[youtube QmgAOOQBVCU]

MSNBC’s less interesting coverage:

In an unusually candid discussion yesterday, Clinton said he was particularly unhappy that two of his appointees – Laura D’Andrea Tyson as chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisors and Carol Browner as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency – were being treated by some women’s advocates as less important than other appointees because their jobs are not Cabinet level.

“I believe that if I had appointed white men to those jobs, those people, those same people would have been counting those jobs in a very negative way,” he said. “They would have been counting those positions against our administration, those bean counters who are doing that, if I had appointed white men to those positions.”

Gesturing toward O’Leary, who is black, he said that no women’s group or black group had included her name as a recommended Cabinet choice. O’Leary would be the third black appointment Clinton has made.

“They are playing quota games and math games,” Clinton said at the news conference, noting that he had interviewed only women for EPA administrator and for the head of his economic advisers.

Today, the Houston Chronicle (my hometown paper), urges Barack Obama to focus on both merit and diversity in making his appointments:

President-elect Barack Obama enjoys two strengths as he faces the formidable task of choosing a Cabinet. First is the breadth and diversity of his support: blue-collar Anglos, Latinos, Jews, African-Americans, white youth and an important share of independents and Republicans. Second is his world view: Democratic, to be sure, but autonomous enough to tap the best minds for ideas.

His Cabinet selections should reflect these strengths, drawing from the ethnic and ideological coalition that spurred his victory, while rejecting any tokenism. Hiring a Republican or other minority, only to ignore them, would undermine Obama’s credibility as a president who seizes the best ideas whatever their source.

Here’s another suggestion: focus entirely on merit. This is a nation of 300 million people. Sure qualified supporters (who come from diverse backgrounds) ought to be considered for undersecretary and deputy positions, but in case it escaped notice, Barack Obama will be the nation’s first black president.  Of all the pressures he feels (and should rightly feel) in assembling his government, creating a “diverse” cabinet should be among the least important.

Discrimination still exists, but whoever serves in the Obama Administration will answer to a black man. We’ve got all the symbolism we need. Obama’s cabinet could look like Bushwood Country Club’s membership committee, the Hollywood Producers Guild, a casting call for Moesha or Stanford University’s math club and it just wouldn’t matter. After eight years of near total failure in government, competence is what counts — now more than ever.  Bean counters and boot-licking yes men (and women) ought to butt out.

But come on — settle on a message already. On the one hand, Islamist freaks are euphoric that Barack Obama (their most successful sleeper agent), won the election and will no doubt soon begin imposing  Sharia law on the US.  On the other, rational Republicans were right all along: Obama is in for a rude awakening from the Islamic World, which hates all Americans, even naive liberals like him.

Republican disconnect number one takes place at 11:03 am Wednesday on LGF, where Islamist freaks were jumping for joy at Obama’s win:

[youtube 6qiRwCuQmZA] 

On October 30th, just like we do every four years, my brother and I bet on the outcome of the presidential election.  The competition is for most states correctly called, not closest to the actual electoral result. 

This year the bet was was $100.  Because he’s kind of a spiteful dude and an extremely sore loser, he told me at the time that if I won, he was going to pay me in nickels.  He’s also kind of a degenerate gambler, so it may be his way of saying he needs to get to Atlantic City. 

In any event, I kicked his ass and remain undefeated. Here’s his map:

Mine:

And the actual result:

Update:

My disrespectful younger brother (who lives in New York while Janice and I remain in Texas) responds:

I hope Obama shows more restraint than you — you dare gloat and you won by 2 states. Indiana, Florida and North Carolina went blue. I had Missouri staying red. Or, to put it another way, you had more faith in your fellow rednecks.

I do owe you 2000 nickels.

 Very, very hateful.

That’s kind of what’s going on with Republicans these days.

Via Hot Air: David Frum says Nicole Wallace is the source of negative leaks about Sarah Palin. He essentially says that she’s a vicious bitch, but he’s got a better vocabulary than I do.

And speaking of negative leaks about Sarah Palin, the latest is that she didn’t know that Africa was a continent, not a country:

[youtube tFJ-bJTIx-0]

Also, Palin may have squeezed the RNC for more than $150,000 in new clothes — and they weren’t all for her:

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin’s shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain’s top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family-clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards. The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent “tens of thousands” more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as “Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast,” and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

In other GOP implosion news, House Republicans say that the problem in the last couple of cycles is that their party wasn’t conservative enough.  That’s right, double down on Bush conservatism. See you in 2010.

Update:

Keith Olbermann sums it up:

[youtube 0LLuFpAwDQI]