Do More Than Vote in 2006

Think • Speak • Act • Rebel

[Graphic by Neil Shakespeare. Used with permission.]

"I'm sensing shadiness..."

Me, too. Big time. Check out this article in the Washington Post giving the run down on Jack Abramoff - from his early years to his annoying habit of using quotes from "the Godfather" in his conversations. John T. Doolittle, his wife and his former staffers make guest appearances in this tale of meglomania and uncontrolled greed.

"Abramoff is the central figure in what could become the biggest congressional corruption scandal in generations."

Well, I'm inclined to agree with this statement. However, earlier this week I tuned in to listen to NPR's Talk of the Nation because they promised to discuss "corruption in Congress." I listened and learned zippo. The main thrust was this: nothing to see here. Everyone knows this is what's happens in DC. Grow up and move on. This means nothing to the Republican party. Huh? Why did they even bother?

Here's the link to the article: The Fast Rise and Steep Fall of Jack Abramoff - enjoy!

Friday Cat Blogging

I'm cat blogging today as an antidote to Lance Manion's existential crisis. Why think about the meaning of life or why we're alive when you can talk about your cat? This is what will save you from madness in the long run.

Riley feels every emotion a little too strongly. When he gets ticked off, he goes straight to enraged. Pet Cemetary eyes as he looks for the best place to sink his teeth. And, then there's lovey-dovey Riley. He *must* arrange his big body on my lap NO MATTER WHAT. You can see he's 'big-boned' by how he sinks into the chair cushion in the photo.

One of Riley's favorite places to sit or stand? In front of the computer screen, of course. And, depending on his mood, there are specific strategies that have to be employed to get him to move. Hence, the green throw on the back of the chair. He loves this throw and so placing it where he can still monitor my use of the computer has worked out very well.

Yes, Virginia, there is hope for democracy in America

My Merry Holidays present to you: this column by Peter Schrag, "After 5 Bad Years, New Hope for Democracy in 2006."

Excerpt:

Goodbye to 2005 and hallelujah. After the battering the Constitution has taken through five grim years, it's showing some signs of life.

The most conservative court in the country tells the administration to stop trying to manipulate the judiciary in its handling of terrorist suspects.

The most egregious snooping allowed by the Patriot Act may not survive congressional scrutiny next year; the dismantling of Social Security is dead. The phony "deficit-cutting" budget bill squeaks through the Senate on the vice president's tie-breaking vote: there's not a vote to spare.

One congressional crook, California's own Randy Cunningham, has resigned. The Hammer is twisting in the wind. His friend and patron Jack Abramoff is negotiating to rat out his former friends. Two other Californians, Richard Pombo and John Doolittle, are trying to avoid the stench of the Abramoff swamp.

Congress bans torture, despite heavy-handed pressure from America's No. 1 chicken hawk, whose own No. 1 aide has been indicted for lying in the outing of Valerie Plame.

And with the president's poll numbers down, the media, red-faced over their own dereliction of duty in the run-up to Iraq, seem to have found a little courage to challenge and question the administration's strategic leaks. A trial judge in Pennsylvania says intelligent design isn't science; it's thinly veiled religion. The school board that approved it is voted out of office.

The Holidays are Here & We're Still at War

This morning I woke up to NPR and heard that two US soldiers/pilots had been shot down or crashed in Iraq. Friends have a son that is serving his third rotation in Iraq. I was worried, but also ashamed to be thinking "I hope it's not ___. Please don't let it be ____." Ashamed because someone's heart was going to be broken. Every single death in this war is a tragedy.

So, I hear this song on my way home on this rainy night driving past all the Christmas lights. Perfect.

Brett Dennen's song:

The Holidays are Here & We're Still at War MP3

Smoggy skies and fixed elections / Injustice strikes from all directions
People with their backs against the floor / Looking for someone to set us free
A king with fists like Mohammad Ali
The holidays are here and we’re still at war

Quotable

"A rumor is circulating that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will retire next year. Today, Rumsfeld denied it, saying if you've seen my work in Iraq, you know I don't plan that far ahead."

~ Conan O'Brien

George W. Bush the Worst President -- Ever?

Holy dunce cap! Did you ever expect to see this title for an article featured in Yahoo News? I was alerted to this article by Al at the Viscount LeCarte. The graphic is courtesy of Monk (the master) at Inflatable Dartboard. Article: here.

Quotable

"Since 1980 in particular, US government policies have consistently favored the wealthy at the expense of working families - and under the current administration, that favoritism has become extreme and relentless. From tax cuts that favor the rich to bankruptcy "reform" that punishes the unlucky, almost every domestic policy seems intended to accelerate our march back to the robber baron era. ... But the real reasons to worry about the explosion of inequality since the 1970's have nothing to do with envy. The fact is that working families aren't sharing in the economy's growth, and face growing economic insecurity. And there's good reason to believe that a society in which most people can reasonably be considered middle class is a better society - and more likely to be a functioning democracy - than one in which there are great extremes of wealth and poverty."

~ Paul Krugman, Economist and NY Times Columnist

Quotable

"When you hear Bush say 'freedom,' he means oil. When you hear him say 'democracy,' he means oil. When you hear him say 'God,' he means oil."

~ Neil Shakespeare

Thinking About Italy Today...

Quotable

"We have seen most of our allies stand aside and engage in Schadenfreude over our painful bog-down in Iraq. Winston Churchill's glib observation, 'the only thing worse that having allies is having none,' was once again vindicated....There is no chance that our allies will join us in Iraq... Iraq is the worst place to fight a battle for regional stability. Whose interests were best served by the U.S. invasion of Iraq in the first place? It turns out that Iran and al-Qaida benefited the most, and that continues to be true every day U.S. forces remain there."

~ Retired three star Lt. Gen. William Odom (quoted by UPI)

Doolittle has some 'splainin to do

From today's Sacramento Bee:

Editorial: As a scandal swirls
Rep. Doolittle has some explaining to do

When Republicans won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, giving them control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years, they pledged to "restore accountability to Congress" and "to end its cycle of scandal and disgrace."

Unfortunately, at the same time they decided to launch their "K Street Project." Its aim was to end the bipartisan lobbying game in Washington and replace it with a Republican political machine. They have succeeded remarkably at that, but in the process have created a new cycle of scandal and disgrace. They have created all-too-cozy relations among lobbyists, members of Congress, their spouses and staffers. In some cases, these relationships have edged into outright corruption.

So much for the Revolution of 1994. The rhetoric of accountability has taken a back seat to the inevitable outcome of machine politics.

No one embodies the hollowness of the Republican reform rhetoric more than lobbyist Jack Abramoff, among those who led the charge for remaking K Street into a Republican lobbying powerhouse. GOP staffers rotated between Congress, Abramoff's lobbying operation and back to Congress. Abramoff cultivated close relationships with prominent members of Congress, most of them Republicans.

It was only a matter of time before these relationships attracted controversy.

Federal prosecutors began an investigation into allegations that Abramoff and his associate Michael Scanlon bilked six Indian tribes out of $82 million and exposed the problems with the new machine-style politics.

Scanlon, a former staffer for Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to corrupt public officials and defraud clients for providing "things of value to public officials in exchange for a series of public acts" - legalese for bribing public officials. Scanlon is cooperating with prosecutors, which may spell bad news for some members of Congress and those close to them.

Which brings things closer to home.

The Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have reported that investigators and prosecutors in the U.S. Justice Department's public integrity and fraud divisions are looking into Abramoff's dealings with four lawmakers. One of them is Rep. John Doolittle, a Republican from Rocklin. (The others are former House Majority Leader DeLay, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, and Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont.)

Citing unnamed lawyers and others involved in the case, the Journal said investigators are looking into whether Abramoff and his partners made illegal payments to the lawmakers and aides in the form of campaign contributions, sports tickets, meals, travel and job offers in exchange for help for their clients.

The Post, again relying on unnamed lawyers and others involved in the case, also said investigators are looking at payments made by Abramoff and his colleagues to the wives of some lawmakers, including Doolittle's. Julie Doolittle owned a consulting firm hired by Abramoff and his firm to do fundraising for a charity he founded.

The Post said investigators also are looking at former Doolittle staffer Kevin Ring, who worked for Abramoff and was an intermediary in the hiring of Julie Doolittle's firm.

The sources are unnamed; their allegation that investigators are looking at four lawmakers' dealings with Abramoff may prove groundless. But it is beyond doubt that the Abramoff case is a serious matter.

The New York Times quotes congressional specialist Thomas Mann of the Brookings Institution as saying that the Abramoff scandal has the potential to be the "biggest scandal in Congress in over a century." Mann says he's "never seen anything approaching Abramoff for cynicism and chutzpah in proposing quid pro quos to members of Congress."

And there is no doubt that Doolittle has been closely associated with Abramoff, a "close friend" of Doolittle's, according to the congressman's staff.

Doolittle used Abramoff's skybox at Washington's MCI center for a fundraising event. In the past five years, Abramoff, Ring and their clients have donated $140,000 to Doolittle's campaign and leadership political action committees.

The Associated Press has reported that Doolittle was among 33 lawmakers who signed a letter urging the Bush administration to reject a Louisiana Indian casino - even as they collected political contributions from competing tribes, Abramoff or his associates. The Associated Press reports that Doolittle received a total of $64,500 from Abramoff and casino-operating Indian tribes that were clients of Abramoff, both shortly before and after he signed the letter.

Doolittle's spokesperson says he signed the letter because he opposes any expansion of tribal gambling - a transparently contradictory position since he accepted contributions from casino-operating tribes seeking to squelch competition.

His spokesperson says it is "ludicrous and insulting" to suggest any other motive. Further, it is only "irresponsible speculation" that Doolittle may have "improper involvement" with Abramoff.

That statement misses the point, which is that Doolittle's involvement with Abramoff has been too extensive to be so airily dismissed.

Given the growing scope of the investigation into Abramoff's activities, many of Doolittle's constituents will surely expect a more convincing explanation for the contributions from Abramoff and casino-operating Indian tribes. They also will want a full explanation of the relationship between Julie Doolittle's consulting firm and Abramoff. And they will want to know what steps Doolittle has taken to avoid the further appearance of conflicts of interest arising from his association with Abramoff.

The Abramoff scandal is not going away. Neither will the need for Doolittle to offer full and convincing explanations. His constituents are waiting.

I'm a constituent and I have to say I'm not waiting for any excuses from Doolittle. He's out. Time for someone who will truly represent us in Congress. We're not waiting, dear Sac Bee editors -- we're watching & listening. We expect investigative journalism and justice.

Doolittle & Duke Cunningham - One Degree of Separation (if that)

Excerpt from article #2 from the Sacramento Bee:

WASHINGTON - A San Diego defense contractor linked to former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's bribery conspiracy has been a major contributor to Rep. John Doolittle.

According to Federal Election Commission reports, the Roseville Republican has received $36,000 in contributions from executives associated with ADCS Inc. and its political action committee between 2002 and this year.

Doolittle is not the only California House member to take political contributions from the defense contractors, but he is second only to Cunningham in total receipts. Like Cunningham, Doolittle is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

[...]

Doolittle's spokeswoman, Laura Blackann, said the congressman plans to keep the money.

"The congressman has done nothing wrong," she said. "He has no intention of returning any campaign contributions that were made in a lawful and ethical manner."

[...]

Brent and Regina Wilkes were large political donors, giving tens of thousands of dollars to primarily Republican candidates and political groups. In 2003, for example, Brent Wilkes sent the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, the political arm of the House Republican caucus, $25,000.

According to FEC records, the Wilkeses personally contributed a total of $10,000 to Doolittle's Superior California PAC last year and Brent Wilkes wrote a $5,000 check to the PAC earlier this year.

ADCS's political action committee contributed $5,000 to Doolittle's 2002 re-election committee and then $5,000 to his leadership PAC in 2004 and again in 2005.

Another Wilkes associate, Joel Combs, contributed $1,000 to Doolittle's 2002 re-election and $5,000 to his leadership PAC last year.

Doolittle, the elected secretary of the House Republicans who has expressed interest in rising in the leadership ranks, uses his leadership PAC to give money to other Republican candidates.

MZM Inc. and its president, Mitchell J. Wade, who San Diego newspapers reported bought Cunningham's Del Mar home for far more than it was worth and also bought a yacht in Washington for the congressman's use, also are political contributors.

It does not appear from campaign records, however, that Doolittle has received any money from MZM's political action committee or corporate executives, although there is some crossover with ADCS. In 2000, for example, Wade's job was listed as consultant to ADCS on a $1,000 contribution to Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho.

At last, the Sac Bee weighs in on Doolittle

WASHINGTON - For more than a year, Rep. John Doolittle's connections with Jack Abramoff, a one-time high-flying Washington lobbyist, have made occasional news.

A company run by Doolittle's wife did work for Abramoff, and the grand jury investigating his activities served her with a subpoena. Doolittle belatedly reported using Abramoff's skybox for a fundraiser. A former Doolittle staffer had joined Abramoff's lobbying team. And records show Abramoff, his associates and their clients, primarily Indian tribes, have contributed at least $140,000 to the Roseville Republican's campaigns and political action committees since 1999.

[...]

Doolittle's office has described Abramoff as a "close friend" of the congressman. Even if that relationship does not draw Doolittle directly into the Abramoff investigation, it has become volatile fodder for the 2006 Republican primary, in which he is being challenged by Auburn City Councilman Mike Holmes.

"Representative Doolittle presents himself as a person of high moral values," Holmes said Tuesday. "This relationship with Abramoff and the fact that he takes money from casinos when he is against casino gambling makes one wonder what his ethics really are."

The connections between Doolittle and Abramoff, who already is under indictment in a separate bank-fraud investigation, are extensive.

Doolittle's wife, Julie, did fundraising work for Abramoff between August 2002 and March 2003. Her records were subpoenaed last year by the Abramoff grand jury.

A former Doolittle staffer, Kevin Ring, later joined Abramoff's lobbying shop and recently cited the Fifth Amendment in declining to answer questions before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee about his activities.

In the past five years, Abramoff, Ring and their clients and associates have put $140,000 into Doolittle's campaign and leadership political action committee coffers, records show.

Abramoff personally contributed $4,000 to Doolittle's re-election committee, while a handful of associates, including Ring, gave another $9,000.

Meanwhile

Bush's Speech on the War in Iraq

Think they got an advance copy of Bush's Speech?

When will the Bush/Halliburton administration realize they can no longer 'PR' this war? As was previously quoted by Congressman Jack Murtha, "You can't spin this. You've got to have a real solution. This is not a war of words, this is a war."

Check out Monk's non-PR cover of the report issued yesterday in conjunction with the Bush's speech: Victory: Objective, Not Strategy.