White House Pupdate: Puppy Coming Soon

When we last checked in on the First Family's search for canine companionship, the President was comparing the search for a puppy to the selection of a commerce secretary. He was referring to just-withdrawn Bill Richardson, but since then, he's lost another nominee in Judd Gregg. Now, the race is on to see who gets seated first, the pup or the C-sec.

Michelle Obama tells People Magazine about the pooch timetable after spring break in April), plus some of the names they've been kicking around:

"Oh, the names are really bad. I don't even want to mention it, because there are names floating around and they're bad," Mrs. Obama says with a laugh. "You listen and you go – like, I think, Frank was one of them. Frank! Moose was another one of them. Moose. I said, well, what if the dog isn't a moose? Moose. I'm like, no, come on, let's work with the names a little bit."

I have to give the First Lady credit for not saying the real reason that Moose was a no-go, which is that they'd have to hide the dog whenever Sarah Palin was around.
The Obamas have said that they are looking for a Portuguese Water Hound that has been rescued. Or maybe, she means a water hound that rescues people. If it's a rescued dog they want, maybe they're being a little too specific. It's not like going to a junkyard and asking for a fender from a '73 Gremlin.

With the nomination of Gary Locke as Commerce Secretary, it looks like the incoming pet will lose the race to be seated first, but then again, who knows what Locke will drag home for his confirmation hearing?