Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

April 28, 2009

Sebelius Nomination Up for Vote

With the swine flu spreading, the Senate is on the verge of confirming Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of health and human services. Debate is set to begin later this morning, with a vote expected this afternoon.

Sebelius is expected to get the 60 votes needed to prevent a GOP filibuster, though the AP says the vote "could be close. Anti-abortion groups have been lobbying Republican senators to vote against her."

First Read: "The left has been pulling its hair over the fact that conservatives have been holding up her confirmation -- over abortion -- during this swine flu frenzy. Indeed, it's amazing that there's been very little finger-pointing that the president doesn't have an HHS secretary, surgeon general, or his own CDC head. Obviously, if Republicans starting pointing fingers, they'd get grief right back given that members of their party have slowed down Sebelius. This entire incident, as it turns out, is a pretty good lesson for those who believe the partisan nature of Washington can hold up the serious work of government."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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