* Terrorists or the marriage of elected officials to lobbyists ~ which is the more dangerous threat to Americans? In a NY Times book review of Thomas Frank’s “The Wrecking Crew” we learn, “The increasing supply of lobbyists, Frank observes, “should have driven the price of lobbying down, not up. … The most credible explanation … is that clients grew more and more confident that their lobbyists could deliver something of value in exchange for their fees. … The reason companies started buying, in other words, was that Congress began selling. Special-interest earmarks in legislation by members of Congress have exploded in number, while careers in elected or appointed office are apprenticeships for lobbying jobs.”

Since congress sets the rules for lobbyists and their interaction with elected officials the public is virtually defenseless against their self-aggrandizement. In the last decade ethics oversight of congressman has been virtually non-existent. Given the existing circumstances foreseeable change is not likely because the inmates are running the prison. Where is the public outcry? It is distracted by nonsensical issues promulgated by Republican spinmeisters, buoyed by the myopic pleas of the religious right and too often reinforced by corporate media magpies. Nor should Democratic congressmen be held blameless. There is some merit to their argument that their bare majority in Congress is insufficient to bring about meaningful change but one wonders if this is not also a cover for their complicity in the lobbyist culture. And, we the people are not blameless. Every poll demonstrates that the American people are completely fed up with Congress but when polled about their own elected officials they would return them to office. If this is a result of being comfortable with the devil that you know, welcome to hell.

~ Bovine excreta of the week - In an interview on Wednesday McCain said about lobbyists, “Whenever there’s a corrupt system, then you’re going to have these birds of prey descend on it to get their share of the spoils. … Lobbyists don’t come to my office. Because they know they’re not going to be an earmark. They know they’re not going to get a pork-barrel project… I think there are too many lobbyists in Washington.” For the record, McCain has at least 159 lobbyists – on leaves of absence - running his campaign, fundraising, and shaping his policies. ProgressiveAccountability.org lists the names, firms and issues.

* Another wedding you don’t want to attend ~ John McCain and corporate America – From ThinkProgress.org “The Hill reports that the CEOs of the 100 biggest Fortune 500 corporations have given approximately 10 times as much to John McCain as they have to Barack Obama. One explanation for this “generosity,” as outlined by the Center for American Progress Action Fund, is that McCain’s proposed corporate tax cuts would result in a $45 billion tax giveaway to the 200 largest corporations in America and a total of $175 billion in corporate tax breaks. Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips would each receive over $1 billion in tax breaks. It is obvious that their campaign contributions are a most prudent “investment.” Given the current federal debt, the fragility of the American economy and the deteriorating financial condition of most Americans this country cannot afford the corporate tax reductions that McCain proposes. If McCain and corporate America consummate their marriage close to 300,000,000 Americans get screwed without the benefit of an orchestra or a honeymoon.

* Like Vana White, just flipping letters ~ Wal-Mart / Mal-Mart – The leading retailer in America once again demonstrated its disdain for integrity, employee rights and probably federal law. The Wall Street Journal reports, “Prominent labor groups are seeking an investigation into whether Wal-Mart Stores Inc. violated federal election laws by telling employees that electing Democrats would lead to passage of legislation making it easier to unionize companies.” The article outlines a number of misleading claims aimed at intimidating employees of the Arkansas-based retailer. To learn more about this egregious icon of 21st Century corporate culture I suggest a visit to WakeUpWalMart.com and The Real Wal-Mart Facts. Their track record of being an irresponsible employer is only the tip of the iceberg.

*Where did I put that house? – Most of us have at one time or another misplaced the keys to our house. It is especially rare to misplace a house. Meet John McCain. On Wednesday McCain said he was unsure how many houses he and his wife Cindy owned but his staff would get back to the reporter who made the inquiry (USA Today reports that the McCains own 12 luxurious homes valued at over $10 million). The damn biased media have to stop asking the Senator from Arizona such nuanced questions. Before you know it they will begin asking him meaningful questions about the U.S. economy, where it is likely he will trip over his lip.

* McCain says he has strong national security credentials – The Jed Report provides a video of John McCain appearing on Larry King Live in 2001 saying, “if he'd been president, he'd have picked Donald Rumsfeld to be his Secretary of Defense and Dick Cheney to be his VP.” We unfortunately know how that scenario worked out! Is there any doubt that Cheney would have manipulated McCain the same way he pulled the strings of George Pinocchio Bush?

* I could use some friends in high places ~ versus friends who use to get high – This week I wrote a check to pay my county real estate tax. On that same day I read an article about the Governor of Nevada. It seems that the “honorable” Jim Gibbons (he is facing ethics and criminal investigations on unrelated matters) will face the state Ethics Commission for his role in securing a $5,000 tax break on his property near Lamoille, Nevada. The tax break allowed Gibbons to pay only $40 in state taxes for 40 acres of land. One dollar per acre! My annual property tax calculates to five dollars per square foot! Talk about inspiration to run for public office!

* Were you heartened when so many of our national leaders spoke out about Russia invading Georgia? Typical of the responses was the comment by Mitt Romney who said, “Russians have shown their willingness to act militarily against a sovereign nation.” His outrage and hand wringing was matched by the likes of Bush, Rice, McCain, Lieberman, Graham and every neocon this side of the military-industrial complex – all of whom strongly and complicity supported the U.S. invading the sovereign nation of Iraq.

* It has been leaked to the media that Joe Lieberman has been vetted as a potential Republican VP selection. As much as Lieberman has kissed-up to the Christian religious-right and embraced McCain/Bush policies it could be argued that the possibility is credible. I believe that this Jewish Senator from Connecticut has as much chance of being John (America is a Christian nation) McCain’s running mate as George Bush has of his profile being chiseled into Mount Rushmore.

* Corruption: the dishonest exploitation of power for personal gain – the web site Obsidian Wings did a Google search for “Bush administration + corruption.” The result was 2,640,000 web links. The article was pointing out the corruption this country has been subjected to over the last 7 plus years as a prelude to its comments about Medicare fraud. Misleading comments by Medicare officials in 2006 led Congress to believe that its efforts to reduce fraudulent and improper claims were successful. “But according to a confidential draft of a federal inspector general’s report, those claims of success… were misleading… Medicare officials told outside auditors to ignore government policies that would have accurately measured fraud, according to the report. For example, auditors were told not to compare invoices from salespeople against doctors’ records, as required by law, to make sure that medical equipment went to actual patients.” I say let’s not be too critical of these Medicare officials. They were wearing their American Flag pin on their lapels during testimony thereby providing them immunity from perjury.

* George Bush’s Peepness Envy ~ England’s spying program on its citizens may be bigger than his – An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph found, “In one week, the average person living in Britain has 3,254 pieces of personal information stored about him or her, most of which is kept in databases for years and in some cases indefinitely… The data include details about shopping habits, mobile phone use, emails, locations during the day, journeys and internet searches.” A recommendation for college students: if you read this article it will not be necessary to read George Orwell’s “1984” next semester. “The book has major significance for its vision of an all-knowing government which uses pervasive and constant surveillance of the populace, insidious and blatant propaganda, and brutal control over its citizens.”

The Washington Post this week published an article about the amount of data the U.S. government is collecting on its own citizens when crossing the borders with Canada and Mexico. Like the terrorist watch list so much information is being collected, ostensibly to protect us, it is doubtful that anyone is actually protected as the system drowns in data.

* “People say that President Nixon had phlebitis. That is simply not true. You don’t screw over 200 million people and get phlebitis. You get syphilis!”
My recollection from a Jackie Mason performance about 20 years ago.

* Fashion and Society news – President’s Bush’s daughter Jenna will wear an Oscar de la Renta gown at her May 10th wedding. It is described as simple and elegant organza with embroidery, matte beading and a small train -- and yet still casual. The 14 attendants will wear short chiffon Lela Rose dresses which can be seen at the above link. Two hundred family and friends will attend the informal ceremony at the family’s Crawford ranch. Gift suggestions include a set of long staple Egyptian cotton white towels to replace the one the President has thrown in.

* Nouri al Maliki ~ a Prime Minister without portfolio or budget - During the Petraeus hearings Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) noted that Iraq has $30 billion in surplus funds stored in U.S. banks. It was also noted that Iraq’s oil revenue for 2007 and 2008 will be $100 billion. Even Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine asked, "Isn't it time for the Iraqis to start bearing more of those expenses (for reconstruction and Iraqi troops), particularly in light of the windfall in revenues due to the high price of oil?" Isn’t it time for Congress to be Dutch uncles to Uncle Sam?

* What the muck is going on?

~At least 3 female employees of Iraq contractor Halliburton KBR have come forward to reveal they had been brutally raped by fellow employees. What made the revelations an even greater atrocity is that military investigators and the Justice Department were as egregious as KBR’s attempted cover up in not pursuing investigations and possible criminal charges. How many rapes have gone unreported because of the stonewalling?

~Two former officials at the Army Space and Missile Defense Command have pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from defense contractors. “Their plea agreements detail a conspiracy in which politically connected defense contractors that lobbied for congressional funding, called earmarks, bribed the officials to steer the funds to sham subcontractors. The overall investigation is “turning a harsh new light on companies that lobby Congress for no-bid defense contracts.”

~We learn this week that recently resigned Secretary of HUD Alphonso Jackson, even as the housing crisis was emerging, was pushing for legislation that would have made it easier for lenders to supply loans to risky borrowers. We also learn he had a personal chef and security detail when he attended social functions. His office launched a new $7 million auditorium and cafeteria at HUD's headquarters using money that some within the agency believed should have been directed toward housing for the poor. Jackson’s office solicited an emergency bid to obtain oil portraits of Jackson and four other HUD secretaries at a cost to taxpayers of $100,000. I wonder if Jackson is wearing prison stripes in the portrait.

~IRS audit rates of the largest corporations are less than half what they were 20 years ago. “The Syracuse University-based Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse described what it said was a "historic collapse" in audits for corporations holding assets of $250 million or more. The IRS’s abdication of corporate oversight completes the Bush administration’s strategical abandonment of public interests to business interests. A reader pointed out that “The IRS” spells “theirs”.

~Defense contractor fraud has gone from rampant to virulent under the Bush administration with the Justice Department remaining impotent to the abuse of taxpayer dollars. The Justice Department finally acted in February by forcing companies to notify the government if they find evidence of contractor abuse of more than $5 million. Although $4.9 million would get a free ride the story gets more interesting. The fraud crackdown had a “secret” loophole. “The proposal to force companies to report abuse of taxpayer money will not apply to work overseas, including projects to secure and rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan” (which involves expenditures of over $2 billion). This week the House planned to investigate whether the loophole was a result of lobbyists acting on behalf of contractors. With an investigation pending the Bush administration removed the loophole stating that it was “a drafting error” - leaving a large “loophole” in its dodge.

~ Finally, a growing industry – Unfortunately, it is food banks and soup kitchens that expect a 20% surge this year of people needing their services. This is in addition to the newly enrolled 1.3 million needing food stamps. In the not too distant future America may qualify for aid from the United Nations or China. Sharpen your chopsticks.

* Foreign policy ~ ad hoc, ad lib, ad nauseum - On the Sean Hannity radio show last week Dick Cheyney said that if the U.S. pulls its troops from Iraq it would be bad because “if al Qaeda were to take over big parts of Iraq, among other things, they would acquire control of a significant oil resource. Iraq has almost 100 billion barrel reserves, producing 2.5-3 million barrels of oil a day. If you take a terrorist organization like al Qaeda and give it that kind of revenue, there’s no telling the amount of trouble they could get into.” As noted by thinkprogress.org, “It’s highly unlikely that al Qaeda would take control of Iraq’s oil if the United States redeployed. First, the vast majority of Iraqis are Shi’ites, who want nothing to do with a fringe Sunni group like Al Qaeda. Second, 70 percent of the country’s oil is in southern Iraq where there are strong Shi’ite strongholds... U.S. withdrawal would not mean that al Qaeda would suddenly be able to defeat at least three different powerful Shi’ite militias to seize control over Iraq’s oil.” Repeatedly the Bush/Cheyney strategy/alibi for Iraq morphs to another dimension. Originally we were defeating Saddam and his “nuclear” threat. When this turned out to be a bag of couscous the mantra became we were bringing democracy to the Iraqi people. Lack of planning led to all hell breaking loose with high levels of violence which led to a surge which has brought us a pause which has... Perhaps what is really going on is bringing barrels of oil to ExxonMobil.

* The Fourth Estate ~ fifth rate – The questioning of Clinton and Obama during the first hour of their debate on Wednesday night by ABC moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos was painful. Their “gotcha” questions avoided the serious issues facing this country and what the next president would do to improve a troubled America. “Disservice” is the nicest word I could use to describe ABC’s luminaries. The “worst” presidential debate ever - in the view of many veteran observers.

* Playing with oneself ~ lessons from the Department of Justice – Recall in July 2006 Attorney General Gonzalez called a press conference to announce the government had thwarted a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago by a group of terrorists based in Miami. From the start it seemed apparent that these six “terrorists” were a group of ragtag misfits that were more likely to hurt themselves than others. The government proceeded with a high-profile prosecution and in December the trial resulted in a hung jury with one defendant found not guilty. A new trial was convened that this week ended again in a hung jury following 13 days of deliberation. I can recall one “successful” terrorist prosecution – an Australian who took a plea bargain so he could return to his home country. The government’s terrorist busts continue to be a bust.

* Lying must be an aphrodisiac ~ it is too prevalent to be just a lack of ethics – At John McCain’s official website there is a section “Cindy’s Recipes”. Cindy is McCain’s wife and the recipes are attributed to the McCain family. In fact, several of the recipes are word-for-word copies found in recipes at the Food Network. Not to be outdone, McCain is plagiarizing Bush policy for his presidential run.

* Dumber and Dumbest - It is incomprehensible to me that anyone would advocate continuing Bush policies, especially a presidential contender. In a speech in Pittsburgh this week John McCain again demonstrated his desire to continue the Bush policies that have damaged our country. This speech involved economic policy. He proposed cutting corporate taxes from 35 to 25% and making permanent Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy (that he once opposed). I would ask Senator McCain if economic concessions to corporations over the last decade have resulted in new jobs, higher wages and benefits for employees or investment in technology, research and development that resulted in building their businesses in this country. I would ask if Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy increased their investment in America’s productive economic structure. The answer to these questions is a resounding NO.

* Jews on the left ~ a welcome voice – “Some of the country's most prominent Jewish liberals are forming a political action committee and lobbying group aimed at dislodging what they consider the excessive hold of neoconservatives and evangelical Christians on U.S. policy toward Israel.” Calling themselves the J Street PAC they will focus on promoting an Arab-Israeli peace settlement to fill a void left by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other Jewish groups that they contend have tilted to the right in recent years.” In the past I have expressed criticism of the neconservatives and the U.S. government for their intransigent approach to peace in the Middle East, especially between Israel and the Palestinians. Perhaps a fresh influence on this failed and stalemated process has merit.

* A retro approach ~ consequences for criminal behavior in government – Will Bunch, who writes for the Philadelphia Daily News, asked Barack Obama, “whether an Obama administration would seek to prosecute officials of a former Bush administration on the revelations that they green-lighted torture, or for other potential crimes that took place in the White House.” The reply: Obama said that as president he would indeed ask his new Attorney General and his deputies to "immediately review the information that's already there" and determine if an inquiry is warranted -- but he also tread carefully on the issue, in line with his reputation for seeking to bridge the partisan divide. He worried that such a probe could be spun as "a partisan witch hunt." However, he said that equation changes if there was willful criminality, because "nobody is above the law." Can I hear an Amen?


* “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States (1767 – 1848)

“I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together”
George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States (born July 6, 1946)