NYT Dishonestly Distances Biden From Alleged Corruption

Visit: US Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Baghdad on a whistlestop trip.
Photo from The Daily Mail

From The Washington Examiner:

Today's New York Times story on Peter W. Galbraith is a must read. Galbraith is a leading liberal hawk and former ambassador, as well as a former adviser to Senator John Kerry and Vice-President Joe Biden. It seems that Galbraith used his political influence to get rich off Iraqi oil money. The crux of the article is this:

In the summer of 2005, he was also an adviser to the Kurdish regional government as Iraq wrote its Constitution — tough and sensitive talks not least because of issues like how Iraq would divide its vast oil wealth.

Now Mr. Galbraith, 58, son of the renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, stands to earn perhaps a hundred million or more dollars as a result of his closeness to the Kurds, his relations with a Norwegian oil company and constitutional provisions he helped the Kurds extract.

Read more ....

My Comment: The best line in this story is the last one .....

Does anyone think that if this story were about an adviser to Dick Cheney profiteering as a nexus between powerful politicians and oil companies that the paper would dishonestly obscure the relationship between the two men?

William Jefferson Sentencing Of 27-33 Years Recommended

The prosecution's sentencing memorandum suggests that William Jefferson, who served 18 years in Congress, may have hidden resources and 'poses a significant risk of flight.' Michael DeMocker / The Times-Picayune

From NOLA.com:

Prosecutors on Friday night issued a memorandum recommending that former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson be sentenced to between 27 and 33 years in prison.

Jefferson, 62, will be sentenced by federal Judge T.S. Ellis III on Nov. 13.

The prosecution's sentencing memorandum suggests that Jefferson, who served 18 years in Congress, may have hidden resources and "poses a significant risk of flight,'' and ought to be immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after sentencing at the Alexandria, Va., courthouse.

Read more ....

My Comment: He is going away for a very long time.

Report: 237 Millionaires In Congress

From The Politico:

Talk about bad timing.

As Washington reels from the news of 10.2 percent unemployment, the Center for Responsive Politics is out with a new report describing the wealth of members of Congress.

Among the highlights: Two-hundred-and-thirty-seven members of Congress are millionaires. That’s 44 percent of the body – compared to about 1 percent of Americans overall.

Read more ....

My comment: I am curious to know how much their spouses are worth. In the case of Sen. John Kerry, Sen. John McCain, And Sen. Feinstein, we are talking hundreds of millions of dollars.

Barney Frank Present When Partner Arrested for Pot

Barney Frank

From FOX News:

The Democratic congressman was present for a marijuana bust at his partner's home in Maine in 2007.

Rep. Barney Frank admitted Friday that he was sitting on the porch of his partner’s Maine home when police came to arrest his partner for marijuana possession.

Frank, responding to new reports that he was present during the Aug. 2007 arrest of James Ready, said in a statement he was unaware Ready had marijuana plants.

Read more ....

My Comment: Yeah right .....

Dems Admit Paying For Daggett Robocalls In NJ

From The American Thinker:

New Jersey Democrats have admitted that a series of robocalls on behalf of third party candidate for governor Chris Daggett were paid for by the Democratic State Committee - final proof that Daggett has been a spoiler for Republican Chris Christie all along.

Matt Friedman of Politiker New Jersey writes:

A Democratic spokeswoman says the party's chairman, Joe Cryan, was not aware of the robocalls when he denied that the state committee had anything to do with them yesterday afternoon.

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My Comment: They are still going to lose tonight. Republican Chris Christie is on his way to win this race.

Gore’s Dual Role: Advocate And Investor

Former Vice President Al Gore, who has become a major voice around the world on the issue of climate change, spoke last month at a forum in Dubai.

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Al Gore thought he had spotted a winner last year when a small California firm sought financing for an energy-saving technology from the venture capital firm where Mr. Gore is a partner.

The company, Silver Spring Networks, produces hardware and software to make the electricity grid more efficient. It came to Mr. Gore’s firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of Silicon Valley’s top venture capital providers, looking for $75 million to expand its partnerships with utilities seeking to install millions of so-called smart meters in homes and businesses.

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My Comment: For someone who refuses to debate his critics .... this is good work if you can get it.

EDITORIAL: A Pay-To-Play White House

From The Washington Times:

Finally, it is clear what President Obama meant when he said this would be the most "transparent administration in history." He wasn't saying that his White House would be open and accountable; he was saying that his administration didn't feel much need to come up with plausible lies, they'd be fine using the transparent kind.

In the months since Mr. Obama took office, his administration has showered the Democratic Party's key fundraisers with insider briefings from administration staffers, access to the president and top aides and all the social perks that only the White House can bestow. The president, who ran for office saying he wanted to clean up fundraising, is perfectly happy to wallow in the cash-for-access mud pit.

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My Comment: And the mass media sleeps .....

Bad News For Democrats In Revelation Of Ethics Probes

From The Washington Post:

After years of criticism that congressional lawmakers were reluctant to investigate their colleagues, the disclosure in recent days of a sensitive document from the House ethics committee offers the contradictory portrait of a panel actively pursuing a range of probes even as Democrats under scrutiny remain in positions of power.

The 22-page document revealed that the ethics committee, as of late July, was looking into the activities of at least 19 lawmakers, including reviews of home mortgages and interviews about corporate-backed trips for members of Congress to Caribbean resorts. Combined with the inquiries being conducted by a new ethics office, the document showed a far more robust set of investigations than previously revealed.

Read more ....

My Comment: "Investigating" and "Looking into" is a far cry from taking any action. don't expect anything to be done other than "stern warnings".

Chris Christie's Next Case: Who Stole My Election?

From The Wall Street Journal:

The race for governor in New Jersey is so close in final polls that it may well end up in a recount -- the 1981 election did and was decided by less than 1,800 votes. If there is a recount, you can bet disputes about absentee ballots will loom large. Moreover, if serious allegations of fraud emerge, you can also expect less-than-vigorous investigation by the Obama Justice Department -- which showed just how seriously it takes such allegations when it walked away from an open-and-shut voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia earlier this year.

Read more ....

My Comment: Absentee ballots is the Achilles heel of the American political process .... let us see how much of this vote will swing Corzine's way.

Time To Get Back To Bloging On Crooked Politicians

CP Editor: I have been busy with other projects, and as a result I have not been available to continue with this blog.

However .... the corruption that filters our political system is now so overwhelming, a blog with a focus on political corruption demands to be updated regularly.

Without any ado, it is now time to gather and chronicle all the news on sleazy politicians that are out there.