Posted on 09/11/2005 3:32:49 PM PDT by Brian Mosely
From the "Bias? What liberal bias?" files...
On Saturday, CNN.com had a piece titled "Firms with White House ties get Katrina contracts:"
Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.
One is Shaw Group Inc. and the other is Halliburton Co. subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former head of Halliburton.
The Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group, CNN tells us, is a major corporate client of Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Among its Katrina-related contracts are this one valued up to $100 million from FEMA; and this one also valued up to $100 million from the Army Corps of Engineers.
But in their zeal to embarrass the Bush administration, CNN overlooks one very fat and inconvenient fact--and embarrasses only itself.
The Shaw Group, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, is headed by Jim Bernhard, the current chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party. Bernhard worked tirelessly for Democrat Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco's runoff campaign and served as co-chair of her transition team. Another Shaw executive was Blanco's campaign manager. Bernhard is back-scratching chums with Blanco, whom he has lent/offered the Shaw Group's corporate jets to on numerous occasions.
So, why was none of this mentioned in CNN's Bush-profiteers-are-evil narrative?
Send them a clue here.
Fortunately for CNN, they weren't the only ones guilty of this glaring omission:
UPI failed to note that the CEO of the Shaw Group also happens to be the Louisiana Democratic Party chairman and beleaguered La. Gov. Kathleen Blanco's most influential crony.
So did the London Observer.
And Reuters/MSNBC. And the CBC.
And the NYTimes (reprinted in the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, the Scotsman, and scores of media outlets around the world).
Like I said: Bias? What liberal bias?
They also forgot to mention that Blank-O personally hired James Lee Witt Associates (clinton fema chief) before the bodies even sank.
I understand, appreciate, and agree with Malkin's point here. Nonetheless, I can't help but also point out that this only further goes to show how the Democrat and Republican establishments are not really two separate establishments at all.
Really? What I think it shows is that there are few corporations capable of doing this kind of work and many of their execs get involved in politics. Period.
Bush funded the Halliburton Hurricane Generator that is doing a great job of reducing the democrat numbers in Florida and Louisiana!
I think this really shows that politics is tied to business and it does so all over the world.
Who dreams up this crap? Bush and Cheney worked for a living... The most work Stainman did was work up a sweat humping women (excuse the French, John F'n Kerry).
Further, both the POTUS and VEEP have more money than they could ever want to spend in their lifetimes, or their children's lifetimes.
It will be interesting IF some news entity would compare and contrast W's exit from the WH to Stainman, AND their apologies of STEALING furniture and dinnerware!
*shaking head*
this is not unexpected...when that dude Abramoff was found guilty the headlines blared "DeLay contributor found guilty!".....of course tucked in the 4th sentence of the stories 11th paragraph was the fact he Abramoff also gave huge contributions to Harry Reid....which Reid would not return when posed with the diliemna...
Democrat leaders have a motivation to allow Louisiana infrastructure to be destroyed, so they can profiteer during the reconstruction.
ping
Gosh, I'm just so sure CNN doesn't have a clue about this, maybe we should all email them and let them know.
MSM will do anything to garner Benjamins, including attracting ghoul viewers to raise the ratings. Hell, CNN with be doing snuff films next.
"Nonetheless, I can't help but also point out that this only further goes to show how the Democrat and Republican establishments are not really two separate establishments at all."
You'd rather the Chinese do the work, IF they had the expertise these companies do?
Fine. Give the contracts to Boudreaux & Thibodeaux Discount Builders.
Oh, that is too funny!
When Clinton entered the White House he owned an old 64 Mustang, When he came out he was a multi-millionaire, with White House furniture in his home.
Call me stupid, but a Baton Rouge based company seems geographically suited for the job.
'Democrat leaders have a motivation to allow Louisiana infrastructure to be destroyed, so they can profiteer during the reconstruction."
and ship most of their poverty to other states.
That doesn't contradict what I said.
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