Oh my--White House, Senate, House GOP leaders now all under investigation

[tristano's ghost]

Could it be that they're all a bunch of corrupt sleazebags? By George, it could!

Bill Frist

Rove/White House (Completely UN-related to Traitor Rove's involvement in the Plame affair, btw...)

Tom DeLay (Does it ever end?)

Triple play for the GOP leadership!

[lynn]

Good-bye David Safavian
Briefing forum

Safavian is the first casualty in a probe that could very well lead to the arrest of other government officials. Abramoff's activities, and his links to Republican leaders including Karl Rove and Congressmen Tom DeLay, Bob Ney, Tom Feeney and Dana Rohrabacher, are worthy of their own discussion. Abramoff himself was indicted last month on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy in an unrelated case. As interesting as the corruption discussion would be, there is a more important issue. Safavian and some of his cohorts have links to terrorist organizations.

Safavian is an Iranian American from Detroit. In his position, he was in charge of federal procurement policy, controlling about $300 billion in government contracts. In addition, his office managed approximately 1600 government owned buildings. Before working for the federal government, he was managing partner for a lobbying firm, Janus-Merritt, that he started with conservative activist Grover Norquist. In this position, he represented Dr. Jamal al-Barzinji, who is currently under investigation for allegedly providing material support for terrorists and is closely associated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Barzinji is head of a group of Muslim charities including the Safa Group, which prosecutors have directly linked to al Qaeda.
Federal agent David Kane also reports that Barzinji is directly connected to accused terrorist Sami al-Arian, who was found with an Islamic charter detailing a plan to infiltrate the U.S. government with Islamist spies. Safavian failed to disclose his relationship with Barzinji in the biographical information he provided to the Senate for his confirmation hearings.

Before founding Janus-Merritt with Norquist, Safavian worked with Abramoff at another lobbying firm. After 9/11, Abramoff lobbied Congress on behalf of the General Council for Islamic Banks, led by Saudi billionaire Saleh Abdullah Kamel, co-founder of the bank of choice for Osama bin Laden. Kamel is also named as one of the seven main sponsors of terrorism in a report provided to the United Nations Security Council in 2002.

It was just over a week ago that Michael Brown resigned from FEMA after it became clear his resume was padded and he was not qualified for the job of FEMA Director. Now it is revealed that another administration official is not only linked to a major corruption investigation, but has ties to terrorist organizations. It is time to take a second look at the persons who are in key positions in our government. Clearly, the process didn't work so well the first time around.

David Hossein Safavian, the federal government's top procurement official, was arrested on Monday and charged with repeatedly lying to FBI investigators and obstructing a criminal investigation into a corruption probe involving lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He is also accused of ethics violations related to a golf trip to Scotland with Abramoff and in using his position to help Abramoff to obtain properties owned by the federal government. He resigned his position the previous Friday.

http://www.madison.com/post/blogs/da...php?ntid=55272

They are dropping like flies!

also there was a report on NPR discussing the no bid contracts that he was in charge of developing legislation for.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=4864746

[jesus marion joseph]

Is Dana Rohrbacher under investigation as well, or am I misreading the article?

[tristano's ghost]

Is this a problem yet?

[JamesH]

Forget your political allegiance. This has nothing to do with traditional conservatives or liberals. Our country is being run by a band of incompetent thugs posing as neo conservative American caretakers.

And the American people need to wake up. I consider myself a far left progressive. But I'd happily take a traditional republican agenda over this fascist regime anytime.

[lynn]

This was slightly overlooked due to the Katrina -

FDA chief resigns without warning
Janice Hopkins Tanne
New York

After only two months as commissioner, but 30 years at the organisation, Lester Crawford, head of the Food and Drug Administration, abruptly resigned last Friday. He sent an email message to FDA staff members saying, "It is time, at the age of 67, to step aside."

President Bush immediately named Andrew von Eschenbach, director of the National Cancer Institute, as temporary commissioner. Dr von Eschenbach said he would continue to hold both jobs.

The New York Times this week reported an anonymous government official as claiming that Dr Crawford's resignation was related to the fact that he had not fully disclosed financial information during Senate hearings on his confirmation (Sep 24; Sect A: 1). Dr Crawford's wife, Catherine W Crawford, subsequently denied this on his behalf (New York Times, Sep 27; Sect A: 21).

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/conte...l/331/7519/713

[bluenoter]

I should have posted this beautiful fake ad in this thread instead of the Delay Indicted thread.

[acidflower]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Forget your political allegiance. This has nothing to do with traditional conservatives or liberals. Our country is being run by a band of incompetent thugs posing as neo conservative American caretakers.

And the American people need to wake up. I consider myself a far left progressive. But I'd happily take a traditional republican agenda over this fascist regime anytime.

I completely agree! Those who continue to vote republican out of a sense of loyalty to the party have to come to grips with the notion that Barry Goldwater is long since dead, and the neo-cons are really messed-up fascist theocrats. Their intolerance & blind nationalism are as sickening as their utter lack of scruples.

[RedJazz]

Originally Posted by JamesH

Forget your political allegiance. This has nothing to do with traditional conservatives or liberals. Our country is being run by a band of incompetent thugs posing as neo conservative American caretakers.

And the American people need to wake up. I consider myself a far left progressive. But I'd happily take a traditional republican agenda over this fascist regime anytime.

I have absolutely no sympathy with the Bush Administration. Indeed, I would not characterize myself as either a conservative or a liberal but rather as a radical democrat or an extremely left wing social democrat. Having said that I think it is highly inaccurate and frankly irresponsible to characterize the Bush Adminstration as fascist. It is simply technically not true. What is more throwing about such hyperbole is very likely to disarm us (as in the boy who cried wolf) should the real thing come along. I will grant that under the Bush Administration there has been a drastic curtailment of civil liberties, a decline of real wages, a decline in the social wage and other limitations on democratic freedoms. Having said that, that is a far cry from a society in which trade unions are openly illegal, trade union leaders, oppostion leaders and social minorites are thrown into concentration camps, all political parties save one are declared illegal, books are burned in mass ceremonies, jack booted thugs parade in the streets, etc.

[lynn]

Check the dictionary, wickipedia has some great articles on the definition of fascism. This country does seem to be on a steady path in that direction.

But now for more good news from the Bush Administration

Buying of News by Bush's Aides Is Ruled Illegal

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/01/po...html?th&emc=th

This activity is one out of the nazi playbook though.

[rollhead]

Originally Posted by RedJazz

I have absolutely no sympathy with the Bush Administration. Indeed, I would not characterize myself as either a conservative or a liberal but rather as a radical democrat or an extremely left wing social democrat. Having said that I think it is highly inaccurate and frankly irresponsible to characterize the Bush Adminstration as fascist. It is simply technically not true. What is more throwing about such hyperbole is very likely to disarm us (as in the boy who cried wolf) should the real thing come along. I will grant that under the Bush Administration there has been a drastic curtailment of civil liberties, a decline of real wages, a decline in the social wage and other limitations on democratic freedoms. Having said that, that is a far cry from a society in which trade unions are openly illegal, trade union leaders, oppostion leaders and social minorites are thrown into concentration camps, all political parties save one are declared illegal, books are burned in mass ceremonies, jack booted thugs parade in the streets, etc.

If the Bush administration isn't fascist, I wouldn't call it "conservative," either in the way it is pursuing a radical, hard-right agenda. And doing it at the expense of a majority of Americans, and a multitude of Americans' sense of decency.

[sonic1]

The Bush administration lacks ideology. It functions to make certain customers/constituents happy. Bush jr. is a very typical offspring of conservative wealthy families-spoiled, lacking in intellectual capacity, arrogant, and striving to prove worthiness in SOMEONE'S eyes.

He lacks either belief or ideology. He is an egomaniac. To intellectually view his policy is to apply a screwdriver to a nail.