The Secretary Of Energy

Sunday afternoon update: Moniz's predecessor as Secretary of Energy was Steven Chu, who has a Ph.D in Physics from the University of California, Berkeley and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997. His predecessor was Samuel Bodman, who has a Doctorate of Science in Chemical Engineering from M.I.T. 

Original Post: 
The current Secretary of Energy is Dr. Ernest Moniz. He has a Doctorate in Theoretical Physics from Stanford University, as well as a few other credentials, as outlined at energy.gov:  

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Moniz was the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was a faculty member since 1973. At MIT, he headed the Department of Physics and the Bates Linear Accelerator Center. Most recently, Dr. Moniz served as the founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative and as Director of the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment where he was a leader of multidisciplinary technology and policy studies on the future of nuclear power, coal, nuclear fuel cycles, natural gas and solar energy in a low-carbon world.

From 1997 until January 2001, Dr. Moniz served as Under Secretary of the Department of Energy. He was responsible for overseeing the Department’s science and energy programs, leading a comprehensive review of nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship, and serving as the Secretary’s special negotiator for the disposition of Russian nuclear materials. From 1995 to 1997, he served as Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President.

In addition to his work at MIT, the White House and the Department of Energy, Dr. Moniz has served on a number of boards of directors and commissions involving science, energy and security. These include President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the Department of Defense Threat Reduction Advisory Committee, and the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future.

A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Moniz is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Humboldt Foundation, and the American Physical Society.

Dr. Moniz received a Bachelor of Science degree summa cum laude in Physics from Boston College, a Doctorate in Theoretical Physics from Stanford University, and honorary degrees from the University of Athens, the University of Erlangen-Nurenberg, Michigan State University and Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.

There are many things about Sarah Palin that annoy me, including the fact that she doesn't know what she doesn't know. To be blunt, she's too stupid to know how stupid she is. Her extravagant, preening, clueless self-regard was on full display this morning during her appearance on CNN, when she announced that she wants to be the Secretary of Energy. (And insisted that we should all just speak "American.") The fact that Jake Tapper had her as a guest and acted as if she was actually qualified to comment on anything is a sad comment on the state of our media and leaves me shaking my head in sadness and despair. Hopefully we can chalk it up to the holiday week-end with all of the regular pundits were all on vacation. Otherwise, seriously Jake, what were you thinking?