Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Big news day. The President will announce that he's chosen Elena Kagan as the next nominee for the Supreme Court. Ms. Kagan is currently the Solicitor General. She's never been a judge, but did serve as the Dean of Harvard Law School. Apparently, she's considered brilliant and tough. And, she's 50.

Also this morning, 125 veterans who are in town to lobby for the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell will meet with White House staffers. Not sure which staffers will be there. But, it would be wise for Jim Messina, the Deputy Chief of Staff who is overseeing the gay issues, to meet these men and women. For Messina and his colleagues, DADT is a pesky political issue (albeit one that their boss repeatedly promised to end both during the campaign and as president.) But, for the men and women lobbying to end DADT, it's not about politics. It's about their lives and their willingness to put their lives on the line for the rest of us. And, it's not an excuse for anyone at the White House to say "we don't have the votes." If the President engages and leads, we can get the votes. If DADT isn't repealed this year, as promised, the Obama political team will be starting the reelection campaign with a big gay problem.

The Senate continues its debate on Wall Street reform. No votes on amendments today, but there will be more as the week progresses.

And, the impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spread. The Times-Picayune has a day-by-day animation of the spill's movement.

Let's get it stated. Going to be a busy week...