According to this story in The New York Times, Hillary Clinton will be the next Secretary of State. Also, a new Treasury Secretary is announced, which causes the markets to jump. Still, the good news is offset by bad news, as a major bank teeters on the brink.

Will Tom Daschle provide the coup de grace for American conservatism?

Some details about the men held at Guantanamo Bay. When the newly inaugurated President Obama reads these details (and those details not yet declassified) I wonder if he will still be so keen to close the facility? Perhaps, if he feels the need to close the facility for political and diplomatic reasons, he will not feel the need to release some of the men on the list.

Mark Steyn has some comments on the latest controversy surrounding Sarah Palin, which involves the video of an interview with the Alaska Governor while turkeys were being slaughtered in the background. It seems Palin was doing the now traditional political "hah hah" story of "pardoning" a turkey at a turkey farm in her home town. After the ceremony she held an impromptu press conference at the farm. Unfortunately for her, in the background of the shot one of the farm employees was busy doing his job...that is, slaughtering turkeys. The story is getting a lot of attention, but reaction is, once again, breaking down along ideological lines. Those who think Palin is a moron use the story as evidence that she is, indeed, a moron for allowing that backdrop. Those who think she is a "red meat" American (I believe she has some experience hunting, for instance), see it as evidence for their position (even though turkey is a "white meat"). Having once been a media advisor to a political campaign, I can say with certainty it would not have been the backdrop I would have chosen. I would have told Governor Palin that most people are hypocrites when it comes to food. They want to eat meat, but they don't want to slaughter the animals, or see them slaughtered, or even contemplate the fact that the meat they buy at the market was once a living, breathing creature (even a stinky, stupid, disgusting one like a domesticated turkey). But, "it is what it is". As for me, I plan on enjoying my turkey on Thanksgiving Day.