Bridges Burned in U.S., Political King Maker Hits Africa

The Blotter ^ | 11/20/2007 | Dana Hughes

[JRochelle]

Political consultant Dick Morris, who rose to prominence as a key adviser for President Bill Clinton and then fell from grace after a scandal involving a prostitute, has surfaced as a political consultant in an unlikely place -- Kenya.

Leading presidential candidate Raila Odinga has brought Morris on as a consultant to help him beat incumbent President Mwai Kibaki in next month's elections. Last week Morris arrived in Kenya on a tourist visa and held a press conference saying he believed Odinga was poised to win the election.

"I think the reason is he has a clear reputation for courage and for integrity and for change," Morris said. "I am delighted to be here in Kenya and to help you get rid of the corrupt government."

But news of Morris' own scandals soon spread throughout Kenyan media. Letters to the editor and op-ed articles have severely criticized Odinga's choice of consultant. One op-ed in Kenya's The Nation newspaper laid out Morris' past indiscretions, including his affair and leaking of sensitive information to a prostitute, and that the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services has Morris as one of the top 10 tax evaders in the state. As of Oct. 1, 2007 he still owed almost $300,000 in back taxes.

"Either Mr. Odinga is unaware -- which is difficult to believe -- of the man's background or he chose to ignore it, which is a political mistake," the op-ed states.

snip-

Dr. Mutua says that if Morris comes back without the proper paperwork, Kenyan immigration officials will arrest him.

"If he comes back and breaks our laws with impunity, we are going to treat him like we do all illegal immigrants," he said. "We will lock him up, take him to court and deport him in handcuffs."

[JRochelle]

"Anybody can work in Kenya, but they need to work under proper rules," Dr. Mutua told ABC News. "If he comes in on a tourist visa, he's supposed to be taking pictures of monkeys, not working for a political party, whether he's being paid or not."

lol

[BwanaNdege]

You can bet that Morris will NOT be able to get a work permit prior to the elections.

Kenyan work permits can be very slow getting issued.

[Cacique]

Sounds like he was looking for toes to suck.

[rpgdfmx]

This is not the first time Morris has done this. He worked for both Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón (PAN) in Mexico, too. Mexico has very strict laws against foreign operatives in their political system, and Fox’s campaign organization was fined a billion pesos for using outsiders.