Washington Post: HEAD DEM Harry Reid (NV) accepted free boxing tickets while related bill was pending

Continues.... A few months after the fundraiser, Reid did sponsor a spending bill that targeted $100,000 to another Abramoff tribe, the Chitimacha of Louisiana, (NOTE; I worked for Terry Martin of the tribe, good friend of JA), to pay for a soil erosion study for which Ayoob was lobbying. Reid said he sponsored the provision because Louisiana lawmakers sent him a letter requesting it.

Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist, has pleaded guilty in a widespread corruption probe of Capitol Hill. Reid used that conviction earlier this year to accuse Republicans of fostering a culture of corruption inside Congress.

Reid also wrote at least four letters favorable to Abramoff's tribal clients around the time Reid collected donations from those clients and Abramoff's partners, the Associated Press reported recently. (The Republicans must be sooooo happy!) Reid has declined to return the donations, unlike other lawmakers, saying his letters were consistent with his beliefs.

Senate ethics rules require senators to avoid even the appearance that any official meetings or actions they took were in any way connected with political donations.

Reid defended his actions, stating he would never change his position because of donations, free tickets or a request from a former staffer turned lobbyist.

"People who deal with me and have over the years know that I am an advocate for what I believe in. I always try to do it fair, never take advantage of people on purpose," he said.
Asked if he would have done anything differently, the Senate Democratic leader said his only concern was "the willingness of the press . . . to take these instances and try to make a big deal out of them."

###

"If this man 'Pat-700 Club' can bench-press 2,000 LBS, I have tits like Pamela Anderson."

I am not a gay man, although the post below was written by one.

And trust me, my breasts are saggy, baggy and NOT insured by Lloyds of London, silicone implants or NOT!

In my opinion, Robertson should just be exiled somewhere -- to the MOON!

Saturday, May 27, 2006- Pat Robertson story continues to get coverage by AMERICABLOG'S Chris in Paris - 5/27/2006 09:03:00 PM

Now remind me again if it is a sin to tell a lie? Pat was hoping to hawk his snake oil and instead seems to have been exposed. Oh dear. (AP)

(((Stand back, Madeline Albright! You can only press 400 measly lbs!)))

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says he has leg-pressed 2,000 pounds, but some say he'd be in a pretty tough spot if he tried.The "700 Club" host's feat of strength is recounted on the Web site of his Christian Broadcasting Network, in a posting headlined "How Pat Robertson Leg Pressed 2,000 Pounds."According to the CBN Web site, Robertson worked his way up to lifting a ton with the help of his physician, who is not named.

The posting does not say when the lift occurred, but a CBN spokeswoman released photos to The Associated Press that she said showed Robertson lifting 2,000 pounds in 2003, when Robertson was 73. He is now 76....This photo provided by the Christian Broadcasting Network shows religious broadcaster Pat Robertson leg pressing what is claimed to be 2,000 pounds at the fitness center at the Founders Inn on Regent University campus in Virginia Beach, Va., Feb. 1, 2003. A CBN spokesman claims the photo is from 2003 even though the date stamp on the photo says 8/1/1994.

CommentmyCount('114871382808055428'); s (82) Permanent Link NO, You are NOT on the AMERICAblog home page, click here to read more posts about US Politics

O'SHOCKER! Blogger Steve Young twists the words of Bill O'Reilly and

sez that O'Reilly asked Bush to step down -- and why didn't that STATEMENT make the MSM one wonders?

SEE post about College Pres, not BUSH -->

---> HERE http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-young/oshocker-oreilly-calls_b_21762.html

(((( pulleze!--- no more teasing me! ))))

###

Too Close to home, my friends

Document: Neil Volz's Plea to DOJ:

To: Jon van Horne, Esq.
From: Abbe Buck Hann

Subject: FBI News Release (Neil Volz pleads guilty)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CRM MONDAY, MAY 8, 2006
(202) 514-2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOV TDD (202) 514-1888

FORMER LOBBYIST NEIL VOLZ PLEADS GUILTY TO CORRUPTION AND FRAUD CONSPIRACY

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Former lobbyist Neil G. Volz has pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring with Jack Abramoff, Michael Scanlon, Tony Rudy and others to commit honest services fraud and to violate the federal one-year lobbying ban, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today.

Volz, 35, entered his plea today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, before Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle. Under the terms of a plea agreement, Volz faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and supervised release following his incarceration. Volz has agreed to cooperate with law enforcement officials in the ongoing investigation. Volz's named co-conspirators, Jack Abramoff, Michael Scanlon, and Tony Rudy, have previously pled guilty in this investigation and are cooperating with law enforcement officials.

According to the plea agreement signed by Volz, from 1995 through February 2002, he was employed by a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, described as Representative #1.

In 1998, Volz became chief of staff. In January 2001, Volz also became staff director of a House Committee when Representative #1 became the chairman of a Congressional Committee. In February 2002, Volz left the House and joined Abramoff as a lobbyist in the Washington D.C. office of a law and lobbying firm. In the plea agreement, Volz admitted that beginning in approximately 2000 and continuing throughout his time as the chief of staff in Representative #1's office and as Committee staff director, Volz corruptly accepted a stream of things of value from Abramoff and others while he took official action on their behalf. Volz concealed his receipt of this largesse, which was in excess of the limits established by the House of Representatives, by failing to disclose the gifts on his annual financial disclosure forms. Once Volz became a lobbyist with Abramoff, Volz's role in the conspiracy changed to providing a stream of things of value to other public officials, including Representative #1.

Volz also admitted that, when he became a lobbyist, he, Abramoff, Scanlon, Rudy and others continued to engage in an honest services fraud scheme by providing a stream of things of value to other public officials with the intent to influence and reward official action. The plea agreement and information set forth examples of such conduct, namely the provision by Volz and his co-conspirators of a stream of things of value to Representative #1 and members of his staff in order to influence them to take official action. According to Volz's plea, the stream of benefits included foreign and domestic travel, numerous tickets to concerts and sporting events, regular meals and drinks at expensive restaurants, and unreported use of Abramoff's box suites at the MCI Center Arena and Camden Yards Stadium for political fund raisers.

For example, Volz admitted that the co-conspirators provided Representative #1 and members of his staff with all-expenses-paid and reduced-price trips to Scotland and London in August 2002; to the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, in January 2003; to New Orleans,
Louisiana, in May 2003; and to Lake George, New York, in 2004. In exchange for this stream of things of value, Volz and his co-conspirators sought and received Representative #1's agreement to perform a series of official acts, including Representative #1's agreement to support and pass legislation, to support or oppose actions taken by other agencies and departments of government, and to assist Abramoff in securing additional clients. The plea papers allege that in March 2002, Representative #1 agreed that, as the Co-Chairman of a Conference Committee of House and Senate Members of Congress, he would introduce and seek passage of legislation to lift a federal ban against gaming by a client of Abramoff, a Native American Tribe in Texas.

"Neil Volz admits his part in the conspiracy to corruptly influence public officials in return for official acts - both when he was a public official and when he was a lobbyist," said Assistant Attorney General Fisher. "Americans have the right to expect a government free from corruption. The Department of Justice will continue to work on behalf of the American people to ensure honesty and integrity in government by enforcing the criminal laws against public corruption."

As part of the scheme described in the information and plea agreement, Volz also admitted that, as a lobbyist working for Abramoff, he violated the federal one-year lobbying ban by lobbying Representative #1 as well as staff members in the office of Representative #1 and the Committee staff he had previously supervised, all within one year of having left his positions in the House of Representatives.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Mary K. Butler and M. Kendall Day of the Public Integrity Section, which is headed by Acting Chief Andrew C. Lourie; and Guy D. Singer and Nathaniel B. Edmonds of the Fraud Section, which is headed by Acting Chief Paul E. Pelletier. The case is being investigated by a task force of federal agents including Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of the Interior Office of the Inspector General, the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General, and the Criminal Investigation branch of the Internal Revenue Service. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida also participated in the investigation.

The same task force and Justice Department offices are prosecuting the case of United States v. David H. Safavian, the former Chief of Staff for the General Services Administration, who was indicted in the District of Columbia in October 2005.

Washington Field Office Home Page
Press Releases
FBI Home Page

###

NEWS for the five readers of this B L O G

Visit www.abbebuckpr.blogspot.com

I am going home. ---ABH


###

Why do I love Alec Baldwin? Let me count the ways!

This is a man who can put his shoes and socks under my bed anytime. WOOF!

What other talk-show host wannabe can say "scientologist" and "SeanHannity" in the same breath? Come on, now!

(((( Alec, my number is in the last e-mail. Call me. I run my blog from a basement location at SITE R. , off of Rt. 15, on the way to Hagerstown. Don't tell Mr. Skitch. xxx's ))))

Abbe B., [your] stalker of the day.

###

I blog about Tom DeLay - threads on Huffington, AmericaBlog, RawStory, IBID

DeLay final day in office, June 9th 2006

http://www.philly.com/mld/ miamih...miherald_nation

The end of an era OR, AMONG OTHER THINGS, Several Native American tribes will need to find another access to POWER but they still hire the lobbyists, who still need to make a living, making sure that _______ is added in to Appropriation _______ etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

HVPR Homepage 05.14.06 - 12:20 pm #

###

The Tony Snow Factor -- Prez Bush to finally address the Mexican problem

Press Sec'y Tony Snow's media influence on Commander In Chief? GOOD!

BUSH TO HAVE PRIMETIME SPEECH ON IMMIGRATION
MONDAY NIGHT

Tony Snow steps up fight against 'unfair' coverage, goes after MSM, AP,
WASH POST...

###

THIS IS 1984, NOT 2006 - Does Judge Andrew Napolitano tell us so, Mr. President, Mr. CIA nominee?

MR. BUSH REASSURED THE USA YESTERDAY. YES, WE CAN CHECK YOUR NUMBER HE SAID. NO, WE DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU SAY, HE SAID. HE WANTS TERRORISTS ((( NOT THE KEY LIME PIE RECIPE FROM JACK'S WIFE WHO HAS BEEN CHEATING ON HIM ANYHOW. )))

READ THIS BOOK (below)

THEN TRY TO MAKE A MOVIE OUT OF IT WITHOUT SPECIAL F-X

The Constitution in Exile : How the Federal Government Has Seized Power by Rewriting the Supreme Law of the Land
(Hardcover) by Andrew P. Napolitano

Book Description

What ever happened to our inalienable rights?

The Constitution was once the bedrock of our country, an unpretentious parchment that boldly established the God-given rights and freedoms of America. Today that parchment has been shred to ribbons, explains Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, as the federal government trounces state and individual rights and expands its reach far beyond what the Framers intended.

An important follow-up to Judge Napolitano's best-selling Constitutional Chaos, this book shows with no-nonsense clarity how Congress has "purchased" regulations by bribing states and explains how the Supreme Court has devised historically inaccurate, logically inconsistent, and even laughable justifications to approve what
Congress has done.

It's an exciting excursion into the dark corners of the law, showing how do-gooders, busybodies, and control freaks in government disregard the limitations imposed upon Congress by the Constitution and enact laws, illegal and unnatural, in virtually every area of human endeavor.

---and now that we are all being wire-tapped, ala NIXON, even though we are in a perpetual state of WARTIME, well, sweet bejesus! IT IS ALL TRUE --we have no rights under this Prez, do we? I want to trust my Government, don't you?

###

ambush-whackers! shame! on you!---YOU WILL NEVER TALK TO ME IN ALASKA AGAIN! CURSES, CNN!

SLUDGE--ERR--DRUDGE, of course RIGHT!
Senator Files Complaint Against CNN After 'Ambush' - Thu May 11 2006 12:21:05 ET

NEWS FLASH!

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) is filing a formal complaint with chamber officials regarding what he considers an “unethical” broadcast of an interview with him by a CNN reporter Tuesday.

NOT A SCOOP AFTER ALL

ROLL CALL reports: In an incident that could have repercussions for TV journalists’ access to the chamber, Stevens is furious with CNN correspondent Joe Johns for an interview conducted outside the weekly GOP policy luncheons, but far away from the usual bank of TV cameras set up for such interviews next to the storied Ohio Clock.

“This was not a formal interview request. This was an ambush in the hallway,” said Stevens spokeswoman Courtney Boone. “He was asked to go on camera and declined.”

Stevens is filing the complaint with the Senate Radio/TV Gallery, the office charged with overseeing broadcast reporters, and the Rules and Administration Committee, which establishes the ground rules for what access media have on the Senate side of the Capitol.

CNN officials denied Stevens’ assertion that he didn’t know he was being filmed by their employees. “It was not an ambush, the Senator knew he was on camera,” said Edie Emery, a CNN spokeswoman.

It’s unclear what steps would be taken by either the gallery or the committee, or if there would be any punitive actions against Johns or the network if his report is found to have broken chamber policy.

tsk-tsk! naughty naughty CNN - NO COMMENT!

###

Predictions/trends: Hillary 2008 - by way of Rupert Murdoch and News Corp (FOX NEWS)!

RE: FT/MSNBC: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12692606

Roger Ailes will take a vein, now, or he's getting damn close. He visits his old boss' Nixon's gravesite and talks to Dick about the troubles with Mr. Bush, I am quite sure.

AND NOW, THE DRUDGE VERSION:

MURDOCH TO HOST FUNDRAISER FOR HILLARY CLINTON
Mon May 08 2006 18:25:16 ET

Rupert Murdoch has agreed to host a political fundraiser for Hillary Clinton this summer!

Murdoch's surprise decision to raise money for Clinton in July, on behalf of NEWS CORP., parent company of FOXNEWS and the NEW YORK POST, underlines a dramatic turn of relations between Murdoch and Clinton, who in 1998 coined the phrase “vast rightwing conspiracy” to denounce critics of her husband.

Some say the move by Murdoch reflects approval of her Senate career. Others note his record for picking future national leaders. Last century, he threw over the British conservatism he'd long supported to back longshot Tony Blair.

Clinton surprised Washington and media watchers recently by attending a FOX NEWS anniversary party, where she toasted Murdoch.

Political powerbroker and studio head Harvey Weinstein is said to have convinced Hillary that Murdoch could be a friend, not a foe, in her ongoing political maneuvers.

Hillary has now cornered the NY media market, by winning support from the NEW YORK TIMES, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS owner Mort Zuckerman -- and now Murdoch and the NY POST.

Developing...

as always'

HV PR

###

Zacharias Moussaoui [MOOSE-OW-EE] should have had a military tribunal and been shot by firing squad, period.

He got off waaaaaaaay too easy. What a MORON.

AP: Moussaoui asks for new trial - May 08 - 4:03 PM US/Eastern

Less than a week after he was jailed for life over the September 11 attacks, Al-Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui submitted a motion asking to withdraw his guilty plea so he can have a new trial.

"Moussaoui wishes to withdraw his guilty plea because when he entered the plea his 'understanding of the American legal system was completely flawed'," his lawyers said in the motion.

Moussaoui said in an affadavit "I now see that it is possible that I can receive a fair trial" in the United States.

"Even with Americans as jurors," he went on, "I can have the opportunity to prove that I did not have any knowledge of and was not a member of the plot to hijack planes and crash them into buildings on September 11, 2001."

"I wish to withdraw my guilty plea and ask the court for a new trial to prove my innocence of the September 11 plot," he said.

A jury rejected prosecutors calls for a death penalty last Wednesday and called for the 37-year-old Frenchman to be jailed for life without chance of parole after he admitted six charges of conspiracy over the September 11 attacks.

Moussaoui decided on Friday, while waiting to be transferred to a super-maximum security prison in Colorado, that he wanted to change his plea, his lawyers said in documents submitted to a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, where his trial was held.

###

Did you know that Tom DeLay Knew EVERYTHING about trip to Scotland planned by Jack Abramoff...?

READ about Susan, Christine, Amy, and back-track to the Washington Post and the Mississippi Chocktaw and the trip to Scotland

--AmericaBLOG starts, AP finishes:

Newly released DeLay/Abramoff emails undermine DeLay's spin AmericaBlog's Joe in DC - 5/06/2006 08:05:00 PM

Joe sez that "They are a lying dirty bunch.

"An email exchange, which the AP got, involves not only DeLay and Abramoff, but Abramoff's former assistant, Susan Ralston, who now works for Karl Rove in the White House.

"The conniving among this crowd showed no bounds. DeLay's story about his relationship with Abramoff and the free trip to Scotland is contradicted by what the DeLay and Abramoff teams were saying at the time. So, someone's been lying. What a surprise: DeLay has steadfastly maintained he believed that the center paid for the trip as he reported. "The e-mails show that when DeLay's office began preparing the required disclosure reports for the free trip, his aides asked Abramoff's lobbying firm for the cost figures instead of the GOP group."

"Our financial disclosure forms from the England/Scotland trip are due tomorrow afternoon. ... I would appreciate if you would send me your information," a DeLay aide wrote Abramoff's firm.

"The e-mails show Abramoff's team provided then-DeLay chief of staff Susan Hirschmann a final cost figure of $75,600 for the weeklong European trip taken by DeLay; his wife, Christine; Hirschmann; Hirschmann's husband; and Rudy.

"The e-mails stated DeLay's office could attribute the figures to "the final bookkeeping efforts" by the GOP group. Despite the figure from Abramoff, DeLay's report to Congress put the cost lower, at just over $70,000.

"Ralston wrote she had a follow-up conversation with DeLay's office. Hirschmann wanted "a name" of someone at the GOP group who would attest to paying for the trip and was concerned whether the center's executive director, Amy Ridenour, knew about the costs."She (Hirschmann) just wants to make sure that if someone starts asking questions that Amy Ridenour knows about these," Ralston wrote. " Permanent Link

May 6, 7:03 PM EDT
DeLay Office Knew Abramoff Arranged Trip
By JOHN SOLOMON Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Prosecutors have e-mails showing Rep. Tom DeLay's office knew lobbyist Jack Abramoff had arranged the financing for the GOP leader's controversial European golfing trip in 2000 and was concerned "if someone starts asking questions."

###

((( damn it, no more comic relief. we're not gonna have scottie mc lellan to kick around anymore like that bad tire! ))) TONY SNOW! He is so hot! WOW!

GOOD MORNING

READ DRUDGE REPORT

SEND NEWS TIPS TO DRUDGE

[ANONYMITY GUARANTEED]

=========================

MEMO TO MATT DRUDGE

Matt,

IT'S OFFICIAL:
NY OBSERVER:
BECKY SEZ:
http://www.observer.com/20060501/20060501_Rebecca_Dana_media_nytv.asp
Abbe B.
www.highvizpr.com
(former Abramoff minion)

========================

THE LIST...

x x x x x
VISITS TO DRUDGE 4/25/06
11,539,973 IN PAST 24 HOURS
295,575,615 IN PAST 31 DAYS
3,605,685,472 IN PAST YEAR

DRUDGE ARCHIVES
DRUDGE REFERENCE DESK
mailto:drudge@drudgereport.com

Mr. Dorgan deserves a reversal of fortune. He has helped tribes. Have you?

Thank you, Cheryl Crazy Bull for your Letter to the Editor published in the Bismarch Tribune. Ms. Crazy Bull is the President of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, located in Alexandria, VA.

Strong supporter of Indian education

By CHERYL CRAZY BULL, Bellingham, Wash.

While the magnitude of the scandal surrounding Washington “uber-lobbyist” Jack Abramoff is yet to be fully realized, there appears to be a concerted effort by some to throw all politicians into the muck and mire in an effort to mitigate the offenses of those who are genuinely involved.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D.-N.D., longtime champion of American Indian issues in general and the nation’s tribal colleges and universities in particular, has been unfairly pulled into this unfortunate mess.

Sustained economic development requires a well-educated work force. North Dakota’s tribal colleges afford access to quality higher education opportunities for both Indian and non-Indian students from some of the poorest counties in the state. In fact, 90 percent of North Dakota tribal college students receive financial aid.

Dorgan recognizes that these institutions are producing the next generation of highly trained American Indian teachers, tribal leaders, nurses, computer programmers and other much-needed professionals.

The five North Dakota tribal colleges account for 88 percent of all associate degrees awarded to American Indian students in the state. Dorgan credits tribal colleges with laying a solid foundation for tribal economic growth with benefits for surrounding communities.We cannot allow the inflammatory antics of those seeking to mitigate the offenses of the truly guilty to taint the efforts of dedicated public servants and true champions of Indian issues, such as Dorgan.

(Crazy Bull is president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, headquartered in Alexandria, Va. — Editor)

COMMENTS to this "OP-ED" included:


Abbe Buck, HighVizPR - HV Federal (former consultant TEAM ABRAMOFF) wrote on April 23, 2006 2:34 PM: "WHY ARE WE OUTSOURCING TO THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES if we can train our own Tribal people within the US Borders ala Lakota Technologies and CGS, as well as minorities, and those who want to live here from Mexico to take the same jobs and do the same work virtually that is done inIndia or China, but can do it and have an affordable cost of living index on the reservation? I seriously believe that Sen. Dorgan has the clout to help Crazy Bull do more with her lobby."

Barney wrote on April 23, 2006 11:02 AM:"Don't try to say that Sen. Dorgan was pulled into this matter - Dorgan and/or his team took the money - no questions asked - if he is being drawn into this its because of his own greed to take as much money as he can to get reelected - but the way, I think that if he should choose not to seek reelection he can keep any money he has collected (if I'm wrong I apologize), so he did this for personal gain. He could have given the money back long before it became public knowledge - but he didn't - so I have no sympathy for Mr. Dorgan!!! Dorgan's hands are not as clean as you think they are."

Kelly wrote on April 23, 2006 5:28 AM:"Yes Native American eduducation is very important. I feel that everything that can be done should be done. I think is a sham that a group of people should be singled out becuase of one person or a small group of people."

###

AMERIKABLOG by way of NYT - 6 - 6 - 6

Photo: NYT

Check out just WHO the generals are calling for Rumsfeld's resignation - they're HUGE by John in DC - 4/14/2006 11:35:00 AM

(Source: NYT) Among the six generals calling for Rumsfeld to resign:

-a former Secretary of the Army under Bush;
-former head of CENTCOM;
- the general who led our ground troops in Iraq; and general offered the #2 military job in Iraq.

These guys are HUGE. I really didn't realize exactly who they were until I re-read the articles.

In any other government, once a leader loses the confidence of so many high-powered fellow leaders, he'd be forced to step down - hell, his own sense of duty would tell him to step down. But not in the Bush administration. Arrogance and rewarding incompetence are virtues in George Bush's world. Never admit a mistake and keep watching the troops die because of your incompetence.Tell me again how the Republicans are so pro-military?

1. General offered the #2 military job in Iraq.
Batiste, who commanded the 1st Infantry Division forces in Iraq, said he declined an opportunity to get a promotion to the rank of lieutenant general and return to the wartorn country as the No. 2 U.S. military officer because he could not accept Rumsfeld's tough management style

.2. General who led the troops on the ground in Iraq
Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., who led troops on the ground in Iraq as recently as 2004 as the commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division

3. General who headed CENTCOM
Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, who headed the United States Central Command in the late 1990's

4. Former Secretary of the Army under Bush
"Rumsfeld has been contemptuous of the views of senior military officers since the day he walked in as secretary of defense. It's about time they got sick and tired," Thomas E. White, the former Army secretary, said in a telephone interview on Thursday. Mr. White was forced out of his job by Mr. Rumsfeld in April of 2003.

###

6 - 6 - 6

Six retired generals, four who were involved in the Iraq war or served in top positions in the Middle East want to see Rummy gone --now.

Marine Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, former director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, head of training Iraqi forces in 2003.

Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, the former head of U.S. Central Command.

Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste, who served as a division commander in Iraq and was a military aide to former Deputy Defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a primary architect of the Iraq invasion.

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack, who told CNN that Rumsfeld micromanaged the war. "We need a new secretary of defense," he said.

Retired Army Major Gen. John Riggs.

Gen. Batiste (pictured, speaking on CNN's "American Morning") has said he believed Rumsfeld should resign, arguing that the Pentagon needed a new leader who could work with top officers "without intimidation."

In an interview, Batiste said negative feelings about Rumsfeld were widespread among generals he served with. He added that there was an almost universal belief that the secretary did not treat military leaders and their opinions with respect.

"It speaks volumes about the leadership climate within the Pentagon," Batiste said. "Civilian control is absolutely paramount, but in order for it to work, there is a two-way street of respect and dialogue that has to exist."

No matter what General Peter Pace (above with Secretary Rumsfeld) can say or do as damage control, Mr. Rumsfeld needs to think about relinquishing the reigns. He has indeed gone the way of Robert McNamara, c: 1965.


###

Special Agent Bush consults Prez Cheney-Strangelove about MissPlame

from Mark Fiore: http://www.markfiore.com/animation/special.html

(((( WHO SEZ THAT THERE IS A PROTEST BREWING AT SITE R OFF RT 15, ON THE WAY TO TANEYTOWN, MD --WHOOPEE!!)))

###

MEMO from Lobbyists at GT Law: "Use PR strategy, get the Republicans to endorse it, get the Tribal Council to PAY for it, + get a tee time."

AP: Abramoff's team wrote of donations as leverage Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:12 PM
Republican Party official and Jack Abramoff's lobbying team bluntly discussed using large political donations as a way to pressure lawmakers into securing federal money for a tribal client, according to e-mail messages gathered by prosecutors.

###

Get me a bromo-seltzer, Hymie! My brothers, the red men want to come to my Seder!

"HighViz, a project company" wrote:

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:37:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: "HighViz, a project company" highvizpr@yahoo.com
Subject: CBS: GT Law 'Team Abramoff' e-Mails, The GOP and the Saginaw Chippewa
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Abramoff's team repeatedly discussed donations as the reason Republican leaders should intervene for the Saginaw, the e-mails show. "The tribes that want this (not just ours) are the only guys who take care of the Rs," Abramoff deputy Todd Boulanger wrote in a June 19, 2002, e-mail to Abramoff and his lobbying team, using "Rs" as shorthand for Republicans. "We're going to seriously reconsider our priorities in the current lists I'm drafting right now if our friends don't weigh in with some juice. If leadership isn't going to cash in a chit for (easily) our most important project, then they are out of luck from here on out," he wrote, referring to political donation lists.

---CBS Story (pretty deep one) More (none of it new, but a bit more 'focused' on buying the "R" 's for the tribes).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/12/politics/main1491396.shtml

Thanks!

Abbe B.

HighVizPR www.highvizpr.com

HighViz provides public relations programs and business development strategies to top national copywriters, media specialists, seasoned marketers and communications strategists.

###

Tom DeLay: "Everything about her is a Racist"

'nuff said. I know it's true. I saw it on F O X NEWS CHANNEL.

Capitol Police Chief Denies Racism Charge in McKinney case... and -- REP. DELAY ON FOX NEWS: 'Cynthia McKinney is a racist. She has a long history of racism. Everything is racism with her. This is incredible arrogance, and -- that sometimes hits these members of congress, but especially Cynthia McKinney'...

AND he can say anything he damn well pleases. He is a lame non-convicted FELON (har-dee-har-har!)

###

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) just didn't put up a fight...Cynthia McKinney did. She claims she had to.

Ms. Foxx in her office

Ms. McKinney meets the press

You heard the one about Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), right? Tries to get into Congress, gets stopped by a Capitol Cop - not wearing her pin -- they have words - she decks him -- she claims 'Racial Profiling', holds HUGE press conference (HighViz = media circus) and this is not an isolated incident - see: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/3770386.html

Now there's Virgina Foxx (R-NC), who spoke to Fred Grandy, the WMAL 630 AM (DC METRO) talk show host, and she told him that she was also stopped by the Capitol Hill police trying to get to her Congressional Office, and she was treated very nicely. Same reason that Cynthia McKinney was. Very similar situations. But Ms. Fox is white, a tad more matronly, older...

((((SAY, WHAT IF THEY WERE BOTH JEWISH? That's because EVERYONE is an anti-semite!! Yes, indeedy! EOB - Equal oopportunity bigotry, I reckon))))

Happy Pesach to ALL!

MEDIA WAR! DeLay is GOT by TIME and the hardball guy, sez DRUDGE

TIME MAG VS CABLE SUPERSTAR HARDBALL MATTHEWS BY DRUDGE REPORT

TKO BY NEWS MEDIA - (PRESS) WOLVES EATING TOM DELAY

MSNBC Matthews Declares Himself Winner Of DeLay Scoop-stakes --DRUDGE REPORT, Tue Apr 04 2006

Late yesterday evening, TIME magazine's White House correspondent Mike Allen broke the story online that former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) was resigning his House seat after the congressman provided the reporter with an exclusive interview in Sugar Land, Texas.

However, in an effort to break the news first, MSNBC's Chris Matthews broke into his cable network's SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY via phone shortly after 10 PM eastern time to announce the "breaking news" that DeLay would step down from his House seat.

Matthews excitedly declared: "I just was on the phone… with U.S. Congressman Tom DeLay of Texas, who is fighting for reelection. And he told me tonight, just a moment ago, that he's going to withdraw from the race tomorrow. He's not going to seek reelection."

This morning, TIME's Mike Allen was interviewed by CNN's Miles O'Brien to discuss his exclusive with DeLay. CNN's O'Brien opened the interview by saying: "Mike Allen, the White House correspondent for TIME magazine broke the story. Glad to have you with us."

Meanwhile, on NBC's "TODAY SHOW," host Katie Couric introduced Matthews during the show's DeLay package by describing the flamboyant cable host as the person "who broke the story." The interview closed with Couric saying "Congratulations on breaking the story." Matthews replied "Thank you very much."

Developing…

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Did Al Kamen write a letter? Did the editors at Indianz.com? Wonkette's editors sure did!

---fer sure!

In the loop -- WaPo -- and off the rez, baby! --> [ Hey, Al, who won the tee-shirt contest?]

For Jack's a Jolly Good Fellow!
By Al Kamen Friday, March 31, 2006; Page A17

The extraordinary outpouring of letters on behalf of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff must have played a part in persuading U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck to give Abramoff the minimum possible sentence Wednesday for fraud and conspiracy in buying casino boats in Florida. [More to follow - FEDERAL sentencing...Tony Rudy "Staffer A" just plead guilty...up next, Congressman Ney (R-OH]

The sheer volume -- 262 letters were ginned up by Abramoff's lawyers was impressive. [Remember all the letters for Kris Kringle in "Miracle on 34th Street"? This was "Kreplach in Florida"!] So was the range -- from family members to old friends to religious folks to a member of Congress (Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.).

The extraordinary outpouring of letters on behalf of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff must have played a part in persuading U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck to give Abramoff the minimum possible sentence Wednesday for fraud and conspiracy in buying casino boats in the Mariana Islands. All asked for leniency for a great guy who lost his way. They focused on Abramoff's good deeds -- local physician Gene Colice 's letter talked about neighbor Abramoff "trying to find a lost hamster on a Friday night" -- to his contributions to Jewish charities and religious institutions.

Some of the letters at first glance seem risky, raising the possibility of backfire. For example, there were two from the Northern Mariana Islands, Abramoff clients who were battling congressional efforts to impose federal control [yeah, but who cares about the political bushwa- Wonkette's was not very nice! I bet their leak about the Jack's request to us came from that lady from Washingtonian---Baltimore---Wilmington---- magazine. I am just a tinfoil hat-wearing PR flack , what the hell do I know??? Except that Wonkette is now a MAN!--but I digress...]

[MORE from Al] Northern Mariana Gov. Benigno R. Fitial wrote that Abramoff lobbied for the U.S. territory "during one of the darkest periods in our short history as a largely self-governing" commonwealth, a time when unions and other misguided do-gooders were demanding federal control of immigration -- which fuels the territory's growing sex trade -- and application of minimum-wage and other worker protections to the clothing factories there. Critics say the factories, which produce "Made in USA" goods, are little more than sweatshops.

Another letter came from Willie Tan , who introduced himself as someone "engaged in various international business enterprises," including "apparel manufacturing."

A BAD KNISH

A letter from well-known Washington attorney Nathan Lewin risked reminding Huck that Abramoff opened a kosher deli in downtown D.C. "at great personal sacrifice." Would have been less "sacrifice" if the failed operation had served better food. The real danger was that Huck might have dined there and had one of those potato knishes apparently microwaved so much that the potato filling was liquefied. If so, Huck would have been thinking summary execution, not leniency.

And there was a warm letter from Rabbi Daniel Lapin , urging leniency and noting Abramoff was not your "average criminal." Problem is, Lapin's letter might have reminded Huck that Abramoff contributed money to Lapin's group, Toward Tradition, to pay the salary of the wife of a top aide to then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).

Even worse, Lapin's letter might have reminded Huck of the hilarious September 2000 e-mail exchange, funnier than anything even the morally and ethically bankrupt protagonists in "The Producers" might have concocted:

"I hate to ask you for your help with something so silly," Abramoff wrote, "but I've been nominated for membership in the Cosmos Club, which is a very distinguished club in Washington, DC, comprised of Nobel Prize winners, etc. Problem for me is that most prospective members have received awards and I have received none.

"I was wondering," Abramoff continued, " if you thought it possible that I could put that I have received an award from Toward Tradition with a sufficiently academic title, perhaps something like Scholar of Talmudic Studies?

"Indeed, it would be even better if it were possible that I received these in years past, if you know what I mean," Abramoff wrote.

Ah, yes, a backdated, phony award.

No problem. "I just need to know what needs to be produced," Lapin responded. "Letters? Plaques?" Lapin now says he was joking, but one news report said Abramoff did get awards from Toward Tradition.

Well, the risks must have paid off. Huck went as low as legally possible on the sentence, five years and 10 months.

Unclear if Abramoff got his Cosmos membership.

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Letters written on behalf of Jack Abramoff

Breaking News - CNN.com Ex-lobbyist Abramoff gets prison sentence

From the AP Story: ABRAMOFF GETS ALMOST SIX YEARS IN PRISON

"Before the hearing, more than 260 people — including rabbis, military officers and even a professional hockey referee — wrote letters on the men's behalf asking the federal judge for leniency.

"The letters, obtained by The Associated Press, put a new spin on the foibles and crimes of a man who became the face of Washington's latest corruption scandal.

"Jack is a good person, who in his quest to be successful, lost sight of the rules," National Hockey League referee Dave Jackson wrote, describing the time Abramoff brought 14 youngsters to his dressing room before a game.

"Kidan, in his own letter to the judge, said he knew the SunCruz deal was wrong but said he "was very caught up in the fast paced world of my partner and the high profile that came along with it." He added, "I am not the horrible person that the media has written about."

I will add that Mr. Kidan is right. Neither he or Mr. Abramoff are all that horrible. But they are the "villainous flavor of the moment". After all, 'Famous is as Infamous does.'

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Made for each other

The next great insult comedy team - Baldwin and Hannity - listen in---(MP3)

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Whitman-Baldwin-Hannity-Levin.mp3

(((Thanks, Mike! C & L)))

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Blogging goes prime time - way past the "tawking heads"

Sorry, John Avarosis, atrios/eschaton is THE STAR - THE BIGGEST --------

West Wing - Watch NBC make me look like an idiot, 8pm ET......ideally it would star me, as me, the dashing young blogger who smites evil, saves the world, and gets the girl, but in reality it's just a brief bit with an actor playing "Atrios."...not quite as bad as I thought - Jon Bon Jovi did a really convincing Atrios.-Atrios 7:30 PM

http://atrios.blogspot.com/ 2006_...341944317819441
Comments (549) Trackback (0)

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Exonerated? --not so fast!

(((....don't think I will work this route in the future. You collect the $$$, but where does it go?)))

Former DeLay Aide Enriched By Nonprofit Bulk of Group's Funds Tied to Abramoff

By R. Jeffrey Smith -Washington Post Staff Writer- Sunday, March 26, 2006; Page A01

A top adviser to former House Whip Tom DeLay received more than a third of all the money collected by the U.S. Family Network, a nonprofit organization the adviser created to promote a pro-family political agenda in Congress, according to the group's accounting records.

DeLay's former chief of staff, Edwin A. Buckham, who helped create the group while still in DeLay's employ, and his wife, Wendy, were the principal beneficiaries of the group's $3.02 million in revenue, collecting payments totaling $1,022,729 during a five-year period ending in 2001, public and private records show.

Lawyer for DeLay Urges Ruling Soon - Abramoff Probe Turns Focus on DeLay Aide

A top adviser to former House Whip Tom DeLay received more than a third of all the money collected by the U.S. Family Network, a nonprofit organization the adviser created to promote a pro-family political agenda in Congress, according to the group's accounting records.

The group's revenue was drawn mostly from clients of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to its records. From an FBI subpoena for the records, it can be inferred that the bureau is exploring whether there were links between the payments and favorable legislative treatment of Abramoff's clients by DeLay's office.

In recent months, Abramoff pleaded guilty to charges of tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud clients and bribe a public official; DeLay (R-Tex.) stepped down from his post as House majority leader; and Buckham folded his lobbying firm, the Alexander Strategy Group.

In the late 1990s, when DeLay's influence was growing, the lawmaker depicted the USFN in a promotional letter as a nationwide, grass-roots organization. In fact, it had a tiny staff that barely registered an impact on Capitol Hill. The group appears to have served mostly as a vehicle for funneling corporate funds to DeLay's advisers and financing ads that attacked Democrats.

The group's payments to the Buckhams -- in the form of a monthly retainer as well as commissions on donations by Abramoff's clients -- overlapped briefly with Edwin Buckham's service as chief of staff to DeLay and continued during his subsequent role as DeLay's chief political adviser.

During this latter period, Buckham and his wife, Wendy, acting through their consulting firm, made monthly payments averaging $3,200-$3,400 apiece to DeLay's wife, Christine, for three of the years in which he collected money from the USFN and some other clients.

Even though Buckham left DeLay's staff at the end of 1997, he still coordinated much of the congressional office's work and ran DeLay's principal fundraising committee from a building bought with USFN money, according to three former DeLay staff members who said they had firsthand knowledge of his role then.

"If an individual called DeLay's appointments secretary saying they wanted to talk to DeLay about overregulation, the appointment secretary would say go speak to Buckham," one former aide said. Buckham, an evangelical minister, also continued to serve as DeLay's spiritual adviser and prayed frequently with him, the former aides said.

DeLay's lawyer, Richard Cullen, disputed the accounts of Buckham's influence. He said Buckham made appointment requests but was not involved in final decisions on scheduling after he left the office. He also said Buckham did not coordinate the office's activities, saying that was done by successors.

Abramoff, for his part, once boasted that he had invested a million dollars in Buckham, according to a former Abramoff colleague who said he witnessed the conversation. Abramoff expressed confidence that the funds would bring a good return for his clients, the colleague said.

Abramoff, through a spokesman, declined comment on this claim or other details of this article.

Wendy Buckham was not the only spouse of a DeLay staffer to benefit from the USFN revenue stream sustained by Abramoff's clients. A consulting firm owned by the wife of Tony C. Rudy, DeLay's deputy chief of staff, was paid $15,600 by the group in 1999 and another $10,400 in 2000. Rudy resigned to work with Abramoff in 2001. It could not be determined what the payments were for.

EXONERATED - Bob Novak

WASHINGTON (TownHall.com)-- Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff has advised friends that he has no derogatory information about former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and is not implicating him as part of his plea bargain with federal prosecutors.

Abramoff's guilty plea on fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy charges requires him to provide evidence about members of Congress. That led to speculation that this would mean trouble for DeLay, who faces money laundering and conspiracy charges in Texas.

However, Abramoff has not given a clean bill of health to any other congressman -- including Rep. Robert Ney, who has stepped down as chairman of the House Administration Committee. Ney was the only member of Congress named in court papers connected with Abramoff's guilty plea Jan. 4.

DEMOCRATIC TARGET (This is about my distant cousin, doncha know)

Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), has taken the unusual step of targeting his Republican counterpart, Rep. Tom Reynolds, for defeat in his upstate New York district this year. There is no record of a House campaign committee chairman ever being defeated for re-election by the opposition party.

The DCCC claims secret polls showed the supposedly safe Republican district represented by Reynolds is competitive this year. Reynolds, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, in 2004 won re-election to a fourth term with a surprisingly low 56 percent. His Democratic opponent was retired industrialist Jack Davis, who spent $1,250,000 of his own money in 2004 and is trying again.

In its campaign to seize control of the House, the DCCC is aiming at three other upstate New York districts to take advantage of the region's low popularity ratings for President Bush and the Republican Party. The Democrats have targeted ninth-term Rep. James Walsh and fourth-term Rep. John Sweeney, plus the seat left vacant by 12-term Rep. Sherwood Boehlert's retirement.

STUMBLING IN JERSEY

Republican State Sen. Tom Kean Jr., who has lost an early lead in his New Jersey campaign for the U.S. Senate, is engaged in a backstage power struggle with the influential, relatively conservative Republican organizations in Bergen and Passaic counties.


Robert Novak is a television personality and columnist. Novak is also editor of the Evans-Novak Political Report available through a free offer from Human Events Online.
Copyright © 2006 Townhall.com

Who is blogger Ben Domeninici--Domenech?----Don Ameche---and what, exactly did he "steal"?

Sometimes Americablog, Salon, PJ O'Rourke get the bigger GET than lowly JEFF GANNON (who dat?) but this boy Republican Ben Domenici is trying to defend himself on one of the worst blogs in the US -- surely, what else could I do? Well, you can teacvh other's works, now, instead of lift passages from them!

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=13507

--from Americablog, or as Michelle Malkin calls them, the "moonbats" (!)---but, ah, what a GET! They went after this guy in a way that Oprah never dreamed to go after James Risen -- as did Salon, as did even the NYT!

--and this is why AmericaBlog is, indeed, the new expose'. SIDEBAR: Of course, Avarosis does not care for me, because I tried in a PR-flack fashion, to dissect Jeff Gannon. BIG MISTAKE on my part. Gloria Allred had him pegged from Day #1.

National Review finds even more pieces Washington Post ex-blogger appears to have plagiarized while working for Natl Review by John in DC - 3/24/2006 10:59:00 PM

The National Review Online, for whom the Post blogger wrote previously, has now found numerous questionable cases of possible plagiarism while writing for the National Review, which pretty much blows the "college indiscretion" argument out the window (Ben, the blogger, is now claiming these were mistakes when he was a 17 year old freshman, even though he's not even really admitting that he even plagiarized back then).

Of course, the National Review plagiarism was after college, and he's only 24, so it wasn't that long ago.Unfortunately, he's really proving what a hack he really is. At this point, admit you did wrong, and dedicate your life to making it right. Don't grandstand about how you've been screwed by the communist lefties. You obviously have some issues with right and wrong and as a self-proclaimed social conservative and a Christian, who has no problem lecturing others in your writings, you need to get your own house in order, as do your fellow conservatives who are still defending you.

You may be a nice guy but you can't be trusted. It's a common problem amongst your people, fellow conservative bloggers and Republicans at large. You guys profess to be good Christians, (and Conservative Jews) you lecture other people about their values, but when push comes to shove, your values suck, and it's not clear what if anything you actually believe in other than platitudes about cutting taxes, stopping abortion and bashing gays. And even those have gotten a bit old.

What do you guys believe in, if not honestly and integrity and having a good soul?I have to say, though, that I'm impressed that the National Review online cares enough about their credibility, and is smart enough about it, to not just investigate, but to actually tell us publically what's going on. They didn't need to inform us that they've found other cases of the blogger's plagiarism, they could have just wiped them off of their site. By going public they're doing something a lot of companies, and a lot of media companies, don't do. It's called transparency, and being honest, and letting the chits fall where they will even though it's a fellow conservative taking the hit.
Anyway, I think they deserve a bit of credit for handling this the appropriate way.

Finally an open thread by John in DC - 3/24/2006 11:42:00 PM
Rather a busy day in blogistan. * Comment

Now, about Don Ameche.....

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What Makes Sammy-----Matt Drudge----Run? An 18 month old e-mail from abc news...

My apologies to Budd Schulberg, but the e-mail above is like Matt having great sex.

Here's the real story, courtesy not the USUAL FAT DRUDGE HEADER, but courtesy of MediaBistro's TV Newser. ABC's production hierarchy must be going gonzo! OH.MY.GOD.

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"If I wanted Sadaam and I want Osama, I gotta take on Helen"

COURTESY? OF DRUDGE??? OH YEAH BRING THIS ON BABAY! PUT ON MY TIN FOIL HAT AND SING! BUSH TAKES ON PRESS AND HELEN THOMAS TOO Tue Mar 21 2006 14:40:12 ET Helen Thomas, who in January grumbled that President Bush was a “coward” for not calling on her at a press conference, today was granted a question for the first time in several years. The doyenne of the White House press corps, who once called Bush the worst president in U.S. history, seized her chance with gusto, essentially debating Bush instead of questioning him. Here's the transcript:THE PRESIDENT: Helen. After that brilliant performance at the Grid Iron, I am -- (laughter.) Q You're going to be sorry. (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: Well, then, let me take it back. (Laughter.) Q I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it? THE PRESIDENT: I think your premise -- in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- is that -- I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect -- Q Everything -- THE PRESIDENT: Hold on for a second, please. Q -- everything I've heard -- THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people. Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second -- Q They didn't do anything to you, or to our country. THE PRESIDENT: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained -- Q I'm talking about Iraq -- THE PRESIDENT: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans. I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences -- Q -- go to war -- THE PRESIDENT: -- and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it. Q Thank you, sir. Secretary Rumsfeld -- (laughter.) Q Thank you. THE PRESIDENT: You're welcome. (Laughter.) I didn't really regret it. I kind of semi-regretted it. (Laughter.) Q -- have a debate. THE PRESIDENT: That's right. Anyway, your performance at the Grid Iron was just brilliant -- unlike Holland's, was a little weak, but -- (laughter.)THE END

The Rumsfeld - 4th Reich - SOLUTION, according to Joe Biden (D-Del.)

Story edited

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Leaving Iraq now would be the same as handing postwar Germany back to the Nazis, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in a column published on Sunday, as retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton called Rumsfeld incompetent and urged him to resign.

"Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing postwar Germany back to the Nazis," Rumsfeld wrote in an essay published in The Washington Post on the third anniversary of the start of the Iraq war....

~but~

"Imagine what would happen if it were announced tomorrow in the headlines of the papers of in America and throughout the world that Rumsfeld was fired," said Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat. "It would energize, energize the rest of the world. They'd be willing to help us."

"Here we go again." -- Ronald Reagan

Playing Cindy Sheehan in the TV movie - Academy Award Winner Susan Sarandon.

Continued ...

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Bush PR Case Study on "HighVizPR" GoodPR - BadPR

What is the prognosis?

http://goodpublicitybadpublicity.blogspot.com/2006/03/case-study-by-americablog-pr.html

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Let 'em EAT SCOOTER PIES!

Courtesy, I guess, of AMERIKA-BLOG

((((WHY DO I HEAR THE THEME OF THE OLD LENIN -STALIN INTERNATIONALE SONG OF RUSSIA BEHIND ME???)))))

Scooter's trial could finally expose inside story of the lies behind the Iraq War by Joe in DC - 3/18/2006

Looks like Scooter is threatening to play hard ball with his old colleagues over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW:

New legal documents raise the potential that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's trial could turn into a political embarrassment for the Bush administration by focusing on whether the White House manipulated intelligence to justify the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. (((the music is getting louder- and it's in French!!))) damn we might as well be in a communist state if george the king has his damn cheney-way---Is this computer bugged???

First, this mess is already a political embarrassment for the White House. The trial is just going to make it an even bigger political embarrassment.

Since the trial may finally provide some answers watch the White House try everything in their power to quash the it.

Comment myCount('114269910163434639'); s (104) Permanent Link

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The David Lawrence Show, featuring Jack Abramoff and assorted corrupt officials, a few Florida Judges, a President, a podcast, a netfeed

http://thedavidlawrenceshow.com/jack_abramoff_003803.html

juicy! It is ALL HERE. No need for MSM, CNN, that DRUDGE blade, any of it!

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(((Jack has his reprieve until June --at least! Yippee!)))

More about the Jack Abramoff story in April's Vanity Fair

"Why I could have taken 50 lbs off of Jack for sure!" -- Annie Leibowitz

(((((Annie, how soon can I hire you? ))))))

http://www.washingtonian.com/inwashington/buzz/2006/0317.html

Sadly, he stood her up anyway for a file photograph of Jack and golfing pal Tom De-Layed.

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Jessica just says NO, Let them eat Nick--er--cake!

From Reuters - I will meet the President, sure, but not at the RNC!

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-03-16T034954Z_01_N15411204_RTRUKOC_0_US-SIMPSON.xml&rpc=22

"It just feels wrong," one Simpson insider told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the actress keeps her political views private. "She would love to meet the president and talk about Operation Smile ... but she can't do it at a fund-raiser for the Republican Party."

Boy, that approval rating surely went to hell now -- Jessica Simpson just stomped all over it!

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After hearing about real-lfe threats on our Justices, is it time to SHUT ANN COULTER UP?

YES, BOUND AND GAG HER, TOO. But this is not funny, nor is it an episode of "Law & Order".

AP STORY: Justice Ginsburg Reveals Details of Threat
Mar 15, 2006
By GINA HOLLAND Associated Press Writer,
WASHINGTON

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor have been the targets of death threats from the "irrational fringe" of society, people apparently spurred by Republican criticism of the high court.

Ginsburg revealed in a speech in South Africa last month that she and O'Connor were threatened a year ago by someone who called on the Internet for the immediate "patriotic" killing of the justices.

Security concerns among judges have been growing.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter joked earlier this year that Justice John Paul Stevens should be poisoned. Over the past few months O'Connor has complained that criticism, mainly by Republicans, has threatened judicial independence to deal with difficult issues like gay marriage.

Worry is not limited to the Supreme Court. Three quarters of the nation's 2,200 federal judges have asked for government-paid home security systems, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said this week.

Ginsburg said the Web threat was apparently prompted by legislation in Congress, filed by Republicans, that would bar judges from relying on foreign laws or court decisions.

"It is disquieting that they have attracted sizable support. And one not-so-small concern _ they fuel the irrational fringe," she said in a speech posted online by the court earlier this month and first reported Wednesday by LegalTimes.com.

According to Ginsburg, someone in a Web site chat room wrote: "Okay commandoes, here is your first patriotic assignment ... an easy one. Supreme Court Justices Ginsburg and O'Connor have publicly stated that they use (foreign) laws and rulings to decide how to rule on American cases. This is a huge threat to our Republic and Constitutional freedom. ... If you are what you say you are, and NOT armchair patriots, then those two justices will not live another week."

Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., a sponsor of one of the congressional proposals, wrote about the legislation on his Web site and in bold letters featured a quote from O'Connor predicting the Supreme Court would probably increasingly rely on foreign courts.

Ginsburg pointed out that the legislation was first proposed in 2004, an election year.

Justices, in some of their most hotly contested rulings, have looked overseas. Last year, for example, justices barred the executions of juvenile killers on a 5-4 vote. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said then that "it is proper that we acknowledge the overwhelming weight of international opinion against the juvenile death penalty."

In an angry dissent to that decision, Justice Antonin Scalia said capital punishment policy should be set by states, not "the subjective views of five members of this court and like-minded foreigners."

Ginsburg said, "Critics in Congress and in the media misperceive how and why U.S. courts refer to foreign and international court decisions." She said those decisions are used for guidance only.
O'Connor said last week during a speech at Georgetown Law School that the justices have received threats. But the Ginsburg remarks at the Constitutional Court of South Africa provide unusual detail.

Ginsburg, who turned 73 Wednesday, told the audience O'Connor "remains alive and well _ as for me, you can judge for yourself."

___
On the Net:
Justice Ginsburg speech:
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/publicinfo/speeches/sp_02-07b-06.html

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"DANGEROUSLY INCOMPETENT"

DRUDGE SEZ: Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) went to the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon and displayed an enormous sign that read “Dangerously Incompetent” while giving a speech attacking the Bush administration over first responder and Homeland Security funding.

Stabenow was on the Senate floor selling an amendment she has offered to increase funding for first responders by $5 billion. “God forbid that there is another terrorist attack or a natural disaster,” Stabenow warned. ...

Debbie Stabenow's (D-MI) sign on the House floor speaks a thousand words. Every Republican web log in cyberspace is relishing her speech about Bush & CO., CALLING HER A NUT. Like Town Hall and Human Rights On-line (yes, the people who still need a fact + spellcheck)

But is she right? (no pun intended) Ask her yourself.

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I believe Jack Abramoff - from the CBS story

"My so-called relationship with Bush, Rove and everyone else at the White House has only become important because instead of just releasing details about the very few times I was there, they created a feeding frenzy by their deafening silence."---Jack Abramoff

CBS Story here

COMMENTARY: I may be speaking from a PR POV, but the way the white house communicates may unfortunately be a main reason their approval rating is at an all-time low. Even the GOP wants Bushie O.U.T.! Oy gevalt! What a country! BUT THIS TIME IT'S OURS! Yes, the silence is deafening, Jack. And when you get out of the nice little prison (it won't be like sing-sing!), you will definitely be just fine! I, for one, am rooting for you to do the right things. -HighVizPR

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THE JACK ABRAMOFF TELL-ALL IN VANITY FAIR

"He shoulda thought about sweeping the floor on the rez when he was destroying careers!—like mine!”

Anon. Lobbyist (former Cassidy & Assoc.,GT Law)


-and I am reading DRUDGE far much too much!

***

Jack's interview is in Vanity Fair, April, 2006 (.pdf)

http://www.vanityfair.com/pdf/pressroom/advance_Abramoff.pdf


============================================

DRUDGE REPORT

ABRAMOFF: 'I WAS A KILLER' Wed Mar 08 2006

An insider tells (Vanity Fair interviewer David) Margolick that Abramoff blames competing Republican lobbyists and Arizona Senator John McCain-with whom Abramoff says he's had a contentious relationship-for his downfall. Abramoff tells Margolick that McCain staffers deliberately humiliated him, doling out embarrassing e-mails to the press. "Mr. Abramoff flatters himself," Mark Salter, McCain's administrative assistant, tells Margolick. "Senator McCain was unaware of his existence until he read initial press accounts of Abramoff's abuses, and had never laid eyes on him until he appeared before the committee.

"Abramoff says, "As best I can remember, when I met with him, he didn't have his eyes shut. I'm surprised that Senator McCain has joined the chorus of amnesiacs.

"Abramoff is well aware of his peril: "In a different era I'd be killed on the street or have poison poured into my coffee," he tells Margolick. Abramoff embarrassingly admits to gaining 50 pounds due to stress and tells Margolick that sending him to prison is "stupid," saying, "Let me teach English, history, music. Or let me sweep floors at the reservation. Instead you'll be paying to feed me to sit in a jail.""I was a killer. I killed for my clients, and it eventually killed me," Abramoff tells Margolick. "Or I eventually killed me.

And there were a lot of other hands on the knife.""My so-called relationship with Bush, Rove, and everyone else at the White House has only become important because, instead of just releasing details about the very few times I was there, they created a feeding frenzy by their deafening silence. The Democrats are going overboard, virtually insisting I was there to plan the invasion of Iraq. This is why this non-story grabbed headlines for weeks."

Abramoff discusses his relationship with:President Bush, who claims not to remember having his picture taken with Abramoff. According to Abramoff, at one time, the president joked with Abramoff about his weight lifting past: "What are you benching, buff guy?" Tom DeLay, who once referred to Abramoff as one of his closest friends. Abramoff explains his working relationship with DeLay, saying, "I didn't spend a lot of time lobbying Tom for things, because the things I worked on were usually consistent with the conservative philosophy." Abramoff has "admired Tom DeLay and his family from the first meeting with him," he tells Margolick. "We would sit and talk about the Bible. We would sit and talk about opera. We would sit and talk about golf," Abramoff recalls. "I mean, we talked about philosophy and politics."

Ken Mehlman, who recently claimed he didn't really know Abramoff. According to documents obtained by Vanity Fair, Mehlman exchanged e-mail with Abramoff, and did him political favors (such as preventing Clinton administration alumnus Allen Stayman from keeping a State Department job), had Sabbath dinner at Abramoff's house, and offered to pick up Abramoff's tab at Signatures, Abramoff's own restaurant. Newt Gingrich, whose spokesman Rick Tyler tells Margolick that "Before [Abramoff's] picture appeared on TV and in the newspapers, Newt wouldn't have known him if he fell across him. He hadn't seen him in 10 years." A rankled Abramoff says "I have more pictures of [Newt] than I have of my wife." Abramoff shows Margolick numerous photographs: "Here's Newt. Newt. Newt. Newt. More Newt. Newt with Grover [Norquist, the Washington conservative Republican Über-strategist and longtime Abramoff friend] this time. But Newt never met me. Ollie North. Newt. Can't be Newt ... he never met me. Oh, Newt! What's he doing there? Must be a Newt look-alike.... Newt again! It's sick! I thought he never met me!" Senator Conrad Burns, of Montana, who was one of the largest single recipients of Abramoff loot, has blanketed the airwaves calling Abramoff a liar, claiming that he never influenced the senator. Abramoff says: "Every appropriation we wanted [from Burns's committee] we got. Our staffs were as close as they could be. They practically used Signatures as their cafeteria. I mean, it's a little difficult for him to run from that record." Ronald Reagan, whom he met as a College Republican. "It was like meeting the king," Abramoff tells Margolick.

ABRAMOFF ON HIS CRIMES:

"I was moving a mile a minute and didn't conceive that I could be doing something wrong, and as I got near to the edge I either concealed it or I convinced myself that I wasn't having a problem. I was basically so busy winning that I didn't see what I was doing. They say, 'Stop and smell the roses'? I didn't stop and smell the dung heap. Unfortunately, now I'm paying for it dearly."

ABRAMOFF ON THE WAY HE DID BUSINESS:

"Most lobbyists meet with a committee chairman, staff, a few members. We'd meet with the whole leadership of the House and Senate, the entire committee on both sides, then create a roster of who might ideologically support the idea and get them in the war.... We'd get people firing constantly on the decision-makers. And we'd outwork everyone in the media.... Most Washington lobbyists are lazy, people of limits, people who move glacially slow. I felt my job was to go out there and save the world.... I thought it was immoral to take someone's money and not win for them. And we basically didn't lose.

"ABRAMOFF ON WHETHER OR NOT HE HARMED THE COUNTRY:

"There were times when I helped the country and the causes that I love and obviously times when I hurt them. The exposure of my lobbying practice, the absurd amount of media coverage, and the focus-for the first time-on this sausage-making factory that we call Washington will ultimately help reform the system, or at least so I hope. The only thing that a clever lobbyist cannot manipulate is the absence of something to lobby for or fight against."

ABRAMOFF ON (((THE))) INDIAN COUNTRY:

"The entire Indian country has come together in a big kumbaya of hatred for me. It just tears at my soul."

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