A reader checks in from Interior:

Just wanted to let you guys know that there was an all-hands meeting with the new Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, at 11am today.

The bullet points are:

- Ethical misconduct and criminal acts by Bush political appoints spoiled image of department.
- We want to be held to the highest standards of ethics and accountability.
- We will respect the scientific process
- There is the possibility that we will form a basketball team and take on the White House. Though Sec. Salazar noted that he has to be careful, as he “serves at the pleasure of the president.”

Secretary Salazar was extremely well received, with a fairly open Q&A session following his speech. My first impression of him is that he seems to be a highly qualified, and a genuinely nice guy to boot. He also seems to have brought with a group of extremely qualified people. I’ll wait and see, as always. It was a really heartening meeting though; everyone seems very excited. It feels like a return to rational governance.

David Kurtz

David Kurtz is Managing Editor and Washington Bureau Chief of Talking Points Memo where he oversees the news operations of TPM and its sister sites.