Govt lies about junk-touching

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, on the video at the link, claims the new full-body scans at airports are NOT "electronic strip searches"? Oh really, what are they, then?

And, instead, why can't we hire more people, train them better in observing other people, and run our airport security with at least a few ideas from Israel?

It's once again an attempt to do things on the cheap with technology rather than with people. The American Way.

Another reason not to name Western govs to the Cabinet

Three of four Western governors talked about as possible Obama cabinet members have Republican lite govs as their wingpersons.

So, maybe think again about Montana's Brian Schweitzer or Wyoming's Dave Freudenthal at Interior (in addition to Schweitzer definitely not being green and Freudenthal a non-greenish blank slate). Hold off on Arizona's Janet Napolitano at AG.

And, hold off on naming Big Bill Richardson to anything.

Why I think Sebelius would be a good VP pick — or Napolitano

HuffPost’s Sam Stein gets into the policy and politics details, adding flesh to the strategery bones, from where I sit, of picking a woman candidate. To me, the only other female candidate, off the top of my head, would be Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, who might give Obama a bit of western states boost. Like Sebelius, she has been elected and re-elected in a traditionally Republican state, and has been similarly unafraid of playing hardball with the state legislature.

First, she’s clearly not afraid to go on the political attack in general. That makes her good VP material. Second, she has progressive credibility. Third, she’s got political skills.

Finally, although VPs generally aren’t big on tickets, nonetheless, I think Obama’s best bet is a woman running with him. True, there are some Hillaryite last-ditchers who say they won’t vote for an Obama-any other woman ticket, but we’ll see.

Some people have suggested retired Army three-star Claudia Kennedy, a John Kerry advisor in 2004, but I think she would be better as the first female Secretary of Defense, though we would have to wait a year for that due to the 10-year rule.

Back to Sebelius. I’ll take at face value her explanation that her response to the 2007 State of the Union address was not the proper place to go attack dog. Whether her decision was politically correct or not, it’s a decision she made. I don’t think she just had a “clunker” speech night.

Missing from the 2008 presidential race: governors

Especially on the Democratic side, as Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano points out. Bill Richardson is the only Democratic candidate to have served as a governor.

Meanwhile, the GOP side has Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and former NYC Mayor (a sort of executive position) Rudy Giuliani.

The story notes that Napolitano, being a governor herself, could be on Democrats’ short list of vice-presidential candidate possibilities.