Safe!

De-lurking to say, I’m with you.

lol :)

Barbara!

come sit by me said the spider to the fly…

Hi Christy!

I wonder if we’ll ever know the extent of the corruption.

Probably not.

I wonder if we’ll ever know the extent of the corruption.

Who’s to say? It sure seems to be endemic to this administration and its Congressional cronies, though, doesn’t it?

hey Christy ! -

on a related note, did you see the Rezko link downstairs – testimony today that he tried to get Rove to fire Fitz

there’s a he-who-makes-the-first-deal twist in there (Ata) as well

Trib

ooh barbara – glad you hung on

Really? Coughlin has a straight arrow rep at age 29? Just when he’s really getting tested he cuts out a Dem judge and sets up the path Abramoff needs at this tender age and he’s a straight arrow?

He sounds like a Young Republican with “other priorities” in 2001.

Am I being just too ####### this young man?

Can the DNC do some commercials about repug missteps and then at the end ask: What’s in your wallet? (may have to pay some money to capitalone but dang that’s a good one liner)

along with “can you hear us now?!”

The same Lord Acton who said: Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely said Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.

Jack & His Friends Ran The Hill To Steal A Bucket Of Money,

Jack Fell Down A Broke His Crown,

And His Friends Come Tumbling After!

And Tumbling!

And Tumbling!

Christy, breaking news in Chicago connected with Rezko trial. Rezko and Rove tried to get rid of Fitz. If link does not work go to Chicagotribune. com.

exactly.

According the the WaPo linked article, Ring is not only a pal of Doolittle, but Coughlin and Ring worked together earlier in their careers and were friends. My radar says not much pressure was needed. JMHO.

Because that’s how a complex corruption scheme is cracked, one cooperation plea at a time.

At least something is working beyond the primaries.

Also from same Wapo link above:

Doolittle does not plan to run for reelection! Awww.

Can you say: visitor logs?

I knew we could.

Feds: Blagojevich insiders tried to have U.S. attorney ousted

As federal investigators closed in, Gov. Rod Blagojevich insiders were angling with Bush administration architect Karl Rove to get U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald kicked out of office, according to disclosures made in federal court.

The far-reaching accusations came from the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago as part of the corruption trial against Blagojevich fundraiser and confidant Antoin “Tony” Rezko.

Federal prosecutors said in court that co-schemer Steven Loren was ready to testify he was told Illinois Republican insider Bob Kjellander was working to get Fitzgerald removed…

Unraveling yes, but too finely for my taste. We need some big fish, and soon.

Rove would be ideal.

It doesn’t say “Rove tried to get rid of Fitz” — just that Rezko tried to get rid of Fitz in 2004 by going to Rove through an RNC member from IL.

If Rove thought he could get away with throwing Fitz to the curb, he would have done it long before Rezko or anyone else asked for it.

Hmmmmm … by my read, that puts a whole host of “other officials” (note the plural in that) — both within the Department of Justice and within the government at large — on the potential hook from Mr. Coughlin’s cooperation deal. Were there higher-ups at DOJ pressuring him to help out good ole Jack?

Yes.

This has been another edition of simple answers to simple questions.

The more difficult question is “Will there be enough evidence and testimony to hold these higher-ups accountable?”

*shaking the Magic Eight Ball*

“Reply hazy — ask again later.”

But Fitz was rated as underperforming on one of the USAttorney spreadsheets despite his exemplary service and spotless record, so he was clearly targeted for removal.

any day with Fitz in the news is a good day.

From ChiTrib article:

Assistant U.S. Atty. Carrie Hamilton said she believed Ata would testify to conversations Ata had with his political patron, Rezko, about working to pull strings to kill the criminal investigation into Rezko and others when it was in its early stages in 2004. [snip]

“[Ata] had conversations with Mr. Rezko about the fact that Mr. Kjellander was working with Karl Rove to have Mr. Fitzgerald removed,” Hamilton told U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve. [snip]

Hamilton said the conversation she hoped Ata would testify to was about having Fitzgerald replaced by someone else, she said, “so individuals who have been cooperating in this investigation will be dealt with differently.”

Edwards for OBAMA!

Seriously?!?!?!?!?

Ooops, Key Edwards supporter. . . my bad.

Coughlin is a good indicator of just how far down the Bush rot and corruption go in most agencies and departments in the government. Even at his high point he was never really much more than a fourth tier player. I too have some problems with the straight arrow description. I would lump him in with the Monica Goodling, Kyle Sampson crowd of young eager upperwardly mobile apparatchiks. They didn’t think too much about the consequences of what they were doing either to others or themselves. For many of them their biggest friend at the moment is the statute of limitations.

So we won’t have Doolittle to kick around any more?

Ed Turlington announced for Barak. Also 3 of 4 major NC fundraisers now support Obama.

So Rove may have been threatening Fitzy? Interesting. Wonder if Fitzy knew.?

Talking heads last night were speculating about whether or not Obama had held back some superdelegate announcements to unwrap after Pennsylvania. Guess he did.

Clearly.

So we won’t have Doolittle to kick around any more?

No, but the Justice Department no doubt will even moving as glacially slow as it has on his and several other investigations of Republican Congressmen, thinking in particular of Jerry Lewis here.

Blagojevich is another Illinois Governor whose future resume will include a jail cell. Why the Illinois Democratic Party decided to inflict this guy on itself I will never understand.

Is Turlington one?

Fitz knew from the day he took the job as Special Counsel that Rove would be after him, just looking for an excuse to throw him out.

Rezko would have had no influence on Rove at all in this, except in his dreams and/or the tales he told to his clients and subordinates. “Yeah, I’ll call my buddy Karl . . .”

Rove didn’t take orders from RNC members, or the money folks behind them like Rezko — Rove *gave* folks like them orders.

Abramoff, OTOH, is a whole ‘nother kettle of fish when compared with Rezko. Jack and Karl probably didn’t give one another orders, but I’m confident that they were able to come to a number of “mutual understandings.”

Actually, I think Obama announced yesterday or day before that he would reveal some more superdelegate nods after the PA election was a wrap.

I wonder if we’ll ever know the extent of the corruption.

I would add “before the time runs out.” to your statement. That is, I would like to know about the statute of limitations on these crimes. Duke Cunningham has been in jail for quite some time now, after all. How late is too late?

Gallup poll released today says that 69% of americans now rate Clusterfuck’s presidency a failure- up dramatically from the last time they asked the question.

Things are goin the wrong way fer the Boy Wonder!

OT, but important:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDoc…..ow.doc.htm

The text of the Arizona fascism statute under consideration in their house (the one discussed here a few days ago here, which would outlaw cultural groups, ban the teaching of “dissent” against “American values” etc etc

Looks like Bob Schaffer in CO. (repuglican of course) is also in deep on the action…Interesting post at http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpoi…..rianas.php today regarding ANOTHER Jackie trip…

Gallup poll released today says that 69% of americans now rate Clusterfuck’s presidency a failure- up dramatically from the last time they asked the question.

Things are goin the wrong way fer the Boy Wonder!

And yet McCain wants to run on his platform. Strange.

McCain only wants to run on his platform until he’s been given many bags of money by Rich Clusterfuck fans. After that- It’s Adios.

Equally strange, the Clintons seem to want to get McCain elected.

McCain only wants to run on his platform until he’s been given many bags of money by Rich Clusterfuck fans. After that- It’s Adios.

Last I heard, the money wasn’t rolling in by the bagfull.

One of McCain’s biggest strategic decisions will be to pick the exact time he rejects Falstaff—er I mean Bush- and wheels towards feigned sanity.

Consumer Comfort Index on a roll- downward- approaching minus fifty.

Maybe they think it will make it easier for them to try again in 2012?

Have any of the teevee people noticed that as the economy gets progressively worse- McCain just suggests MORE tax cuts?

Consumer Comfort Index on a roll- downward- approaching minus fifty.

“But remember, everything is juuuuuuust fine.”
–George W. Bush

Meanwhile, back to Christy’s post, I just re-read it and noticed this:

Ring is accused of routinely buying meals and drinks for various government officials such as Coughlin at Signatures, a restaurant that Abramoff once owned.

So the smarmy fox owned the henhouse, eh? Pretty much one degree of separation amongst the BushCo crowd. I’d love to see that diagrammed.

Christy, breaking news in Chicago connected with Rezko trial. Rezko and Rove tried to get rid of Fitz. If link does not work go to Chicagotribune. com.

On the Fitz front, my congresscritter, Neil Abercrombie, is still offering this bit in defense of his minimal action against the illegal activities of the Bush-Cheney regime:

I have asked U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to reopen and expand his investigation into the leak of classified information by top White House personnel. This is the process that led to the indictment and a guilty plea from I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby for lying to a grand jury.

Based on revelations from the publisher of former White House Secretary Scott McClellan’s forthcoming book, McClellan admits that Libby, Karl Rove, Andrew Card, Vice President Cheney and President Bush all deliberately misled him about the involvement of White House personnel in the leak of former CIA Officer Valerie Plame’s identity. The only way to determine whether or not this is true is to reopen the investigation.

He made this “request” months ago. Has there ever been an official response? Is there any evidence that Fitz is doing *anything* on this front?

Bob in HI

Consumers are so ungrateful. Is it Bush’s fault that they wasted their tax cuts?

None of the candidates want to admit that the heart of our economic danger is debt- all of em are advocating MORE of it….

I think we’re screwed.

It’s hard to argue against that being true. Clintons are for Clintons, not for the good of the nation.

same as it ever was

Coughlin is a good indicator of just how far down the Bush rot and corruption go in most agencies and departments in the government. Even at his high point he was never really much more than a fourth tier player. I too have some problems with the straight arrow description. I would lump him in with the Monica Goodling, Kyle Sampson crowd of young eager upperwardly mobile apparatchiks. They didn’t think too much about the consequences of what they were doing either to others or themselves. For many of them their biggest friend at the moment is the statute of limitations.

My thoughts exactly, but you say them much better.
;)

This is not my beautiful house!

In California, no one can get elected without claiming that they will balance the budget without raising taxes- which is impossible.

In the national arena- no one can get elected without saying that “I won’t raise any taxes on YOU- but I WILL give you lots of goodies you want”.

The american people refuse to vote for anyone who doesn’t LIE to em…

Yeah, I wasted mine on a latte.

Of course, there’s also the drafter of the Dec 2008 Bush Administration Pardon list. This could be at least as big a friend to them as the statute of limitations.

Of course, there’s also the drafter of the Dec 2008 Bush Administration Pardon list. This could be at least as big a friend to them as the statute of limitations.

I heard they were going to save time by using the DC phone book.

Dubya: “Pardon Me!”

But Fitz was rated as underperforming on one of the USAttorney spreadsheets despite his exemplary service and spotless record, so he was clearly targeted for removal.

I believe that the only thing that saved Fitz was the fact that he was way too high profile. Had he not been well known for prosecuting Libby and winning, he would be gone.

All still pumping unrealistic economic global-speak. The global marketplace cannot continue to function efficiently or effectively with high fuel prices. Perhaps, telling the truth would be political suicide. We must revert to a localized economic system with greatly expanded rail service and public transit.

They’d have to include Bethesda, Alexandria, etc., because I don’t think many of them actually live in the District itself. Perhaps the “Greater DC phone book.”

No way. Cheney’s MASH unit will not allow him to do that.

I’d love to see that diagrammed.

kinda sorta

but I am busy trying to find you an old graphic (crew ? dem underground ?) that’s really kewl – mousing over their pathetic faces and you wind up with a very tangled web indeed

still googling :D

Untangling The Republican Corruption Web

Didn’t they make a song about that?

To Dream the Impossible Dream,
To Right The Unrightable Wrong…

(With apologies to Gomer Pyle)

Leon Panetta has gotte millions of dollars to study change in Cal government but is not planning on any discussion of tax reform

now that is offensive even as snark

All still pumping unrealistic economic global-speak. The global marketplace cannot continue to function efficiently or effectively with high fuel prices. Perhaps, telling the truth would be political suicide. We must revert to a localized economic system with greatly expanded rail service and public transit.

Yes, global warming, peak oil, and skyrocketing fuel prices don’t mean that we will be driving smaller more fuel efficient cars. They mean that our whole transportation system will have to change, and the way we plan or do not plan communities, and the way we use energy at home and at work.

now why would he do that?

Because California needs news ways to get revenue
Prop 13 was supposed to be the beginning of tax reform and change not the end.

What’s the point of looking at the budget process if you have no revenue.
Cal current tax structure is not working.

OK.. so you can’t tax-finance our way out of our country’s myriad problems. Well.. how about outright confiscation then? My daydream has a long series of corruption investigations culminating in the court-ordered confiscation of the rethug corporate-state nexus companies (Diebold, Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater, etc etc). Hey.. if the primary function of the state is to provide corrupt gains to these companies and the primary function of these companies is to keep the regime in power, then one can hardly argue that the two are separate entities. Seize and liquidate ‘em… :P

I’m good with that but in the mean time in Cal
our governor(sic) is saying the choice is schools or parks
(and we think he is planning on logging the parks)

i forgot to add my snark tag to my comment.sorry

McCain only wants to run on his platform until he’s been given many bags of money by Rich Clusterfuck fans. After that- It’s Adios.

So does this mean that you think he wants the bags of money so he can divorce his current wife? I mean, she’s got so much money, it would keep him tied to her even if he didn’t like her. Maybe that’s why he went into politics; so that he could be in Washington and wouldn’t have to stay home with her all the time. Seriously, why do you think McCain needs “mo’ money?” I think he just wants a lot of power. A very lot of power. Same as Bush. Same as Clinton. And all of them will do or say anything to get it!

It really takes no time at all to run a country or a state into the ground. Just amazing.

by my read, that puts a whole host of “other officials” (note the plural in that) — both within the Department of Justice and within the government at large — on the potential hook from Mr. Coughlin’s cooperation deal.

I doubt it. We are talking about the Bush Justice Dept. They are not going to put anybody in that admin “on the hook”. Everybody in this mess is getting plea deals, including the Head Crook Abramoff. Where will it end?

I thought it might be …but when I look at the 16 million Panetta has gotten my sense of humor fled :)

Wow… this article from the Times about the bond-ratings and the housing market. Quite interesting how the deregulated markets worked in our favor… not.

I’m talkin campaign money- Mrs. McBudweiser has plenty to keep the wolf from the door.

Hey.. were taxpayer dollars used to improve Crawford? The Cheney ranches in Wyoming? Perhaps we can appropriate ‘em as well :)

Before Prop 13
California had the best schools etc
now we are right at the bottom

The only thing worse than big government getting fatter and fatter by cynically spoon feeding the unwitting poor is willing big government getting fatter and fatter by force feeding the cynical rich. That’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans now that neither party gives a damn about our founding principles or our future generations’ well being. http://newsprism.wordpress.com

Didn’t some ‘officials’ get off the hook when they were caught by ‘paying’ for their freebies? Meals and tickets? Didn’t Susan Ralston pay after the fact? I don’t think they are focusing where they should; the House and Senate elscted members and DOJ appointees. Appointees aren’t schooled on what is allowed and what isn’t. If you have no sense of honesty to begin with you are doomed to get caught.Any time when the torturing is going to get the dominos falling UP?