Bill Richardson resigned, but what about Hillary?

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name from consideration as commerce secretary for President-elect Barack Obama, citing an ongoing investigation into possible pay-to-play corruption in the awarding of a state contract to a company that contributed to Richardson.

So is Hillary going to be next to resign?

After all, she's involved in her own mini-scandal involving a developer in New York donating $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton's foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Hillary helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman's mall project.

So much for No-drama Obama.

Merry Christmas

Here's one panel from my New Jersey "Christmas Card" now posted over at PolitickerNJ.com. Go check it out.

The rest of the week, I'll be celebrating Christmas with not one, but two families, so I won't be posting anything else until Monday.

Have a great holiday, and I'll see you when I see you.

New Jersey Cartoon: Duck, Linda, duck

Click the image to see the full cartoon.

It's one thing to pay tribute to a departing colleague as he goes to Washington. It's another to tell him that you really wanted him to win.

Which, according to PolitickerNJ.com, is EXACTLY what State Sen. Raymond Lesniak did:

Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday on a resolution honoring Lance on his departure from the State Senate, Lesniak said: “Senator Lance knows I said to him before the election ‘I really want you to win, Senator.’ I didn’t want to lose him in this body, but he by far was not only the best candidate, but he’s earned it and he deserves it.”

The only problem is during the campaign, he endorsed four-term Democratic Assemblywoman Linda Stender, the SAME Linda Stender that announced yesterday that she intended to run for re-election.

Whoops.

Here's the sketch:


And by-the-way, if you haven't noticed, I'm not leaving PolitickerNJ. I'll still be doing a new cartoon every Wednesday, like always, plus whatever Wally throws my way.

The guys at Politicker.com and The New York Observer have been great, and I'm thrilled that even through tough times and economic cutbacks, they value my work enough to want to keep me around.

Delaware Cartoon: Convicted Felon? Get a Job With DNREC

At the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), state environmental officials decided to hold jobs open for three employees serving prison terms, during a hiring freeze no less.

2 of the prisoners are serving terms for child molestation, while one is serving a one year sentence for second-degree vehicular homicide.

Jack Markell, the incoming Governor, blasted DNREC, calling it a "disturbingly serious breach of the public trust." Ruth Ann Minner, showing decisive leadership, decided not to second guess the head of the agency, John Hughes.

“Secretary Hughes struggled with these decisions and after an honest and thoughtful deliberation process, he made a tough call,’’ Minner said.

Separate but Equal

A 13-member Civil Union Review Commission convened by the New Jersey legislature tasked with "evaluating the implementation, operation and effectiveness" of the civil union law passed nearly two years ago released its final report on Wednesday.

They unanimously recommended that "The Legislature and Governor amend the law to allow same-sex couples to marry" and that it be "enacted expeditiously because any delay in marriage equality will harm all the people of New Jersey."

So now state legislators have a shield to hid behind so they can safely pass a gay marriage law without being stoned by their constituents.



The cartoon is based on a photograph by Elliott Erwitt that Juan Melli over at PolitickerNJ.com sent me. Erwitt is known for his black and white candid shots of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings -- the master of the "indecisive moment".

At least according to Wikipedia.

The Pantsuit is coming back!

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Citigroup thanks you for paying for their marketing efforts

Struggling Citibank just sealed a multi-billion-dollar emergency "backstop" deal with the U.S. government. The financial behemoth, suffering with billions in bad mortgage-related assets on its books, recently shed 53,000 workers and saw its stock price lose over half its value. Yet it's in a 20-year contract to pay the New York Mets $400 million to name the team's new stadium "Citi Field."

Obama addresses his fan club

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On gay marriage, more of the same

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Debate Sketchpad: Too little, too late

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Vice-Presidential Debate sketchpad

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Presidential Debate Sketchpad

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Saying good-bye to Jim Borgman (sort-of)

For those of you that may not have heard, Pulitzer prize-winner Jim Borgman, The Cincinnati Enquirer's staff editorial cartoonist for the last 32 years and the artist behind the popular comic strip Zits, has applied for and was granted severance under the company's voluntary program.

Read more >>

Convention Sketchpad: Day one

To check out a larger version of this cartoon, and to follow all the cartoonists blogging from this year's Democratic National Convention, click here.