Guns Don’t Kill People, People Like Bush & Cheney Kill People

Dick’s Score:
1 lobbyist friend shot in the head
+ ?? (Vietnam during Nixon years)
+ 2274 (Iraq as of 2/19/06)

Junior’s Score:
152 Executions (as Gov. of Texas)
+ 2274 (Iraq as of 2/19/06)
= 2,426

And not a peep out of Joe Knollenberg. Where was that term last year they all used when tripping over each other to “save” Terri Schiavo? Culture of Life???

Guns Don’t Kill People, People Like Bush & Cheney Kill People

Dick’s Score:
1 lobbyist friend shot in the head
+ ?? (Vietnam during Nixon years)
+ 2274 (Iraq as of 2/19/06)

Junior’s Score:
152 Executions (as Gov. of Texas)
+ 2274 (Iraq as of 2/19/06)
= 2,426

And not a peep out of Joe Knollenberg. Where was that term last year they all used when tripping over each other to “save” Terri Schiavo? Culture of Life???

Knollenberg Supports Cheney’s Proposition that He Has Executive Privilege to Shoot Anyone He Wants to Shoot … especially if he has been drinking

After hearing though that Cheney sunk so low as to submit to an interview with Brit Hume today, I did look up the transcript.

He claims he has an Executive Privilege to declassify information that is otherwise identified as classified for purposes of protecting national security.

Cheney did con DumbGeorge into issuing an Executive Order that allows the Vice President to classify and declassify some information — but for the Vice President, all of his authority is limited to when he is “acting in performance of executive duties”. Although neither this executive order amendment by Bush nor the original Executive Order defines “executive duties”.

It is highly unlikely a court would consider the Vice President’s order to his own shoe-licking underling to release information indicating that Ambassador Wilson cannot possibly be a credible source because although he was a card-carrying Republican and appointed as an Ambassador by Bush himself, his wife was not at home walking around barefoot and pregnant. She had a career. A prestigious and top secret career as a covert CIA agent.

Cheney, and since it has all the slime of a Rove idea, most likely Rove himself, must have pondered long and hard to find some way to discredit a man with the credentials — long standing and high ranking Republican credentials– of Ambassador Wilson. They succeeded in getting the Fox News liars to try to make John Kerry look like a sissy (e.g., check out the photos they like to show of him in his bathing suit windsurfing and fumbling a football — that and they tried to make his perfectly charming and quite brilliant wife out to be some sort of evil witchdoctor woman who controlled Kerry’s thoughts and actions) so they thought they would try to do the same to Wilson.

He was retired after all and his wife was still working. That made him a sissy right there in the neo-cromagnan minds of Cheney and Karl “Ugly Dog” Rover. (He used to be called Ugly Dumb Dog but that was too difficult for him to remember or spell so he shortened his own nickname to “ugly dog”. What kind of loser would do that? Rover. He isn’t much good at anything else.)
So they decided to let the world know that his wife had a job, he didn’t and the only reason he went to Niger and investigated the rumors about Iraq trying to buy yellow cake uranium was because his wife had gotten him the assignment.

Never mind that the Cheney/Rove story wasn’t true. That never bothers them. Sometimes they appear so unethical that they seem pathological in the way they lie and completely ignore facts or reality. They are only good at making up silly false arguments that are made up of short words that the reporters on Fox News probably cannot spell, but they may be able to read them off a teleprompter without making too many mistakes.

By the way, with Rover’s history of unethical acts, of lying to the public, of lying and cheating his way through life because he wasn’t capable or competent enough to get a real job — why would anyone like George Bush — who has so determinedly tried to fool himself into being important like his Dad and his brother — want that sort of bottom scavenger anywhere in his organization? Does W realize that he was incapable of accomplishing anything by his own merit? Does he know that he is viewed as ignorant by most of the world? Most people who go to Yale and Harvard like to think of themselves as pretty smart. They are particularly interested in having other people think of them as smart. Just the sight of someone like Rover makes me want to run the other way. He is repulsive.

I wonder what it is like to know that everyone knows you are a fake and that you are likely to be written up in history books as the worst President ever? He wanted a job so he could show his Dad he could succeed. That he was smart enough, that he was good enough….But he isn’t! That is the part that is so amazing. He knows it. Most of the world sees it. His supporters are just too busy counting their money to even care. I have never bought a friend. Bush and Rover have no friends except the ones they buy.

I cannot decide which one of them is the worse of the bunch — Cheney, Rove, Bush, or Knollenberg. Wouldn’t you have to be evil to collude with evil?

Although I rarely watch Fox News because I think it is highly unethical for any journalist to express his opinion while spouting what is supposed to be “news”. Even the faux journalists that were hired to just look good on camera, don’t write any news stories themselves, they just read what shows up on the teleprompters – to provide personal commentary under the guise of news. Does anyone remember when a news cast had a minute or so reserved for editorial comment? They would announce it as editorial and have the person speak in front of a sign saying it was an editorial. That was ethical. I don’t care if they want to have a show that is all opinion.
An unethical network hires unethical people and reports on unethical politicians. It must be difficult to keep their lies straight sometimes.

Knollenberg Supports Cheney’s Proposition that He Has Executive Privilege to Shoot Anyone He Wants to Shoot … especially if he has been drinking

After hearing though that Cheney sunk so low as to submit to an interview with Brit Hume today, I did look up the transcript.

He claims he has an Executive Privilege to declassify information that is otherwise identified as classified for purposes of protecting national security.

Cheney did con DumbGeorge into issuing an Executive Order that allows the Vice President to classify and declassify some information — but for the Vice President, all of his authority is limited to when he is “acting in performance of executive duties”. Although neither this executive order amendment by Bush nor the original Executive Order defines “executive duties”.

It is highly unlikely a court would consider the Vice President’s order to his own shoe-licking underling to release information indicating that Ambassador Wilson cannot possibly be a credible source because although he was a card-carrying Republican and appointed as an Ambassador by Bush himself, his wife was not at home walking around barefoot and pregnant. She had a career. A prestigious and top secret career as a covert CIA agent.

Cheney, and since it has all the slime of a Rove idea, most likely Rove himself, must have pondered long and hard to find some way to discredit a man with the credentials — long standing and high ranking Republican credentials– of Ambassador Wilson. They succeeded in getting the Fox News liars to try to make John Kerry look like a sissy (e.g., check out the photos they like to show of him in his bathing suit windsurfing and fumbling a football — that and they tried to make his perfectly charming and quite brilliant wife out to be some sort of evil witchdoctor woman who controlled Kerry’s thoughts and actions) so they thought they would try to do the same to Wilson.

He was retired after all and his wife was still working. That made him a sissy right there in the neo-cromagnan minds of Cheney and Karl “Ugly Dog” Rover. (He used to be called Ugly Dumb Dog but that was too difficult for him to remember or spell so he shortened his own nickname to “ugly dog”. What kind of loser would do that? Rover. He isn’t much good at anything else.)
So they decided to let the world know that his wife had a job, he didn’t and the only reason he went to Niger and investigated the rumors about Iraq trying to buy yellow cake uranium was because his wife had gotten him the assignment.

Never mind that the Cheney/Rove story wasn’t true. That never bothers them. Sometimes they appear so unethical that they seem pathological in the way they lie and completely ignore facts or reality. They are only good at making up silly false arguments that are made up of short words that the reporters on Fox News probably cannot spell, but they may be able to read them off a teleprompter without making too many mistakes.

By the way, with Rover’s history of unethical acts, of lying to the public, of lying and cheating his way through life because he wasn’t capable or competent enough to get a real job — why would anyone like George Bush — who has so determinedly tried to fool himself into being important like his Dad and his brother — want that sort of bottom scavenger anywhere in his organization? Does W realize that he was incapable of accomplishing anything by his own merit? Does he know that he is viewed as ignorant by most of the world? Most people who go to Yale and Harvard like to think of themselves as pretty smart. They are particularly interested in having other people think of them as smart. Just the sight of someone like Rover makes me want to run the other way. He is repulsive.

I wonder what it is like to know that everyone knows you are a fake and that you are likely to be written up in history books as the worst President ever? He wanted a job so he could show his Dad he could succeed. That he was smart enough, that he was good enough….But he isn’t! That is the part that is so amazing. He knows it. Most of the world sees it. His supporters are just too busy counting their money to even care. I have never bought a friend. Bush and Rover have no friends except the ones they buy.

I cannot decide which one of them is the worse of the bunch — Cheney, Rove, Bush, or Knollenberg. Wouldn’t you have to be evil to collude with evil?

Although I rarely watch Fox News because I think it is highly unethical for any journalist to express his opinion while spouting what is supposed to be “news”. Even the faux journalists that were hired to just look good on camera, don’t write any news stories themselves, they just read what shows up on the teleprompters – to provide personal commentary under the guise of news. Does anyone remember when a news cast had a minute or so reserved for editorial comment? They would announce it as editorial and have the person speak in front of a sign saying it was an editorial. That was ethical. I don’t care if they want to have a show that is all opinion.
An unethical network hires unethical people and reports on unethical politicians. It must be difficult to keep their lies straight sometimes.

In 12 Years Joe Knollenberg Has Never Sponsored any Major Legislation

Bush & Knollenberg Have Not Accomplished Anything Positive or Noteworthy

George W. Bush and Joe Knollenberg are remarkably similar — they were both elected to office even though neither had any accomplishments to speak of up to that point.

Their elections were handed to them by party members and donors who traditionally fund candidates who are not expected to actually “do” anything while in office other than what they are told by either their Congressional Leadership (Tom Delay) or their “advisers” (Cheney & Rumsfeld).

Less is known about Knollenberg than Bush, but what is most striking is that having been handed the opportunity to do something great for their Country and possibly the world, the former has done nothing and the later has only created harm.

It is difficult to understand why someone with a history of little or no accomplishment would be interested in a position that offered great opportunity for great action, yet take no steps to accomplish anything of merit.

In a recent survey for one of his political opponents in the 2006 election, an overwhelming (76%) number of his constitutents were unable to name him without being given a list of possible answers. (n=867)

Up until a few years ago, Knollenberg’s legacy would have been just as bland as his tenure in Congress. However, with the scandals, environmental, economic, and social disasters created by Bush, Cheney and the Republican Party (which is now clearly run by the extremist right wing and generally “uneducated” members).

The Administration that he is so blindly following could give Knollenberg a nasty place in history. He has supported budget cuts for the poor and elderly and has sent American’s into a war in Iraq without even giving them protective equipment. He has voted to cut school funding, student loans, and instead opted to give billions and billions of tax payer dollars to wealthy corporations. Historians will review Congress that came in with the Republican “Contract on America” and conclude that they were mislead by their own party leaders and that they misrepresented the interests and views of their constituents. Although there is no penalty for being listed as one the worst Congressman in the history of the Country, it will be a sad and shameful chapter for future generations of his family. His name will not be remembered proudly.

If there is any question about how Knollenberg will be viewed, look at Bush’s record. He was a failure before and he has continued to be a failure as President. Since Knollenberg’s voting record is 100% consistent with Bush, he shares the blame. Although it may not be reflected in the press today, it will most certainly be written up with the current “press” (including blogs) of the day. Since he hasn’t done anything, the only real press for Knollenberg has been his involvement in taking Lobbyist money in exchange for favors like fancy trips to Hawaii and for giving millions of dollars of government contracts to his friends and campaign donors.

Look at George Bush’s Legacy — George W. Bush’s legacy will be that of the worst President in the history of the United States. Sadly, his failure as President was foretold by his past. He has never demonstrated competence in anything.

1. Bush Failed In School
Based on even his own statements he was a failure as a student. Clearly, without his Father’s name and status in the Republican Party, he would never have been accepted to the elite prep schools he attended. He certainly never would have been accepted at Yale.
He said he was only an average student while at Yale. That hardly seems to meet the criteria for Harvard Business School. It certainly does not meet their criteria for their MBA program. Looking at their current program, Harvard lists minimum criteria and characteristics of potential students as having “Leadership Potential”, “Strong Academic Ability”, and “Personal Qualities and Characteristics”.
A history of drunk driving, fraternity pranks, being AWOL, and having never showed any evidence of being able to be even marginally responsible as an adult and citizen of this Country hardly seems to reflect “leadership potential”. His “average” grades would not meet the criteria for “strong academic ability”.

He most certainly has “personal qualities and characteristics” — though none of his could be considered positive. He has terrible communication skills.

2. Bush Failed to Serve His Country in the Military
Although the White House fought to get Dan Rather fired for telling of Bush’s failure to complete his service in the National Guard, they never disputed that the story was true. They claim the documents were falsefied. But they never denied the truth of the story. Objective evidence overwhelming shows Bush was AWOL and did not complete his service in the Military.

3. Bush Failed in All of His Business Efforts
First, all of his business ventures were funded by his father, his father’s friends, or the Saudi’s. When they started to fail, he was usually bailed out by the same “investors”. For additional information look up Bush Exploration, Harken Energy, and of course his next company, the Carlyle Group.
4. Bush Has Failed as President
As a President he is bizarrely inconsistent in his positions and explanations of the basis of his activities. He started by proclaiming he wanted Osama “dead or alive” and then just a few months later told us that he wasn’t really concerned about Bin Laden.
The only thing that he does do consistently is make statements that are either entirely false, or they oddly describe the opposite of what he is actually doing. For example, he makes statements about how he has built a strong economy but all of the objective metrics show that the only records set in this economy relate to the extent of his failure to grow the economy or create jobs.

In 12 Years Joe Knollenberg Has Never Sponsored any Major Legislation

Bush & Knollenberg Have Not Accomplished Anything Positive or Noteworthy

George W. Bush and Joe Knollenberg are remarkably similar — they were both elected to office even though neither had any accomplishments to speak of up to that point.

Their elections were handed to them by party members and donors who traditionally fund candidates who are not expected to actually “do” anything while in office other than what they are told by either their Congressional Leadership (Tom Delay) or their “advisers” (Cheney & Rumsfeld).

Less is known about Knollenberg than Bush, but what is most striking is that having been handed the opportunity to do something great for their Country and possibly the world, the former has done nothing and the later has only created harm.

It is difficult to understand why someone with a history of little or no accomplishment would be interested in a position that offered great opportunity for great action, yet take no steps to accomplish anything of merit.

In a recent survey for one of his political opponents in the 2006 election, an overwhelming (76%) number of his constitutents were unable to name him without being given a list of possible answers. (n=867)

Up until a few years ago, Knollenberg’s legacy would have been just as bland as his tenure in Congress. However, with the scandals, environmental, economic, and social disasters created by Bush, Cheney and the Republican Party (which is now clearly run by the extremist right wing and generally “uneducated” members).

The Administration that he is so blindly following could give Knollenberg a nasty place in history. He has supported budget cuts for the poor and elderly and has sent American’s into a war in Iraq without even giving them protective equipment. He has voted to cut school funding, student loans, and instead opted to give billions and billions of tax payer dollars to wealthy corporations. Historians will review Congress that came in with the Republican “Contract on America” and conclude that they were mislead by their own party leaders and that they misrepresented the interests and views of their constituents. Although there is no penalty for being listed as one the worst Congressman in the history of the Country, it will be a sad and shameful chapter for future generations of his family. His name will not be remembered proudly.

If there is any question about how Knollenberg will be viewed, look at Bush’s record. He was a failure before and he has continued to be a failure as President. Since Knollenberg’s voting record is 100% consistent with Bush, he shares the blame. Although it may not be reflected in the press today, it will most certainly be written up with the current “press” (including blogs) of the day. Since he hasn’t done anything, the only real press for Knollenberg has been his involvement in taking Lobbyist money in exchange for favors like fancy trips to Hawaii and for giving millions of dollars of government contracts to his friends and campaign donors.

Look at George Bush’s Legacy — George W. Bush’s legacy will be that of the worst President in the history of the United States. Sadly, his failure as President was foretold by his past. He has never demonstrated competence in anything.

1. Bush Failed In School
Based on even his own statements he was a failure as a student. Clearly, without his Father’s name and status in the Republican Party, he would never have been accepted to the elite prep schools he attended. He certainly never would have been accepted at Yale.
He said he was only an average student while at Yale. That hardly seems to meet the criteria for Harvard Business School. It certainly does not meet their criteria for their MBA program. Looking at their current program, Harvard lists minimum criteria and characteristics of potential students as having “Leadership Potential”, “Strong Academic Ability”, and “Personal Qualities and Characteristics”.
A history of drunk driving, fraternity pranks, being AWOL, and having never showed any evidence of being able to be even marginally responsible as an adult and citizen of this Country hardly seems to reflect “leadership potential”. His “average” grades would not meet the criteria for “strong academic ability”.

He most certainly has “personal qualities and characteristics” — though none of his could be considered positive. He has terrible communication skills.

2. Bush Failed to Serve His Country in the Military
Although the White House fought to get Dan Rather fired for telling of Bush’s failure to complete his service in the National Guard, they never disputed that the story was true. They claim the documents were falsefied. But they never denied the truth of the story. Objective evidence overwhelming shows Bush was AWOL and did not complete his service in the Military.

3. Bush Failed in All of His Business Efforts
First, all of his business ventures were funded by his father, his father’s friends, or the Saudi’s. When they started to fail, he was usually bailed out by the same “investors”. For additional information look up Bush Exploration, Harken Energy, and of course his next company, the Carlyle Group.
4. Bush Has Failed as President
As a President he is bizarrely inconsistent in his positions and explanations of the basis of his activities. He started by proclaiming he wanted Osama “dead or alive” and then just a few months later told us that he wasn’t really concerned about Bin Laden.
The only thing that he does do consistently is make statements that are either entirely false, or they oddly describe the opposite of what he is actually doing. For example, he makes statements about how he has built a strong economy but all of the objective metrics show that the only records set in this economy relate to the extent of his failure to grow the economy or create jobs.

New Republican Majority Leader Just As Corrupt As All The Rest of the House Republicans and their Culture of Corruption

The new Republican Party Majority Leader has a cozy relationship with special interests and their money. Rep. John Boehner from Ohio seems particularly fond of expensive vacations to places like Pebble Beach, Venice, Paris, etc.

Although many people thought the Republicans would try to find an honest member to be their next leader because it would be a good sign that the Republicans and their Culture of Corruption could be under a little pressure to reform.

However, apparently there are not any honest Republican’s in the House and so they just picked another guy with what they would consider to be an “average” level of dishonesty and corruption.

According to Tim Russert on Meet the Press (02/05/06),

From 535 members of Congress, John Boehner ranked number 10 according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which did analysis of this. Over the last five years they say John Boehner received trips which would equal $157,000, privately funded. And they point out where you went, which is—and here’s, here’s a list,. Congressmen Boehner: White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia, where the Green Briar Resort is, eight times; Boca Raton, Florida, six times; Scottsdale, Arizona, four times; Monterey/Pebble Beach, California twice; Edinburgh, Scotland, home of St. Andrew’s Golf Course, twice. Foreign travel: Rome, Venice, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona.

Boehner first responded by stating that his speeches were in great demand. Listening to him reminded me of Al Franken’s “Stuart Smalley” character who started the catchphrase: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like me.”

Then his response got quite bizarre. He said he had a lot of brothers and sisters and his father owned a bar. How does that equate to accepting $157,000 in luxurious trips from lobbyists???

He continued with a very convoluted statement:

And I’ve got a very open relationship with lobbyists in town, with my colleagues, with the press, and with my constituents. And, and as a result, you know, people invite me to go give speeches, and I go give them. And you also learn a lot about these industries. It’s easy to point out where I’ve gone around the world, but when you start to look at the people that I’ve worked with—you know, going to, to Scotland with the Transatlantic Policy Network. Now, understanding the relationship between members of the European Union and members of Congress, and trying to build closer ties, this is something that’s very beneficial for members of Congress. And I believe that—that—that privately funded travel ought to be pre-cleared. There ought to be a good public purpose in members going on a trip, and if there isn’t, then they shouldn’t go.

To which Russert merely asked “Congressman, rather than going to a plush resort, why don’t you just meet these guys in your office?” Boehner said “. . . if you get invited, you got to decide whether you can go or not go. . .”.

Apparently making non-responsive statements about the obvious makes one qualified to be a leader in the Republican party. I was surprised that he didn’t answer the next question by saying: “Because Tim, as you know, the earth revolves around the Sun.”

Then Russert asked him about his “cozy” relationship with lobbyists. Russert then quoted the Washington Post “‘Yes, I’m cozy with lobbyists,’ Boehner told lawmakers—lawmakers concerned about his K Street lobbyist connections, ‘but I have never done anything unethical.’”

Then Russert asked him if that was the standard – that as long as he didn’t do anything unethical, it was alright.

Boehner responded:

Tim, everything I’ve ever done in my entire political career has been to the benefit of my constituents and the American people. They’re the ones who dictate what I do every day. I know who I am, and I know why I’m here, not because I wanted to be a Congressman, but because I wanted to do things on behalf of my constituents and the American people. And I—there’s nothing in my entire political career, no decision I’ve ever made, where they weren’t the winners.

Wow. This is actually a lot like saying “because Tim, the earth revolves around the sun.” Or how about, “because Tim, like my constituents, I like baseball and apple pie.”

Boehner likes these free trips so much, he is refuses to implement any House rules that would prohibit them. He is fighting to keep these perks for himself and his colleagues.

Given that their salaries exceed $160,000/yr, doesn’t it seem that members of Congress should be able to afford their own vacations?

Apparently he likes the lobbyists to organize fancy parties for him as well. Russert asked about the apparently well known “Boehner Party” given at all the Republican conventions. They are extravagant and paid for entirely by lobbyists.

Perhaps the most shocking evidence of Boehner being a puppet to powerful special interest groups was back in 1995 when Boehner strutted around the House floor, while the House was in session, and handed out checks from tobacco lobbyists to his fellow Republicans. On Meet the Press, Russert read a portion of the May 10, 1996 New York Times article that exposed Boehner’s arrogant display of the extent that dirty money had entered into the political arena:

There was a big episode in your life back in 1995 when there was—Bob Herbert in The New York Times wrote a column about something you did. . . . Here’s how Herbert wrote it. “One day last summer, 1995 Representative John Boehner of Ohio, chairman of the House Republican Conference, decided to play Santa Claus. He took it upon himself to begin handing out money from tobacco lobbyists to certain of his colleagues in the House floor. He was not deterred by the fact that the House was in session, and that he was supposed to be attending to the nation’s business. He was not constrained by any sense that passing money around the floor of the House of Representatives was a sacrilege.” (emphasis added)

Although the article was published in 1996, Boehner had handed out these checks in June 1995. Recall that this was a particularly sensitive time for the tobacco industry.

A little more than a year earlier, on April 14, 1994, seven tobacco company executives testified to Congress that nicotine was not addictive. By July of 1994, the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation regarding whether the seven executives had perjured themselves in front of Congress. By December 1994, Congressman Meehan sent a request to the Justice Department to open a formal investigation into the tobacco industry, their law firms, and industry organizations.

So it is not too hard to imagine that these same tobacco company executives were deeply concerned about their own legal liabilities. Fortunately they all had Boehner on their side and he was able to help them win friends and influence people throughout the Republican Party.

Russert then moved on to ask about Boehner’s relationship with Jack Abramoff. Republican talking point #1 on the Abramoff issue must be “I don’t know Jack Abramoff. I never met Jack Abramoff. I’ve never heard of Jack Abramoff. But, in the event photos of the two of us sailing, golfing, or having a laugh at a barbeque are either doctored photos or pictures of Abramoff with my evil twin.”

First Russert stated that Abramoff’s tribal clients gave generous donations to Boehner (over $25,000). Then Russert asked if those same tribes had given him money before Abramoff represented them. Boehner said he didn’t know. Russert knew. Those tribes had not contributed a penny to Boehner until they were represented by Abramoff.

Russert then pointed out that Abramoff had 17 contacts with Boehner’s staff and at least one meeting with Boehner himself. Perhaps Boehner should change his statement from “I never met him” to “I never met him except for all those times I met with him.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Republican’s started a new caucus — the Culture of Corruption caucus. It might help them keep better track of all their lies and bribes.

Is there an honest Republican in the House????

I have not been able to identify one.

New Republican Majority Leader Just As Corrupt As All The Rest of the House Republicans and their Culture of Corruption

The new Republican Party Majority Leader has a cozy relationship with special interests and their money. Rep. John Boehner from Ohio seems particularly fond of expensive vacations to places like Pebble Beach, Venice, Paris, etc.

Although many people thought the Republicans would try to find an honest member to be their next leader because it would be a good sign that the Republicans and their Culture of Corruption could be under a little pressure to reform.

However, apparently there are not any honest Republican’s in the House and so they just picked another guy with what they would consider to be an “average” level of dishonesty and corruption.

According to Tim Russert on Meet the Press (02/05/06),

From 535 members of Congress, John Boehner ranked number 10 according to PoliticalMoneyLine, which did analysis of this. Over the last five years they say John Boehner received trips which would equal $157,000, privately funded. And they point out where you went, which is—and here’s, here’s a list,. Congressmen Boehner: White Sulpher Springs, West Virginia, where the Green Briar Resort is, eight times; Boca Raton, Florida, six times; Scottsdale, Arizona, four times; Monterey/Pebble Beach, California twice; Edinburgh, Scotland, home of St. Andrew’s Golf Course, twice. Foreign travel: Rome, Venice, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona.

Boehner first responded by stating that his speeches were in great demand. Listening to him reminded me of Al Franken’s “Stuart Smalley” character who started the catchphrase: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and dog-gone it, people like me.”

Then his response got quite bizarre. He said he had a lot of brothers and sisters and his father owned a bar. How does that equate to accepting $157,000 in luxurious trips from lobbyists???

He continued with a very convoluted statement:

And I’ve got a very open relationship with lobbyists in town, with my colleagues, with the press, and with my constituents. And, and as a result, you know, people invite me to go give speeches, and I go give them. And you also learn a lot about these industries. It’s easy to point out where I’ve gone around the world, but when you start to look at the people that I’ve worked with—you know, going to, to Scotland with the Transatlantic Policy Network. Now, understanding the relationship between members of the European Union and members of Congress, and trying to build closer ties, this is something that’s very beneficial for members of Congress. And I believe that—that—that privately funded travel ought to be pre-cleared. There ought to be a good public purpose in members going on a trip, and if there isn’t, then they shouldn’t go.

To which Russert merely asked “Congressman, rather than going to a plush resort, why don’t you just meet these guys in your office?” Boehner said “. . . if you get invited, you got to decide whether you can go or not go. . .”.

Apparently making non-responsive statements about the obvious makes one qualified to be a leader in the Republican party. I was surprised that he didn’t answer the next question by saying: “Because Tim, as you know, the earth revolves around the Sun.”

Then Russert asked him about his “cozy” relationship with lobbyists. Russert then quoted the Washington Post “‘Yes, I’m cozy with lobbyists,’ Boehner told lawmakers—lawmakers concerned about his K Street lobbyist connections, ‘but I have never done anything unethical.’”

Then Russert asked him if that was the standard – that as long as he didn’t do anything unethical, it was alright.

Boehner responded:

Tim, everything I’ve ever done in my entire political career has been to the benefit of my constituents and the American people. They’re the ones who dictate what I do every day. I know who I am, and I know why I’m here, not because I wanted to be a Congressman, but because I wanted to do things on behalf of my constituents and the American people. And I—there’s nothing in my entire political career, no decision I’ve ever made, where they weren’t the winners.

Wow. This is actually a lot like saying “because Tim, the earth revolves around the sun.” Or how about, “because Tim, like my constituents, I like baseball and apple pie.”

Boehner likes these free trips so much, he is refuses to implement any House rules that would prohibit them. He is fighting to keep these perks for himself and his colleagues.

Given that their salaries exceed $160,000/yr, doesn’t it seem that members of Congress should be able to afford their own vacations?

Apparently he likes the lobbyists to organize fancy parties for him as well. Russert asked about the apparently well known “Boehner Party” given at all the Republican conventions. They are extravagant and paid for entirely by lobbyists.

Perhaps the most shocking evidence of Boehner being a puppet to powerful special interest groups was back in 1995 when Boehner strutted around the House floor, while the House was in session, and handed out checks from tobacco lobbyists to his fellow Republicans. On Meet the Press, Russert read a portion of the May 10, 1996 New York Times article that exposed Boehner’s arrogant display of the extent that dirty money had entered into the political arena:

There was a big episode in your life back in 1995 when there was—Bob Herbert in The New York Times wrote a column about something you did. . . . Here’s how Herbert wrote it. “One day last summer, 1995 Representative John Boehner of Ohio, chairman of the House Republican Conference, decided to play Santa Claus. He took it upon himself to begin handing out money from tobacco lobbyists to certain of his colleagues in the House floor. He was not deterred by the fact that the House was in session, and that he was supposed to be attending to the nation’s business. He was not constrained by any sense that passing money around the floor of the House of Representatives was a sacrilege.” (emphasis added)

Although the article was published in 1996, Boehner had handed out these checks in June 1995. Recall that this was a particularly sensitive time for the tobacco industry.

A little more than a year earlier, on April 14, 1994, seven tobacco company executives testified to Congress that nicotine was not addictive. By July of 1994, the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation regarding whether the seven executives had perjured themselves in front of Congress. By December 1994, Congressman Meehan sent a request to the Justice Department to open a formal investigation into the tobacco industry, their law firms, and industry organizations.

So it is not too hard to imagine that these same tobacco company executives were deeply concerned about their own legal liabilities. Fortunately they all had Boehner on their side and he was able to help them win friends and influence people throughout the Republican Party.

Russert then moved on to ask about Boehner’s relationship with Jack Abramoff. Republican talking point #1 on the Abramoff issue must be “I don’t know Jack Abramoff. I never met Jack Abramoff. I’ve never heard of Jack Abramoff. But, in the event photos of the two of us sailing, golfing, or having a laugh at a barbeque are either doctored photos or pictures of Abramoff with my evil twin.”

First Russert stated that Abramoff’s tribal clients gave generous donations to Boehner (over $25,000). Then Russert asked if those same tribes had given him money before Abramoff represented them. Boehner said he didn’t know. Russert knew. Those tribes had not contributed a penny to Boehner until they were represented by Abramoff.

Russert then pointed out that Abramoff had 17 contacts with Boehner’s staff and at least one meeting with Boehner himself. Perhaps Boehner should change his statement from “I never met him” to “I never met him except for all those times I met with him.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Republican’s started a new caucus — the Culture of Corruption caucus. It might help them keep better track of all their lies and bribes.

Is there an honest Republican in the House????

I have not been able to identify one.

Knollenberg is Willing to Sell His Vote for $$$

Not only does Knollenberg support Bush when he is clearly violating the law, Knollenberg also has nothing but praise for colleagues like Tom Delay even though they have been indicted for criminal activities. Silence is acquiescence. So Knollenberg is a co-conspirator to all of them.

So it is not surprising that he supports Boehner for the Majority Leader.

Boehner’s claim to fame is that he has been known to hand out campaign donations from tobacco companies on the floor of the House of Representatives. That may not be illegal, but it is most certainly wrong.

Now we learn that Boehner was giving out money to Congressman who would support him in his race for Majority Leader. According to a February 3, 2006 article in The Hill, 14 Republicans, including Knollenberg, publicly announced their support of Boehner after he gave them money.

No wonder the Republican Congressman are so willing to sell their vote to Lobbyists for a little cash — that is how they operate internally!!

Joe Knollenberg is willing to sell his vote for just a few thousand dollars. Perhaps his constituents should take up a collection so they can get Knollenberg cast votes that reflect the views of the District.

Knollenberg Refuses to Defend the Constitution

Bush is Violating the Constitution and Knollenberg Supports Him

BUSH & KNOLLENBERG Should be Impeached

BUSH = SEQUEL TO NIXON….But worse

The Bush/Cheney cabal are shredding the Bill of Rights one clause at a time.

Arguing that it is okay for the NSA to spy on Americans without warrants and without probable cause is directly contrary to the 4th Amendment. Read it for yourself:

4th Amendment. “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches adn seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.”

FISA has interpreted that to mean that the NSA can spy without a warrant as long as it applies for one within 72 hours. It also requires probable cause. So, Congress has narrowed the protection granted by the 4th Amendment but that isn’t good enough for Bush or Knollenberg. They want to just erase it altogether.

Like Nixon, Bush’s actions constitute a “violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his consitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed, and impeded the administration of justice”.

This quote comes from the Articles of Impeachment prepared for Nixon.

Doesn’t Knollenberg’s failure to condemn Bush for violating his oath to uphold, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution make Knollenberg an accessory? A co-conspirator?

Even more shameful is Bush and Knollenberg’s explicit attack on the First Amendment right to free speech. Cindy Sheehan, whos son was killed in Iraq, was given a ticket and invited by a Congresswoman to the State of the Union address. She sat in the upper balcony, but when the SS found out that she had a t-shirt that mentioned the number of American’s killed in Iraq, they dragged her out of her seat and arrested her.

She wasn’t making noise. She wasn’t distracting anyone. If an American is not entitled to express themselves in the United States Capital, then doesn’t that mean that the Congress and the President are violating her right to free speech.

Now the Republican’s are not satisfied with having the Federal Government tell you what you can say or print, what you can or cannot grow in your own backyard, what medical procedures you can obtain, but now they want to regulate your wardrobe.

Republicans are advocating for and supporting a huge and expansive federal government. Under Bush, the federal government has more employees, more funding, and more authority than ever before.

We need to elect Democrats so we can reduce the size and power of the federal government and who will keep the federal government out of your life.

Is it all Rumsfeld’s fault? He seems present in all of the most horrible Administrations.