Czar 44, where are you? Ethics trumps loyalty for Obama in health czar hunt

Hilzoy of the href="http://healthcare.newsladder.net/submissions/comments/R6nt0mYa">Washington Monthly thinks she sees a silver lining to this dark Daschle cloud: Obama was willing to sacrifice Daschle, a mentor and personal friend whom Obama had handpicked for two of the most important jobs in his
administration, someone he had every personal and political reason to want by his side. Maybe Obama really is serious about raising ethical standards in Washington?

Reproductive health may get boost in Obama administration

It’s finally official: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be Barack Obama’s Secretary of State. Some observers thought Clinton was a curious pick because she made a point of differentiating her foreign policy views from Obama’s during the Democratic primary.

However, optimism is running high in the reproductive health community that Clinton will use her new office to champion women’s health issues worldwide. They expect that Clinton will push for changes in foreign aid criteria to make it easier to provide comprehensive sex ed and reproductive health services to the world’s neediest girls and women.