Death of a Scandal [Enron]

That's at least the second dud Lieberman has gotten a hold of - you'd think he could recognize one by now.

Sore Loserman was pitiful to look at Sunday,,,he's grasping at straws here...all of sudden he's from the "righteous" party. He better becareful about where some roads in this Enron mess lead to.

I for one will be glad when the word ENRONG (WHY? WHY? WHY?) is no longer on the radar screen.

Those democrats are certainly scandal savvy. On the one hand, Waxman's saying Bush must have done something while Lieberman's claiming he didn't do enough. I'm afraid though, that the usual suspects will continue to harp on this non (republican) issue just for the sake of harping. They know the lamestream hangs on every word.

Loserman, like Bore, is pathetic (at best).

"That's at least the second dud Lieberman has gotten a hold of - you'd think he could recognize one by now. "

Ooh, you're cold. Really cold. ;-)

Hey Liberalman, go back to Afghanistan with your buddy McBlame and pose for some photo ops!

Ooh, you're cold. Really cold.

Don't I know it! It's 46 degrees this morning in LA (Lower Alabama).

He had owned $7,000 worth. When the sale went through, he made a profit of $14 - that's fourteen dollars - in total.

Golly! That's a profit of .002%! That's almost as good as Social Security! We should punish this 'big stockholder' for getting such a sweetheart deal! :-P

Suddenly, literally overnight, the 'Enron affair' has transmogrified from 'White House scandal' to Democrat pickle -- major-league pickle, actually. The breakneck turn of the tables, politically, has been nothing short of stunning -- even by Washington standards.
The Democrats, who only days ago could barely contain their glee -- champing at the bit to tar and feather Bush with the ghastly Enron debacle -- are abruptly succumbing to a surprising case of cold feet. The haters are discovering, much to their chagrin, that the Enron affair -- should they pursue it -- could boomerang right back on them, and in more ways than they might imagine -- or want to bargain for.
A Sunday Washington Post piece, "Enron Also Courted Democrats", by senior writer Dan Morgan, told the story. The cryptic message between-the-lines: Dems, be careful what you wish for....
Washington's flagship liberal newspaper was worried, alright -- and for good reason.
From company documents and former employees, the tapestry of influence-peddling and money-for-favors the Post had unearthed, ironically enough, could prove hugely embarrassing to Democrats, including the party's most prominent members.
Indeed, in the last campaign cycle alone, Enron Corp. poured more than a half of million greenbacks into Democrat coffers -- $532,000 to be exact. That's a scant less than the figure the company reportedly gave Republicans: $623,000. One out of 2 members of the House and nearly 3 out of 4 members of the Senate have, at one time or another, received campaign contributions from Enron.
Clearly, this undercuts the basic tenet of the Democrats' "case", namely that Enron and Republicans are merely two heads of the same evil monster. By lavishing both parties with company largess, Enron was wisely hedging its bets. Politically, the bipartisan nature of its "beneficence" means Democrats have no moral leg to stand on: If accepting a donation from Enron 'taints' the recipient somehow, then Senator Joseph Lieberman, who has pocketed Enron* gratuity himself, should immediately recuse his position as chair of one of several committees probing the affair.
It does not suffice when Sen. Lieberman asserts, as he did last Sunday on CBS' Face the Nation, that since the donation in question dates several years back, he sees no conflict-of-interests. Not only is this self-serving excuse wholly inconsistent, it is morally bankrupt.
Sen. Lieberman should not exempt himself from the very standards he sets for others, for what is good for the Goose is good for the Gander. By refusing to recuse himself, he undercuts his already frail credibility -- and that of the committee he chairs. By practicing such double standards, Democrats expose themselves for the partisan hypocrites they are. Their primary intention, obviously enough, isn't to probe Enron, per se, as much as to score cheap political points and, ultimately, bring down the President.
Yet, for reasons aforementioned, they will fulfill neither intent. If anything, their rabid campaign of smear and innuendo contains the seeds of a mighty public backlash.
Thus, neither side on Capitol Hill stands to gain politically from the Enron debacle.
Complicating things further for Democrats, it's been widely reported that former Clinton Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin last November lobbied a senior ranking Treasury official on behalf of Citigroup, whose executive committee he chairs. Enron's debt ratings were about to be slashed, and Mr. Rubin improperly urged Undersecretary Peter Fisher to intercede with credit agencies on Enron's behalf. Citigroup holds approximately $3 billion of Enron's debt.
But beyond opening Democrats up to charges of rancid hypocrisy, some of the shenanigans reported by the Post appear to cross the rubicon of criminality.
The Clinton administration had provided Enron with massive public funding for many of its overseas projects, but one in particular stands out as a clear case of 'quid-pro-quo'. In June of '96, Clinton golfing buddy and Enron chief Kenneth Lay cut a check totaling $100,000 to the DNC just four days prior to winning final approval from India of a major Enron development there -- one which Clinton had moved heaven and earth to secure. In fact, as the Post points out, Clinton took such a keen interest in this one undertaking, he even "deputized" as project overseer his own chief-of-staff, Thomas 'Mack' McLarty III. But the sleaziness didn't end there: Enron later hired McLarty as a full time advisor.
Oh, and did I mention what Jack Quinn, Elizabeth Moler and Linda Robertson all share in common? This: All three were Clinton administration big-wigs, and all three went to work for Enron.
Interesting, eh?
Bottom line: Mr. Lay's ties with the Clinton administration, and with Clinton personally, were exceedingly close, and mutally profitable.
Yet, despite generous campaign contributions, Mr Lay has receieved zip-zero-nada from the Bush administration. In fact, Bush officials wisely rebuffed pressure from Enron -- and Enron's main creditor -- to intercede on the troubled company's behalf.
Ironically enough, it is the nexus between the Clinton administration, Enron and campaign contributions which cries out for a thorough investigation. Accordingly, watch the media frenzy over this 'story' disappear after some initial fireworks from Capitol Hill later this month as hearings gear up. The 'hearings' will go no where, it's easy to predict.
The underlying moral of this story is especially interesting, one which, unsurprisingly, totally escapes the attention of a cynical press. From it we learn how, even in politics, good character will trump money -- every time. Ken Lay was able to buy off the Clinton administration lock, stock and barrel (garnering endless favors-for-cash, at taxpayers' expense)-- but Mr. Lay got nothing -- absolutely nothing -- from President George W. Bush, notwithstanding his lavish campaign donations. The reason? It's as simple and clear as it gets: This President is not for sale. Not now, not ever -- not at any price. His administration is a textbook example of good government. All the campaign finance laws in the world will never substitute for exemplary character and moral integrity -- the qualities this President exudes.
Honor, probity, personal rectitude -- these are Bush's defining traits, and give this President his special appeal.
President George W. Bush is living testimony to why we don't need McCain-Feingold to have honest government -- the kind of government Americans can trust.
And that, my friends, is the real moral of the story.
*Raising more thorny 'conflict-of-interests' questions, Sen. Lieberman reportedly accepted lavish campaign contributions from Citigroup, to the tune of $112,546. According to Enron court filings, Citigroup happens to be the company's largest creditor, with outstanding loans totaling $3 billion. In other words, insofar as appearances go, Mr. Rubin may as well chair Lieberman's committee. The notion that Lieberman can lead an "impartial" investigation of a company which burned his top campaign contributor is laughable on its face. I rest my case.
My two cents...
"JohnHuang2"

ROTFLMAO!!! What's the ole saying John??? Becareful what you wish for????? hehehehe

And to think, just the other day,,,ThunderThighs herself, was up on the dias in NY, with her puppet Schumer next to her, proclaiming she was going to "Keep on eye" out on the investigation....LOL she need NOT look TOO far!!!!!!

JohnHuang2 BUMP!

And to think, just the other day,,,ThunderThighs herself, was up on the dias in NY, with her puppet Schumer next to her, proclaiming she was going to "Keep on eye" out on the investigation....LOL she need NOT look TOO far!!!!!!

hehehehe -- how sweet it is! ;^)

Thanks, amigo =^)

Now Lieberman is in a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation. If he continues his investigation into Enron he exposes his buddies (no pun intended). If he drops the investigation, people (not the Liberal media, of course) should be saying "What's he trying to cover up!"

Accordingly, watch the media frenzy over this 'story' disappear after some initial fireworks from Capitol Hill later this month as hearings gear up. The 'hearings' will go no where, it's easy to predict.

You give it that much time? I think we'll see the media drop the scandal-mongering this week as its becomes apparent that there are many more problems for the 'rats if they keep chewing on that bone.

I think we'll see the media drop the scandal-mongering this week as its becomes apparent that there are many more problems for the 'rats if they keep chewing on that bone.

I'd like to see the rats squirm a tad longer, though..hehe ;^)

Yep, watching Dingle squirm under fire on Fox News Sunday was sweet....

hehe..I'm glad I taped it. It's a real keeper.

Wonderful, wonderful analysis. Thank you John.