Posted on: Saturday, November 15, 2008
Musical chairs on political fronts
By David Shapiro
With the election over, everybody's busy getting organized as we "flASHback" on the week's news that amused and confused:
President-elect Obama showed up 11 minutes early for his first White House visit, and President Bush was already waiting. Looks like Bush wants to move out as badly as Obama wants to move in.
The Hawai'i Society's inaugural ball is the hottest ticket in Washington, even though Obama hasn't confirmed he'll appear. Word must have gotten out about the Spam musubi pupu tray.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, 84, will become the Senate's top money man, replacing 90-year-old Sen. Robert Byrd as appropriations chairman. Byrd resisted stepping down, but yielded to Inouye after the leadership persuaded him pork is a young man's game.
Gov. Linda Lingle and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona are promoting tourism in Asia, and news releases stressed that they're traveling separately. After the mess over her former aide Bob Awana's Asia junkets, I guess you can't be too clear that nobody is hooking up.
Lingle said bloggers who sit in their rooms and criticize her don't have much to offer. Gee, I'd apologize for annoying her if it hadn't been such a pleasure.
It took the two state Senate Republicans longer to organize than the 23 Democrats. Fred Hemmings is minority leader and Sam Slom floor leader. They're one fiddler short of a line dance.
Rep. Calvin Say fought off another challenge from fellow Democrats and remains speaker of the House.
He's won more turf wars than Weed-B-Gon.
Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, re-elected after a DUI bust, is the new Judiciary Committee chairman. He was picked for his unique understanding of the legal system from a defendant's point of view.
New Kaua'i Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. says he'll issue quarterly report cards on his progress toward keeping campaign promises. He'll grade himself pass, fail or kanalua.
Hundreds lined up downtown for the official launch of the new quarter honoring Hawai'i. In this economy, I'm surprised anyone could afford to buy one.
From the police blotter, two women were arrested in Waikiki after one allegedly drove her vehicle at the other, who in turn tried to knife the driver. Sounds a lot like how Hemmings and Slom settled who would be No. 1.
And the quote of the week ... from Madelyn Dunham about the flood of flowers in her final days: "Oh, my ... with all of this hullabaloo, it's going to be embarrassing if I DON'T die." May the president-elect face his toughest tests with his grandma's cool.
David Shapiro, a veteran Hawai'i journalist, can be reached by e-mail at dave@volcanicash.net. His columns are archived at www.volcanicash.net.
Reach David Shapiro at dave@volcanicash.net.
