Scandals
Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) Found Guilty on All Seven Counts
Last modified on 2008-10-28 01:42:28 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska has been found guilty of lying on financial disclosure forms in an attempt to hide gifts, largely in the form of a six-figure home renovation, from Alaska businessmen. The Washington Post reports:
The verdict was announced just after 4 p.m. in a packed courtroom in U.S. District Court in Washington. Stevens (R) sat quietly as the jury foreman said the panel had reached a unanimous decision and found Stevens guilty on all seven counts of filing false financial disclosure forms.
Jurors, who re-started their deliberations at 9:30 a.m. today when a juror was replaced by an alternate, were somber as they walked into the courtroom to deliver the verdict and did not look at Stevens. No sentencing date has been set, and Stevens’s attorneys are expected to file motions seeking to have the verdict set aside.
It is certainly too soon to determine what effect this will have on Stevens’ reelection race in Alaska, here he is running almost even with Anchorage mayor Mark Begich, but it is probably a safe bet to say that Stevens’ conviction puts a victory much farther out of his grasp.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) in Close Race After Being Hit in Face by Hardball
Last modified on 2008-10-27 16:03:15 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) is facing a newly competative race in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District after stating on Hardball on October 17th that Barack Obama may “may have anti-American views” and calling for a media inquiry into the possible anti-Americanism of members of Congress. The whimsically named Elwyn Tinklenberg, fresh from a vacation in Never-Never Land, has raised $1.3 Million since Bachmann’s comments, doubling his fundraising intake for the entire campaign prior. Minnesota’s 6th, while very conservative, is not looking like a very possible Democratic pickup. The two most recent polls, released on the 22nd and 23rd, show Tinklenberg with a lead of three and two points, respectively.
Internal Justice Dept. Probe Finds Misconduct, Violation of Federal Law
Last modified on 2008-07-29 22:46:34 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
A report issued yesterday by the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Inspector General’s Office in Justice concluded that Justice officials have engaged in hiring practices that “violated federal law and department policy, and also constituted misconduct.” More and more information has come to light in regard to the hiring policies the past several years at the Justice Department, revealing more completely the highly politicized atmosphere there that has been nursed into fruition by the Bush administration.
The LA Times published a piece that brought one of the most ridiculous incidences of this misconduct to light: homophobia.
On Monday, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog hinted at perhaps the most sensational justification yet — perceived homosexuality.
In the second of a series of reports on the politically charged tenure of former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales, the department’s inspector general found that two former Justice aides used sexual orientation as a litmus test in deciding whom they would hire or fire.
The most interesting aspect of the report is not that Monica Goodling and other officials in Justice politicized the hiring process, which everyone pretty well knew about anyway. The most interesting aspects of the reports are what’s left out. To what degree did then-Attorney General Gonzales know what was happening? To what degree did the White House know what was happening? Either Gonzales knew what the hiring practices in Justice were becoming and either allowed or encouraged it, a possible crime, or he didn’t know what practices his department was using in filling important non-political vacancies (including Assistant U.S. Attorneys), which would constitute what should certainly be called criminal negligence.
Furthermore, it must be asked, given the political nature of the hiring process, whether any impact was manifest in the activities of the Department. Take, for example, the case of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. The LA Times offers a good example of one of the irregularities in Siegelman’s case:
After Siegelman became governor, a Rove protege, Bill Canary, helped lead the successful GOP effort to defeat him in 2002. Canary’s wife, Leura, is a Bush-appointed U.S. attorney in Montgomery whose office won Siegelman’s conviction.
Leura Canary started to supervise the case but recused herself after complaints from Siegelman’s lawyers.
…Republican activist, lawyer Dana Jill Simpson of Rainsville, Ala., filed a sworn statement saying that she was on a Republican campaign conference call in 2002 when she heard Bill Canary tell other campaign workers not to worry about Siegelman because Canary’s “girls” and “Karl” would make sure the Justice Department pursued the Democrat so he was not a political threat in the future.
Another interesting case is that of Georgia Thompson, who was apparently prosecuted in an effort to impact the governor’s race in Wisconsin.
Beyond political prosecutions, it needs to be determined what, if any, impact these hiring practices had on Justice Department investigations into, for example, discrimination cases. Justice has a long way to go to clean up this mess, and it may take until well after January for everything to come to light. It is my opinion that criminal prosecution is necessary, although Attorney General Mukasey seems unlikely to pursue that avenue. There are few things in government more appalling than the politicization of law enforcement, and radical change is necessary at Justice to get this sorted out. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has seemed a bit lax when it comes to self-criticism. I don’t have my hopes up.
In Monumentally Stupid Move, Air Force Redirects Counter-Terrorism Funding to Pimp Rides
Last modified on 2008-07-18 09:00:57 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
R. Jeffrey Smith at the Washington Post reports some absolutely absurd news:
The Air Force’s top leadership sought for three years to spend counterterrorism funds on "comfort capsules" to be installed on military planes that ferry senior officers and civilian leaders around the world, with at least four top generals involved in design details such as the color of the capsules’ carpet and leather chairs, according to internal e-mails and budget documents…
Air Force documents spell out how each of the capsules is to be "aesthetically pleasing and furnished to reflect the rank of the senior leaders using the capsule," with beds, a couch, a table, a 37-inch flat-screen monitor with stereo speakers, and a full-length mirror…
In all, for the past three years the service has asked to divert $16.2 million to the effort from what the military calls the GWOT, or global war on terrorism. Congress has twice told the service that it cannot, including an August 2007 letter from Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) to the Pentagon ordering that the money be spent on a "higher priority" need.
Officials say the Air Force nonetheless decided last year to take $331,000 from counterterrorism funds to cover a cost overrun, partly stemming from the design changes, although a senior officer said yesterday in response to inquiries that it will reverse that decision.
Apparently, Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, currently the Vice Chief of Staff for the Air Force, decided that the standard airline seating available for passengers on Air Force aircraft was insufficient for use by such lordly folk as he. By the way, the Air Force already has a fleet of roughly 100 aircraft dedicated to VIP travel.
The e-mails state that McMahon ordered that the seats be re-covered, and one e-mail complains that the contractor "would not swap out the brown seat belts for replacement blue seat belts." The changes delayed the project by months and added to its cost.
McMahon said he does not recall intervening on the leather color change, but said he was sure it was unrelated to the Air Force’s color. He said that it was probably because blue would not show dirt as much as tan or brown would.
It’s nothing new for senior military staff to feel themselves deserving of extra luxury, often at the expense of the troops they command and the missions they are tasked to perform. I had thought, however, that it had become less of an issue since militaries stopped handing out stars for being a member of the landed nobility. Apparently I was wrong. They seem to be taking the "Imperial Presidency" a bit too literally.
Rangel: Pro-Stupid. Obama: Anti-Stupid. Gramm: Just Plain Stupid
Last modified on 2008-07-11 20:45:12 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
It seems like every week there’s a new story out about some member of Congress getting a sweetheart deal from someone or groping a page or fooling around with an intern and having her murdered and hiding the body or some other such mischief. Well, this week, the New York Times is reporting that Congressman Charlie Rangel of Harlem has a pretty good deal on the four apartments he occupies.
Mr. Rangel, who has a net worth of $566,000 to $1.2 million, according to Congressional disclosure records, paid a total rent of $3,894 monthly in 2007 for the four apartments at Lenox Terrace, a 1,700-unit luxury development of six towers, with doormen, that is described in real estate publications as Harlem’s most prestigious address.
The current market-rate rent for similar apartments in Mr. Rangel’s building would total $7,465 to $8,125 a month, according to the Web site of the owner, the Olnick Organization.
When will people realize these things always always always end up in the papers? Even if there was no wrongdoing or malicious intent, rule number ONE in politics is to always avoid so much as the appearance of being a sleaze bag, even if you are. Stupid.
On the other hand, Gail Collins has a nice piece up in response to all of this about how Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama doesn’t like stupid things. I suppose you can file that under “good news.”
Most of the things Obama’s taken heat for saying this summer fall into these two familiar patterns — attempts to find a rational common ground on controversial issues and dumb-avoidance.
On the common-ground front, he’s called for giving more federal money to religious groups that run social programs, but only if the services they offer are secular. People can have guns for hunting and protection, but we should crack down on unscrupulous gun sellers. Putting some restrictions on the government’s ability to wiretap is better than nothing, even though he would rather have gone further.
Dumb-avoidance would include his opposing the gas-tax holiday, backtracking on the anti-Nafta pandering he did during the primary and acknowledging that if one is planning to go all the way to Iraq to talk to the generals, one should actually pay attention to what the generals say.
Touching both bases are Obama’s positions that 1) if people are going to ask him every day why he’s not wearing a flag pin, it’s easier to just wear the pin, for heaven’s sake, and 2) there’s nothing to be gained by getting into a fight over whether the death penalty can be imposed on child rapists.
Sounds like solid politics to me. In other Obama news, check out this fascinating review of Obama’s two books:
Indeed there is a sense in which he brings together in his memoir, as Dreiser did in his fiction, the two basic American stories–stories of rising and stories of awakening. His books are “how-to” books about his own exemplary success at competing with others in the marketplace, but they are also conversion narratives about his discovery that serving others is the only way to save oneself.
It is hard for any writer, no matter how selective his memory or guarded his words, to conceal himself in his writing. I suspect (I’ve never met him) that the weaknesses and strengths of Obama’s writing reflect those of his character– a virtuosity that tempts him to be pleased with himself and impatient with others, but also an awareness of human complexity that made me think of a writer to whom he does not allude, Henry James, whose criterion for the artist as someone “on whom nothing is lost” he meets.
Meanwhile, the McCain campaign continues to flounder aimlessly. Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes at The Moderate Voice doesn’t have nice things to say about Phil Gramm, McCain’s top economic advisor.
He is a relic and by dint of his mindset, an irrelevant anachronism… as out of date as the old bathrobe over-coated Communists of Brandt’s time are irrelevant in the new economy, struggles, and spirit in a united Germany today
That Gramm is held out as McCain’s “highest economic adviser” is like saying Sylvester the Cat is going to be advising the Senator on the care and treatment of canaries.
Gramm will sink Senator McCain if he is allowed to continue in ‘highest economic advisory’ capacity. McCain has a certain dignity that Gramm will splat on, over and over again.
This, of course, comes on the heels of Mr. Gramm’s poorly-chosen words a couple of days ago about our “nation of whiners.” If things keep going as they are, he might want to revise those comments to “nation of winos.” At any rate, Ross Douthat has a good column at the Atlantic on the subject, check it out.
Jesse Jackson Tapes Open Mic to Foot, Sticks Both in Mouth
Last modified on 2008-07-10 03:54:30 GMT. 2 comments. Top.
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Rev. Jesse Jackson got caught saying some interesting things about Barack Obama. Apparently, Senator Obama’s balls are offensive to Rev. Jackson, who is desirous of their removal. Let’s go to the video tape!
I have little doubt that this incident will quickly fade from the public memory, as have so many others before it. As such, I’m not going to devote any time to analysis or commentary, because I don’t have much of an interest in Jesse Jackson’s feelings towards Senator Obama’s genitals, and because I certainly don’t want to develop one. In that spirit I am offering up an alternative. So, with no further ado, A Talking Ed’s countdown of the best political open mic moments!
Number 5: Breaking News — Pat Robertson isn’t crazy about homosexuals! (Skip forward about half way, when they go to commercial and the cameras keep rolling.)
Number 4: John Edwards and Hillary Clinton publicly secretly want to get Dennis Kucinich off the stage and back to the rest of his people in that wonderful tree/cookie factory I keep seeing on TV.
Number 3: President Bush is fed up with Hezbollah’s “shit.” By shit, he means rocket attacks and whatnot.
Number 2: LA City Councilman Zuma Dogg has had better days.
Number 1: President Reagan almost starts a war.
This isn’t to rag on political types, though. Everyone makes mistakes, even the experts:
This is probably more interesting than whatever the President was saying:
And this one looks like just another screen full of people yelling at each other. Until…
Did you catch it? Check out Lars Larson there in the bottom right, just before it cuts. Turn it up and listen closely. Apparently he and Rev. Jackson are two sides of the same coin.
And finally, here’s a nice video from NBC of some other open mic moments that I couldn’t find individual tapes of. I never get tired of then-Governor Bush calling a New York Times reporter a “major league asshole.” That’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
