I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
Susan Rice would be the first African-American woman ambassador to the UN
Was anybody else as interested as I was to see the photos of Obama’s press conference this morning? Although we’ve known about his national security picks for some time now, it was a pleasant surprise to see them all standing on a stage together. Among the six nominees there were three women (Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice, Janet Napolitano), two African-Americans (Rice, Eric Holder) and a Republican (Robert Gates).
While George W. Bush did appoint Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell to top spots, his Cabinet was otherwise marked by extreme politicization, relative inexperience and only a nod to diversity throughout.
But this is no affirmative action team. As Politico noted today:
New York Times columnist David Brooks nailed it recently when he called the emerging cabinet a “valedictocracy”: a team of the nation’s first-in-class Ivy League elites. He meant it as a compliment. He’s not alone: it’s hard to find Republicans who don’t express admiration (at least in private) for the emerging Obama team.
MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews this morning talked about the image diversity coming out of Barack Obama’s press conference Monday morning, saying it looked like a United Colors of Benetton ad, and Huffington Post picked up on it (with video):
Matthews said that Obama “is very aware of the picture he’s offering as well as the words” and that his picture Monday morning — three women, three African Americans, one Republican (and someone who has worked with Republicans, in Gen. Jones) — sends a clear message.
“Clearly it has the picture we’re looking for, many faces of Benetton or whatever you want to call it,” Matthews said, “but clearly representative of America more than previous administrations.”
