A Very POTUS 1st Pitch

RE: POTUS sports pics, I've now posted the Commander in Chief with the Heels and Tim Tebow. I just wish he was wearing a Yankee jacket, but understand why he had to go this way.

He needs to work on the velocity a little though...

And the POTUS Picks...

Earlier this week, President Obama made his picks for the NCAA tournament with ESPN's Andy Katz.

The Commander-in-Chief selected Louisville, Memphis, Pitt and Carolina to round out the Final Four, with Carolina edging Louisville for the national title. Here's a link to The First Bracket.

The guy signs my paychecks, so I appreciate him already. This is icing on the cake.


Ballin'

Unfortunately, not every team could crack the President's Final Four. One notable omission was Duke, a fact not missed by Coach Krzyzewski (a morganobrien.com fave--I'll always appreciate fellow captains over school ties).

Coach K had an interesting take (and not totally unexpected by those who know his politics):

“Somebody said we’re not in President Obama’s Final Four,’’ coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a lighthearted moment Wednesday as Duke prepared to face Binghamton in an East Regional first-round game in Greensboro, N.C. “As much as I respect what he’s doing, really the economy is something he should focus on more than the brackets.’’ (link)

Sounds like Reggie Love, former Duke two-sport standout and the president's body man, needs to better advocate for his alma mater.

Nailing the Oath

My old lady getting me used to following orders

What a great day to be an American! As a former oath pro, one of my personal highlights from today came at the moment Senator Obama became our 44th President--as he was administering it to President Obama today, Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the oath of office.

Here's the oath:

I (name) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.*

Now, here's how it went:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

As a former oath officer at the Albuquerque Military Entrance Processing Station, I have a unique insight into giving an oath or two (or more than 800!). Granted, my audiences usually consisted of crying family members (I would always begin with a tearjerker that brought 9 of 10 moms to tears), and not nearly 2 million people.

That said, no matter how well I knew the oath, every time I went up there, I made sure that the oath was was in front of me, just in case (there was also an enlarged Oath of Enlistment beside me on the wall--my charges often couldn't handle the hear and repeat portion of the exercise). Justice Roberts is relatively young (he turns 54 next week); and this most likely won't be his last oath**. I bet that in the future he'll have a copy of the oath handy because he will always remember that under the heat of the spotlight, even the pros can drop a line.


Glory Daze

*"So help me God," is optional, and Obama opted to include it today
** The current record holder, Chief Justice John Marshall, issued nine inaugural oaths.

For more on the Presidential Oath of Office, here's the link to the Wikipedia article.

North Dakota in the News (Update!)

With news out of the Land of Lincoln showing that Chicago politics are as crooked as the day is long, Illinois must be America's most corrupt state, right?

Wrong. Illinois only checks in at number 18 according to a USAToday investigation of Department of Justice statistics.

And guess who's the most corrupt--that's right, North Dakota:

North Dakota tops analysis of corruption
By John Fritze, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Its largest city is legendary for machine-style politics and its elected leaders have been under investigation for years, but by one measure, Illinois is not even close to the nation's most-corrupt state.

North Dakota, it turns out, may hold that distinction instead. (continued)

A statue of "Honest John" Burke, governor from 1907 to 1913, stands in front of the North Dakota's state capitol building in Bismarck. North Dakota had the highest rate of public corruption convictions won by federal prosecutors from 1998 through 2007. (From USAToday)

When you consider this along with all the recent craziness at Minot, maybe there is something in the water up on the Northern Frontier. Or maybe they're just on top of their game in the Peace Garden State.

Notes from the Aloha State

Making a splash on the islands
While we didn't file last week, we were in no shortage of interesting topics generating from paradise. For instance. I read the following article in USA Today, and have to admit that Mrs. Morganobrien and I did some searching for Punahou High School while we were in Oahu:


Barry in his Punahou days

Hawaii's latest lure: Obama tourism?

By Herbert A. Sample, Associated Press Writer
HONOLULU — It happened to Plains, when Jimmy Carter became president and a tiny hamlet in western Georgia became famous as the hometown of a certain peanut farmer.
It happened to Crawford, Texas, when George Bush took the White House and the town closest to his getaway central Texas ranch blossomed with tourists and the businesses that catered to them.

But Honolulu, which already lures millions of tourists each year, is only beginning to see development of tourism tied to Barack Obama, the Hawaii native son who becomes the 44th president of the United States in January.

And I have to admit, I'm pissed I didn't make this flight and I'm now convinced that there's nothing Tyler is incapable of:


When a hero comes along, have the strength to carry on

Hansbrough, Thompson aid ill passenger on flight
The Associated Press
Published: December 1, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.: North Carolina forward Deon Thompson won't soon forget the top-ranked Tar Heels' flight home from the Maui Invitational.

Thompson, reigning national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough and team video coordinator Eric Hoots helped carry an unconscious passenger to the airplane's galley where paramedics treated him before the flight home on Thanksgiving Day. Thompson, a 6-foot-8 junior, called it a scary moment.

After last week, I can now proudly announce that I've visited all fifty states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. And I'm not even thirty although it is creeping up.

Unfortunately, I've yet to get a hit from Wyoming, the lone holdout as I strive to get hits from all fifty states. Do I have to write about FE Warren to make it happen? Dick Cheney? Yellowstone? What gives?

Regardless, God Bless America.

Congrats, Sen. McCain

While we should all take great pride and hope in President-elect Obama, here's hoping that history is kind to John McCain, a true American hero who embodies honor and integrity. He campaigned as well as could be expected considering the circumstances and his own personal strengths (he outperformed the generic Republican by wide margins).

It will be interesting to see the details of the infighting in the McCain campaign as they'll surely come out. I'm not so interested in the back-biting--finger pointing at this point is so useless--but more about the strategy and focus on harnessing McCain's 'maverickness'.

As I've long maintained, when it came to choosing this year's candidates, we got it right. Either way, next January's inauguration was going to install a patriot and great American story as our chief executive.

That said, this Onion story was a little real...Happy Veterans Day, Capt. McCain.

McCain Gets Hammered At Local VFW
November 5, 2008 | Issue 44•45

PHOENIX—After conceding defeat in the 2008 presidential election, former Republican candidate John McCain reportedly got completely hammered Tuesday night at the Veterans of Foreign Wars bar in Phoenix. "I saw this old guy just kind of slumped over his drink for a couple hours before I realized who it was," bartender Rob Dubbin said of the former Navy officer, who sources confirmed arrived at the VFW community tavern around 9 p.m. wearing his lieutenant commander's jacket and cap. "He must have had about eight or nine boilermakers in all. I heard him muttering something about 'Pennsylvania,' I think, but other than that he was pretty quiet." Sources said McCain continued to drink alone until well after 3 a.m., at which point fellow patrons had to carry the sleeping senator to a couch in the back office. LINK

The Commander in Chief

God Bless America, home of the American Dream!

McCain signs in Chapel Hill

Man, those Southerns train their criminals young. And then they're dumb enough to get caught on camera. Thankfully, there is a precedence for Southern Democrats getting pwned.

1861-1865: North 1, South 0.

Frankly, I remember Chapel Hill being more about Players than presidential politics (or going to class). Enjoy.

Why Lee Zeldin

For more than a year, I've worked alongside Lee Zeldin as he's put together a valiant effort t sto defeat an incumbent and earn a seat as Eastern Long Island's representative to the United States Congress.

Before I continue, it's important to note that I don't throw around the word 'valiant' without qualification, and I'll explain why I describe Lee's efforts in this way below. But first, a word about the incumbent, Tim Bishop.

Despite having worked hard to unseat him over the past 12 months, I don't dislike Tim Bishop. In fact, I respect him and the office that he holds. Having never actually met him, all indications cast him as a caring family man and a concerned American who's committed to serving his community. No doubt, these are the qualities of an upstanding citizen.

However, his six years of Congressional service are best described as unremarkable. You'll never see Tim Bishop on Meet the Press and cannot name a notable piece of legislation he's led on his own (anyone can sign on as a cosponsor of strong legislation). And while that's fine for most other Congressional Districts, considering New York's position of leadership for the the nation, our penchant for excellence and Suffolk County's high taxes, I think we deserve better.

I'm sure that there are plenty of arguments that Bishop supporters could give me in regarding the track record of their candidate (eg. regarding the environment and education); and I might even accept some of those positions. But perception is reality.

In Congress and within his own party, Tim Bishop is a back bencher, not on par with Peter King, Gary Ackerman, Steve Israel or Carolyn McCarthy, all of whom possess more notoriety and clout on the Hill. If pressed, I think even Tim Bishop would have to admit that. Unfortunately for us, he's First on Long Island in District only.

As a government employee myself, I expect more of my colleagues. And as an Air Force veteran, I will always adhere to the core value of Excellence in All We Do. After a year of working alongside Lee Zeldin, I've seen firsthand how (even for a soldier) he embodies this core value and as I write this, I'm more convinced today that he's the right man for this position than I was when I committed to support him.

In the summer of 2007, I was excited about the prospect helping a fellow young veteran get elected. As we've publicized in virtually every release, Lee served as an Army JAG in a variety of locations including a stint with the 82nd Airborne in Iraq. In my book, that alone serves as a huge qualifier for public office. I am a champion of getting more veterans into Congress (our numbers are dwindling on the Hill), and if I can help a fellow OIF vet punch his ticket, all the better for our troops on the ground. But Lee's depth extends beyond his uniformed service.

When it came to campaigning, Lee went all in. Blessed with a wonderful, understanding wife, he's been able to commit his heart and soul to the stump. While his wife has watched his beautiful twin girls and worked an unthinkable schedule to make ends meet, Lee's not only shown how much he cares about where he came from but more importantly, where he wants to take his community.

Of all the places a lawyer with Lee's bona fides could choose to live, Lee wanted to return to Shirley. While anyone like Lee with a law degree, military service and significant courtroom experience is marketable in so many places--even in this economy; especially in this economy--Lee took the road less traveled. Instead of finding a gated community in North Carolina or a politically ripe district in Arizona--both places he's lived, and many of his Long Island contemporaries have moved--Lee chose to buy a home in Shirley.

Sidenote: Considering Lee's relatively young age, I've heard a number of folks comment on how this campaign will help prepare him for the future, as if he's only doing this half-heartedly. Unequivocally, nothing could be further from the truth. Lee's in this to win. At the same time, if he is unsuccessful, I'm sure he'll get on with changing the world through other means. The people of the First CD have one shot at locking Lee in, I'm writing this in hopes that they do not miss this golden opportunity.

Further, on the topic of age, no one cared how old he was when they sent him to Baghdad--why should Washington be any different?

For all the challenges posed by life in the Mastic-Shirley area, Lee seeks to do the noble thing, to make it better.

Therein lies the reality of the type of man Lee Zeldin is. To paraphrase one of my personal heroes, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, "his audio matches his visual." It's one thing to say you want Mastic-Shirley to get better, it's another when you devote your life to make it happen.

Throughout this crusade, I've often been impressed by Lee's deft organizational skill. In times that are defined by economic hardship, he's never made excuses en route to building an impressive campaign machine that rivals anything the First CD has seen from a challenger in recent years. From the thousands of small donations his supporters could afford, Lee has squeezed progress out of every nickle. A fantastic motivator, Lee has some of the most dedicated volunteers you'll find anywhere in the 2008 race.

In the last year, he has exhibited the leadership, commitment and ability that we deserve. Because of these characteristics, there isn't a doubt in my mind that Lee Zeldin is the right man at the right time to represent New York's First Congressional District.

As our nation faces unprecedented national security challenges and some of deepest depths of economic hardship, we could use his steady hand. We would do well to have a man like him represent us in Washington.

So on an Election Day where the concept of 'change' will reach unprecedented heights, here's hoping that hardworking men and women of the First CD recognize the positive change Lee Zeldin will bring to Eastern Long Island as their next Congressman.
-----
Notes: Lee does not know that I wrote this, although I suspect he'll find out about it via a blogsearch the campaign has set up. At the same time, I expect Bishop to find out in much the same way (I have it on record that members of his staff are among my most loyal readers).

Vote for Jane Slater in '08

This Election Season, morganobrien.com endorses KMGH News 7 News' Jane Slater in the great 2008 Denver News Hotties (link).



Slater, recently seen canoodling around the Mile High City with Deloitte numbers whiz Dash Victor, faces stiff competition against station mate Christine Chang, Brooke Thacker (9) and Audra Ensign (CW 2), so every vote counts.

No idea when winners will be announced so check back often.

About Jane:

Jane joined the 7NEWS team in May 2007 as a general assignment reporter and special projects producer.

She arrived in the Mile High City in December 2006, signing on at the station first as a freelancer. The newsroom immediately put her to work. Jane's first assignment turned her knuckles white and it wasn't new market jitters rather the freezing temperatures...

Jane attended the University of Texas at Austin where she double majored in Broadcast Journalism and Government. Needless to say, she is a very proud Texas Longhorn and native Texan.

Sarah and Manny

As a huge fan of baseball and politics, I was thrilled to read on the Freakonomics blog of Nate Silver, a guy who makes a living following both! It's nice to know I'm not alone. So as I watch tonight's VP debate and prepare to catch the Dodgers face off with the Cubbies, I can't help but think of the two marquis names in tonight's matchups--Sarah Palin and Manny Ramirez--and their respective paths to October under the national spotlight.

As a Yankee fan, I was thrilled when the Red Sox had enough of Manny's antics and traded him. He was a Yankee killer, with 55 lifetime dingers against the pinstripes. While Jason Bay--the player the Chowderheads received in return for Manny--is a nice ballplayer, he's a step down from Ramirez and even the most devoted Sawx fan would admit that.

And this is where I'm curious about the extreme left's hysteria regarding Sarah Palin.

I can't get over how devoted partisans like Maureen Dowd and Slate's Emily Bazelon are so adamantly opposed to McCain's choice of Palin as his running mate. Dowd (Pulitzer winner) and Bazelon (two-time Yale grad)--for the sake of this argument, we'll compare them to fans of the Yanks--are both brilliant enough and should be thrilled at the gaffes and missteps of Palin that have put John McCain in a ten-point national hole. I mean, when your enemy's diging a hole, don't stand there and critique the process--hand him a shovel.

I consider myself a moderate libertarian, but I can't get over this nasty vitriol from the media on this issue. Dowd compares Sarah Palin's rise to national prominence to a chick flick that offends her and Bazelon writes of the shame she experiences in watching Palin interview. There's criticism and then there's anger. These opinions venture awfully close to anger, and that's just not healthy.

When Jason Bay arrived in Boston, if I were to follow the Dowd-Bazelon tact, I'd go on and on about how ridiculous it was that this imposter was now roaming the sacred field of Williams, Yaz, Greenwell (who should have been the 1988 MVP) and Manny. But as a partisan Yankee fan, it would take a reincarnation of Ted Williams replacing Manny to send me into these hysterics. (I know Ted Williams, Ted Williams is a friend of mine, and Sarah Palin is no Ted Williams.)

In conclusion, I'll stick with the Yanks-Sox rivalry. I'll never forget the Yankees-Sawx game I attended July 1, 2004 (the Jeter dive game) where the Yanks mounted an incredible comeback to beat their hated enemies in 13 innings at the Stadium.

As the Yanks mounted their comeback, I'll always remember the look on the faces of the Boston fans in attendance that night. It's like they expected to lose. (Note: This was before Red Sox nation captured their first World Series in 86 years, and this is probably the last time New England experienced this emotion.)

And maybe that's why it's not a stretch to compare those that are nervous about Sarah Palin to those pre-world championship Red Sox followers. Maybe it would take an Obama-Biden victory to wipe this defeatist attitude from their collective mindset. And you know what, if this vitriol would cease because of it, that might not be the worst thing (although knowing the media and seeing were it's headed, this unfortunately is highly unlikely). And if the Red Sox can win two world titles in four years, I guess anything's possible.

God Bless America

For all our differences, these guys know when to come together, and recognize that we're all Americans first and foremost. We win either way, America.

McCain, Obama commemorate 9/11 together

Capitol Pageviews!

Click image for better view

A special thanks to Congressman Tim Bishop's team, from whom someone visited my site today. I'll venture a guess that they saw my URL in my signature on the 631 post, and decided to do some investigating. Well here I am, and thanks for the pageview.

I'd like to take this opportunity to offer an interview opportunity to the Congressman or anyone on their staff. I think it'd be a coup for the site.

morgan_obrien3@yahoo.com. I will always make myself available to my readers.

Nutter Center!

It appears that John McCain will name his running mate in my former home of Dayton, Ohio, Friday afternoon. Who he'll choose is anyone's guess (although, I find Kay Bailey Hutchison intriguing).

But the real news here is where Senator McCain is making the announcement: at none other than the Nutter Center on the campus of Wright State University, my alma mater!


The author (after a long night in Cincy), his advisor, and a diploma (finally!)

The Nutter Center will always hold a special place in my heart, because after like 15 years and a heck of a lot of patience from my advisor, I finally graduated on the floor there in 2007! It was a great day, and only a little hazy because the night before, my sisters in law took me to some wild SW Ohio beer celebration that was thinly veiled under the guise of "Church Festival."

Now, in the interest of equal time, Obama ventured into the Nutter Center earlier in the campaign (It'll be interesting to see who packed the gym with more supporters. Geez, Dayton's really getting a lot of 2008 swing state love). Barry also balled with my beloved Carolina Tar Heels earlier this year, which was pretty freaking cool.

Well, anyway, Go Raiders!