What happened at the VA with WAMU radio?

((( Yeouch!!! )))) Not good. Must fix this.

1) General Shinseki speaks out on incident:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/04/top_to_bottom_review_at_va_sta.html?wprss=rss_blog

2) VA to return equipment to radio station:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/04/executives_and_lawyers_for_wam.html

3) WAMU radio airs audio of incident:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/04/post_6.html?hpid=news-col-blog

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PR Newswire: Palin-Tol-Ogy - the Newsweek cover story

NEWSWEEK Cover: Palin-Tol-Ogy

From Her Race for Mayor to the 'Troopergate' Controversy: An In-Depth Look at the Governor, Hockey Mom, Hunter, Reformer, Pro-Life, 'Regular Red State Gal' Palin Didn't Always Regard Former Brother-In-Law as Bad Guy; Penned 2000 Reference Letter Calling Him 'A FINE ROLE MODEL'

Last update: 1:02 p.m. EDT Sept. 7, 2008

NEW YORK, Sept 07, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is a self-described hockey Mom who hunts moose, juggles BlackBerrys and kids. She is also riven with contradictions and complexities. Palin is a reformer, but faces allegations of exerting improper influence in city and state government. A self-styled regular Red State gal, she is relentlessly driven, a politician of epic ambition who is running against a Washington establishment that, if elected, she will inevitably join, and even rule over.

In the September 15 Newsweek cover package, "Palin-tol-ogy," (on newsstands Monday, September 8), San Francisco Bureau Chief Karen Breslau and Washington Bureau Chief Jeffrey Bartholet plumb Palin's record for a better understanding of how she sees the world and where she stands on issues.

In the wake of her nomination, so many dirt-diggers were clamoring to get into the city hall of Wasilla, Palin's hometown, that the mayor, Dianne Keller, started a number system for out-of-towners to take turns. But the media's need for details about Palin mirrors a national hunger to know more about the 44-year-old governor who has improbably shaken up an already tumultuous race for the White House. The country was introduced to her and her family over the Labor Day weekend and through the Republican National Convention. Now, however, it's time to figure out not only who she is but what she's done and what she believes. Palin's personal story taps one of the great American myths -- the hardy woman of the frontier, God-fearing and determined to succeed against the odds. But as with most political biographies, the rougher edges have been burnished. To her critics, she's also shallow, opportunistic and even corrupt herself.

Palin's sense of personal mission may be rooted in her religious upbringing. She was raised a devout Christian, attending an Assembly of God church from the age of 4 until she was 38, and baptized in the cold waters of Alaska's Little Beaver Lake when she was 12. Formed in such a milieu, it is not surprising that someone like Palin would have a heightened sense of self, and of the possibilities of self, for she was taught from her earliest days that she could be directly moved by God. Friends say the Ten Commandments imbued her with a strong sense of right and wrong. Even now, when she talks about complex political matters, she sometimes speaks in religious terms. To a church gathering, she described a $30 billion natural-gas pipeline project, backed by state tax money, as "God's will." Similarly, she said the war in Iraq was "a task that is from God ... That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for -- that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."

Palin won her first election as Wasilla mayor with help and financial support from conservative groups. Some of her positions are clear: she's pro-life, opposing abortion in all cases except when the mother's life is in danger. She opposes same-sex marriage and favors teaching creationism alongside evolution in schools. But she hasn't pushed for legislative changes in any of those areas. Her reputation is built largely on standing up to corruption. But she's also regarded by political opponents as vindictive and petty, and has been known to mix personal interests in her own political life, leading to charges of hypocrisy. The issue likely to get the most press in the coming months is "Troopergate." This concerns Palin's former brother-in-law, Mike Wooten, and her alleged attempts to get him kicked off the state police force. Critics say she abused her power. Defenders say she was trying to protect her family against someone who posed a danger.

Palin, however, didn't always regard Wooten as a bad guy. Newsweek has obtained a reference letter she wrote for Wooten in January 2000. She described his good works as a volunteer in local police and youth auxiliary programs: "I have witnessed Mike's gift of calm and kindness toward many young kids here in Wasilla. I have never seen him raise his voice, nor lose patience, nor become aggitated [sic] in the presence of any child." She called him a "fine role model." The following year, he married Palin's sister Molly. But the couple broke up in April 2005 and fought a bitter custody battle. Governor Palin, her husband, Todd, and close aides are now embroiled in what has become a public controversy: they're the subject of an official investigation, ordered by the Alaska State Legislature, into allegations that they may have made improper or possibly illegal efforts to get Wooten disciplined, and even fired. (Palin says she is innocent of any wrongdoing.)

Also in the cover package:

Chief Political Correspondent Howard Fineman writes that although Palin is a tough opponent, the Democrats will need to tread carefully when coming after her. Democrats are determined to attack her credibility, and "the first -- and for Democrats, the most obvious -- way to do so is on abortion. Palin doesn't believe in abortion even in cases of rape or incest," he writes. Still, the real task of hunting Palin belongs to Biden, who "is as deeply informed on the issues as any member of the Senate, but he has a tendency to want to prove it at length." A friend of Biden's told Newsweek, "He has to be careful not to come off as heavy-handed."

Special Correspondent Jacob Weisberg writes that "pragmatic Republicans have been trying to figure out how the party can become a 'big tent,' making room for a pro-choice as well as a pro-life faction. Until recently, the modernizers included John McCain," he writes. "But renewed evangelical dominance of the Republican Party in the George W. Bush years has pushed McCain in just the opposite direction ... It explains how McCain ended up with a wildly underqualified running mate in Sarah Palin, instead of his preferred pro-choice veep picks, Joe Lieberman and Tom Ridge."

Assistant Managing Editor Kathy Deveny writes an essay on why she likes Sarah Palin. "If I'm really honest with myself, I'm mostly just happy that there's another woman on the national political stage. I think it's good for my 8-year-old daughter, who has called Hillary Clinton her idol. She doesn't love Hillary because of her health-care policy or pro-choice stance: she loves Hillary because she thinks girls rule. The more powerful women there are on the national stage, the better it is for all women, because this is a game of numbers," she writes. (Read the cover package at http://www.newsweek.com/ )

Cover: An Apostle of Alaska
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157696

What Happened to Family Values?
Jacob Weisberg
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157554

Howard Fineman
Beware the Barracuda
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157697

Kathleen Deveny
Confessions of a Secret Sarah Admirer
http://www.newsweek.com/id/157555

SOURCE Newsweek http://www.newsweek.msnbc.com/

Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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Saginaw Tribal Member Jackson stands by claim that Jack Abramoff was set as an example for lobbying greed-- by John McCain

Jack Abramoff was made the lobbying poster child for greed. So say several native americans who represent the tribes he worked for under Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Many of these part of a tribe who do not represent the big bucks, the big reputations, or are not enclaved in another lobbying firm.

In fact, they have a petition: www.originalsagchip39.org.

The little tribal members spoke on Jack's behalf at his sentencing.

They are making claim that he did get the job done.

Money did go to tribes via federal funding, SBA/HUBZones, and tribes were aware of programs in agencies such as HUD, BIA/DOI, HHS/IHS

They are saying that if John McCain had to set an example, Jack Abramoff was it.

(((We know Jack made many deals. He just got CAUGHT...up in more than even he ever imagined.))))

-------------------------------------------------------

http://www.themorningsun.com/stories/090708/loc_abramoff.shtml

Local News

Saturday, September 6, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008

Tribal members spoke at Abramoff's sentencing

By PATRICIA ECKER
Sun Staff Writer

Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe spoke both for and against disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff at his sentencing in Washington, D.C., last week

Several council members, including Chief Fred Cantu Jr., flew to the U.S. capital to speak in court on Thursday about how Abramoff had victimized the Saginaw Chippewas.

But former council member Delores Jackson also made her way to Washington in a van without air conditioning to give her testimony. Jackson lost her seat on the council after going public with her support of Abramoff, and continues to say Abramoff did nothing wrong.

"We paid him to do a job, and he did it," Jackson said. "I just told the truth."

A federal judge sentenced Abramoff to four additional years in prison. "Councilman Bernie Sprague testified on behalf of the Tribe," Joe Sowmick, spokesman for the Tribe, said.

Sprague testified that Abramoff defrauded the Tribe out of millions of dollars, and he urged the judge to impose a harsh sentence, according to a report in the New York Times.

Sowmick said the Tribe reached an agreement with Greenburg Traurig, the lobbying firm that Abramoff worked for, as did other Tribes across the country who were clients of the former lobbyist.

But Jackson argues that Abramoff, not the Tribe, was the victim. She said the lobbyist ran into the presidential ambitions of Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee.

"He was a scapegoat," Jackson said. McCain's Senate Indian Affairs Committee investigated Abramoff, and Sprague provided documents and powerful testimony before the committee.
Jackson accused Sprague of colluding with McCain.

"I don't know why Bernie would lie to a Senate investigation," Jackson said.

"I did my own research when I was on council," Jackson said. "He did the work he said he would do.

"He got us $3 million for schools," Jackson said. That money, however, came through a federal program designed to assist poor Tribes with schools run by Bureau of Indian Affairs; the Cantu administration gave the money back.

Jackson said Abramoff helped the Tribe fund Andahwod Senior Center, the Behavioral Health Department and road projects. Abramoff's defenders pointed to nearly $20 million in federal aid to the Tribe and local governments that they credit to Abramoff's lobbying work.

"They destroyed a man's career because he went against them," Jackson said. "I showed the council the proof."

Federal prosecutors recommended leniency because Abramoff cooperated in his own corruption case against lawmakers and former Bush administration officials.

He currently is serving a six-year term on unrelated charges and the new sentence will be served after that is complete.

Jackson points to a book by self-described liberal Boston investigative journalist Gary S. Chafetz, to be released next week, called "The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff."*

The book charges that Abramoff was a victim of "a Shakespearean tragedy of deceit, betrayal and political vendetta in which the true villains are presidential aspirant John McCain, the Washington Post newspaper and the U.S. Department of Justice, all of whom participated in the railroading of an innocent man," according to pre-release publicity materials posted on Amazon.com.

"I am angry that John McCain has used our Tribe to further his own agenda," Jackson said.
"I apologized for our Tribe," Jackson said to Abramoff. "After the hearing, his son and wife came up to me and hugged me."

Jackson and several other Tribal members have started an online petition to free Abramoff at http://www.originalsagchip39.org/.

Sprague and Jackson were the top two vote-getters for an open seat on Tribal Council during a special election in July. Sprague won the seat by 11 votes over Jackson.

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*The book is being released on AMAZON:

Editorial Reviews

Product Description: Gary Chafetz is a liberal Boston journalist who set out to chronicle the scandal involving conservative gun-for-hire and super-lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Instead he uncovered a Shakespearean tragedy of deceit, betrayal and political vendetta in which the true villains are Presidential aspirant John McCain, the Washington Post newspaper and the U.S. Department of Justice--all of whom participated in the railroading of an innocent man. Chafetz benefited from exclusive and unconditional access to the jailed Abramoff and to many never-before-released documents. The blizzard of stories originating from the Washington political machine painted Abramoff as an implausibly greedy lobbyist who cheated Indian tribes, bribed politicians and corrupted the political process--a fascinating tale but, ultimately, untrue. The true story, as Chafetz recounts in The Perfect Villain, is even more riveting and compelling.

About the Author: Gary S. Chafetz is a twice Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist who worked for The Boston Globe for ten years. In 1992, Boston Magazine named him Boston's Best Investigative Reporter. The following year, Boston Magazine named him one of the ten best journalists of the past twenty-five years.

New book: "The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff"

AP: Abramoff gets 4 years prison in corruption scandal
Email this Story Sep 4, 6:18 PM (ET)By MATT APUZZO

The whole story is here: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080904/D9305V402.html

EXCERPT:

Although Abramoff expressed remorse Thursday, he also has spent his time in prison cooperating with a book that portrays him much differently: as a victim of Washington politics.

The book, set for publication later this month and obtained by The Associated Press, says Abramoff was pressured to plead guilty. The book blames The Washington Post and Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee whose Senate committee investigated Abramoff, for making him the fall guy.

"I never expected that I would have to go to prison," Abramoff says in the book, "until it became clear that the media could not allow this play to close without the hanging of the villain."

In "The Perfect Villain: John McCain and the Demonization of Lobbyist Jack Abramoff," Boston journalist Gary Chafetz portrays Abramoff as an innocent man who excelled in an already corrupt system and was undone by biased prosecutors, reporters and political enemies.

McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

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I am Joe Lieberman!

Damn ----OMG, I must be a REPUBLICAN! A rock - ribbed, steak-loving, vodka--swilling pearl-wearing republican! I am a Jew Broad from the Northside of Chicago. Who woulda thunk this? What happened to me in 2000 when I fell for John McCain's message? Is he back? So many republicans hated him (including my former clients ____________,___________,
______________,__________________)*

Rove the evil mastermind stopped him with rumors years ago. Why am I not in Minneapolis? Why am I not working for John McCain? Why am I not trying to meet Gov. Sarah? am i joe lieberman? i am a democrat to my bones who is swinging republican....am i joe lieberman?

uh-oh! maybe not!

*http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2008/08/justice_dept_seeks_reduced_abr.html

Justice Dept Seeks Reduced Abramoff Sentence

Since his conviction on fraud and conspiracy charges, former lobbyist Jack Abramoff has spent more than 3,000 hours helping more than 100 law enforcement agents in an ongoing federal corruption probe that has implicated "scores of other persons not yet charged," attorneys said in court filings today.

The Post's James V. Grimaldi reports that the extent of Abramoff's cooperation was described in documents from both prosecutors and defense lawyers. They are seeking leniency from the judges who heard the two cases that landed the Republican influence broker in federal prison in Cumberland, Md.

If a federal judge in Washington accepts the recommendation from the Justice Department, Abramoff would serve no more than another three years and three months in prison, not accounting for credit for good behavior awarded by the Bureau of Prisons. Abramoff's attorneys are seeking even more leniency that could have him released from prison by 2010.

In November 2006, Abramoff began serving a sentence of five years and 10 months for fraud in his purchase of a Florida casino cruise line. Attorneys for both sides are seeking a reduction to three years and nine months.

Abramoff's sentencing in a parallel case of tax evasion, fraud and conspiracy to ply public officials with gifts in exchange for official actions had been delayed until he had mostly completed his cooperation with authorities. The sentencing is set for Sept. 4 before U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle.

In the public corruption case, the Justice Department is asking Huvelle to sentence Abramoff to five years and four months rather than the maximum 11 years and three months he'd be eligible to receive. The sentences in the two cases would be served at the same time. The government also is seeking about $23 million in restitution.

Abramoff attorneys Abbe D. Lowell of Washington and Neal R.Sonnett of Miami noted in a memorandum that in addition to the meeting with FBI and other agents, Abramoff had reviewed more than a half-million documents.

They also noted that the ex-powerhouse lobbyist had helped convict more than a dozen people, in addition to admitting guilt himself, and his case had prompted reforms that the attorneys said were widely known as "Abramoff Ethics Rules." Among those who have pleaded guilty were former Rep. Robert Ney (R-Ohio), who this month was released after he completed his prison sentence, and J. Steven Griles, the No. 2 official in the Interior Department.

The court papers indicate an extensive ongoing investigation by referencing a document that is sealed because it contains grand jury information. Still under investigation are former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and retiring Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.), among others.

One new scheme revealed in the papers is that Abramoff and his team of K Street lobbyists padded their billing records -- not to cheat clients, most of whom had hired them on retainer, but to bilk additional bonuses out of their firm, Greenberg Traurig LLP, because "padded hours possibly resulted in higher bonuses," according to a government brief signed by William Welch, head of the public integrity section, and prosecutor Mary Butler.

Abramoff's attorneys also referred to a statement by Noel Hillman, former public integrity chief at Justice and now is a federal judge in New Jersey, who has said that Mr. Abramoff's decision to plead guilty and cooperate and expose the wrongs he and others did was a 'watershed' event in addressing public corruption."

By The Editors August 27, 2008; 7:11 PM ET Abramoff Scandal

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"L' is for Lobbyist, "K' is for Kickback, "A" is for Adulteress, HP is for Hewl---Heather Podesta? UH - HUH! ---WSJ tells the story

WSJ's Washington Wire tells the story why Heather Podesta is wearing this patch - good for Heather! All lobbyists, those with causes (( and there are those who truly did try to assist the tribes! )) should not be ostracized by either side of the aisle. This is something that needs to be said. Thank you, Wall Street Journal, thank you, CNN! --abpr

Lobbyist Heather Podesta Draws a Parallel to Hester Prynne

(((((WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
What did ol' John McCain have to do with it?
How am I (LITTLE ME?) connected?)))*

Published 3 hours ago at WSJ.com: Washington Wire - WSJ.com
August 28, 2008, 7:00 am

Lobbyist Heather Podesta Draws a Parallel to Hester Prynne
Brody Mullins reports from Denver on the Democratic convention.

Barack Obama has waged war against Washington lobbyists. Now one big-time Democratic lobbyist is fighting back in Denver.

Heather Podesta, a politically plugged-in lobbyist who represents a range of corporate giants, is sporting a patch with a scarlet letter “L” on her lapel as she makes the rounds of cocktail parties and receptions at this week’s convention.

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic, the scarlet letter “A” marked an adulterer in 17th century Puritan Boston. Podesta’s “L” refers to something just as ignominious in present-day Washington: a lobbyist.

“It’s my little act of civil disobedience,” says Podesta outside a book party she helped throw this evening for her brother-in-law, John Podesta, who was President Bill Clinton’s chief of staff.

Podesta is one of hundreds of Democratic lobbyists who feel frustrated by Obama’s constant attack on their profession and refusal to accept their support for his campaign. But she is one of the few who is willing to talk about it openly. “I feel a bit liked a marked person,” she says. “You can’t volunteer, you can’t give money, you can’t even buy a $12 Obama T-shirt on the campaign’s Web site.”

Podesta and her husband, Tony Podesta, who is also a lobbyist, are among the top Democratic lobbyists in Washington. Their separate practices bring in well more than $1 million a year from A-list clients such as Boeing, CIGNA Corp., Eli Lilly & Co., and U.S. Steel.

Together, the Podestas raised more than $500,000 for the 2004 presidential campaign of Democratic Sen. John Kerry. Mrs. Podesta says the couple help raise about $3 million a year for Democratic candidates for president, House and Senate.

Podesta supported Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primary campaign, but when Clinton dropped out, she switched her backing to Obama. But she quickly became frustrated that, as a lobbyist, she couldn’t do anything to help the Democratic presidential candidate. Unable to donate the $2,300 that she wanted, she came up with the idea for the “L” patch. “We all thought this would be a way to have fun with an awkward situation,” she says.

She hired a graphic designer and went about developing the perfect patch. “In the first couple, the “L” looked a little too ‘Laverne & Shirley,” she says. She wanted something embroidered and “more goth.”

When she settled on a design, she paid about $500 to make one hundred patches to hand out to lobbyists willing to take a humorous stand against Obama.

She says she’s handed out about two-dozen. “I can’t tell you how many people want them, they are the hottest commodity in town,” she says.

At a book party for her brother-in-law, only a few lobbyists had them on display, including her husband.

Podesta says that the patches are all in good fun, but she doesn’t hide her frustration with Obama’s antilobbying stance. “There’s no spite at all, but a real frustration,” she says. “You don’t want to be told that your time and money aren’t wanted.”

As for the patch, she says, “the last time I saw, free speech is protected.”

Permalink Trackback URL: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/08/28/lobbyist-heather-podesta-draws-a-parallel-to-hester-prynne/trackback/

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Tags:
White House '08
Washington, D.C
Barack Obama
John Podesta


* six degrees = heather podesta (see comments)

more? Of course. Always.

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