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04 Jul 2009 14:08

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Politics, U.S.: Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski trashes Sarah Palin’s decision to quit

  • I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded.
  • Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski • In a statement released Friday night. The senator had made a deal with Palin just months ago that the governor would help raise money for Murkowski’s 2010 senate run. Either way, you know something’s not right in Denmark when someone from your own state – and your own party – pulls out word daggers like this. • source

04 Jul 2009 13:53

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Politics, U.S.: Sarah Palin’s point of comparison: Richard M. Nixon?

  • 1962 Nixon, bludgeoned and bloodied by a loss in the California gubernatorial election, said he was straight-up quitting politics. Instead, he used the next few years to rebuild his base, and wouldn’t you know it? By 1968 he was elected president.
  • 2009 Palin, a popular if controversial figure defined by her left-field moves, appears to be doing the same by resignation as Alaska’s governor, her base says. Now, if she ends up president in 2012, good for her, but it’s still an incredibly risky move. source

03 Jul 2009 16:01

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21 May 2009 09:15

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Offbeat: Love, immigration status tear mayor apart from Texas city

  • It’s true love, but his gay lover needs a visa. J.W. Lown, the mayor of San Angelo, Texas, stepped down from his position abruptly yesterday, preferring not to use his power to help his boyfriend in Mexico make it to the U.S. before others. Lown was a very popular mayor in San Angelo, and was last elected to office with 89% of the vote. He holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Mexico. source

19 May 2009 21:04

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World: British PM Gordon Brown’s got a “resign” petition with his name on it

  • 60,953 signed the bloody thing already source

04 May 2009 09:26

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World: Wanting to save an “infant democracy,” Nepal’s PM resigns

  • Prachanda fought against Nepal’s monarchy for a decade. The prime minister, also known as Pushpa Kamal Daha, resigned in the wake of heavy protests against the sacking of the country’s army chief, Gen. Rookmangud Katawal. The Maoist government sacked him, but the country’s president, Ram Baran Yadav, reinstated him. The “unconstitutional” measure, according to Prachanda, causes a base conflict in the government, so he’s stepping aside to help protect the democracy. Prachanda led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before they laid down their arms last year in democratic elections. source

29 Mar 2009 20:29

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Biz, U.S.: GM’s head guy, Rick Wagoner, is apparently gonna step down.

  • Why now? GM wants help General Motors’ top man is leaving now in part because the White House made strong hints that they wanted new leadership if the automaker wanted more bailout money. Wagoner has been with the company for over three decades and has been CEO for almost a decade. There’s no word yet as to who the new CEO’s going to be, but we’ll probably learn more later this week.
  • A cruddy legacy Wagoner has led GM through some of the more questionable periods of the company’s history – between the fumbled response to Japanese carmakers, the legacy payments to union employees, the over-leaning on SUV’s to save the company’s fortunes and the utter lack of creativity in the company’s vehicles, it’s kind of tough to say what was the one thing that made GM fall so far. source
 

20 Mar 2009 10:57

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Politics, U.S.: Elliot Spitzer appears to be ready for image rehab

  • He’s on CNN! The former governor of New York, forced out of office last year after a sex scandal with a prostitution ring, had an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria which will air in full on Sunday. They’ll talk about Spitzer’s AIG whistleblowing. Key quote: “Back then I said to people, ‘AIG is the center of the web.’ The financial tentacles of this company stretched to every major investment bank.”
  • He’s on Slate! Spitzer’s other sign of public life is in the form of a regular column he’s writing for Slate. In his most recent column, he discusses how the financial crisis affects governors. “Governors must deal with all the problems confronting our economy,” he says, “but they lack the federal government’s ability to run a deficit.” He may still have a political career yet.

20 Feb 2009 13:22

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U.S.: New Illinois governor: Yeah, Burris should resign

  • He will always be held in high regard by the people for making this decision. The common good is really what we have to focus on today.
  • Gov. Patrick Quinn • regarding a potential resignation by Illinois senator Roland Burris, who’s been a pretty entertaining dramabomb unto himself lately. • source