple one and would have hurt nothing and nobody...

To reduce bills rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them, Obama "will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days."

And Kula: Show me the last bill this magnitude that had only 2% allocated toward pork projects.

That's still lacking context. It's not something I'm going to debate. I really don't think it's a big deal either way. It sits five days or it doesn't. Either way, the intent of such a comment is likely the same.

The promise can be found on Obama's campaign site: http://www.barackobama.com/issues/ethics/

Had it been Bush, Daschle would still be pushed forward and shotgunned through to his position.

As for the lobbyist thing, I have to admit I've been a little distracted with planning my return to the US, but I was under the impression it was a stance of "lobbyists can't work in the area they worked as a lobbyist in" and NOT "lobbyists won't be working in my administration". Am I incorrect in this? Things like "secretary of agriculture nominee" having been a lobbyist for "education" seem to pan that out. But like I said, I'm unclear on this as I've been focusing on other things of late.

I can't comment on the language of the promise itself because I don't know it. All I can discuss is its intent and the sentiments with which it was likely made.

"Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them," Obama's campaign Web site states. "As president, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days."

That's pretty unequivocal.

I knew about it. It was one of the central themes of Women's Night at the Dem convention, capped by Hilary's speech. Ledbetter herself even made an appearance. And I watched the full evening coverage of both conventions on C*SPAN (after the first night of the Dem one - I mistakenly watched MSNBC on Night One).

So probably anyone sufficiently wonky about national politics and/or who keeps up on gender equality and politics was aware of it. But I doubt it was known to the public at large.

I think it should have been posted for comment, and dislike that it wasn't. It would it be easy to say that it doens't matter becuase it is a non-controversial bill that's been floating for years. I know that if EDNA finally passes, I would want to see it signed right away.

If the public comment thing isn't going to work, then it should be done away with ASAP, IMHO, along with an explanation of why its proven unworkable.

Shine the Light on Federal Contracts, Tax Breaks and Earmarks

Create a Public “Contracts and Influence” Database: As president, Obama will create a "contracts and influence" database that will disclose how much federal contractors spend on lobbying, and what contracts they are getting and how well they complete them.

Expose Special Interest Tax Breaks to Public Scrutiny: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will ensure that any tax breaks for corporate recipients — or tax earmarks — are also publicly available on the Internet in an easily searchable format.

End Abuse of No-Bid Contracts: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will end abuse of no-bid contracts by requiring that nearly all contract orders over $25,000 be competitively awarded.

Sunlight Before Signing: Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them. As president, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.

Shine Light on Earmarks and Pork Barrel Spending: Obama's Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act will shed light on all earmarks by disclosing the name of the legislator who asked for each earmark, along with a written justification, 72 hours before they can be approved by the full Senate.

So what if it had been in the works? Did YOU know about it? Did anyone?

I repeat, the nonposting of the Ledbetter Act was stupid and unnecessary. Especially from an Administration supposedly about transparency and restoring public trust in government. Keeping the promise would have been a costless way to start off the Presidency on the right foot. Not posting it sends all the wrong signals.

Actually, posting it would have been unnecessary, since the obvious intent of Obama's promise was to prevent bills being quietly signed into law. This shit was ALL OVER THE NEWS. It's not the President's fault if you've not read a newspaper or watched CNN in the past year. Again, you're bitching about something that's a non-issue.

Nope. Posting it would have been an easy, cost-free way to signal that he planned to keep his word. All kinds of shit is ALL OVER THE NEWS. That doesn't excuse his choice to break a promise that he wasn't forced to make but chose to make. I knew about and supported the legislation. That isn't why his action is offensive. It's the fact that he said he would post "all non-emergency bill"s and didn't for no good reason.