Business as usual at the Bush White House
They fired to the left,
They fired to the right,
They fired to the left,
They fired to the right,
By JOHN SOLOMON and PETE YOST
Three former associates of Jack Abramoff say the now-convicted lobbyist frequently told them he had strong ties to the White House through presidential confidant Karl Rove.
The White House said Monday night that Rove remembers meeting Abramoff at a 1990s political meeting and considered the lobbyist a “casual acquaintance” since President Bush took office in 2001.
By DAN K. THOMASSON
As always, Congress is focusing on the sins of the past and not the present.
From that standpoint, the current investigations into the Katrina disaster are a familiar repeat of the blame game that can serve little useful purpose because the chances are good the errors will be repeated.
By MARGARET TALEV
McClatchy Newspapers
Alaska Rep. Don Young gained infamy last year as the chairman of the House Transportation Committee who secured more than $200 million for a “bridge to nowhere” in his home state.
Less noticed was his support for projects elsewhere in the country favored by contributors to Midnight Sun, a political action committee. Known as a leadership PAC, Midnight Sun is controlled by Young, and its treasurer is a registered lobbyist with a client list that includes transportation interests.
Vice President Dick Cheney violated Texas hunting law by not having a valid hunting stamp on his license and has been given a warning citation by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department following Cheney’s shooting of a fellow quail hunter Saturday on the private Armstrong Ranch in the south part of the state.
The department also found the accident was caused by a “hunter’s judgment factor” when Cheney sprayed another hunter while aiming at flying birds.
Many campaign finance experts see leadership PACs as part of the
problem, a way to skirt campaign limits and hide special-interest ties.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., have said
leadership PACs should be included in the reform debate, especially in
terms of how involved in them lobbyists can be.
As always, Congress is focusing on the sins of the past and not the present.
Three former associates of Jack Abramoff say the now-convicted lobbyist
frequently told them he had strong ties to the White House through
presidential confidant Karl Rove.
With Vice President Dick Cheney’s bungled attempt to hunt quail without
shooting another hunter, the White House once again proved it cannot
even report on an accident without attempting to avoid blame.
By TONI LOCY
Five government agencies are reviewing classified evidence that I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby may want to use at his trial to fight perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges, according to a court transcript made public Monday.
During a Feb. 3 hearing, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald told a federal judge that the review of classified materials is being done by the CIA, National Security Council, National Security Agency, State Department and several components within the White House, including the offices of the president and vice president.