Obama reacts to Illinois governor's arrest

Hello and welcome to a UPI White House Weekly.

President-elect Barack Obama is calling for Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to resign. That's according to an Obama spokesperson. Earlier this week, Blagojevich was arrested on federal corruption charges. He's accused of conspiring to sell or trade the Senate seat vacated by Obama in exchange for financial benefits for himself and his wife. At a news conference, the President-elect said he had no contact with the Governor about selling his Senate seat and added that he's saddened by the news. Blagojevich is free on bail.

Obama told reporters this week that it's time to deal with the issue of climate change in a serious way. With former Vice President Al Gore at his side, he said the time for denial is over. Gore, Obama and Vice-President Elect Joe Biden met privately in Chicago to discuss energy and climate change. A spokeswoman for Gore said he wasn't seeking an official position in the new administration, but the meeting prompted speculation about what the former Vice President's exact role in an Obama White House might be. The President-Elect said the purpose of the meeting was to learn how new environmental policies can spur job creation and jumpstart the economy.

Former Senator Tom Daschle is Obama's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The President-elect made the official announcement earlier today. The former Senate majority leader from South Dakota said he plans to write the health care proposal that Obama will submit to Congress next year. Daschle said he hopes to have the plan enacted by next year, but added that it will take several years to implement. The former senator is currently on the health care advisory group of Obama's transition team.

As Obama continues to fill out his Cabinet, Democratic sources say the President-elect is close to naming his pick for energy secretary. Steven Chu, who's a physicist and runs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is reportedly Obama's choice. Sources say Obama will also name Carol Browner to be the newly created climate director inside the White House. Browner was the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the Clinton administration.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Blagojevich
• Illinois
• governor
• corruption
• Senate
• Obama
• sell
• Al Gore
• Biden
• enery
• climate
• Daschle
• Chu
• Browner

[germanshep999]

you are a dumb shit, global warming is now called climate change Al Gore and Obama are a bunch of liberal idiots.

[smsalapek]

Global warming is the Great Lie! And it looks like Obama is adding to his corrupt buddies list.

People who don't care for Barack Obama are NOT racist...in fact I am pleased that Michael Steele was just voted in as the new RNC Chairman. This racist claim has got to go...this is 2009 and those racist arguments don't wash. Get out of the past!

[fordvader]

research global warming.....it's false!!!

[B4lLKrok]

im on cam and bored

wanting new friends bB

[AmericanPatriot92]

I guess you're probably not going to like me too much.

:)

That's fine. Obamabot.

[AmericanPatriot92]

Hurry, throw Blago under the bus too, before you get caught!

[JimmyFormerMarine]

Note that Obama is saying exactly what Nixon said following Watergate.

[PhotonDrive]

Better not go to south India Al - the peasants there will throw more than a SHOE at you - IF they have the strength after selling their kidneys to pay for losses from their GMO Rice! IF they haven't already commited suicide for a pittance of insurance for their starving children! Saying "sorry" doesn't cut it Al: STOP whoring for Monsanto's death machine! Period!

[dbrownsuckers]

fuck whoever doesn't like obama

[xCLOWNxODz]

hey, at least hes trying to stop global warming and hes stopping corruption. the people who hate Obama are the racist ones...