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November 9, 2006

Shakeup, shakeout, fallout

Around the world:

AP
Pakistani Christians rally for the U.S. Democrats in Islamabad, Pakistan, today, and cheer the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Thank you, America. The Guardian (U.K.):

For six years, latterly with the backing of both houses of a markedly conservative Republican Congress, George Bush has led an American administration that has played an unprecedentedly negative and polarising role in the world's affairs. On Tuesday, in the midterm US congressional elections, American voters rebuffed Mr Bush in spectacular style and with both instant and lasting political consequences....

BBC:
Bush diminished as world leader

As Oscar Wilde might have put it: "To lose one House may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness."

Rumsfeld in his own words begins with May 2001: "Once in a while, I'm standing here, doing something. And I think: 'What in the world am I doing here?' It's a big surprise."

Voices: Foreign reaction to U.S. midterm elections. The Toronto Star.

At home: From the exit polls conducted for the National Election Pool, Rhode Island men broke 50-50 for Chafee and Whitehouse; women chose Whitehouse 57-43; whites broke 50-50; African-Americans chose Whitehouse 85-13, Latinos 77-22.

Non-human: Animals Win in Arizona and Michigan. The Humane Society of the U.S. reports,

Voters in Arizona and Michigan gave a voice to animals this year by speaking out on ballot initiatives in landslide votes that will protect farm animals and mourning doves.

Blogs: Jon Stewart on the CNN blog party: "Partying blog style means typing on a laptop while not blogging."

Denver defense attorney Jeralyn Merritt of Talk Left is the blogger "being interviewed about blogging while watching herself being interviewed about blogging. I wonder if she'll blog about that."

Fallout: Biden says U.N. envoy Bolton "going nowhere".

John Bolton, the controversial former undersecretary of state in charge of non-proliferation, was nominated by President George W. Bush to be U.N. envoy in March 2005.

But after his confirmation was blocked in the Republican-led Senate, Bush made a recess appointment, which will last until the new Congress convenes in January 2007.

Who's who: CQPolitics has profiles of all the new members of Congress.

Flashbacks:

Iraq Wins the Election, What Now? by Tom Hayden

Jerry Brown makes a bit of history: He was elected California's attorney general Tuesday.

Rare sighting: Maureen Dowd -- n parole during free-access week at Times (Pay-To-Read) Select -- writes of the President's Come-to-Daddy Moment:

Poppy Bush and James Baker gave Sonny the presidency to play with and he broke it. So now they’re taking it back...

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 11:36 AM | Permalink