The Indictment
| September 29th, 2005This post was removed by request of the author.
7 Responses to “The Indictment”
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September 29th, 2005 at 6:59 am
It made my day.
This comment was written by Josh Jasper.Report this comment to the moderators
September 29th, 2005 at 7:02 am
I’m still doing my happy dance.
This comment was written by Lab Kat.Report this comment to the moderators
September 29th, 2005 at 7:38 am
“I did nothing wrong. Everybody is lying and out to get me!” seems to be the denial of the week for Bushadminco & allies. I wonder how long they can keep using that strategy effectively.
This comment was written by Jake Squid.Report this comment to the moderators
September 29th, 2005 at 9:29 am
I remember when Rep. Rostenkowski from Chicago, once Chairman of the House Ways and Means committee, ended up losing his office and his seat in the House and spent 15 months in jail for misappropriation of funds. Turns out that he took some postage money (and not really a whole lot, either) and applied it to his campaign funds.
It was illegal. It was also kind of trivial as these things go, and it was something that so many people had done that no one initially thought that much about it.
We’ve heard from both sides on this issue; that Tome DeLay has committed a crime, that he didn’t, that this is on the up-and-up, that this is politically motivated. I have to wonder whether we’re going to find out at the end of the day that DeLay has done something that a lot of people did, but happened to get caught, or happened to piss someone off enough that they went after him anyway they could. Kind of like Martha Stewart.
Or maybe he did something really reprehensible. Or maybe this is baseless and politically motivated (or it’s not baseless, but it’s still politically motivated). Anyway, while it’ll keep Tom DeLay busy, I’m sure the GOP will just bump everyone up one notch, fill the lowest rung of the leadership ladder with an up-and-comer, and keep on moving. Who knows? The next guy might be more effective than Tom DeLay. It’ll be interesting to see what this is all about, and if it actually has any political fallout (outside of DeLay’s district in Texas) at all.
This comment was written by RonF.Report this comment to the moderators
September 29th, 2005 at 10:13 am
No one should ever be surprised about members of congress doing dirty things with money. Everyoneknows they do it, andwhen they get caught they really need to shut up and take the beating. It seems to me that DeLay shouldn’t go around screaming just yet, if he is guilty it will justlook even worse down the line.
This comment was written by LC.Report this comment to the moderators
September 29th, 2005 at 2:13 pm
Though it’s a long road (with many pitfalls) from indictment to conviction, I am gleeful at the indictment. An added embarrassment for the Chief of the Counterfeit Compassionate Conservative And Oh Yeah By The Way Conspicuously Caucasian Caucus and his Dither of Dolts, a well-deserved public humiliation for DeLay (who, despite his defiance, must surely be chagrined that someone finally had the nerve to accuse him) whose hubris is almost boundless, and another example of the truth that spouting pieties is not the same as being a moral or ethical person.
As for the “money laundering”, swapping corporate dollars for personal dollars for contribution to campaigns, I fear it is widespread. The multigazillionaire for whom I worked for 23 years in San Francisco had routinely expected employees to hand over personal checks in exchange for cash or a check from one of his companies (disguised as expense reimbursement) in order to circumvent limits on corporate giving to campaigns. When the practice came to my attention (he asked me to call employees to make the arrangements), I declined to participate. He said, “Okay, I’ll make the calls myself.” I picked up my phone. He said, “Who are you calling?” I said, “The State Attorney General.” No money swaps were made that year to my knowledge, and so far as I know, none was made during my tenure — though the practice may easily have been resumed once I had retired.
Perhaps if the job market had not been so good at the time, and if my combined business/computer skills had not at that time been such a rare commodity and very much sought in the market, I’d have buckled to the request. I’m frequently, alas, not nearly so brave as my ethics are high.
This comment was written by Xristim.Report this comment to the moderators
September 30th, 2005 at 9:42 pm
O.K. Here is a link to a precis of Roy Blunt’s political career. Rep. Blunt, R-Mo, is your new interim House Majority Leader. If Tom DeLay doesn’t beat the rap, the only part of that title Rep. Blunt might lose is the “interim”. Seems he’s in his 7th term, is a whiz at raising money and spreads a lot of it around to the campaigns of other GOP candidates and office holders. He’s got lots of friends.
Doesn’t say a word about his political principles, though.
This comment was written by RonF.Report this comment to the moderators