Day 61: happy birthday Joe Biden
Updated on 21 November 2008
Thu 20 Nov 2008: Joe Biden's 66th birthday, more cabinet positions filled and the one about Sarah Palin and the turkey.
Thursday was the vice-president elect's 66th birthday and to mark the occasion, Barack Obama surprised him with cupcakes, candles and what the transition website's blog called a "stirring rendition" of Happy Birthday. Bless.
Yet the celebrations did not stop the Obama team confirming more appointments to his cabinet. Although no formal announcement will be made before Thanksgiving next Thursday, The latest person to be linked with a senior role is the Arizona governor Janet Napolitano.
Napolitano, who was one of the first governors to back Obama, is reported to have been offered the homeland security role.
It seems the appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state is also on track, with husband Bill agreeing to financial disclosure, including a list of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation.
Janet Napolitano, who was one of the first governors to back Obama, is reported to have been offered the homeland security role.
Obama is also not short of advice from elsewhere. Around three dozens of foreign policy experts on both sides of the political divide published an advert in the New York Times with suggestions to boost international cooperation using the United Nations.
"The U.N. cannot succeed without strong U.S. leadership and support," the advertisement said. "This investment will pay off substantially by helping to enhance our standing internationally and strengthen our ability to keep America safe and strong."
The statement comes as a US intelligence report, Global Trends 2025, suggests the US and the dollar could decline in importance over the next two decades.
Finally, she may not be running for vice president any more and she's not going to appear in the Obama cabinet line-up, but Sarah Palin is still drawing attention to herself.
With a week to go until Thanksgiving, The Huffington Post reports that she appeared in Wasilla to pardon a local turkey. Perhaps not worth noting if it wasn't for the interview with the local media that followed.
She was interviewed for a full three minutes while turkeys were being slaughtered in the background. When asked by the interviewer about her Thanksgiving plans, she responded "I'll be in charge of the turkey - I'm where I need to be today to prepare for that."
You can watch the interview here (pay attention to the reactions of the man in the background). The clip contains images that might upset some viewers, so be warned.
