Obama VP Vetter Johnson Resigns

WASHINGTON — A leader of Democrat Barack Obama's vice presidential research team has resigned amid criticism over his personal loan deals.

Obama announced in a statement Wednesday that Jim Johnson was stepping aside to avoid distracting from the vetting process.

Johnson served on the vetting team with former first daughter Caroline Kennedy and former Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder.

Comments

[pnwskier]

This shouldn't have taken much vetting. Jim Johnson already had the stink of FNMA excessive compensation and the culture of hardball political lobbying all over him. I was really disappointed when I first heard that Barack had tapped him for this job, and I knew it was going to come back and bite him. Johnson was a jerk for taking ithis on anyway. He should have known that anyone with connections like his to the mortgage industry in general and FNMA and Countrywide in particular would be radioactive this year. All he did was make Barack look bad, for nothing.

[PFHarlock]

Barack Obama has raised his own bar when it comes to ethics. Consequently, involving Jim Johnson, especially in such a publicly visible position, was an uncharacteristically sloppy move on the part of his campaign. Let's hope they've learned form it.

[mcfried]

I agree - this was an unnecessary error by the campaign. They should have asked Gore instead.

[NotMcCain]

"They should have asked Gore instead."

Who?

[suntzu]

A little bird told me that Obama hired him at Kerry's urging. Notice how fast Kerry came to Johnson's defense. I also thought it weird that Obama would pick someone from one of the most controversial -- most toxic next to oil -- business sectors in the US. He should have picked someone from the public service non-profit sector.

Barack is lucky. No serious harm done.

[HatingTheGame]

Ahh politics. I am sure the bus ride is going to be bumpy -- not the least from all the people that are going to be (and need to be) thrown under it.

LOL

[MidSection]

Isn't it interesting that the name Barak is mentioned 333 times in the bible. Multiply that by 2 and you get 666. Is Barak hussein Obama the Anti-Christ? His followers seem to think he is God.

[SanityClaus]

This "factlike statement" brought to you by the Republican National Committee.

[heal57]

Idiot. Did you even graduate from high school?

[ObamaLover]

please, you're embarassing conservatives.

[vipersdad]

Actually no - it's not interesting at all. Why do you ask? You are equating Obama to Emporer Nero?

[MyAudacity]

You are a liar and/or deliberately deceitful, or simply misled. Get you an electronic Bible and you can check things out for yourself. There are 14 verses in the Bible reference Barak

(Jdg 4:6)

(Jdg 4:8)

(Jdg 4:9)

(Jdg 4:10)

(Jdg 4:12)

(Jdg 4:14)

(Jdg 4:15)

(Jdg 4:16)

(Jdg 4:22).

(Jdg 5:1)

(Jdg 5:12)

(Jdg 5:15)

(1Sa 12:11)

(Heb 11:32)

[stepintothelight]

I just hope once he is in the WH he runs his administration like this. I can't take another four years of criminals in the administration hanging out and dodging legalities until they are cornered before they resign.

[Cougarkj]

Of course, in contrast, McCain is quoted as saying he absolutely will have a place for Cheney in his White House. God Bless Barack Obama.

[DRaymond]

We need to vet the veep vetter better with a better veep vetter vetter.

This does seem to be an overblown example of gotcha politics. Vetting is basicly research, not policy unless I presume that Obama isn't going to let anybody repeat Cheyey's 'I pick myself' stunt.

[Diplomacy]

This is the BIG story of "Jim Johnson" is the story of the day?

When we have President Bush running all over Europe on his "Farewell Tour", drumming up support for his NEXT WAR!

He states regarding IRAN: "All options are on the table. Diplomacy Firs. Agreement with Allies to 'get tough"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we all know his "COWBOY" Diplomacy: "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE; BRING IT ON".


He says: "I don't like WAR; and he EXHAUSTED DIPLOMACY with IRAQ".

Tell us ANOTHER ONE, GEORGE BUSH!!!!

This "Bud" is DANGEROUS! Get him off the WORLD STAGE!!!!

[polaris12]

Not a minute too soon. Obama's position on Johnson was wrong. It does matter who the vetters are and you have to vet the vetters, otherwise you end up with Dick Cheney who vetted himself into the Veep job. One of the problems with our politics is that they keep re-cycling the same old hacks, who keeping making the same wrong decisions. I expect any day now they will resurrect Warren Christopher, the quintessential Democratic Washington insider. That's not change you can believe in - that's just politics as usual.

[CyberGal619]

Inconsequential and insignificant story.

With lobbyists oozing out of every crack on McLame's team, they've got the nerve to slam his judgment in picking Johnson for an unpaid position that has nothing whatsoever to do with mortgages??

They just get more and more petty every day.

[Diplomacy]

Oh well, "Tempest in a Teapot", that now makes Caroline Kennedy the Chairperson of the Committee, good luck, Hillary!

[KarlaElisa]

I'm afraid we're going to have to ask Jesus to come down here and vet for everyone as there are simply no skeleton free people left evidently.

[RobertaInCT]

Not even he would pass muster in the times we live in now...........

[oafishcad]

That terrorist appeasing lefty.

[PFHarlock]

Among other things, he went on that rampage at a marketplace and hung out with a hooker.

[TNT2008]

It would be to hard to tell who the real Jesus when mixed in with the Repubs..........each one thinks they are more perfect than Jesus.......just ask one!

[NotMcCain]

Jesus? That pseudo-Commie hippie who hangs out with a prostitute?

Swift boat 'im!

[PhDiva]

Jesus would be accused of lobbying lepers and prostitutes.

[StarkyLuv]

Why exactly are we supposed to care about this?

He was a guy brought in to vet possible VPs because he's done it before. It's not like he's going to be in Obama's cabinet.

[mcfried]

AARGH - I can't believe it is getting so stupid so quickly and that include some of the "gottcha" cr@p on this site regarding my arch nemesis McBush, Could we please actually have a substantive discussion.

[afgail]

Hey, after the crap campaign "Barry" and his team threw at Hillary what did you expect? The Obama campaign set the bar very low and McCain and the MSM will be hoisting Obama again and again on his own petard. (For you illiterates petard is a sword.)

[mcfried]

Hey! she gave at least as good as she got- The MSM sucks, some C.linton and O.bama supporters on this site suck and HuffPO is joining them is our spiral downward into blind stupidity and irrational stupid comment baiting. Like many of my comments I'm sure this will be lost in the pending approval of oblivion while the dumbasses from the "O.bama and C.linton" teams get posted constantly. They're so annoying and stupid I think they may actually be part of the G.O.P

[SanityClaus]

Hillary asked that you stop looking backward and focus on getting Obama elected President. And calling people who can read "illiterates" isn't winning many converts to your failed cause.

[GLaB]

Actually, PETARD is a BOMB...

... just like your "you illiterates" drivel.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

Dont fell bad Obama's "Children of the Corn" think off all the Huff Post reporting on McCain's lobbyist problems

You can't win em all

[PFHarlock]

What's sad is that you probably thought that was witty.

[nerakami]

This is absolute lunacy... this man is in no way politically affiliated with the Obama policies themselves. Instead he is adept at vetting (hence able to give the best advice to Obama in choosing a VP) and all this uproar...

AND YET, Mc Flip Flop still rides shotgun with Phil Gramm his economic advisor... who was directly employed by the European Bank USB, which is at the center of the mortgage meltdown.
"Lobbied US On Mortgage Crisis While Advising Candidate On Economic Policy"

We need to put fair and balanced back into the mix and react to only that which would directly affect our policies and laws... the rest of it is... garbage

[BUMbO]

It's a little odd that the GOP raises such hell over this when they didn't raise hell with Dick Cheney making ENERGY POLICY WITH THE OIL COMPANIES BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. So after that, everything else the GOP has to whine about is a little suspect.

[pundit27]

a little? connecting the dots . . .which our media seems unable to do, our so-called policy, actually an oil industry assistance program, deriving non-stop direct from cheney's group, has directly led to $5 gas. . . . and now the court decisions upholding their right to privacy looks downright traitorous. . . .