Buck Naked Politics

Obama Praised Reagan, but for What? [Updated]

by D. Cupples | Ronald Reagan wasn't our worst president. Certainly, he did less damage to our nation than some other presidents have done.  On the other hand, we're still struggling with consequences from some of his policies (e.g., the taxing of seniors' social security benefits and bigger tax breaks for people who don't need them...).

Thus, I was surprised to read a few days ago that presidential candidate Barack Obama -- now painted as a "change" candidate -- offered praise for Reagan and Republicans over the past 15 years.  It wasn't surprising that Hillary Clinton and John Edwards took exception to Obama's remarks. The Associated Press reports:

Car Bomb Disarmed in London, U.S. Media Obsesses

Today, London police found an abandoned mint-green Mercedes loaded with gasoline, nails and a detonator near the city's theater district and disarmed the bomb (Washington Post).  Officials suspect terrorists but haven't definitively said which terrorists.

Terrorism is a good guess, given what "terrorism" means....

Bush Flips Off Congress re: Subpoenas

Yesterday, the White House was supposed to turn over documents relating to the fired U.S. Attorney scandal that were demanded in subpoenas from the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. Instead, President Bush gave Congress the finger.

Invoking executive privilege, Bush won't comply with the subpoenas because he fears he won't get candid advice from advisers if they fear having to testify before Congress about their advice.(The Hill) Other presidents have used similar arguments including Nixon, who didn't want to turn over those incriminating Watergate tapes.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's commented:

Immigration Bill Seems Dead

Nationwide, people locked arms and sang, "Ding Dong, the wicked bill is dead."  At least the immigration bill seemed to die in the Senate yesterday, getting only 46 of the 60 votes needed to bring it to a vote. (See who voted and how.) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had said if the bill failed to get the 60 votes, he would remove it from further consideration (Washington Post).

I watched the debate on CSPAN. Several senators said their phone system was jammed with calls from angry people wanting to kill the bill -- and possibly the senators who supported it. I wondered if Jack Abramoff had reached out from behind the prison walls and persuaded Ralph Reed to orchestrate a massive phone tree -- like they did for Abramoff's casino-owning Indian client(s).

Not that they needed to. Rush Limbaugh could have easily mobilized a few hundred of his 10+ million listeners against the bill he called the "Comprehensive Destroy the Republican Party Act."

Maybe, Rush was right. The bill did cause massive clashing among Republicans, many of whom felt President Bush betrayed them by pushing the bill. (Mercury Rising)  It didn't help that Bush publicly insulted conservatives and Republicans for opposing the bill.

Taxpayers Losing Money to Engorged Contractors

It seems government agencies have allowed private contractors to gorge on the taxpayers like tics on a dog.  No wonder our national debt is nearing $9 trillion. 

Yesterday, three Washington Post articles spotlighted problems with government contracting. One discusses prominent contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, which got a $2 million, no-bid, Homeland Security Department contract in 2003; by December 2004, payments to Booz exceeded $30 million and ultimately climbed to $124 million (Washington Post).

Why so costly? Partly because Booz charges twice as much for contract employees ($42 - $383 per hour) than government employees typically earn. Partly because the government failed to hire enough employees to monitor the contractors.

Government officials possessing even minimal math skills know that private companies cost more, because they charge the taxpayers for workers' salaries and for profits thereon. They're also aware of voluminous data on contractor waste and fraud suits (read about defense and healthcare contractors).

Another Washington Post article cited a congressional report, stating ...

Bush Losing Republican Support for Iraq War

We've come a long way since the 9/11 attacks began compelling Americans, especially elected officials, to avoid even appearing to disagree with President Bush or risk being labeled un-American. Apparently, those days are numbered.

Yesterday, the Washington Post's Dan Froomkin discussed evidence that Bush and Cheney may have "lost control of the Washington agenda when it comes to their principal legacy: the war in Iraq."

Among the evidence was criticism from Republican Senator Richard Lugar (Ind.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In part, Lugar said during a Senate floor speech:

Immigration Bill Faces Another Vote

The immigration bill, which compelled thousands of Americans to stockpile pitchforks and torches for a march on Washington, faces a "make or break" Senate vote today (Washington Post).

Watching it all unfold was like watching sky-bound pigs glide toward the underworld for an afternoon of ice-skating. President Bush assembled a team to push the bill, including Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Things didn't go well, as numerous Republicans condemned the bill as giving amnesty to illegal aliens.  Rush Limbaugh blasted Bush and the bill, dubbing it the "Comprehensive Destroy the Republican Party Act."

Salon's Thomas Schaller described a split between the Republican Party's "Wall Street wing" (which wants cheap Spanish-speaking labor) and the "Main Street wing" (which wants big fences along the borders). According to Schaller, angry Republicans "began talking about last straws and using 'impeachment' and 'Bush' in the same sentence."

Senate Committee Issues Subpoenas

The Bush Administration is caught in a massive hail storm, though what's falling from the sky is more brown and odorous than ice. The fired U.S. Attorney probe keeps moving along and revealing new evidence, the Vice President keeps allegedly breaking laws, the White House keeps publicly contradicting itself, and officials keep resigning.

Yesterday, the hail storm intensified when the Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department, White House, Vice President, and National Security Council for documents relating to the Administration's illegal wiretapping program. (See press release)

Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said the Committee formally asked at least nine times for the White House and Justice Department to give information about the wiretapping program, but they refused to hand it over (Washington Post). Leahy commented:

"I’ve never known an administration so willing to operate outside the law, even to operate against the law, in violation of the law, as this administration." (The Hill)

Yes, Leahy is old enough to clearly remember Nixon's Watergate. The Bush Administration brushed off the subpoenas as partisan political stunts -- though the committee's three most senior Republicans voted for the subpoenas: Arlan Specter (PN), Orrin Hatch (UT), and Charles Grassley (Iowa). (AP/Salt Lake Tribune)

See subpoena packets for: White House, Vice President, Justice Department, and  National Security Council.

Paris Hilton Leaves Jail, Art and Charity on Her Mind

After weeks in an ill-fitting uniform, Paris Hilton left jail Tuesday and is expected to give Larry King an interview today.

The Washington Post reported:

"Before her release, she gave her attorney Richard Hutton a pencil drawing to deliver to the uber-celebrity-gossip Web site TMZ.com. Hilton's schoolgirl sketch showed a weird self-portrait of Hilton, with those alien doe eyes, garbed in county jail drawstring pants and smock, standing beside a pay phone..."

The San Diego Union Tribune reported:

"'I want to help build a transitional home so that when inmates leave here they don't have to go back to the street,'” she told E! News' Ryan Seacrest from jail last week. She also said she'd like to change her image.

“'I used to act dumb. It was an act. I am 26 years old, and that act is no longer cute,'” Hilton told ABC News' Barbara Walters."

Hilton's life-changing experience started after she got arrested for DUI and violated her probation multiple times, compelling a judge to order her to jail. Sheriff Lou Baca released Hilton from jail so she could finish her sentence on mansion-arrest. The judge quickly ordered her back to jail. 

A petition is being circulated to remove Baca from office, over the apparently preferential treatment he had given to Hilton (CNN).

Cheney Abandons Claims that He's not Executive Branch Material

Just days ago, Vice President Dick Cheney argued that he didn't have to obey an Executive Order regarding the handling of classified information, because he's not part of the Executive Branch. People who've skimmed Article II of the U.S. Constitution laughed so hard they got hernias.

So deafening was the nationwide guffaw, that Cheney's team crafted another response yesterday -- this time in writing. Cheney's Chief of Staff David Addington wrote that the Executive Order clearly exempted Cheney from the rules but didn't point out text to that effect (Washington Post).

Oddly, Addington did not repeat Cheney's earlier argument about not being part of the executive branch. Perhaps Cheney figures that silently abandoning the argument will erase it from the public's mind, like that flashy-thingy Tommy Lee Jones used in Men in Black.

Giving credit where it's due, Cheney's team did show immense courage when risking enormous ridicule to take the argument out for a test drive in the first place. See background and Jon Stewart's take on Cheney.

Griles Sentenced re: Abramoff Scandal

Former Deputy Secretary of the Interior Steven Griles was sentenced yesterday to 10 months' prison and three years' probation after a felony conviction of obstructing the Senate's investigation into now-imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff (DoJ). Griles, who pled guilty in March, is the highest-ranking Administration official to be convicted re: the Abramoff scandal (Washington Post)

Griles has refused to cooperate with the government's ongoing Abramoff investigation. Despite this -- and evidence that Griles corruptly traded on his influence -- Justice Department prosecutors asked the judge for leniency, recommending only five-months' jail time. (Legal Times)

Apparently, Griles helped Abramoff 's clients in exchange for donations to Griles' friend Italia Federici's nonprofit Council of Republicans for Environmental Advocacy (CREA), a reportedly sham environmental group with more interest in energy profits than the environment. According to the Washington Post's Dana Milbank, Griles sought favors from Abramoff on behalf of a number of lady friends.

Federici pled guilty to Abramoff-related charges a few weeks ago and will face sentencing in November. Unlike Griles, Federici agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Both Griles and Federici had close ties to former Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who resigned from President Bush's cabinet after the Abramoff scandal broke.

Today, House to Debate Whether to Freeze Cheney's Funds

Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill) may make good on his threat to push a House vote on whether to freeze Vice President Dick Cheney's $4.4 million budget until Congress determines whether Cheney is part of the executive or legislative branch of government. (The Hill).

In 2003, Cheney began refusing to follow an Executive Order that set up rules for handling classified-information by executive offices. Cheney claimed that his office is not part of the executive branch (because vice presidents are also Senate presidents, which are in the legislative branch); thus, the rules didn't apply to him (Washington Post).

Well, which branch paid the creative lawyer who crafted Cheney's claim?

Why is the CIA Flaunting "Family Jewels" Now?

The CIA just released its decades-old "Family Jewels" report on activities in the '60s and '70s including assassination plots, domestic spying, drug experimentation.... The big question: why now?

Congress got the documents 30+ years ago, and much of the info became public through scholars' and writers' Freedom of Information Act requests (Washington Post). CIA Director Michael Hayden said that he just wants to set the record straight (WaPo).

(Sniff) What's that? Could it be the powerful odor of mendacity a public-relations stunt?  Has our CIA grown kinder, gentler, and more trustworthy than it used to be?

Instead of what the CIA did 30+ years ago, wouldn't you rather know what it's been doing over the last six years?...

Audit Red-Flags Gov. Contractor in Iraq

Former Halliburton subsidiary KBR may have overcharged us taxpayers again, according to a report of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction that covers only a "sliver" of KBR's $22.5 billion contract (Washington Post).

Among other things, the Inspector General found that KBR created a flawed database indicating more fuel had been sent to generators than the generators could hold, refused to give details on claimed costs, and gave employees better housing than military officers had.

The Inspector General blamed government entities for not closely monitoring KBR, which has been repeatedly criticized for waste or overcharging....

Drug Companies Scammed Taxpayers, Cancer Patients, Others

Given history, drug companies' schemes are hardly shocking. Last week, a federal judge ruled against Astrazeneca, Bristol Myers Squib, and Schering Plough over "unfair and deceptive trade practices," costing government programs, insurance companies, and patients a bundle. (Wall Street Journal).

Basically, the companies published inflated "average wholesale prices" (AWPs) for certain drugs, knowing that taxpayers and others would pay for those drugs based on the AWPs (Washington Post).  Plaintiffs argued the drug companies charged doctors less for drugs while "secretly encouraging them to claim full reimbursement," which made the AWPs look legitimate (New York Times) 

This is not the first time Astrazeneca, Bristol-Myers Squib or Schering Plough were sued over illegal schemes....

White House Defends Cheney's Skirting of Law

The White House is siding with Dick Cheney on whether he can ignore legal requirements in an Executive Order meant to make officials accountable for their handling of classified information.

In 2001-02, Cheney filed reports required by the National Archives and Records Administration, but he stopped complying in 2003 (the same year Administration officials blew ex-CIA agent Valerie Plame's cover, who is suing Cheney and other officials over it).

Cheney's arguement: he "does not have to comply because the vice president serves as president of the Senate, which means that his office is not an 'entity within the executive branch'" (Washington Post)....

Feeney Sets Up Legal Defense Fund re: Abramoff Probe

Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) has set up a legal-defense fund as the FBI investigates his ties to imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (The Hill)  Feeney was one of three congressmen to accompany Abramoff on a golf trip to Scotland:

"The others are: former Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, who is serving prison time for corruption, and former House Republican leader Tom DeLay, indicted in Texas for alleged improper fundraising, is under investigation." (St. Petersburg Times)

One group listed Feeney among Congress's 20 most-corrupt members, citing various (alleged) house ethics violations, including inaccurate reporting and trips funded by foreign lobbyists (BeyondDelay.org).... 

A Sixth DoJ Official Jumps Ship Amid Scandal

Days before his Senate confirmation hearing, William Mercer withdrew his nomination for the position of Associate Attorney General. Mercer is the sixth Justice Department official to resign since probes of the U.S. Attorney firings began (Washington Post).

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) commented, "The attorney general is running out of fall guys" (WaPo).

Mercer doubled as acting-Associate AG in Washington and U.S. Attorney in Montana. He plans to continue as U.S. Attorney. In 2005, federal judge Don Molloy asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to replace Mercer as U.S. Attorney:...

Yesterday's McNulty Hearing re: Justice Department Politics

It wasn't a complete waste. During yesterday's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty suggested that a U.S. Attorney was fired partly due to complaints from a Republican senator (Washington Post). McNulty did not disclose this during his congressional testimony in February (The Hill).

McNulty didn't seem to say "I don't recall" as often as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Brad Schlozman did when they were under oath. Instead, McNulty didn't know a lot, he said, because he was kept out of the loop. (See video.)  McNulty is one of five Justice officials to resign since the scandal erupted.

In her May testimony, Monica Goodling (ex-DoJ Liaison to the White House) accused McNulty of not being candid with Congress during his prior testimony....

Cheney Says He's Above Law

Vice President Dick Cheney said he doesn't have to follow rules regarding protection of classified information, because his office is not part of the executive branch of government (ABC News).

Maybe Cheney was referring to his physical office space. Surely, he wasn't arguing that vice presidents aren't part of the executive branch. I mean, the U.S. Constitution deals with vice presidents in Article II, which specifically addresses the executive branch (as opposed to the legislative and judicial branches).

Citing congressional documents, the Washington Post reports: