shock

The reactors causing all the problems in Japan were made by G.E. In 1975 three engineers with G.E., who were reviewing the Mark 1 reactors, ended up resigning. Their reason? The Mark 1’s containment design in the even of a loss of cooling was so flawed that it would lead to disaster. Sound familiar? It should because that’s exactly what is happening in Japan right now.

But G.E. apparently believes in their “we bring good things to life” motto to much and refuse to see acknowledge that there could be a problem:

GE told ABC News the reactors have "a proven track record of performing reliably and safely for more than 40 years" and "performed as designed," even after the shock of a 9.0 earthquake.

“Performed as designed”? Is this a design performance of their reactors?

If there was ever a strong case for better government oversight, this is it. While the article doesn’t go into specifics, my guess is that higher-ups at G.E. didn’t like the research teams conclusion that the safety features were flawed. They figured it would cost to much money to fix, and in the end game, it’s all about money. Sure some will say “well if this is the case, G.E. will pay now”, but at what cost? How quick would these people change their tune if one of these reactors were in their backyard and this happened? Pretty damn quick I tell you!

Not a big shock, but disappointing none the less:

President Barack Obama's top adviser suggested to The Huffington Post late Wednesday that the administration is ready to accept an across-the-board, temporary continuation of steep Bush-era tax cuts, including those for the wealthiest taxpayers.

That appears to be the only way, said David Axelrod, that middle-class taxpayers can keep their tax cuts, given the legislative and political realities facing Obama in the aftermath of last week's electoral defeat.

"We have to deal with the world as we find it," Axelrod said during an unusually candid and reflective 90-minute interview in his office, steps away from the Oval Office. "The world of what it takes to get this done."

What amazes me is that President Obama was saying absolutely not, even after the election. Talk about mixed messages!

This is the biggest problem with the Obama White House; the President says on thing and then his advisors say something else.  It not only confuses the people, but also makes the President look like a very weak administrator. For a campaign that ran so tight during the 2008 elections, we now have a plethora of mixed messages. The President needs to fix this problem before we hit the 2012 cycle, which is saying he needs to fix it right now.

Time for some new staff Mr. President, or you very well might end up being a one term President.

Elizabeth Warren has been one of the most sound voices during this financial crisis. Republicans and Democrats have both looked up to her analysis of the problems plaguing our economy and have touted her as one of the brightest minds when it comes to economics.

Tim Geithner – not so much.

So this story should come as no big shock to those that follow the soap opera filled world of economics:

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has expressed opposition to the possible nomination of Elizabeth Warren to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to a source with knowledge of Geithner's views.

The financial reform bill passed by the Senate on Thursday mandates the creation of a new federal entity charged with protecting consumers from predatory lenders.

But if Geithner has his way, the most prominent advocate for creating the agency may not be picked to lead it.

The last thing we need is someone heading another economic unit of the federal government, who will fall into the “good ole’ boys club”. We need differing views and opinions, because that is the basis for the best ideas. To me that is an awesome reason to give Warren the job. Let the powers disagree and argue it out. Then we might start getting sound policy to turn this train wreck around.

Things just keep getting worse. News organizations are reporting a huge 4.3 after shock that just rocked the battered capital of Port Au Prince, complicating rescue efforts.

Looks like ole’ Max Baucus might be in a little trouble:

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus’ office confirmed late Friday night that the Montana Democrat was carrying on an affair with his state office director, Melodee Hanes, when he nominated her to be U.S. attorney in Montana.

According to a source familiar with their relationship, Hanes and Baucus began their relationship in the summer of 2008 – nearly a year before Baucus and his wife, Wanda, divorced in April 2009. The Senator had informally separated from his wife in March 2008 and they were living apart when he began dating Hanes, according to Baucus' office.

Hanes ended her employment with Baucus in the spring of this year.

Really this story shouldn’t shock anyone. We know Baucus likes screwing people. Hell – he’s been screwing the entire nation when it comes to healthcare reform.

Another good move by the President:

Obama has rejected the Pentagon's first draft of the "nuclear posture review" as being too timid, and has called for a range of more far-reaching options consistent with his goal of eventually abolishing nuclear weapons altogether, according to European officials.

Those options include:

• Reconfiguring the US nuclear force to allow for an arsenal measured in hundreds rather than thousands of deployed strategic warheads.

• Redrafting nuclear doctrine to narrow the range of conditions under which the US would use nuclear weapons.

• Exploring ways of guaranteeing the future reliability of nuclear weapons without testing or producing a new generation of warheads.

Currently the United States has approximately 9,300 nuclear warheads, far more than needed to destroy the entire planet numerous times over. Think of how much money is spent keeping these secure and maintained – money wasted. This is a very conservative approach by the President, and one that makes the right cringe, which is of course no shock at all.

Joe “the Plumber” tells a room full of media-bashing conservatives that he is “horny”.

It looks like it wasn’t taken very well either:

It seemed that all of those who were gathered in the ballroom of Washington's Grand Hyatt hotel for the Media Research Center's annual "DisHonors Awards" ceremony designed to bash the dreaded liberal elite media were stunned. Buzz immediately commenced.

"Did Joe the Plumber really just say he's horny?" "Did you hear Joe say 'horny'?" "Why is he horny and why is he telling us?"

Is it any shock that this would end up happening with Joe the Moron?

Not big shock here:

David Gregory will take the reins as moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," the Huffington Post has learned. Gregory has been a leading contender for the permanent spot since Tom Brokaw stepped in as interim moderator following Tim Russert's death in June.

In recent weeks, a short list including Gregory, Andrea Michell, Gwen Ifill, and Chuck Todd had been considered the top candidates for the position, while Katie Couric and Ted Koppel were viewed as dark horses.

I actually predicted this back in October. I’m not that thrilled with this pick, especially after seeing Gwen Ifill’s name on the list. Is it too soon to break the white guy monopoly on the Sunday morning talk shows? Even if they wanted to keep the white guy club going, how about someone like John Harwood? He’s smart and seems really center on the issues.