Day 48: more top team appointments
Updated on 04 December 2008
Wednesday 3 December 2008: unveiling a commerce chief and uncovering family history.
The business of today was the announcement of Bill Richardson as secretary of commerce. The governor of New Mexico was reported to be a rival for Hillary Clinton's job as secretary of state, and become the third former rival for the Democrat presidential nomination to join the Obama team.
His appearance drew some attention at the press conference as he had shaved off his beard. The change did not go unmentioned, with Fox News asking Richardson "what happened to the beard, sir?"
Obama responded by saying "I thought it was a mistake for him to get rid of it...We are deeply disappointed with the loss of the beard."
Governor Bill Richardson at the National Democratic Convention on 28 August 2008, with his beard. (Reuters)
The Times revealed some Obama family history on Wednesday - his paternal grandfather was imprisoned and tortured by the British in 1949 during the Mau Mau revolution for Kenyan independence, according to the president-elect's Kenyan family.
Finally, it seems Sarah Palin will not be fading from the limelight. The Huffington Post noticed that her "new" book is being offered for free if you subscribe to Newsmax magazine. Except, notes Chris Kelly, it's not such a "new" book.
The title is:
Sarah: how a hockey mom turned the political establishment upside down
It seems surprisingly similar to a previous book written about the former vice-president candidate called:
Sarah: how a hockey mom turned Alsaka's political establishment upside down
Spot the difference?
