The article listed replacements if they were known at the time. Chu's replacement hasn't been identified yet.

.......................likely to undergo a senselessly brutal confirmation hearing process.

climate change??

Watch the stupid climate deniers will be out in full force with that toxic fantasy that Sean Hannity anf FAKE NEWS spews on a DAILY basis.

Mark . . .

.......................likely to undergo a senselessly brutal confirmation hearing process

Which John McCain will be on and once again resort to his bullying tactics that he has been perfecting for the past 4 years . . . .

Layton,

Indeed. I am so disappointed with what Mr. McCain has become.

Who will be the last man standing in this adminstrations cabinet? It has to be Eric "Fast and Furious" Holder no question. BTW I used the noun "man" on purpose since this adminstration seems to be gender intolerant lately. Boy I bet the President wished he had Mitt's binder about now.

There is only one choice for the position ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiU2ZKMBBSM

Mark --

.....likely to undergo a senselessly brutal confirmation hearing process

Perhaps if they turned off the cameras the clowns would get down to business. I'd be fine reading a transcript.

BCWC - perfect! The vulture reference was classic!

Mark, I think we all have!

BCWC,

Perfect!! No matter how far left or how far right you are, I could not imagine any objection.

Don't_carry,

You make a good point - I have to wonder sometimes how much of the bombast is for the camera. By the way - good to see ya around here!

Honey booboo?

Good to see you around too Mark! Are you back home yet?

As to your post below, NASA has solid credentials in my book.

No one has a better view!

Don't,

I got home a couple days before Christmas, looking at heading out again the first part of March.

Looks like almost all the rats are leaving the sinking ship.

The only one too stupid to scurry off is that MORON Eric Holder.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Joe, have you looked at what has happened in past Administrations. Were those rats deserting a sinking ship too or were they people tired of the stress and BS that goes on in Washington?

Mark -- Glad you made it home in time for Christmas.

You do like to fly! Have a good one.

Billy Ayers is on the "short list".

Maybe it is time to open a slot for Oprah.

Just like clock work, when anyone leaves a democratic president's administration, the right wing utters the usual "last man standing" or "rats leaving a sinking ship" lines but when anyone left the Bush administration, it was normal comings and goings.

For all the vilification of government workers, there is little difference between them and private sector workers except cabinet positions pay a lot less than their private-sector counterparts. The heads and upper management levels of these departments pretty much give up any resemblance to a family life; they work long hours 6-7 days a week, are on-call 24/7.

Before Chu joined the administration, he told the Wall Street Journal in September 2008: "Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe."

Yup, there goes another idiot from the Dumbama administration of ignorant and incompetent jerks assigned to posts they did not understand or do anything good for.

"And during his time as Secretary, Steve helped............pay back my big campaign 'bundlers' with $535 Million to SOLYNDRA, as well as $Billions of other taxpayer money to other supporters on my 'most favored doner' list. "

And during his time as Secretary, Steve helped my Administration move America towards real energy independence. Over the past four years, we have doubled the use of renewable energy, dramatically reduced our dependence on foreign oil, and put our country on a path to win the global race for clean energy jobs. //sez Mr. Obama//

Keep repeating that over and over in your sleep, Mr. Obama, and maybe you will believe what you said !!!!

And the TRUTH IS.........America has not been weaned from off shore energy, "doubled" renewable energy at a cost of BILLIONS and BILLIONS lost to bankrupt Mr. Obama's pet "Go Green" companies at the cost of the American taxpayers, still have a thirst for foreign oil for those 4x4 off road vehicles, and NO....we will not receive a Global prize for those "clean energy jobs" shipped to China by GE.

Amy,

The primary message Mr. Gore has sent about climate change is how much one can profit from it. His inconsistent message as evidenced by the very public disconnect between what he says and how he acts, in my opinion, has done much to damage meaningful dialogue regarding the causes and consequences of climate change.

Wouldn't that make some heads spin Amy? LOL.

Amy B. Portland, ME

Wouldn't it be funny if Obama picked Al Gore to head Energy? Talk about sending a message on climate change!

That would be just great Amy,

I saw Al Gore on Comedy Channel

http://www.hulu.com/watch/451904

Obama ought to float Sen. Inhofe name just to watch the Republicans eat one of their own, then pull his name back.

Al Gore. Yeah that would be good. Would show the 53% what a non thinking buffoon they voted for. Then Gore could put the first children to sleep with his fairy tales and give them their very own polar bear.

Al,

An amusing proposition to be sure, but I wish Mr. Inhofe would just go away.

I am a climate change believer and I will give Gore credit for raising awareness. But when any one calls him an expert, it is an iinsult to the people who have spent their lives studying it and what it means.

Mark in SoCal

Amy,

The primary message Mr. Gore has sent about climate change is how much one can profit from it. His inconsistent message as evidenced by the very public disconnect between what he says and how he acts, in my opinion, has done much to damage meaningful dialogue regarding the causes and consequences of climate change.

Do you have a problem with the Koch fueled bros polluting our earth, democracy, and killing people?

At least Gore admits climate change whereas the Koch bros don't.

Meet Paul Ryan: Climate Denier, Conspiracy Theorist, Koch Acolyte

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/08/11/677051/meet-paul-ryan-climate-denier-conspiracy-theorist-koch-acolyte/

Just saying

Hey hand only 53% voted for President Obama, but his approval rating is at 60%. Seems like your brand of hate is being listened to less and less.

I would even go so far as to thank your hatefulness and lies for making the American people see the reality of the republicans lies and how they are damaging our country.

60% of the people polled. Doubt that it was a national poll of all registered voters. And it isn't hate. It's all about the agenda and direction.

Talk to the Hand

Al Gore. Yeah that would be good. Would show the 53% what a non thinking buffoon they voted for. Then Gore could put the first children to sleep with his fairy tales and give them their very own polar bear.

Talk

The fairy tales are over @ FUX News with the looney propaganda pimp Bill O’Reilly, Hannity, the goofy couch potatoes, and rotten tomatoes ( bleached blondes with short shirts) in the morning and all the other "Father Knows Best" experts.

Hi Bev,

First of all, I never brought up anyone but Mr. Gore. My point was about him alone.

But to answer your question, I am not a "climate change denier, " whatever that means, nor do I subscribe to any conspiracy theories regarding the far right's nefarious designs to destroy the world.

Bev, I object to deliberate wasting of our beautiful planet, regardless of the source, yet I understand the reality of human existence and its often apparent incompatibility with the environment in which it exists. My biggest problem with the whole climate change debate is that it has become so politicized the science is lost in the rhetoric. It is not that the raw data is not there - NASA, for one, has lots of terrific information (soapbox moment - I support full NASA funding as one of their largest missions is earth observation, and they do that job so well) - but there is so much at stake for those on both sides of the argument that it is almost impossible to be completely objective. Mr. Gore, for one has contributed to making the climate change issue obtuse, but he is not by any means the only one.

Republicans remind me of those cowboys in the movies who try to fool the Indians into thinking there are more of them than there are, by putting empty hats on sticks behind the bunker.

Congress has its lowest approval rating since they started keeping track. If you don't believe Obama's high approval ratings, at least, you can't deny the Republicans are almost universally disliked.

Amy,

Deceiving you enemy by making them believe you have a larger force than you actually possess is a time honored military tactic, and remains efficacious. However, I would question using this in the political arena........

Amy,

I agree the Republicans are their worse enemy right now but to be fair the democrats are not fair behind.

As for Obama's approval ratings, I am simply perplexed.

Mark in SoCal,

I couldnt agree with you more. FYI, I love your photos, they are inspiring.

Mark, Republicans can buy the appearance of greater numbers, through the millions given them by donors like Koch.

Armies generally don't make the mistake of believing their own subterfuge, but Republicans sure did - they really thought they had more voters on their side during the last election than they did. Oops.

Amy,

Oops indeed. I must say, I was taken in by the pre-election prevailing conventional wisdom that it was going to be squeaky close.

totas,

FYI, I love your photos, they are inspiring.

Thanks! I enjoy sharing them.

I am glad that Al Gore was able to start a dialog on the issue of climate change. While surely it is a natural phenomena and goes in cycles I can't belive that humans haven't contributed to it. We probably have made it worse than it would have been without human intervention. That means we need to look for ways to lessen the impact, however much it is, on nature. Because much of our energy comes from countries that hate us it makes sense to me that we move away from dependance on energy from such contries and be more self sufficient.

I have noticed that often those who scream the loudest against efforts to make America energy self sufficient are the same ones who think they are independant and that in all other ways America needs to be independant. Irony or hypocricy?

I am having solar energy installed on my house. There are two reasons, the first is that it will save me money on my power bill and secondly it will help generate power in the grid that is clean, safe, & home produced (literally). If enough people install solar, now affordable and more efficient than ever, we can eliminate one or more polluting power plants. We can save the precious oil, coal and natural gas we depend upon for other needs and breathe cleaner air in the process.

So whether one believes in global warming or not they should still appreciate other reasons to go green.

Mr. Gore would probably have a hard time navigating out of his 20,000+ Sqft Nashville home to meet with reporters if he was on the "short list".

Yep, Mr. Gore is probably buying more stock in CCX (Chicago Climate Exchange) right now.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beverly in Chicago must be locked in her basement since she can't go out onto the Chicago streets.

Republicans can buy the appearance of greater numbers, through the millions given them by donors like Koch.

And liberals have Soros, celebrities, Bill Gates, etc. Don't even act like republicans are the only bought party.

Mark, while you make a good point about Al Gore often not being a consistent messenger, the biggest damage to the dialogue has been the refusal of the right to accept climate science as legitimate. FOX helped feed this anti-science monster. If we want to talk about being inconsistent, we need only look at Newt Gingrich and other republicans, including Sarah Palin, who did complete flip flops regarding cap and trade and on the need to do something when their far-right base and the big-money donors like Koch Industries, plus big oil and coal threatened to take their money elsewhere.

Adler-273784,

Let us know how well your 'Energy Saving' expenses are working out...

I'm sure those Chinese panels and controllers, will work GREAT...

BTY - How much of our 'Tax Dollars' are you receiving???

Obama's & Chu's - 'Green Energy' investments have shown GREAT returns...

1. The US largest solar farm @ Blythe, CA - BANKRUPT - Solar Trust was the recipient of a $2.1 billion dollar conditional loan guarantee from the Department of Energy...

2. Solyndra LLC, which shut down in August after receiving a $535 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Energy Department program...

3. Abound Solar Inc., a U.S. solar manufacturer that was awarded a $400 million U.S. loan guarantee, will suspend operations and file for bankruptcy...

Mark in SoCal and lisa s

I dare say, you wouldn't know the terms global warming, climate change or inconvenient truth, if it weren't for Al Gore.

I consider myself a moderate Democrat, which only means, I arrive at the same conclusion Liberals do, only later.

I think moderate Republicans are even slower than moderate Dems, to embrace new ideas. Props to Al Gore for getting out in front on this issue. Stop beating him up for not being more personable about it - just because the guy didn't win you over with his charm, doesn't mean he isn't right.

Amy,

I stand behind what I said in my post #2.1. You dare say incorrectly. Climate change was hardly a novel concept when it was seized upon by Mr. Gore.

An Inconvenient Truth? Inconvenient for whom?

My objection has nothing to do with his personality, he seems to be a fairly personable guy. I try to make charm and personality the least of factors considered in my appraisal. He may have been right, but I still believe his actions have not supported his words and in the big picture that is more damaging than if he had not said anything at all. If you are going to go out strong on an issue you just can not leave huge openings for your opposition to gain a foothold against you, and expect to be effective.

Mark, but it was Al Gore who was able to bring that science and research to greater levels of attention just as did Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring". It is an "inconvenient truth" for each of us that the very conveniences that make life easier, safer, warmer, cooler, faster and more fun are the very things that are inconveniently causing harm to the environment.

Jody, Iowa,

The UK Government/British judge ruling during Oct 2007, 'An Inconvenient Truth"...

The Court found that the film was misleading in nine respects, plus 2 more in a interim ruling and they served only to exacerbate the political propaganda in the film...

I'm sure if the remaining few decide to throw in the towel, Obama's selection committee will drag out the old barrel of has beens and wanna be's for him to select from.

Do we really have to keep going back to the past failures to select the next department heads?

Time for some fresh blood in the cabinet. Someone who does not have a proven track record of poor leadership.

jblast, but you forgot about all his achievements in renewable energy. Talk about pissing away money!

Now, now. You KNOW that Chu's views have "evolved" since advocating for $7 per gallon gas for us!

And please don't ever forget that companies like Solyndra were NOT mistakes---giving them all that money were "investments". Too bad the taxpayer got such a horrific return on their investment!!!

Yeah Mike I know, Republicans "flip-flop" and Democrats "evolve" it seems. Typical hypocritical lefties for ya.

Ozzie---that is why Al Gore would be a PERFECT fit for this Administration! Just another hypocrite that has the media and the liberals snookered!

We would be better off with $7.00 gas. Europe has a fantastic public transportation system because gas is so expensive. We are killing our planet using our combustion engine to drive to the gym. Why wait till a tornado hits your house, to wake up?

Well, Amy, I guess your expert Chu disagrees with you NOW. What, you don't trust an expert like Chu? Why not?

And feel FREE to pay $7 for a gallon of gas. I don't know a single gas station that would turn down your kind offer to pay double!

If you don't do that, you are just as bad as people like Warren Buffett calling for more taxes on people in his economic class while fighting the IRS tooth and nail to pay less, while NOT sending the IRS anything extra!

Yeah Amy like there wasn't any tornados in the 1800. Jeesh get a grip man.

And Amy, all that "great" public transportation runs like clockwork when the workers in Europe go on strike, right?

We would be better off with $7.00 gas. Europe has a fantastic public transportation system because gas is so expensive. We are killing our planet using our combustion engine to drive to the gym. Why wait till a tornado hits your house, to wake up?

And what do you think about the millions of us that live in rural America Amy where there is no public transportation? And moving to a drug/crime/smog ridden city is not an option.

Heck, Franken couldn't be any worse than Chu, and at least we would get him out of the Senate!

Al Franken ??? Yes he'd fit in perfectly with the clowns in the Obamination of America...

lol Al Franken....

Thanks for the laugh!

To all of the hate bloggers/How about some possibly good suggestions that might be worth considering. Oh! you don't have any.

Johntho, you're right! So here is what we need you to do immediately: Sell your car to the scrap yard, turn off that computer, unplug the refrigerator etc. After all you must do your part since it is such a concern for you.

This coming from Johntho...please.

Hagel is the perfect guy for the job. None of the attacks had anything todo with what the Dec of Defense actually does. He is not involved in policy decisions, he manages the the 'business' of the military. A former war hero, that actually served with the grunts would be great to address the facts that

1) More active miltary died in 2012 from suicide than in Afghanistan.

2) Voluntary service should not include 5 deployments in 10 years.

30 Sexual assault is at crime wave proportions in our military.

With Obama calling the shots? Don't count on it.

XYZ/We are seeing some decrease in gas prices.I see those results being due to the public outcry against subsidizing oil companies while they are posting excessive profits.

Published: Feb. 1, 2013 Updated: 3:06 p.m.
Text: Next Article »

O.C. gas prices jump to highest level since November

The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded hit $3.90, and analysts say it’s only going up.