Who cares? A-Rod cheated on his wife, and Brangelina just had twins!

Perhaps the whole rotten process should be illegal - buying "access" should be made a crime.

Uh, yeah.

Like TFA says, it was despicable when Clinton made that deal with Rich, and this is despicable, too.



/i contributed to the bush library in exchange for this hotlink

I think you should have just linked to the original actual TimesOnline article instead of this illegible nonsense-y blog.

vincentpriceisdead:I think you should have just linked to the original actual TimesOnline article instead of this illegible nonsense-y blog.

The TimesOnline one had probably already been submitted, and subby wanted himself a greenlight. Can't imagine why, it's not even a funny headline.

a bush official caught doing something illegal? is it sunday already?

Might be acceptable in the US, but in the UK it would result in the politician having to make a statement and distancing himself from the fund-raiser.

How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"

He isn't employed by the White House, Bush or any of his staff members. He doesn't have a Cabinet position and wasn't elected.

He is a lobbyist.

real shaman:How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"

He isn't employed by the White House, Bush or any of his staff members. He doesn't have a Cabinet position and wasn't elected.

He is a lobbyist.

-Bush Pioneer
-Cleared brush with the President at his ranch
-Political appointee to the Homeland Security Advisory Council which reports directly to the Homeland Security Secretary

real shaman:How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"

He isn't employed by the White House, Bush or any of his staff members. He doesn't have a Cabinet position and wasn't elected.

He is a lobbyist.

...and an appointed member of the US Homeland Security Advisory Council.

But keep spinning.

And right on cue, trash like Real Shaman shows up to defend the indefensible.

real shaman:How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"


Really? And would a "lobbyist" have the authority to sell access? He is at least an unofficial official.

The administration still has plausible deniability.

This guy was just working on his own, trying to make money for his lobbying org.

That was easy.

"biatch set me up!"

Seriously, though; how much do they really need for the Bush presidential library? This Administation is so crooked and secretive there won't be much in the way of official documents on display. So how much could it cost to house a copy of The Very Curious Goat and the Presidential Daily Briefings thay Bush used to wipe Condoleezza Rice's pussy juice from his chin with.

Curiously, though, his name is not listed now in the member directory of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, unless I don't read too good:

Link (new window)

real shaman:How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"

He isn't employed by the White House, Bush or any of his staff members. He doesn't have a Cabinet position and wasn't elected.

He is a lobbyist.

I think the offical term used is 'bag man'. The third party expendable cut out used to filter the money and ensure plausible deniablity.

Guys like that spend years in jail JUST so that people like you can still continue to believe that nobody in D.C. is a corrupt, lying asshole.

But he is listed on this committee:

Link (new window)

Either the article was incorrect in labeling him a Member of the Advisory Committee or just imprecise in not clarifying that he is a member of a subcommittee. Either way, he obviously has the kind of access he is promising to the guy from Kyrgi...Khyrg...Krigi...that other country.

Weaver95:real shaman:How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"

He isn't employed by the White House, Bush or any of his staff members. He doesn't have a Cabinet position and wasn't elected.

He is a lobbyist.

I think the offical term used is 'bag man'. The third party expendable cut out used to filter the money and ensure plausible deniablity.

Guys like that spend years in jail JUST so that people like you can still continue to believe that nobody in D.C. is a corrupt, lying asshole.

Your version was a bit wordy for me.

Howie Spankowitz:But he is listed on this committee:

Link (new window)

Either the article was incorrect in labeling him a Member of the Advisory Committee or just imprecise in not clarifying that he is a member of a subcommittee. Either way, he obviously has the kind of access he is promising to the guy from Kyrgi...Khyrg...Krigi...that other country.

Not being a conspiracy guy, but do you think that it is ebtirely possible they puleld his name from all the government websites ASAP after this? Pretty easy and probable.

PascalsGhost:Not being a conspiracy guy, but do you think that it is ebtirely possible they puleld his name from all the government websites ASAP after this? Pretty easy and probable.

Orwell called the term 'unperson'.

Weaver95:PascalsGhost:Not being a conspiracy guy, but do you think that it is ebtirely possible they puleld his name from all the government websites ASAP after this? Pretty easy and probable.

Orwell called the term 'unperson'.

I just read it again a few weeks back. Honest to Christ, it is so downright straight up what is currently going on right now it is amazing.

Wasn't there a link about farking a person in the ass with a pointed stick? That should apply now.

Cue the pic of the freezer guy from Louisiana as the obligatory but..but....

I wonder how long will it take for the goobs that were just wailing about how 600 dollars is a bunch of money to come along and ease our worry by letting us know that 100k is chicken-feed.

...250k.

/FTFM

PascalsGhost:Howie Spankowitz:But he is listed on this committee:

Link (new window)

Either the article was incorrect in labeling him a Member of the Advisory Committee or just imprecise in not clarifying that he is a member of a subcommittee. Either way, he obviously has the kind of access he is promising to the guy from Kyrgi...Khyrg...Krigi...that other country.

Not being a conspiracy guy, but do you think that it is ebtirely possible they puleld his name from all the government websites ASAP after this? Pretty easy and probable.

Honestly, I am so jaded by American politics (and culture) now that these kinds of things hardly elicit more than a shrug from me anymore. I really feel powerless. And, no, I don't think Obama can fix everything. First chance I get, I'm moving to New Zealand. I'm not kidding. Put an offer on a home there last year.

Call me a drama queen, but I've really had it. No more patriotism for me. It's not just the Bush administration either. It's our system, culture and ultimately our pride in irrationality that did it.

Is this any different than the administration offering journalists increased access in exchange for favorable fluff pieces on the president (he loves chocolate and country music or whatever)?

The moment any journalist was even remotely critical of the administration, they would lose any and all access to top administration officials and even access to top ranking legislative republicans. The only way to continue getting access was to be nice and not critize.

Of course, media outlets continued to do this until there came a moment when criticizing the president would finally sell them newspapers or get them ratings. That moment was Katrina. It wasn't until then that media had the balls to criticize. Not the whole "yellowcake uranium" fiasco, not the wiretaps, not the torture...the administration got a free ride for that shiat until it wasn't convenient for media to give it to them.

So nothing has changed, farkers. The country you think you love died long ago, slowly, and without us noticing. The fourth estate took care of that.

Concerning 1984:

What comforts us is the fact that someone called this scenario out so early that there couldn't be any way for it to come about.

What should scare us is that the soulless farks that actually run everything probably have read the book and have been taking notes.

/g'night.

The best part is the white cloth napkins and wine glasses in the foreground and the gentle piano music in the background. They really know how to pick a setting frame and their busts.

Was he selling a night in the Lincoln bedroom?

/Can't stand Bush, but you are a fool if you think that the Clintons were/are even more shameless.

B-b-b-but Clinton !!!!

bronyaur1:Was he selling a night in the Lincoln bedroom?

/Can't stand Bush, but you are a fool if you think that the Clintons were/are even more shameless.

The two administrations are showing remarkable similarities. I'm half expecting Bush to pardon all his buddies on the night he leaves the white house.

gulliver_redrick:Concerning 1984:

What comforts us is the fact that someone called this scenario out so early that there couldn't be any way for it to come about.

What should scare us is that the soulless farks that actually run everything probably have read the book and have been taking notes.

/g'night.

While offering a scary and compelling vision, I don't believe that Orwell was as prescient as Huxley in "Brave New World." In the brilliant words of Neil Postman, we have "amused ourselves to death." Our lot is self-inflicted. We have willingly given our country over to assholes in return for "soma." As long as we have our Wii's, DirecTV, Iphones and "So You Think You Can Dance"'s, nothing else matters. Even it anything does matter, our short little attention spans can't be bothered to ponder it for long. American Idol is coming on.

Color me unsurprised.

Why haven't we impeached him again?

katemac:real shaman:How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"


Really? And would a "lobbyist" have the authority to sell access? He is at least an unofficial official.

I don't care if he is an official or not. ANYONE selling access to a president is bad. And evidently he had the access to sell, whether he was 'only' a lobbyist or he was an 'official'.

EsteeFlwrPot:Why haven't we impeached him again?

because he didn't get a blowjob.

Weaver95:because he didn't get a blowjob.

Our country has gone to the dogs.

EsteeFlwrPot:Weaver95:because he didn't get a blowjob.

Our country has gone to the dogs.

I think we'll know just how bad it is by wednesday or so. I suspect the market will do some very odd things tomorrow morning. Especially if we get another bank failure.

Economic collapse, soliders in the field and impossible fuel prices...if nothing else, it'll be an interesting summer.

rga184:The fourth estate took care of that.

I'm a little confused. Presidents are selling access. GW is killing 100's of 1000's. We have been forced into $9trillion in debt by two republican presidents and you blame it on the media?

I realize they are worms, but the blame should be placed upon the people who committed the injustice. Notice the word injustice, because the law has nothing to do with justice.

EsteeFlwrPot:Our country has gone to the dogs pigs.

Just keeping with the Orwellian theme.

real shaman:How is a lobbyist a "Bush official?"

He isn't employed by the White House, Bush or any of his staff members. He doesn't have a Cabinet position and wasn't elected.

He is a lobbyist.

I agree with this, he's not a "Bush official", however offensive this may be.

Reminds me of a buddy of mine - he owned a small cafe in Minneapolis, and he's also a musician, so he wanted to have live jazz in the cafe and play with them. Nothing too loud or rowdy, but he needed to get a variance on some city zoning law, so he went to his councilman or whoever the person was that could grant the variance.

The guy said, "if you can donate $20,000 to [some youth hockey charity that the guy had set up], I think we can make it work".

My buddy's take was that he knew that there was corruption, he just didn't expect it to be so in your face.

What I don't really get, and I admit I must be missing something here, is why these presidents have such hard-ons for their presidential libraries.

These aren't bribes. Go figure.

tallguywithglasseson:What I don't really get, and I admit I must be missing something here, is why these presidents have such hard-ons for their presidential libraries.

I would guess it's more or less the same reason why Pharaohs built pyramids. But without the whole believing they are gods part.

Aarontology:tallguywithglasseson:What I don't really get, and I admit I must be missing something here, is why these presidents have such hard-ons for their presidential libraries.

I would guess it's more or less the same reason why Pharaohs built pyramids. But without the whole believing they are gods part.

I suspect that Bill used the Clinton library to launder money for his wife's campaign, as well as filtering other funds. It's a great way to dodge taxes too.

Weaver95:I suspect that Bill used the Clinton library to launder money for his wife's campaign, as well as filtering other funds. It's a great way to dodge taxes too.

Actually, yours is probably the more accurate reason. Just put as much of your assets into possession of the foundation and bam! hidden assets.

Though I still like the idea of Clinton or Bush dressed up like Ramses ordering minions around. "Behold the glory of my Signing Statements! You there! Place the marble bust near the window so it might reflect my glory! HAHAHAHA!"

I love the way the guy keeps looking over his shoulder.

Also this quote: "Bush dosen't meet with former heads of state....uh....well,.... he hardly meets with anyone any more."

rga184:

So nothing has changed, farkers. The country you think you love died long ago, slowly, and without us noticing. The fourth estate took care of that.


It's all the media's fault? Ooooooooooooo-kay...

I'm not a bush guy and I'm sure they're all crooks, but I didn't see any bribery here... Advising someone that the best way to meet with someone is to donate money? This is shocking?

It's the same thing if you wanna meet with the president of the nonprofit children's hospital in your city.

Psh...Bush's asking price has apparently plummeted . Jack Abramoff charged $9 million to get a brutal dictator face time with Bush back in 05 (new window)