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Howie Klein highlights a Vanity Fair article that is well worth a read -- especially because it asks, "Who's next?" Howie sets the scene for the article perfectly:
When Cunningham was caught like a rat but hadn't yet been charged, he understandably got depressed and started thinking about the ultimate cut-and-run (suicide). "He wasn't wholly to blame for his troubles, Cunningham later told Saul Faerstein, a Beverly Hills psychiatrist. He'd been led astray, his 'moral and religious values' perverted by unwholesome friends. 'He recognizes now that Wade and others in Washington were part of a culture of corruption,' wrote Faerstein, an expert for the defense in the O. J. Simpson trial, who was hired by Cunningham's lawyer in an effort to obtain a lighter sentence for his client. 'He is troubled he didn't see the motives of the people he trusted.' In fact, Faerstein wrote to the court, he found Cunningham 'naïve in some ways, always trying to see the best qualities in people.' Do you know that Cunningham wrote a 'bribe menu,' detailing how many hundreds of thousands he should be paid for defense contracts, right under the bald eagle on his House of Representatives stationery? I ask the psychiatrist. Did Duke tell you he tried to inveigle innocent people into covering up his moneymaking schemes? 'That was certainly quite damning…. But I never heard about that until later,' says the psychiatrist. 'I asked Cunningham's lawyer, "Why didn't you provide me with that information?" They told me they gave me what I needed…. I am not very happy I didn't know all the facts...' So, even as he was pleading guilty, Duke wasn't straight with you? I ask. 'No,' says Faerstein. 'If I'd known about those things, I would have seen he was not so much influenced by the culture of corruption as part of the culture of corruption.'"
And that's just a little bit about Duke Cunningham. That doesn't even include what the article says about Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), Rep. Katherine Harris (R-FL), and everyone's favorite poker hound, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo.
The Muck has more. And the WaPo is highlighting yet another lobbying firm (not Abramoff's but another one...) that was taking payment under the table for earmarks and, oh look, there's Brent Wilkes. Funny how we keep seeing him, isn't it?
And it is high time that reporters in Washington started asking Alice Fisher what she is doing with her fingers in the Abramoff pie and all of the other inter-related lobbyist scandal and corruption issues in the Beltway.
Investigations into the corruption problem in and among lobbyists, elected representatives and Administration officials are too important to be spiked by a political ringer who has the ultimate say on charging decisions, and who has the authority to recommend promoting the best and the brightest out of the Public Corruption unit to ensure they can't complete their investigations and have no avenue to complain about it. (And the folks who have worked federal public corruption cases can back me up on this -- this is the favorite method of stripping the staffing bare, so you protect the political asses of your cronies. Sound like a tactic that an Administration you know and loathe would use?)
Who is next?
(Woooo...Duke Cunningham pimped himself out for votes and bribes to collect antique furniture pieces like...um...this Louis XIV commode from Versailles. Eee-yooow. Imagine the rest of his decor...on second thought, don't. Just don't.)
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Typical Faerstein. BTW, he’s playing the reporter in the same way he claims to have been played by Duke–you know, just telling him “everything he needs to know.” In the field, we call this “parallel process.”
Next up ? J.D. Hayworth (I hope, I hope)
That commode is so pre 911.
heeee Dr. Bloor — I thought the psych portion of the article was a bit weird. Don’t know the man, but since he was willing to speak to a reporter about his patient — he wouldn’t exactly be my choice for therapist recommendation. Call me old school, but attorney-client privilege and psych-patient privilege are similar enough that this sort of thing just isn’t done.
Those are some damn nice stilettos on that commode.
I hope Ralph Reed is next. His commercials in GA accuse his opponent of corruption.
Sounds like Rover is moonlighting for him.
Questions
What are the odds that Alice orchestrates a go-easy campaign against all of the bad guys (and gals) so that come 2008, there won’t be a lot left to clean up the right way?
IF we are able to take one or both of the houses in congress back in Nov. is there any way there can be more oversight of Abu and Alice so that maybe they can do there, what do you call them . . . jobs?
their, there, oops.
and just what kind of “manly man” like “The Duke” likes fancy French furniture like that? actually, it is said that he and his wife were having ‘marital difficulties’ and that much of that swag was to ameliorate her …
*ison, she must have found out about the hookers.
I mean, *ilson.
More coffee, please.
Speaking of GOP dorkwads, check out the ongoing saga of the son of the telco lobby’s favorite Senator: http://www.ptarmigannest.net/?p=37
More on corrupt Ted Stevens’ even more corrupt (or is just that he’s less subtle?) son, Ben: http://www.ptarmigannest.net/?p=39
(pours T some coffee with cream)
HE’S GOT A HIGH-HEELED TOILET!
T- at 12 — I hear ya. Am on my second cuppa and just now breaking through the “needs more sleep” fog.
The commode in the picture is early 18th Century., rare and pricy. The one Duke had was mid-19th Century. There were made in quantity. so there’s not much scarcity value. IIRC, his was $2-3,000.
Roger at 18 - Interesting — thanks! (You know, I’ve always wanted to learn more about antiques and furniture construction and such, but have never delved into the subject matter other than catching the odd bit of Antiques Road Show, which I understand doesn’t really count. Anyone have a book or two on the subject as an introduction for a complete novice? With the understanding that the Louis XIV style furniture is not really my cuppa tea *g* I like things a little more streamlined — some arts and crafts, definitely comfortable.)
Gotta love the footwear on those legs; makes me wonder what’s in the “drawers.”
I take my coffee hi-test. Morning CHS, RevDeb.
Thanks Phoenix, that’s how I like it.
Pardon me while I state the obvious…
What really sucks about the wheels of Justice completely coming off is that it takes a lifetime to fix it.
We can fix the legistlature in even numbered years and the Executive every four years (unless Diebold continues unabated).
Have the courts always been this political or did Bush v. Gore start this shit?
What is the remedy to get political hacks off the bench?
It’s just never these moron’s own damned fault is it?
“oh I just didn’t know how truly corrupt my new friends were”,come ON,a 5 yr old who broke a lamp could do better than that.
So what happens to all that expensive(and truly hideous,it looks like Liberace’s house and Graceland mated and had a truly ugly baby)crap now?Does it get sold off and the money returned to the people or what?
There ought to be an amendment to the constitution that Supreme Court justices have to be renewed by popular vote every eight years.
Can’t stay long, on y way to Carlsbad, NM. Has the DSCC made any official annaouncement on the CT election yet?
Steve Clark — oh, good lord, no! I live in a state where the Supreme Court Justices are elected…and the results at times are horrid. A lifetime appointment allows for some substantial change of thought for a lot of justices. Look at the evolution of Souter’s thought process and Kennedy’s, let alone Stevens’ jurisprudence. What has happened with the Bush Administration is the occasional anomole that you get when you have Congress and the WH in the hands of a single party, and no one willing to stand up for a more moderate approach. And, even so, there is always the possibility over time that Roberts or Alito will mellow…even Scalia reamed out the Administration in the past year on its detainee policies in a dissent, so anything is possible.
The Court is NOT supposed to be politicized. If there were an electoral process involved in selecting the Justices, they would constantly be playing to a perceived constituency instead of to the precedents and concepts of justice before them. And that is NOT how the supreme appellate court in the land ought to ever operate.
OFG at 25 — not that I have seen yet this morning…
A commode is a small chest or closet not a toilet.
Election is what makes Sherrifs such asses as well…(see Tamany county)…they are under the illusion that they need only to represent the constituency that put them in power and not any actual duty to the office they hold.
Oo la la, Dukey’s taste may be a little too Franch for his cellmate. What was the last anybody’s heard about whether he’s finally started singing to get out?
Christy, howya feeling today? Hope the hand has settled down some since yesterday.
sorry, i mean Parish, not county…
Just a thought, it bothers me that the Supremes get away with “stopping the vote count” and such. Just trying to think of a way that they should be accountable for bringing these criminals to power.
This is completely OT, but I didn’t see a good way to ask this. Have you seen the news broken here in the States by Laura Rosen at http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/004509.html
The Italians have arrested the number 2 in their military intelligence shop, SISMI. They have evidence that he was involved in a disinformation operation that included the Niger yellowcake forgeries. This guy has close links to Berlusconi. From there, it’s only a short step to Bush.
a 5 yr old who broke a lamp could do better than that.
My 2 year old niece broke a lamp, turned to her mother, and said sweetly, “I love you mommy!” Well that was the end of that.
OT, but the funniest headline I’ve ever seen in The Muck:
Expert: Coulter Makes My Eyes Bleed
I get frustrated with this bunch of criminals and hope for a return for the rule of law. Of course, the treasury will still be represented by a huge hole in the ground, and the money will be never recovered.
Re: Backing up Christy.
Promoting someone out of an investigation is the best way to derail it.
Sometimes the prosecutor having thier investigation screwed over doesn’t even realize it. They know thier promotion is merit based (hey, weren’t they just making great progress on a really tough investigation) and if the case falls apart after they leave, it gets blamed on unfortunate timing or the guy who took over.
Even if the person being promoted out of effectiveness realizes that their case is thereby being torpedoed (for instance by saying “that is very flattering, but I could not accept such a promotion as such a critical juncture in this case. It would be irresponsible of me.–Learn from my mistakes, NEVER SAY THAT!)
If you complain. most people think you are a nut and an ingrate with career suicide on your mind. The folks who actually do “get” it, don’t know what to do about it any more than the soon to be screwed/promoted prosecutor.
Lo, these many years later, I still don’t know how you thwart that kind of assault on your effectiveness.
Is the involuntary version of the “Peter Principle”
egregious, however fumble-fingered she may be, that’s one deft little niece you have.
egregious 34, my favorite was a certain 4 year old who dropped a dish while drying it and immediately piped up, “it broke by itself when I dropped it.”
looseheadprop at 28:
A commode is a small chest or closet not a toilet.
Oh oh…I think we’ve got a problem. *g*
Oh the stories you could tell, eh, lhp? Is that the book you’re outlining?
What do they teach that at kid school? My kid does that to me all the time!
Whenever is say “did you do XXX?” in my stearest don’t mess with mommy voice, and the answer is going to get her in trouble, instead of saying “yes” or “no” (as the case may be) she says “I love you mommy” in the sweetest little voice. It is code for “don’t go nuclear please”
And, DAMN, it works every time. Kids are much smarter than when I was one
ohmigod!
his Looey commode thing is wearing HIGH HEELS!
EEEEEEEK!
lotus,
No the book is on preventing, detecting, documenting and proving election fraud
It’s part of the 50 state project
lotus at 30 — my hands are better this morning, thanks. It’s amazing what some sleep will do for you. Don’t know if it will last the day, but for the moment, things are working much better for me. Thanks for asking. :)
…some 19th century French author wrote: “Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.”
lhp @# 37,
CHS and you make points that never occured to me. To get al tin-foil-hatty, another avenue would be for a prosecuting political hack to further their career would be to bag a big ol’ bad guy within the party for leverage in the furtherance of their own career.
Back to the commode.
I can’t think of the last time (outside of torture chambers when visiting old castles in Europe) that I looked at a piece of furniture ant thought “how kinky is that?”
oopsie, shoulda read ALL the comments first, re 16 yam…
but the heels thing is pretty damn nellie, ness pah?
lhp 43 — Hot Damn! EXCELLENT! What a service you’re performing — I can’t wait to read your final product.
CHS 45, whew, so happy to hear it — we were worried about you yesterday. Go easy today, if you can, okay?
So many good articles to read lately: Vanity Fair, New Yorker, Waas.
Here’s another beaut! Lady Liberty Trades In Some Trappings.
See you guys on the other end, gotta go.
The San Diego Tribune has done a stellar job digging and printing much more than what has come out in the traditional media about the scope of the Cunningham corruption.
Yes he did have his menu, he was in the habit of demanding unsolisited defense approprations to contractors. There is more there where Wilkes and his partners had set up 30 or more front companies all registered to a single suite in San Diego.
And the funny thing is, everyone of those employees, all 102 or so for each 30 front companies donated their allowed $2000 to the RNC annually. Now isn’t that just nice. My tax dollars to buy body armour for soldiers actually being funneled through Cunningham to the RNC so they can screw me again. Wow what a treat….
Redd-
I’ve heard that some people get arthritic symptoms when they eat anything in the nightshade family- tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. I know nothing of your situation, but it’s easy to test to see if you are affected by it by just not eating any for a period of time.
Mickey 51, we could all use 5 or 6 mind-melded clones to keep up on our desired reads, couldn’t we?
OFG at 47
Bagging the guy doesn’t get yo a pre emptive promotion. Once he is indicted (in a public corruption case) the damage is done.
Bagging a big name, does help your career, for the right reasons. You were not intimidated by power and the likely pushback, you were smart enough to figure out how not to get caught doing the right thing (that is a common phrase in my circle of friends –that someone had something bad happen because they got caught doing the right thing), and you survived long enough to actually indict the guy.
I was part of a task force once that had a tradition of holding indictment parties. One nght we were having such a gathering at a place in China town. Kunstler and Kuby were have another clebration across the room.
I went past them on a trip to the ladies room and they asked what we were celebrating and I told them “we got a true bill today in XX case”
Initially th e people at that table thought that was horrible, that we were celebrating someone else troubles.
I explained that we were celebrating other things: the end of the investigations stage of the case (sometimes it seems like it will never end), the fact that we had not been caught doing the right thing until it was too late (ie. indictment) and the fact that the next stage (discovery) was not such hard slogging and we would be able to rest up a bit before trial prep begian in ernest.
Then, they smiled and offered congratulations.
When you go after powerful people, it is very different than going after drug dealers or other garden variety criminals. Your toughest battels are not in the courtroom
Lotus,
Thank you that’s very sweet. I am supposed to be spending my otherwise extensive free time (snark) writing it over this summer. i am already 2-3 weeks behid schedule (the fever thing a couple weeks back threw my carefully constucted aheduale house of cards into a hurricane)
I am trying to break my FDL addiction in an effort to free up some writing time, but you see I am not doing so well well at abstaining from the Lake.
Naughty Prop that I am.
lhp at 56 — you weren’t at Joe’s Shanghai were you? (Suddenly, I’m having a craving for soup dumplings…)
Duke Cunningham. Truly a man for the times. I’ve heard it said, that only about 10% of criminals get caught. And less are convicted, and even less do time. Cunningham is but one grain of sand on the beach of culpability. We are a country run amock in the sordid muck of political criminality. Of course when rigged elections and devious methods for excluding people from voting and nulling the one person, one vote concept are tacitly approved by a lackadaisical, uninvolved, and perhaps amoral populace, then I expect the shameful behavior we are confronting.
Kos diary about scope of the Cunningham corruption
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo...../114820/90
Here is a list of the front companies:
http://cannonfire.blogspot.com.....mpire.html
Good Morning Firedogs,
having extremely limited blogging time of late and this morning is no exception
Christy - thanks so much for the VF link - hope you enjoyed your radio time yesterday (haven’t even had time to run through and see if I can find it)
Oh Randy, you sexy beast - never ever see him without thinking of
Fred Garvin, Male Prostitue, “here Hon, can ya help me with this truss ?”
and omg, Tweety is gonna cover the debate ?!?! got the Tivo at the ready
lotus @ 50
big, big AMEN on both counts!
(Though let’s leave the Peter out of the Peter Principle)
No, we were at a place that has since close
hwo yu wan. Best cold sesame noodles you ever had.
I introduced an invesytigative reporter from the Times to the place. he thought I was nuts, eating spagetti with peanut butter–till he tried them.
He bacame and addict for those noodles.
Best courthouse area date back in those days (Hwa yu Wan or SPQR for dinner and Cha Cha”s (in the garden) for dessert)
Cha Cha’s is an Italien Gelatto place. Very romantic garden out back. The ice cream there is a whole nother food product than anything you’ve had before. they make a sunday called a “coppa Cha Cha” Hazelnust, cappachino and (I forget the last flavor) gelatto, sun dried amerini cherries in sauce, toasted nuts
To die for. Worth every calorie and more
cbl at 65 — I just finished looking up the link to post for Rayne when she got on, she missed it yesterday and was bummed. Here’s the link from yesterday’s interview for you as well:
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2006/07/05
Duncan and I are in the part of the last audio segment (about 2/3 of the way through…).
Cathy at #54 — I have also heard, and learned firsthand, that trying to abstain from certain foods for a time sometimes comes up with the odd alergy.
For me it is tomatoes. I loooove tomatoes. Learned to love them from my grandma’s garden eating them warm straight from the vine. But eat 3-4 of them, and my face turned blotchy and bumpy, my nose runs and I itch. Not a big enough problem to get general allergy testing (no problem with weeds and spring pollon) but just need to be mindful. Strange.
I think the psychiatrists take on Cunningham to be hysterical. Cunningham has not been honest with anyone for 3/4 of his lifetime. Not about to start now.
Peterr
I’m sure the Peter in the peter pinciple is some other guy
Totally OT, but in case I am not around when Jane does her next Lamont blog::
Last night DFA had a national confernce call. I got to ask a question and asked about DFA’s position on the Conn. primary.
They/we are supporting Lamont in the primary and will be redirecting resources to tother races if Lamont does not win. Evidently Joe did not do well with the Conn DFA groups and they won’t support him under any circumstance.
W/O local support, you are not eligible for national support.
Crackerjack news, lhp 66!
NY Ct of Appeals votes 4-2 against same-sex marriage.
I’m really just sick of the corruption. And I’m not just sick of the self-serving aspect of it, where politicians and lobbyists rake in millions of dollars in cash or “benefits” for themselves, but I’m sick about the tremendous disservice done to the American people, who have borne the brunt of bad legislation, either because it affected them directly, or because it completely cut them out of some benefit that only served a small segment of the population.
This stuff will take years to unravel and bring to a conclusion. Meanwhile, I see no real effort in Congress to enact higher ethical standards and write meaningful consequences into the protocol. To me, this looks like “Wait a minute - the rest of us haven’t hit the lobbying lottery yet!” and it’s really something to be ashamed of.
When people start bad-mouthing the “kids today” for their lack of integrity or inability to do the right thing, I have to think that our elected representatives, who sit on a very public stage, contribute very little in the way of positive examples of integrity and honor.
Here’s the NYT story:
N.Y. Court Says Lawmakers Should Consider Gay Marriage
Trying to catch-up, and don’t know if this has been mentioned already—Dubya and Laura will be on Larry King tonight and you can e-mail your questions now, or call in tonight:
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/larry.king.live/
I like Helen Thomas’ question: Why are we at war in Iraq?
Great post today! And the picture of that high-heeled thingy is priceless…
As I’ve been saying all along, it is not plausible that there was only one Duke Cunningham, only one Jack Abrammoff, only one Tom Delay, etc. Each of them was permitted to exist and thrive for quite some time within a system that they were very clearly a fairly normal part of. I applaud the reporters and muckrakers who were able to expose these individuals, but the rest of the media, and many legislators are almost childishly quick to jump all over the Abrammoff or Cunningham scandal as if each were a single, isolated case. Utterly implausible. The fact is that Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, and Ann Coulter ARE the Republican party. Had Enough?
From earlier threads: I enjoyed the discussion of the Lieberman situation. Anyone who wants to call me a neo-con can meet me at the Troops Home Fast in front of the White House tonight to discuss it. I’m as sick of Lieberman as any of you, but I’m bored by the childishness of much of the discussion.
peace,
jim
Have a good day everybody. Back to my life !!
Peterr,
The “Boxer rationale” thread got a little hot and testy last night….I do not want to take this one OT……but I am very interested to hear all of your opinion on her possible motivation(s)….and Bidens too. If you have the time leave it on previous thread and/or give me a heads up as to where. Thanks.
Larry
OKgoing to chicago to celebrate his birthday?
He is supposed to be having a birthday diiner with Mayor Daley–Oh, while the jury is still out (at least i think it is–have to check the Trib in a minute) on the City Hall Hiring case?
Schrub want to spend his birthday with Dem Mayor Daley??? WTF?
I think this may be like the “visit” Abu paid to Pat right around the time Pat’s ternm as US attorney expired. Word in the Chicago papers (and through the courthouse grapevine) was that you could cut the tension in hallways with a knife the couple days before Abu came.
It was just sadistic. And I never believed (though have zero inside info) the proffered reason for the “visit”
Christy,
thanks so much for the link !
try and catch y’all later tonight
NEDRENALINE BABIES !!!!
911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/5/152450/0414
Le Monde diplomatique: “9/11 - an Inside Job?”
by Vesa
Wed Jul 05, 2006 at 12:24:49 PM PDT
Le Monde diplomatique asks “Was 9/11 an inside job?” in its Norway edition, also read in Sweden and Denmark:
“9/11TRUTH: More and more people in the USA are convinced that the American authorities are concealing their involvement in the September 11th tragedy. Statements from witnesses, marked confidential for several years, now indicate that controlled demolition may have taken place. The US government had long anticipated such an incident - as the Republican document from 2000, “Rebuilding America’s Defenses”, indicates. The 9/11 Truth organisation believes that the USA probably orchestrated the catastrophe in order to justify the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the curtailing of civil liberties within the US through the introduction of The Patriot Act. […]”
Hi Christy - glad to hear you’re feeling better. Thanks for the eyeopener this morning. That Louis!
it looks like a fault-line is being observed in the Democratic Party — those with some aspirations for a future in the Party ( a Presidential run ) are sticking with the winner of the CT primary — Biden is the exception to my newly-observed rule but did anybody seriously consider him a contender except Joe Biden?
*ilson, who-all’s been heard from so far? (Last I heard was Kerry.)
“Intuition and experience suggest that a child benefits from having before his or her eyes, every day, living models of what both a man and a woman are like,” the court said. “
Anyone here raised by a single mom?
As a mom in a committed gay relationship, this is just ignorance. I have straight-A students, leaders in their school, who have no interest in proving they are normal–they are.
Feingold, Clinton, Kerry, Gore go with the CT primary winner
no word yet from Edwards or Bayh
While there were others besides Abramoff, Cunningham and DeLay who were raking in huge quantities of cash for themselves and their clients, there were - and are - quite a number of people who seem to be able to see the bright line that separates legal from illegal, right from wrong and proper from improper. Those people exist within the same system as these crooks.
There will always be people who cannot abide by any constraint on their behavior - people who are always working whatever system they are in for the maximum benefit to themselves. This doesn’t mean we should not bring them to justice in whatever arena in which they are going outside the rules or the law. And while some will never be deterred by any possible consequence, it seems to me that the consequences still have to be meaningful. Looking the other way, or punishment that does nothing to punish, just doesn’t work to change or effect the behavior of some people.
If I were a member of Congress, who is conducting myself with the highest ethical standards, I would be livid that the leadership was, by not taking a stronger stand, allowing the perception that the behavior of the Cunninghams and DeLays and Neys was not worthy of any ethical investigation, so that the people could continue to believe that Congress was little more than a haven for crooks.
I won’t be surprised if Edwards and Bayh take opposite positions on the question . . .
OT - totally off topic but - I was browsing some blogs I regularly visit and I came across a Rick Santorum ad in an odd place, on The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Which makes it even more strange is that there is no mention of that frothy foam.
lhp- He’s also fundraising for repub Topinka running against dem incumbent Gov Blagojevich. (The first democratic govenor of Illinois since 1977.) http://www.chicagotribune.com/.....i-news-hed
Kristenjoy at 82
However aspirational the court may think the daily examples of both man and woman could/should be, whot the hell does that have to do with real life?
You can’t mandate that any more than you can mandate that I will regain may once 18 inch waist (boy, do I have long memory)
There’s lots of nifty things that we or somebody else thinks we could benefit from.
That doesn’t mean that’s the only way life can go on.
I will never forget the “Murphy Brown” episode where she takes on Dan Quale and describes all the diferent varieties of familes that make things work in the real world every day.
Weeder,
Thanks, yeak I checked that article too. it just seems odd that he is there, on his birthday, visiting Daley.
Maybe I have the tin foil on too tight, but I think the trip is either meant as (cue the “jaws” shark attack music) yet another cheesy attempt at raising the cortisol levels for Team Fitz, or a cover for some other unpublicized visit.
Just want to nitpick here, since everyone seems to think Cunningham bought a thousands of dollars worth of toilet hehe.
A commode is not a toilet. It was usually a chest of drawers, and often used as a washstand. Before indoor plumbing, it was the piece of furniture you would put a bowl of water on top of to wash in.
The word commode was also later used to refer to a different piece of furniture, that held a chamber pot, and you could sit on it and use the pot at the same time. This is the meaning that got transferred to the modern toilet.
If you look at this picture above, you can see it’s just a chest of drawers.
let me tell you guys the real problem with corruption
it’s not a party thing
it’s a finance thing
corporate America can buy law, that’s the problem, they can contribute to campaigns and politicians
if the democrats were in powere there would be corruption from the democrats
that’s the way it is, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts ever more
I wish I invented that saying but I didn’t
what we need is campaign reform
REAL camoaign reform
campaigns and politicians need to be publcally financed, I don’t even want a politcian to be able to contrubute his own finances to the campaign
public funding, period
smaller campaigns, less negative campaigning, and rich people won’t have a camoaign edge
that’s the only thing that’s going to save our republic
in the mean time we need to get the democrats in office to bring oversite, but that’s just the immediate course of action, from that we have to change the way campaigns are financed
Forgive me, but does the name William Jefferson ring any bells? How smarmy of you to blast Republican wrongdoers, but to casually overlook Democratic thieves. I’ll give Dem’s this, they booted him off the Ways and Means Committee, but only over the protestations of the Congressional Black Caucus. You do much better when you’re going after Leaverman, or comment on Plamegate (Has anyone else thought it strange the Waas’ latest ’scoop’ seems to exonerate G.W.B. and nails Cheney to the cross (I’m not saying he shouldn’t be), almost like he was fed the info to accomplish that very task?)
76, looseheadprop at 7:15 am –
Can you offer more on the Abu Fitz meeting? Rumors, opinions, anything?
Gee, Andy M. — have you seen my post blasting William Jefferson a few weeks ago when he was in the news? Yeah, I thought not…
Haven’t spent much time around here lately, have you, Andy M?
Morning, firelambpups.
lhp at 89 - I agree, it does seem a little weird that out of all the things he could be doing for/on his birthday, he’s hanging out w/Mayor Daley.
Okay, here’s a nice tinfoily theory: fundraising for Topinka, because a GOP governor will have more maneuvering room to subtly pressure Fitz & co. without being accused of partisanship (since he was appointed by an R and is allegedly a conservative).
I agree with you—it’s his birthday, it’s two days—I found your take on it very interesting. I’m sure the Rebups also want that Governorship back. I also don’t see anything about him spending time with Hastert. Significant? Or he will just be there anyway?
Questions for Bush? Hmmmmm……..
1) Exactly why are we still in Iraq? And no, I won’t take, “to honor those that have been killed,” as an answer.
2) When, how and who is going to pay for this war?
3) Why hasn’t anyone in your administration or your family served in the military?
4) Do you believe in fair elections? Why haven’t you done a single thing to reform and secure the voting process for every eligible voter?
5) Why did you allow the outing of Valerie Plame?
6) Why have you given up pursuing Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind
of 9/11?
I guess I should stop now…..
ooohhh, meta, I love your questions. Should we all start sending them in, one by one, now?
Jim Preston — If you don’t like the discussion of Lieberman, don’t hijack the thread with an OT conversation. It’s really quite simple.
just a reminder:
C-SPAN/MSNBC TO CARRY LAMONT-LIEBERMAN DEBATE LIVE TONIGHT!!
7 PM ET -
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/5/155744/5598
Why do these “badasses” who manage to do the most illegal and evil things always cry like babies when they get caught.
It makes me puke.
Prison is too good for this guy…..
Hey asshole, bribes for hundreds of thousands for defense contracts and I doubt you had any values, moral or otherwise….just an ego the size of the moon (and no brain either…who makes up a bribe menu? That’s as stupid as being candid in your “internet” - (see Stevens, Ted), and sending it to your friends thinking it is gone after you hit delete)
Just another pig at the trough, only this pig got caught trying to shove too much slop down his filthy throat.
On behalf of good people everywhere who suffer because of your crimes, F**K YOU!
(edited by CHS. We don’t do violence in the comments.)
Thanks for the heads-up, Hartford.
I was bummed about not being able to see it down here in Atlanta.
Hmmmm let’s see, what will be better…the actual debate or the live-blogged snarkiness on FDL?
Speaking personally, which is all I am qualified to do, I do not believe in hanging anyone. And I wish that Ken Lay had served time in prison as punishment for his greediness. Unfortunately, people like Ken Lay and Cunningham don’t even think they are stealing. They are just taking what is rightfully theirs —
Just to be on the record against anyone wishing someone dead. Out in a desert maybe…
Its just part of a pattern that is really interferring with class upward mobility. Single moms, lesbian moms, already with fewer resources for their kids, are having fewer opportunities to advance their lives generationally. So. That’s why we are raising our girls to achieve, to expect to have to work 10x harder than the priviledged guy next to them, without ever having to lay it out so bluntly. Both of us were raised by single moms, nobody gave us anything, except devotion, love, and a lot of fight. All we desperately want is to be able to give something to these kids, some sense of stability and support. It’s just so much harder for gay families. Fuck ‘em, try to hold us back. It ain’t gonna work. I’m raising the next generations leaders.
I know this is a bit OT, but it does stick with the corruption concept:
Did anyone yet direct people to today’s New York Post front page?
http://www.nypost.com/
“Before They Put Cheato Lay’s Coffin in the Grave,
Check He’s in it!”
Steve Gilliard has a great post on Lamont Lieberman:
A party at war
http://stevegilliard.blogspot......ndrum.html
What has mystified me from day one about Lieberman’s campaign is the way he’s actually campaigning. He seems to be oblivious about offending the vast majority of war weary Democrats, by calling them haters.
The thing which is weird is that Lieberman, with all the advantages of incumbency, seems to be intent on pissing them away.
What is even more striking is that he’s setting up the anti-Lieberman party for every pol who asked him for help and got a cold shoulder. Lamont may be inexperienced but he’s got a lot of organic suppport, driven by Lieberman’s arrogance.
What is clear from the local papers is that Lieberman has made a lot of enemies over the years and all the blogging in the world couldn’t create them. The explosion of the Lamont campaign, something I didn’t think would be much more than a challenge to teach him a lesson, is about to cost him his seat.
The idea that Lieberman could risk splitting the party to save his seat should be repellent for most people, but it is clear that Lieberman thinks about Joe first. …
Glenn has another excellent post up this morning, The thug and intimidation tactics of the Far Right go mainstream, taking on, among other vilenesses, StopTheACLU.org.
Meta — a riff on your Bush question:
“You have said that we must stay in Iraq to honor those who have died there. If our soldiers keep dying there at the hands of the insurgents, do we have to stay forever?”
Justice system? Yah right…
That’s why some poor black kid in Alabama gets caught with an eighth and gets 20 years and these rich bastards pull off the crime of the century affecting millions of people (Enron’s victims will never see justice - damage is done) and they get treated like some kind of shoplifter.
The punishment never fits their crime. That’s for the poor and differently coloured, or whatever…
Ken Lay ripped off millions and now because he kicked it, his family may get to keep all that stolen cash. Just sick….
GIVE IT BACK!!!
These people act like it is their money and the taxpayers act like they agree…
Excuse me but why was America founded again? Something about preventing an out of control King and taxation without representation? Raise your hand if you feel represented.
Take a look around….
lotus - check out the General’s war on Nedd & his happy band of stoptheACLU nutjobs as well.
Christy, thanks so much for another great post. As per usual, the traditional media has dropped the ball on Republican corruption and the K Street Project.
If you and J