• Haley’s cabinet, office show a stunning lack of diversity for a state with almost a 30% black population.  Of 13 cabinet members, one is an African-American female, and none of the 28 staffers in the governor’s office are black.

“You know, I think that they want to see more diversity in our government,” Haley said. “They want to see more diversity in leadership. It’s an issue that I share and certainly we had a great dialogue on it on what we can do going forward” including by adding more racial diversity to second-tier jobs in Cabinet agencies.

Ummm, seriously?  It’s “an issue that I share”?  Well, if that’s the case, then why didn’t you hire any black people?  Is this really so complicated?

• Phil Noble — who is said to be running for chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party — is a friend of mine, but especially in the wake of the shootings in Arizona, I don’t think this is very funny.  (Via my Republican friend Todd Kincannon, of course.)

• First Lady Michelle Obama returns to the Palmetto State today for the first time since the 2008 election.  I had the honor of driving Mrs. Obama during most of her visits to SC in the primary campaign and was lucky enough to be assigned to follow her around Denver at the Democratic National Convention and blog about her daily activities.  FYI, she is awesome.  Kind, low-maintenance, and fun.

• Cindi Scoppe explains why the recorded vote rules advocated by Governor Haley and passed by the House and Senate aren’t a fix-all.

• It’s okay, parrotheads.  Jimmy Buffett falls off stage and hits his head during show in Australia, but he’s on the mend.

• South Carolina House passed a Voter ID bill yesterday…because spending, well, ANY amount of money to fix something when there’s no evidence it’s ever been a problem makes a lot of sense in a year when the state faces a $800M budget shortfall.

• SC unemployment for December rises to 10.7% and remains the 6th worst unemployment rate in the country. Government layoffs are slowing state economy’s recovery. Number of non-government jobs available, however, is on the rise.

• GOP priorities! The lede from The State’s John O’Connor’s story today: “Requiring a photo ID to vote, gambling and home poker games, and automated traffic tickets are on the General Assembly’s agenda this week.” Because surely those are the most pressing issues we face as a state today.

• Everything you ever wanted to know about oysters from the Post & Courier. If you’re an oyster fan in the Midlands, run — don’t walk — to Solstice Kitchen off Clemson Rd. between 5-7 on weekdays for the most lip-smackin’ fried oysters you’ll ever taste — at half off! $6 and the oysters are gargantuan.

• Borowitz Report (humor): Republicans Rehearsing Grouchy Facial Expressions for State of the Union.

• Three years ago today Barack Obama walloped his opponents by a 28.9% margin in the 2008 South Carolina Presidential Primary…a day I’ll never forget. Click on the extended entry to watch the speech from that night.

I was rather surprised to wake up this morning to an email from myself in my Gmail inbox entitled, “you should Get a little Thinner this year.” Great news! …Though I’d imagine every other contact in my semi-retired Yahoo email account was less amused. So if you received the message below, no, I don’t think you’re fat. Or even if I do, I’ve got better manners than to send you an email about it!  At least it wasn’t recommending solutions for erectile dysfunction?

Hey, as you heard for 2011 my plan was to loose as much pounds as i could. Tons of my associates advised that i try this new breakthrough diet but i never trust any of that bs. Well, apparently this one isn’t a fake. It is rare that i come on-line and share anything private with my associates, but i really want you to take a look at this. Four different friends that i know took this and not only did they lose pounds using it, but they were able to keep the pounds off- The best part is that they didn’t have to starve themselves. QuikSlim.

Seriously?  Via Washington Independent via POLITICO’s Ben Smith:

Kathy Arberg, the Supreme Court’s spokeswoman, said that six justices are planning to attend tonight, though she wouldn’t specify which ones. Justice Samuel Alito is in Hawaii, and two other Republican-appointed justices, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, have strongly suggested in public comments that they won’t go.

Stay classy, justices.

I hope Justice Thomas is going to be at home concentrating on filling out those federal disclosure forms concerning his wife’s sources of income that he apparently didn’t understand.  (Said sources of income were six figure salaries from conservative think tanks. Wonder why he didn’t want to report them?)