Pro-Choice Obama Exploits Sebelius' Catholicism

She's pressed to answer more questions on abortion

(NEWSER) - President Obama will have to wait until at least next week to have a complete Cabinet after Senate Republicans blocked the immediate confirmation of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius yesterday, AP reports. A vote on the Health and Human Services Secretary nominee—whose appointment is fiercely opposed by anti-abortion groups—will now take place after debate next Tuesday, when the Democrats expect to prevail. More»

Major issues in the wake of Daschle's withdrawal

(NEWSER) - Tom Daschle gave up his nomination for Health and Human Services Secretary, raising a host of questions, Matthew Cooper writes at Talking Points Memo. Did an issue besides tax problems arise? Was the decision really Daschle’s, or the administration’s? Some other big issues:

1. How many Obama nominees will be felled by tax issues? If Geithner’s $34,000 is OK but Daschle’s $140,000 isn’t, where is that line?
2. Beyond heading the HHS, Daschle was billed by Obama as the pointman for the overhaul of the health care system. Who will lead the charge now?

Kansas gov says she's had no meetings on joining the Obama Cabinet

(AP) - Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, mentioned as a top candidate for health secretary, said today she has not talked with President Barack Obama about joining his Cabinet. "There really isn't anything to tell. I haven't had any meetings about the position," Sebelius, 60, said in an interview with the AP during the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. More»

White House proposal aims to unite Dems ahead of summit

(NEWSER) - The White House is crafting its own health care bill aimed at uniting House and Senate Democrats ahead of a bipartisan summit next week. The president hopes to avoid a Republican filibuster by attaching it to a budget bill, using the procedure called budget reconciliation. However, congressional Democrats have yet to see the bill—and it may be a tough sell. “There has not been a collaborative process,” a Dem tells the New York Times . "This is very much a White House proposal.” More»

Terrorism pros handle health crisis

(NEWSER) - With key health posts in the Obama administration still vacant, the swine flu outbreak is being handled by a counter-terrorism specialist and a former governor, Politico reports. The administration still lacks a surgeon general and chiefs for the Food and Drug Administraion and Centers for Disease Control, and needs to fill 20 crucial positions—including the secretary of the agency—at Health and Human Services. Still, the White House contends it's prepared. More»