And we aren’t the only ones considering the posterity of Bush’s cronies. A website has been created just for that purpose:

http://www.cronyjobs.com

OK, OK, I have stopped laughing and I’m really trying to get serious.

I read all 159 comments and I’m now I’m more confused than ever.

Can one nominate a whole organization? If so, I think I’d have to go with Bush and Co.

If that is not allowed under the rules then I think what’s in order here might be a “Top 100″ list or something like that.

Harriet Miers, who else? “My pretty crony.”

p.lukasiak, Excellent analysis on the true meaning of a crony! On the strength of that, I’m changing my vote. You’re right….Scotty doesn’t quite qualify.

But you, and I think everyone else, have forgotten a very strong contender.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:

KAREN HUGHES!

Yes, “Auntie Karen” who coddled Shrub through the 2000 selection, made sure he was protected against any bad news, and was rewarded with her current job, which she’s bungling in the tradition of a true, incompetent crony!

John Rendon, Bush’s general in the propaganda war…a trully repugnant slime with a cash register for a heart and zero morals…

If he doesn’t win this year, Gonzales should be considered the 2006 front runner. Attorney General is about the most damaging place for a crony. But what could possilby top the NSA “Leak” investigation?

I have a nomination- the four cronies bush just put on the FEC:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12…..1sat3.html

CHENEY, hands down.

Even with hands tied behind his back, Cheney can make Bush talk like a sock puppet and act like a deranged troll.

King Con Chalabi is my nominee.

More lives than a cat…Monsieur Teflon par excellence.

Judy’s souffleur, Cheney’s Iraqi
dissident-in-chief,Perl’s pearl, Wolfowitz’s wolf, Condoleeza’s sleaze, Karen’s huge, Rummy’s rump …crony to one and all…Chalabi the crony who keeps on giving… who packaged the Iraq invasion…the wanted embezzler Oil Minister…

No one comes close to Chalabi…he knows TOO MUCH!

I want to say Li’l Scotty who stood up and took it all for the team, but this is for Crony and not Stooge. I have to go with Rummy. He has been up to his neck in the process of this administration from the beginning. And through it all he has not been tagged with an indictable offense, yet. Sure, he has been accused of incompetence but nobody has pointed to any law beaking by Rummy. If Our Dear Embattled Leader had a few more cronies like that, perhaps he wouldn’t be in the proverbial deep doo-doo.

I’ll go for Cheney, but for a slightly different reason than gramps. Here’s a guy who, as Secretary of Defense, privatizes large swaths of defense spending. Then he promptly goes to work heading one of the companies profiting the most from said outsourcing. After doing that for a while, and realizing that what he had thought was his greatest corporate coup was actually going to bring down the company via asbestos lawsuits, he figures it’s time to run the Executive Branch. Doing this gives him the chance to start a needless war that could serve as the beer-bong to funnel graft into the swirling cesspool that has said company as the black hole at the center.
That barks crony pretty loud to me.

First choice: Brownie
Runner-up:
Tenet (Medal of Freedom, Georgie boy? Now just keep your mouth shut.)

I’m with newsom 101 – feel the Joementum.

I nominate Judy Miller followed closely by Richard Morin

For me, the choice is simultaneously difficult and simple. Difficult in that cronyism is so widespread throughout this country that it’s tough to pick one poster child. Simple, well, simple because the one person who has spent an entire lifetime being and benefitting from cronyism is the one I can’t nominate.

So my nomination is, the American Media (Big a, big m). All of them. Sure, just as there is in congress, there are few exceptions. Some crusaders who stand up for what it is right and who don’t suckle at the teat of the bush crime family. But no group has so utterly failed the American people as the media has. It’s widespread inability to do their basic job has injured this country, been indirectly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis. They’ve taken and wasted untold billions of dollars and yet, the citizens of this country have little more than the “war on christmas” or another “runaway bride” to show for their efforts. They have all the resources, all the freedom and still, time and time again, they, as an institution, fail us.

I think the American Media should get the golden egg. They deserve most of all.

Looking at it from the perspective of enabling cronyism, rather than being cronies specifically, Cheney and Rumsfeld are hard to beat. They’ve got the Iraq war (beating Brownie for causing deaths) pimping Halliburton and mercenaries to run defense and disaster response, causing more death and misery, and then there’s the energy task force (to cite only one example), promoting crony capitalism in the name of “the free market.”

For an individual crony, though, I think I’d have to go with Brown, who is really the ultimate combination of a vital post with no qualifications whatsoever other than connections. He really topped it by forming a post-resignation disaster-response consulting firm, focused not on effective disaster response, but how to manage PR to look good after you’ve screwed up disaster response.

Wow, what enjoyablel reading! I had to go put on another pot of coffee halfway through. Tough to pick a favorite from everything posted above, but, by a whisker, this is mine:

“God himself? After all, he’s the one who told Bush to invade Iraq.”

But, for my two cents worth, I gotta go with Harriet, on shear croniosity. She’s the croniest crony ever!!

I’ll nominate an outlier – my servile and derelict Senator Pat Roberts. Mr Stonewall himself helps the Bushies any way he can by avoiding any and all investigations of wrongdoing and obfuscating the truth.

Wait a second … cronies are “pals” who are inserted into positions of power for which they are usually unqualified in order to (a) flatter the boss; (b) agree at all times with the boss; (c) protect and insulate the boss from other opinions and uncomfortable facts on the ground; (d) provide non-demanding, simple minded yucks during the boss’s off-time; and (e) be silent until the end of time about the boss’s innumurable failings … in exchange for a big fat medal or a big promotion or both.

Therefore: my nominations for cronies of the year:

John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales, Harriet Miers, George Tenet, what’s-her-name, that big tall gal who can’t stop bullsit from spilling out of her mouth constantly (oh yeah, Karen Hughes), and all the little cronicritters who inhabit lesser positions in this White House.

Big Time isn’t on the list because he is nobody’s pal, except maybe his wife’s. That blowhard at the Pentagon doesn’t count because he seemed qualified enough (he’ll be nominated after he gets his Medal of Freedom). They both would be at the top of a list of the most damaging individuals to ever enjoy a place of leadership in our country. They knew earlier than anyone what an empty vessel they had in the White House and were only too eager to fill ‘m up.

There’s more, but my mind protects me by forgetting their names.

Can you give Gold, Silver, and Bronze crony awards and parcel those out among all the deserving crooks in this “godly ” administration???

Harriet! two thumbs up for Miers!
wow,
it was like someone suggesting
that a quiet but odoruos fart,
passed late at night,
be given a printed birth certificate
from the local hospital.
too too funny funny.

Got to go with the NYT.

“One such volunteer was Simone Ledeen, daughter of leading neoconservative Michael Ledeen. Unable to communicate in Arabic and with no relevant experience or appropriate educational training, she nevertheless became a senior advisor for northern Iraq at the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad.

Maybe we could have Simone carry the awards onstage, just like the Golden Globes get the children of famous stars to do!

What about Rummy; he’s got my vote for unqualified sidekick who’s wreaked colossal damage in Iraq.

Joe Lieberman. Why have an opposition and a Constitution, when it’s so much more fun to play with the fascists and get good coverage on the Faux News Channel?

Of course, that’s not last year’s cronies, but should be acknowledged as earlier contenders.

Remember this?

“One such volunteer was Simone Ledeen, daughter of leading neoconservative Michael Ledeen. Unable to communicate in Arabic and with no relevant experience or appropriate educational training, she nevertheless became a senior advisor for northern Iraq at the Ministry of Finance in Baghdad. Another was former White House Press Secretary Ari FleischerÂ’s older brother Michael who, though utterly unqualified, was named director of private-sector development for all of Iraq.

The 15-month proconsulship of the CPA disbursed nearly $20 billion, two-thirds of it in cash, most of which came from the Development Fund for Iraq that had replaced the UN Oil for Food Program and from frozen and seized Iraqi assets. Most of the money was flown into Iraq on C-130s in huge plastic shrink-wrapped pallets holding 40 “cashpaks,” each cashpak having $1.6 million in $100 bills. Twelve billion dollars moved that way between May 2003 and June 2004, drawn from accounts administered by the New York Federal Reserve Bank. The $100 bills weighed an estimated 363 tons.”

Sorry kids, dems listed above are not technically elegible as cronies -

They do however have a mortal lock on :

Coelenterates of the Century

MSM (Moribund Syncophantic Media) are to receive -

The Golden Myna

My nomination falls in with a few of the comments above – either

The Unknown Crony- and we know they’re out there (who’s that guy to the left of Chimpy @ the Heckuva job moment ?)

or

Cronyism should receive the award due to the heights it’s been taken with this gang – Boss Tweed is a rank amateur by comparison

Many good thoughts and arguments above. Dick Cheney is, after all, a crony’s crony and is in a category all by himself. I think MoDo got it right by calling him a “menace”. To me he is actually the single most despicable character in government since J Edgar Hoover.

The most malignant aspect of the cronyism we have witnessed throughout this administration is the absence of any meaningful oversight by the congress. It can be argued that the entire GOP congressional leadership deserves the award. The media has been complicit as well but if there actually had been any real hearings and/or action on the many frauds, corruptions, and executive mismanagement of this governement, I still believe they would have been reported. The media is really more like an abused spouse or child unfortunately identifying itself with the abuser and not likely to take any action on its own.

If you have to pick one person who has done the most effective job facilitating W & Cos malfeasance, that person has to be

Tom Delay

Michael Chertoff, for so many, many reasons, including those p.lukasiak gives. This man is very very bad news, and the fact that he’s been able to fly under the radar for so long has made him an immensely valued Bush crony. And he did get the job through cronyism. Political attack dog. As rabid as Abu G about denying essential rights. etc. etc. http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1099
—In one case, he denied asylum to a Bangladeshi man who was imprisoned, severely beaten in jail, and forced to denounce his dissident political party. Despite his requiring 19 days of medical care after his release, Chertoff denied asylum on the grounds that the treatment didnÂ’t constitute torture. —

So, Chertoff is the consummate “successful” crony. On the other hand, “failed” crony def = Brownie.
-

I nominate George W. Bush –

Most important crony to Dick Cheney.

He has done all the front suck-up work for ol’ Dick, he has taken the heat for Dick’s plans for torture and spyuing. he has covered for Dick’s most necessary incompetents: Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz et al. He has done the bidding of Cheney’s masters and pals in the oil inducstry, including starting a major war to better manipulate the markets.

He has let Cheney operate with almost ghost-like autonomy and anonimity by allowing him permanent “undisclosed location” status.

In short, the PERFECT crony.

Gotta be big Dick Cheney.

His sly “No, I don’t live in Texas, I live in Wyoming.” was the start of the destruction of our Constitution.

If there’s a bigger Bush crony than Tony Blair – head of a client state, clearly brighter but still beholden to the Chimp, I don’t know who it is.

Trying to improve Harriet Miers’ image the White House let it be known that:
“In her West Wing office Harriet
used to keep red, white and blue
M&Ms in specially made boxes
bearing George W. Bush’s
reprinted signature. Her door
was always open and the M&Ms
were always available.”
Of course, the obsequious and clueless Harriet thought the candies were ‘W’s.’ For this I nominate her as Golden Crony of the Year.

I have to go with Harriet

It should be Dubya his own self, the Crony-In-Chief, who got everything he has because of connections.

Hmm, it’s tough, Brownie or Harriet? Rove is out – he IS Bush’s brain. And Hughes, well, sad to say, I don’t pay much attention to her, so she’s off my list mainly due to my lack of interest and knowledge. McClellan is a ventriloquist’s doll (Rove being the ventriloquist). I would have to say Harriet; although she didn’t make it to the nomination phase, as someone posted earlier, she had the potential to kill many more people than Brownie. And his cronyism only reached national attention due to the unfortunate events in LA; otherwise he would still be reading Arabian Horse Weekly with his morning coffee and bitching about restaurant reservations with not a peep from the MSM. She’s the bestest crony evah!

Happy New Year to ReddHedd and Jane! Your blog is a daily (okay, hourly) read for me and one of the best on the web. Your posts are intelligent, entertaining and informative; and have given me hope for the new year.

Give it to desperate housewife Pickles for trying to humanize ol’ farm ranch-hand W by letting the (not the face!) world know he likes to jack off horses.

I strongly suggest taking Rove and McClellan off the table; however much we dislike their assignments, they are both supremely competent at their jobs. I’m particularly impressed with Scotty, but we see more of him.

I was going to vote Miers but when I saw Chalabi halfway down the thread I knew I had to change my vote. A proven liar, a convicted criminal in half a dozen nations, supremely incompetent (134 votes? 134 votes?!?!?!), and now: Minister of the second-largest oil reserves in the world! Sure beats the Arabian Horse Society.

Ahmed Chalabi, for Crony of the Year!

I go along with Hilary and the DLC, what a bunch of dorks. Norma

All the above: Congress, Cheney, Brownie, etc…

Choosing one outlet or individual would be impossible, they are all complict if only in their silence.
trish | 12.30.05 – 8:59 pm | #

A few comments on the process, and the nominees, so far (full disclosure — I support Chalabi)

First off, crony of the year should be an achievement in cronyism award, not merely a recognition of the unqualified hackiness of the nominee. Thus, although Brownie and Miers both were immensely distinguished in their lack of qualifications, their “fall from grace” should disqualify them from serious consideration.

Secondly, crony of the year is not “political hack” of the year. Mere loyalty should not suffice — loyalty must be rewarded as well. Thus, Lieberman would not be an appropriate choice — unless one considers the opportunity to appear on FauxNews with increasing frequency a “reward.”

Mere sycophacy is not a qualification for this high honor either; thus Scott McClellan, for all of his remarkable talents, is not a suitable nominee.

Nor should we consider groups like the DC press corps for “Crony of the Year.” We’re not Time magazine — we should lower ourselves to the level of “The American Worker” as Times “Man of the Year.” Individual members of the press can, of course, be considered (Bob Woodward and Steno Sue both come to mind as not unsuitable nominees.)

Finally, “crony of the year” should be unambiguous. Nominations for Bush and/or Cheney will lead to controversies that could have a deleterious impact on the academy. We should not tear ourselves apart debating whether Bush is a Cheney crony, or Cheney is a Bush crony.

With those observations in mind, I’d like to suggest that we have a list of fully qualified finalists….

John Bolton — recieved a recess appointment to the UN Ambassadorship after his nomination was blocked by the Senate

Alberto Gonzalez — A sentimental favorite thanks to his long service as a Bush crony, who this year was appointed Attoney General and has distinguished himself by his relentlessly undistinguished performance in that job.

Condi Rice — Just as Gonzalez is likely to recieve wide support from the “Old Cronyism” crowd, Rice has wide appeal among young and hip “New Cronyists.” After a display of stunning incompetence as National Security advisor (a post she got thanks to her role as Bush’s remedial tutor for foriegn policy — one of the Classic Crony episodes of all times) Rice was appointed Secretary of State this year, where she continues to fail upward in the esteem of the public. But a Rice win would be controversial — many critics will cite the advantages of tokenism that have given Rice a leg up on the competition.

Michael Chertoff — Appointed in 2005 to head the Department of Homeland Security despite a glaring lack of qualifications, Chertoff has managed to keep his job despite the Katrina debacle, and the 9-11 Commission Report Card full of “F”s for his Department’s performance. Chertoff has had a truly amazing year — but will his “duck and cover” strategy work to his advantage, or disadvantage, in the voting?

Ahmed Chalabi — everybody loves a comeback story, and Chalabi is the John Travolta of Cronyism. Chalabi is also a strong finisher — being appointed to head the Iraqi Oil Ministry with just days left in the nomination period. Will this be the year that the Academy tips it hat to the New International Cronyism?

Tough one, but I vote for Abu Gonzales over Brownie. Gonzo ignored international law, common sense, and the U.S constitution to give Bushco the license to torture and implement what will likely turn out to be a massive domestic spying program – sweet!

I have to give the nod to Ms. Harriet Miers.

She was grist for the mill. In my opinion she was nominated to rile up the base. She helped to cover several news cycles, ramped up the winger base and then silently fell on her sword as the Bush/Rove Gaping Maw of Injustice devoured her and spit her boney carcass out the other end.

Along came Sammy Alito, the white knight to assuage the wingers and reaffirm their faith and trust in George W. Bush just when he needed it the most.

Harriet Miers, you are my Real American Zero.

-GSD

Two choices:

WHIG

NEW YORK TIMES

The “liberal media”

Good Job, Brownie. He’s the ultimate.

Chalabi…hands down.

I thought I would be the only one ot nominate Lieberman, so I’m gratified to see others here have had the same thought. A few moments in his cronyism:

The “love hug” with Prince George.
Pimping Drownie’s nomination.
Guffawing at the Chimps “no WMDS “joke”‘

And his unflagging support for the invastion of Iraq.

JOE LIEBERMAN – BUSH CRONY OF THE YEAR.

there has to be a three way tie for blind, happless parroting of the bush line. Al Gonzalez, Condi and Scotty all cross the finish line together…hell they all should win…

Brownie for sure. His incometency has and will affect so many people in the past and future.
Miers was a near miss and she could have had an impact for years to come. We dodged that bullet.
There are hundreds of other candidates but none with the impact of Brownie.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12…..1sat3.html

Da link for DeLay’s buddy and da future party bigwig.

In the NYT op ed today – Hans von Spakovsky – he’s da man who overrulled Justice dept. on the the DeLay Texas gerrymandering, and has risen up, phoenix-like, to be nominated as a new Federal Elections Commissioner (confirmation process to be held during Senate absence).
What a find for Bush!

Chertoff!

I can’t believe I’m the first one to mention his name.

As head of Homeland Security, and Heckuva Job Brownie’s boss, he was at least as responsible for the Great Katrina Fuckup as Brownie was, but he managed to survive by throwing Brownie to the wolves.

As a lot of the lefty bloggers warned might happen in the first week or two after Katrina.

I nominate the republican whore Joe Lieberman.If there was ever a contest to see how far one could stick their tongue up Bushs’ ass, Joe would win hands down.

heritage, cato etc., drudge, kristol, wsj ed board, fox “news,” far right blogs (jeez i looked at that one you tussled with – what a load of rot – do any of them have anything useful to say?) – the message machine

Is Brownie a crony or a hack? I doubt W even knew who he was prior to the disaster. So–Brownie for hack of the year.

Miers, on the other hand, not only hangs around with W, she worships him. So–Miers for Crony of the Year!

Michael Brown of FEMA (well, sorta).

Never has one done so much by doing so little, to invert Churchill.

For all my cousins flooded out of their houses, and all my colleagues now out of a job, and all my friends relocated to other cities, I join with the President of the United States and many here, who say:

Heckuva job, Brownie.

Ah, Redd and Jane, you are truly the gift that keeps on giving. A wonderful thread with lots of information and thoughts about cronies.

The definitions posted are helpful. “and Thesaurus Synonyms: accomplice, acquaintance, ally, associate, bosom buddy, buddy, chum, colleague, comate, comrade, confidant, friend, good buddy, intimate, mate, pal, pardner, sidekick” (thx michael72)

It’s tempting to go with Brownie, but I don’t think he’s an intimate, just a fall guy. Miers certainly qualifies and the secrets behind that mascara would never ever appear on the bestest blog ever!!! I am personally torn between Cheney and the Media, specifically the NYT. Cheney because of Grampa’s post and his longstanding, though hopefully diminishing, influence on the GOP. The NYT because of the information we now have about Judy’s irresponsible and disastrously influential reporting on Iraq and the decision to hold the NSA story before the ‘04 election. That’s not to say that the rest of the MSM is not culpable as a crony, but I think these two specifics make the NYT stand out as true accomplices.

So, for me, it will be MSM, the NYT specifically.

The only time he ever gets my vote–the chimperor

The crown and roses go to the stealth crony: Alberto Gonzalez. Wait until it is revealed what he has fucked up at DoJ.

First runner-up: No-bid contractors, especially Halliburton and Katrina contractors.

Second runner-up: The main stream media, especially Tweety, Punkinhead, Krauthammer and the Faux News Channel (and this week, Cotton Candy.)

Third runner-up: Every single one of the 3,000 presidential appointees who would not otherwise qualify for his or her job without agreeing to kiss Clusterfuck’s ass.

Fourth runner-up: Joementum and the DLC.

Reserving judgment for the 2006 award: John Roberts.

For your consideration (and, believing that to be Golden, one must be not only a crony, but a stone-cold incompetent to boot):

I nominate Karen Hughes for Queen Crony. She shoulda stayed behind the scenes orchestrating domestic shit. Of course her phony Public Face of America was laughed off the world stage as a bad job.

Too many men to list for King, but I’ll just go ahead and nominate Rumsfeld and the entire DoD.

Crony of the year is really cronies or ALL republican (controlling party) members of the House Ethics Ctte that as of this date, have done NOTHING.

ZERO. ZIP.

http://www.house.gov/ethics/

Doc Hastings, Washington, Chairman Judy Biggert, Illinois
Lamar Smith, Texas
Melissa Hart, Pennsylvania
Tom Cole, Oklahoma

See What’s New? Nothing.

If that’s not cronyism show me what is.

For the most golden crony, I nominate Mr Ahmad Chalabi, who has just yesterday been appointed acting oil minister after Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum was “relieved” of duties.

Drownie…hands down. miers is at least has experience relevant to her position. Drownie did nothing but be the right guy’s roomie in college.

unless it goes to shrubya himself – cheney and the other neocon loons needed somebody a little less ghoulish to present to the public…

Wow. Late to the thread, and to follow TL’s entry, a tough one.

Many good entries above.

But there should be a new category for Best New Crony.

Hands down winner: Christian Bailey for Lincoln Group and Iraqex.

Sure would like to know who he blew and who took the pictures that won this kid without any real track record tens of millions of dollars a year in propaganda contracts…

The crony who was closest
And the one who got the mostest
The one who had the access
And the one who was the badest
The one who had the guile
Pretending all the while
To be a top reporter
The midnight ripsnorter
The one who asked the questions
At the preznit’s suggestions
The one who was the worst
Until his bubble burst
Dubya’s alter ego
Noone went where he go…
Taking crony to new heights
On all those unlogged nights
Lets make that new depths
Was Jeff
Disgusting and despicable
Made Monica look respectable
Repulsive to the max
Crony in the sack.

so many cronies, so little time.

I got the biggest laugh out of Hugh’s last line after he wants to nominate the ‘unknown crony’

“….A single clueless, incompetent individual like Michael Brown can symbolize the problem but it takes thousands of anonymous idiots to create the mess we see throughout our government and across all its branches.”

and the suggestion about The Media, a real target and sycophantic candidate that one!

so I went to the dictionary on line to check on the meaning of crony and here is the definition

n : a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities.

and Thesaurus Synonyms: accomplice, acquaintance, ally, associate, bosom buddy, buddy, chum, colleague, comate, comrade, confidant, friend, good buddy, intimate, mate, pal, pardner, sidekick

as soon as I read the words bosom buddy and sidekick, I thought of Rove – emperor george’s most valuable asset. I mean the village idiot wouldn’t even have gotten beyond the little league without rove, I guess, so that’s who I nominate as crony of the year. he’s at least as responsible for the mess this country is in as are bush and cheney themselves.

though for me the word ‘crony’ implies a level of corruption, so maybe my mind isn’t made up. and I rather liked Grampa’s suggestion of cheney. “Cheney is a croney’s croney, without equal.” and he’s corrupt as hell too…

there are so many worthy and deserving cronies out there in the hacked up and sold off american (political and literal) landscape. so my top three choices would be rove, cheney and brownie, with The Media a close runner up.

He probably doesn’t qualify as anything but a wannabe crony, but I nominate Mr. Hindrocket for comparing Bush to the great geniuses of all time. Brown nosing at its finest.

You give McClellan way too much credit for being able to obfuscate.

By far his chief talent is his ability to lie without apparent remorse.

The Golden Crony goes to the word Crony itself.

The royal OED says the word crony is from Greek word chronos, implying “long lasting.”

That is royal Brit baloney.

Here is the sanas (Irish etymology) of the word of the 2005 American Zeitgeist:

Crony.
Comh-roghna (pron. cuh-rony)
Fellow-chosen ones,
Mututal-sweethearts,
Fellow-favorites.

comh-, prefix, (pron. cuh): co-, mutual-, fellow-

roghna, pl. favorites, chosen ones, sweethearts.

Brownie for all the reasons mentioned above.
My second choice is the Republican Party.

new thread

In a tight, tight race, consideration must be given to the candidate with the best blog.

Miers by a landslide, baby!!!!

The man without whom this all wouldn’t be possible…Tony Blair

Tweety,
Timmeh,
Lieberman

Sorry, obscure Star Trek reference

I vote for Heckuva Job, Brownie. Now, he may not be able to rival Tom DeLay or anyone for powerful, gift-giving contacts, but for maximum damage with minimum power, I say he wins hands down.

Is Chertoff out of the running?

Robert Novack

Hmmm…let me think, Tony Blair, no…Allawi, not quite…Harriet? Scalito? Dobson? O’Reilly? Santa Claus? Norman…Norman…Norman…

Cheney and The Media and Brownie are all great front-runners, but as with Academy Award winners, there’s got to be a last-minute momentum moment, and Chalabi being named the Iraqi Oil Minister just yesterday after getting .0006% of the vote in the recent Iraq elections is One of Those Moments.

As the brilliant p.lukasiak pointed out, “So, its gotta be Chalabi!”

I’;m really torn! There are sooo many deserving candidates for this one award. My belief is that “to be nominates is to win”. For example, I’m tempted to vote Scott McClelland. Scotty is so unqualified for the job that you expect him to fail when the lies of the admin are pointed out. When Scotty goes (unarmed) in to a battle of wits, it seems that the press cut him some slack because he just isn’t up to the task the way ari fLIEsher was.

My 2nd choice would be Halliburton. Never in history has any company been paid more to do less! If they operated on the consumer market, they’d be in bankuptcy court, as word of mouth would kill them!

My 3rd is the DLC. Never has any group (the Republicans) had an opposition who did MORE for them than the DLC has done for Bush!

My 4th is the Lincoln Group. I can’t believe the taxpayer is forking over so much, for such lousy work!

My 5th choice is Chalabi. Loose an election (big time!)and step up into running the lucrative Oil Ministry!

My 6th choice is Lester Crawford. How many Veterinian’s get to be head of the FDA? I love Cronyjobs.Com and think that is where this poll should really be held!

Like Buzzflash says, So many Hypocrites…er cronies, so little time!

White House flack Scotty McClueless, for his resolute, bushlike determination not to comment on an ongoing investigation

Rupert Murdoch perhaps

“…I nominate the DLC and Hillary and all her ilk”…

Sharkbabe beat me to the punch.

Does Laura qualify as a crone-y?

“I vote for the unknown crony.”
Hugh

ROFL Hugh, spit me cig out. I can just see the golden paper bag with the eye-n-pie holes cut out!

Muwaaa haa haaaaa

Great nominations all – but my vote is for the Mainstream Media. Every single BushCo crime could have been exposed, stopped or averted, by a Fourth Estate just simply doing its job – wouldn’t have to be any more than that. And we would still have a democracy…

I nominate “Heckuva Job Brownie”.

His sudden rise to crony fame during the Katrina crisis makes him an overnight “Crony Superstar”.

There are many others who are worthy of the “Best Supporting Crony” nomination.

This is a tough choice isn’t it?!
So far the Repub Crime Party has my vote. Brownie runner up.

Unhonorable Mention goes to:
Leg Waving Journalists
(gives new meaning to ’spread sheets’)

Mulling it over in the meanwhile, here’s a review of 2005 well worth a read: “What I Heard…”

http://globalresearch.ca/index…..cleId=1676

My vote is Condi Rice, without whose bottomless incompetence as NSA the 9/11 attacks might never have happened.

Everything we know and despise about the Bush Administration – all the damage Bush has done to the country and to the rest of the world – was made possible by the 9/11 attacks.

I vote for the unknown crony. All of us can throw out the names of Miers and Brown and ten or twenty others but what of the hundreds probably thousands of Bush appointees with no or dubious qualifications lurking in the government pulling down paychecks and the institutions around them. Political corruption has always been with us but never has it been so pervasive and systemic. It has begun to warp and distort the institutions of government and compromise their performance. A single clueless, incompetent individual like Michael Brown can symbolize the problem but it takes thousands of anonymous idiots to create the mess we see throughout our government and across all its branches.

“It’s our New Year’s treat for all the FDL-ers out there.”

Redd, that quote defines this blog. I heart this blog because of treats like this occur multiple times each day, when we are gifted with posts that encourages us, the readers, to think, to discuss, concur, and debate.

Thank you. Is the announcement of the “winner” the occasion when you finally blog in that ballgown?

newsom101: “Lieberman” LOL!

Leiberman

Maybe Bush will hold a Golden Crony Ball and invite a hundred of his crooked cronies.

“I am not a dictator.” GWBush

Heckuva Job Brownie hands down:

1) In one e-mail, a FEMA public affairs official tells Brown his outfit looks “fabulous,” to which Brown replies, “I got it at Nordstroms,” then adds, “Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?”

In another, an aide reminds Brown to pay heed to his image on T-V, suggesting that he roll up his sleeves.

USA Today reports last month at a Senate hearing, Marty Bahamonde, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s only employee in New Orleans when Katrina struck Aug. 29, said he e-mailed Brown on Aug. 31, “Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical … many will die.” Brown replied, “Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?”

2) He then goes on to start a fucking disaster readiness consulting company!! And he’ll probably make money. Oh if only I had those crony contacts

I vote Cheney.

Happy Fitz Year soon?

The MEDIA – by a landslide!

Maybe it’s like the Prom, and there could be a Crony Queen & a Crony King?

Can we bring back multiple choice?

I’m backing the “Bugman” for the 2005 Golden Crony , but let’s not forget “Kenny Boy” Lay.

Having written the script for Cheney’s secret Energy Plan and the great California energy swindle, Kenny Boy may have had as much influence in the Bush crime ring as the Bugman.

Although Kenny Boy has been lurking under the radar for the past few years, with his trial coming up next month I’m predicting he’ll be a strong contender for the 2006 Golden Crony.

Chalabi. Definitely the most insidious of all the cronies.

Brownie is definitely deserving of the name “crony,” but he’s so pathetically unaccomplished in his cronyism that I just can’t see his name engraved on an award any kind – unless it’s Incompetent Ass of the Year.

I’d like to offer a “dark Horse” candidate…

Chalabi. As emptywheel has posted, “apparently we do have to put a stake through his heart.”

Indeed, if there is a lifetime achievement award for cronyism, Chalabi is a major contender — he’s taken cronyism international, and across ideological and political lines in unprecedented ways. (I mean, how can you be spying for Iran and STILL have people backing you in the White House!?!?! The guy is simply amazing!)

I might have gone with Abramoff, but for the fact that in the next to last day of the judging period, he seems to have fallen from grace — when Sue Schmidt is saying you are toast among the GOP elite, you’ve lost any chance of winning for that year, regardless of how much you achieved in the previous 363 days.

So, its gotta be Chalabi!

Sadly this is a difficult choice for many… though, not for me. Harriet Miers…. crony of the year. An even bigger stinker for the lack of Roves’ involvement! Poor supreme choices can change the face of what some think of justice for generations. Souls of mind must think alike…. Harriet and GWB…. small! Ugh, “shudder”!We need to stop this!

I am hopeful for a better New Year! Fitzmas?

I’m pretty sure that if it weren’t for Brownie, talk of cronyism would mean very little to very few people. His feeble bona fides coupled with his disastrous performance gave new meaning to the word. And the “Heckuva job Brownie” quote helped expose King George as being truly mad. Extra points for that.

Jeff Gannon Guckert. He da man…

Brownie. His crony position cost lives.

well, Cozmel, Killer quote and I have seen it three places tonight…geez… ( alot of people deserving of this fine honor Harry, Rummy, Condi, Gonzo,KarenH, Woody, and of course Judy… or Scooter…) But here at the Enigma Cafe after much serious deliberating….

HECKUVA JOB BROWNIE….hands down the winner.

{ people died, alot of people}

Sharkbabe,

Thanks. For BushCo 9-1-1 is the whole ballgame.

http://911controlleddemolition…..s-out.html

The gift that keeps on giving.
–

If we are saying cronyism is the placing of your dumbass buddy in a position he/she is not qualified for and makes a colossal mess of it, it can’t be Miers because she didn’t actually get the job. Could be Brownie, and people died because of it. Yet Brownie’s nomination was supposedly vetted by others beyond Bush, sleepwalkers, who didn’t care about FEMA and wanted it to fail, most likely. Bolton was clearly NOT approved by anyone but Bush, despite his already proven failure.

Still, so many choices; only one award.

Cheney. As one of Poppy’s cronies, Cheney has worked tirelessly in the current Bush Administration to destroy the country, the Constitution, Bill of Rights. He’s rotten to the core and has helped to create an environment where all cronies can thrive.

Can I change my vote? I’ll go with this if so…

“See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.” —George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

http://politicalhumor.about.co…..shisms.htm

Gotta be Brownie. He’s the very definition of crony.

Cliff Varnel – I change my nomination to support yours. Excellent post. Osama is running this fucking country.

Dick Cheney.

And that’s a name, not a verb and subject. Although as a sentence, I like the structure.

… gratifying.”

Harriet You Are the Most Brilliantest, Bestest Prez Evuh Miers is a strong candidate.

QUESTION: Is it a sign of progress when incompetent women can be cronies too?

But who will win here?

justwondering,
Glad I could help you find your way through the trough of cronism to the ultimate offender.

I really should preview before I post.

God himself? After all, he’s the one who told Bush to invade Iraq.

The Crony King is…
Unknown Yalie from the previous post’s photo. He’s known Bush longer than anyone else, and he was the first documented victim of W’s penchant for the “illegal but satisfying.” Now don’t you feel his pain?

my vote for crony o’ da year is: Judy Miller.

how could anyone beat ‘lil miss put your mouth where your money is’ . . .

I think Alito would qualify more than Meirs. Meirs and Alito are both, very competent, however the only reason that Meirs never made it to SCOTUS had more to do with her very Un-Republican past INMO. Don’t forget the scandal around Dobson being brought in to sell her to the wingnuts. Alito however would vote to overturn Roe V. Wade, and that was something they just wasn’t willing to wager Meirs wouldn’t do.

That Post article is depressing.

DeLay.

Wilson46201,

Re:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..components

Whoa! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well I vote for Brownie, because his crony status is obvious in his abject failure to deliver. Meirs seems to be capable at her present job, and Osama is highly competent and possibly even managed, with 9/11, to give his patron the powers of an Emperor. Cronyism is an appelation of failure, and Brownie failed.

John Choon Yoo

http://www.law.berkeley.edu/fa…..?facID=235

His legal opinions, while working for the Justice Department, in support of unchecked executive power have led to torture camps, unprecedented governmental secrecy and as we have learned recently, warrantless spying on American citizens.

I vote for Osama Bin Laden.

This long-time Bush business partner stated that his goal was to cause the American people to lose civil rights.

OBL & GWB are work’n the same side of the street.

Dubya the Coward of Tora Bora allowed Bin Laden to escape, and BushCo has used the ever-present OBL bogeyman to great effect, still does.

Osama is Dubya’s main man — no doubt about it.
–

Harriet Miers; some consideration ought to be given to the august position to which she was nominated….

Respectfully guys, Cheney and Bush cannot be their own cronies.

Must be Miers. Must be Miers.

Is this really even difficult? Has there ever been a person first seriously considered, then ferociously rejected for a position so immense, solely for being so immensely mis-qualified? Isn’t there a fair reason nobody got offended when Nero’s horse entered the conversation? The Brownie stain was spectacular. The Miers implosion was historic.

Also, the photojournalism from her story is the least depressing.

Reposted from the thread below….

OT – End of the year charitable tax deduction? This organization is top notch…

Non sectarian, no hidden agenda whatsoever…

“Direct Relief International provides medical material aid including medicines, medical supplies and equipment to strengthen in-country health efforts around the world to improve the quality of life for the most impoverished people.

This year, Direct Relief has provided $217 million dollars in wholesale value of aid serving 29.7 million people in 52 countries worldwide.

For every dollar we spend, we leverage that support to help six people in need with medicines and supplies worth nearly $30 wholesale.

Forbes magazine once again recognized Direct Relief as one of only eight nonprofit organizations in the United States that is 100% efficient in fundraising.”

http://www.directrelief.org/
Cozumel | Homepage | 12.30.05 – 8:53 pm | #

Brown
Bolton
Miers
W

4-way tie.

I’d say Brownie, but not the original hire. The Golden Crony should be awarded to the most blatant, illogical and offensive use of cronyism. Brownie’s re-hire as consultant for the job he’d just so badly botched wins hands down.

Joe Allbaugh shouldn’t be overlooked, after all, he hired Brownie to begin with.

trish, very convincing. If it’s permitted, I’m changing my vote. Media, it is.

(massively OT — watching Nightline – Levon Helms is being interviewed and he looks so old … makes me feel old too.)

How about those two dark horses – Bill Miller and Len Downie? They should be independent of the White House, but obviously they aren’t.

My vote goes to the Media who’s Faustian deals have created the ultimate framework for all this folly. Choosing one outlet or individual would be impossible, they are all complict if only in their silence, with the utter distruction of our hope. The cronism and interweaving of their tales with the other villians in the dramas of the past year is stunning.

How could it not be John Bolton? When even Congress said no, Bush appointed him right back to the U.N. where he could be an even bigger jackass than before. That’s cronyism in your face.

I agree with Grampa. It’s gotta be Cheney.

Hailing from New Orleans…well Brownie has my vote. I mean come on Equestrian Horses…how on earth can you say that job qualified you to run FEMA. I agree with the former post…people died. ( I know people died in Iraq but that was on purpose not technically due to the incompetence itself!)

I vote for W, Puppet of Greed.

Cheney. How could it be anyone else? He mentored Bush, advised Bush on his election efforts, and when he realized that Bush could not go it alone, Cheney agreed to come along as Veep. From then on, he absolutely ran everything that was important, placing his minders in strategic positions so that all would remain within his control. Cheney is a croney’s croney, without equal.

Tom DeLay is going down faster than Judy Miller ! http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..components
The WaPo just published a killer story…

David Lesar of Halliburton

Gotta be Scotty, no contest. Sure, Harriett (”the best governor EVER”) made a good run for it. Karl? Not a crony, since he bosses Shrub around. Condi (”my husband…er…”) is a strong contender. But no one can beat Scott for going beyond the call of duty, even for a Press Secretary. Also in his favor: he’s inept, which makes him the perfect Bush crony!

Second runner-up: Booby Woodward.

So many cronies to choose from. It is like trying to pick just one scandal.

Can we just give a group Golden Croney to the entire Administration?

Too tired and sad right now.

Still, I nominate the DLC and Hillary and all her ilk. Best cronies President Dick and his little monkey prick ever had.

Tough.

Brownie killed more people.

But Harriet could have been on the Supreme Court for a long time and killed the Constitution.

Really tough…..

Harriet Miers, hands down. I believe that vile piece of shit David Frum said that among all of the sycophants surrounding W she was the sycophantiest.

“Heckuva Job” Brownie.

Three words that speak volumes.

No question it’s Bush himself. He was selected to be the crony of the Republican machine and do their bidding, show up, smile, and leave the real “thinking” to the heavyweights like Cheney and Rummy.

It’s Bush. He’s the biggest crony.

I nominate the Republican House and Senate, who have put Republican cronyism above the good of the country time and time again. Without their failure of oversight, little Georgie would not have been able to perpetrate this clusterfuck.

This is worth sharing to other reporters, bloggers and readers.

PR tractics used to scare off reporters and editors

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…..1279.shtml

The PR Playbook
(Page 1 of 2)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2005
(AP / CBS)

Quote

News reporters hate to hear that their story is “old news.” It makes them want to drop the subject like a hot potato. So when a news reporter calls you about a potentially negative story — whatever it is — just say “it’s old news” even if it’s not.

(CBS) This column was written by CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson.As someone who’s done a fair amount of investigative reporting, I’ve been encountering strikingly similar tactics employed by many press agents for government agencies (under both Democrats and Republicans), corporations, plaintiffs’ and defendants’ lawyers, non-profits and other entities when they perceive a negative story is coming their way.

Recently, when comparing notes with fellow investigative reporters, I learned I’m not the only one noticing these common strategies. In short, they seem to be operating from the same playbook. If there were such a playbook, it might read something like this.

2005 Top Ten Tactics to Influence Negative News: The PR Playbook

1. “It’s Old News”
News reporters hate to hear that their story is “old news.” It mak

I vote for Tom Delay. Crony for Russian oil execs, Indian gaming interests, and our President …

http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..01480.html

Fitz it to me!