Wasn't this the jack@$$ who had millions of dollars put toward a bridge that was in the middle of nowhere?

No, wait, that was the other jack@$$ senator from Alaska:

http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/08/09/bridges/index.html

Sue, this is one of those guys isn't it that was on Billy Moyers show that they were talking about earmarks?

BTW - in case anyone hasn't been following it, Stevens isn't alone.  ALL of Alaska's Congressional reps (both Senators and the one House Rep) are currently under investigation.  I posted links on these some time back.  Nice to have an oil company take such care of it's bought and paid for politicians.  Additionally, some of the Alaska State Reps have already been charged in this enterprise.

Could the Dems actually have a chance in Alaska?

Well, you have to understand the IRS and the FBI aren't like a big truck, they're more like a series of tubes.....

Clinton issued 140 pardons as well as several commutations on his last day of office (January 20, 2001). When a sentence is commuted, the conviction remains intact, but the sentence can be altered in a number of ways. Some controversial actions include the following:

Carlos A. Vignali had his sentence for cocaine trafficking commuted, after serving 6 of 15 years in federal prison.
Almon Glenn Braswell was pardoned of his mail fraud and perjury convictions, even while a federal investigation was underway regarding additional money laundering and tax evasion charges. Braswell and Carlos Vignali each paid approximately $200,000 to Hillary Clinton's brother, Hugh Rodham, to represent their respective cases for clemency. Hugh Rodham returned the payments after they were disclosed to the public.[citation needed] Braswell would later invoke the Fifth Amendment at a Senate Committee hearing in 2001, when questioned about allegations of his having systematically defrauded senior citizens of millions of dollars.
Marc Rich, a fugitive, was pardoned of tax evasion, after clemency pleas from Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, among many other international luminaries. He was required to pay a $100 million dollar fine and waive any use of the pardon as a defense against any future civil charges that were filed against him in the same case. Critics complained that Denise Rich, his former wife, had made substantial donations to the Clinton library and to Mrs. Clinton's senate campaign. Emails uncovered during the course of the investigation revealed that her final donation was provided a year before Scooter Libby requested that she approach Clinton for a pardon. According to Paul Volcker's independent investigation of Iraqi Oil-for-Food kickback schemes, Marc Rich was a middleman for several suspect Iraqi oil deals involving over 4 million barrels of oil.
Susan McDougal, who had already completed her sentence, was pardoned for her role in the Whitewater scandal; McDougal had served 18 months on contempt charges for refusing to testify about Clinton's role.
Dan Rostenkowski, a former Democratic Congressman convicted in the Congressional Post Office Scandal. Rostenkowski had served his entire sentence.
Melvin J. Reynolds, a Democratic Congressman from Illinois, who was convicted of bank fraud, 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of child pornography had his sentence commuted on the bank fraud charged and was allowed to serve the final months under the auspices of a half way house. He had served his entire sentence on child sex abuse charges before the commutation of the later convictions.
Roger Clinton, the president's half-brother, on drug charges after having served the entire sentence more than a decade before. Roger Clinton would be charged with drunk driving and disorderly conduct in an unrelated incident within a year of the pardon. He was also briefly alleged to have been utilized in lobbying for the Braswell pardon, among others. However, no wrongdoing was uncovered.
On Feb. 18, 2001, Clinton wrote a New York Times column defending the 140 pardon

Rich Gates, LA, CA



Is there a point to this?

(off-topic because tonight's show topics aren't listed here for comment - RE: Iraq Parliament Recess)


I think we should consider our involvement in Iraq a resounding success in their mimicking of Western democracy.  After all, favoritism, selective prosecution, and a "law that allows the prime minister to exempt Cabinet ministers from prosecution and allows ministers to exempt their employees from prosecution" is clearly patterned after our current Administration.  We see their "Big Oil" equivalent, Ministry of Oil, as well as other agencies such as the Ministry of Health are corrupt and siphoning off not only their money but U.S. assistance to boot.  Mission Accomplished!


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20043428/


:: posted, dripping in sarcasm ::

As they say when investigating corrupt politicians, follow the money. I guess you could say the money went down the tubes, along with his career. But I'll bet he keeps all the congressional perks/retirement package.

Greg and Brenda - yeah ... him, Mr. Earmark special - particularly when he was Chairman of the Transportation Committee among other things in the previous Congress.  Millions and millions of dollars of favors to his supporters and to get him votes.  

Bridge to nowhere - yeah .... him.  Internet is a "series of tubes" - yeah .... him again.  Also famous for screaming "NO" several times last Congress when he was asked to give up his fatty pork earmarks.

LOL I wonder if Faux Made-Up News is going to put a "D" next to his name when they report this the same way they did Arlan Spector and Mark Foley when they were Repugnikant embarassments?

It couldn't have happened to a more deserving cranky old man.  Don't you just love karma.  

Neils, please don't wait too long to translate (and what language is it?)
De ce voi joc cu tu? Nu îmi place tu!

What gets me about the whole thieving lot of them is that they think we are stupid.
Do you have to be a crook to be a politician? Another galling thing is that they still think they're better than the rest of us.
It's a shame that we automatically look for fire @ the slightest whiff of smoke. I still don't know what angers me more- the actual thievery or the arrogamce of those who steal. Is there a commandment that has not been broken by the religious right?

Nanalinda, San Antonio, Texas (Sent Monday, July 30, 2007 11:52 PM)

No, I don't think that they've missed breaking any of the commandments.  Let's just declare that 10 for 10.  

Also, I don't think that they've missed any of the Bill of Rights either.   Let's just declare that 10 for 10 as well.  

The arrogance is especially galling.  

Sue, West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Monday, July 30, 2007 11:18 PM)

"I wonder if Faux Made-Up News is going to put a "D" next to his name"

Wouldn't it be priceless if they did?  Everyone on this blog will be laughing hysterically and very few Faux viewers will even notice anything wrong.  It's so sad.  

Well, well, well.  Is there NoTHinG these corrupted
Repbukikans, won't do for votes, for "special interests" for the infamous "bridge to nowhere" and... let's drill more, and more, and more, for that gooish substance in Alaska - oops! It was there just a minute ago!

Ain't it great that the oil companies are so very careful with OUR environment - the use of pipes to run oil through, which do not have the proper linings in them, so they leak!!!  They are making record profits, though... Oh, yes, they have to use those profits to prepare for the next drilling - spilling, messes.  

They have not yet, finished the clean up from the Exxon-Valdeez spill in Alaska - HOW MANY years ago, was that???  Oh yes, they cleaned it up, I forgot. Strangely enough, they left the wildlife there to choke in the sludge, but, they cleaned it up... according to whose definition of cleanup?  

And, people like Senator Stevens still thinks it is okay to drill in Alaska?  Or, anywhere, in the U.S.?
AWWWWWKKKKK!!!

I like to drive a vehicle, as much as the next person - I simply believe the fuel should be a bit more earth friendly.  The more I learn about all this, the more angry I get at the huge corporate conglomerates getting away with 'murder.' Essentially, that is what it is... killing off whole species, ultimately, at what cost?  Not at the cost of THEIR profits, that's for damned sure!

As long as we have a group of people in Washington, D.C., who do not care about the world we live in, or those who live in it, we will continue to see the greedy getting greedier, the rich getting richer, the power hungry gluttoning until they finally get their belly full, and the rest of us left to rot in the messes they create!  Perhaps they should all be exiled to the rotten, sleezy, oil islands they create(d).

The more I learn of all this, the more I realize we have been bamboozled, big time!  And, too many of the 'regular folks' are getting it, in the end! (get my drift)?

And, I never even got a kiss - after the screw job! Did any of you?

Sue, West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Monday, July 30, 2007 11:18 PM)
LOL I wonder if Faux Made-Up News is going to put a "D" next to his name when they report this the same way they did Arlan Spector and Mark Foley when they were Repugnikant embarassments?
That is something we'll have to wait and see I guess... :D

Yes, it's more than a little likely that the "accidental" D will make its appearance once more over at Fox Noise.

And Carol, since we haven't seen anymore of our little "chessmaster" all evening -- either because he has limited computer privileges or is too busy trying to Google up another comeback -- let's end the suspense. It's Romanian (although my grammar is probably atrocious by now), and was in answer to his tedious chess challenges. Translation: "Why should I play with you? I don't even like you!" (Sounds even better with a bad Bela Lugosi imitation.) The poor little nimrod is probably still searching for a Latin translation!

Yes, I know, Bela was Hungarian, not Romanian. So in that spirit, ""Én soha iszik . . . bor." Goot evenink!  :)

Carol, Long Valley NJ (Sent Monday, July 30, 2007 11:39 PM)
De ce voi joc cu tu? Nu îmi place tu!
I am not good at it but know a little of it hehe:)
I want to take a guess at that one, :D Romanian :D

Hey, Brenda: DING DING DING!!! We have a winner!  :D

It's all that darned Reindeer Meat them Alaskians are always eatin'.  Frizzles their brains and makes them easy pickins for the flashy oil magnets who ply them with Hootch and Swamp Donkey Wings.

J Freeman, please for the love of God and all that is holy, can you get your head out of your a$$ and back into the 21st century?  1999 is over. Clinton , Clinton, Mark Rich, blah blah. As Bill Maher said, "The country has f*ck-up fatigue". We can't keep track of the corrupt republicans anymore. So enough with the Clinton reruns.

I'm all for Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens getting his just deserts.  But why is it that Keith goes full board when Republicans do wrong, but when Democrats do wrong, Keith gives them a pass?  When President Clinton's National Security Adviser Sandy Berger stole and destroyed classified security documents from the National Archives to sabotage the 9/11 Investigation, Keith was quiet.  When Congressman William Jefferson was caught with $90,000 of bribe money in his freezer wrapped in tin foil, Keith didn't care.  It's not exactly the kind of news reporting that's in keeping with a man who bills himself as this generation's Edward R. Murrow.

Niels, still batty on Bayou DeGradeabelle, Post-Katrina MS (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 12:45 AM)

I think we have two winners LOL :) I seen your post which we did at the same time...
Noroc! :)

I have become convinced that the only way the corruption in our Congress will end is for the american public to demand full public financing of political campaigns.  The current system just allows for the kind of things that we are seeing now.  Take away the money and, I believe, we will find people who are truly interested in "working for the people" to run for Congress and the Presidency.  It would also end the continual campaigning that we are seeing in the presidential race.

"But why is it that Keith goes full board when Republicans do wrong, but when Democrats do wrong, Keith gives them a pass?  When President Clinton's National Security Adviser Sandy Berger stole and destroyed classified security documents from the National Archives to sabotage the 9/11 Investigation, Keith was quiet."

Uh, you think it might have had something to do with the fact Countdown wasn't on the air back then? I believe Keith was doing strictly ESPN stuff back then.

"When Congressman William Jefferson was caught with $90,000 of bribe money in his freezer wrapped in tin foil, Keith didn't care."

Wrong again, I remember Keith reporting that story several times. Maybe it didn't outrage him as much as some stories, $90,000 is a drop in the bucket compared to the Halliburton overcharges, and the trillions squandered in Iraq. Oh, and Jefferson's bribe taking hasn't cost us 3,500 lives, and he was caught and will be convicted.

"It's not exactly the kind of news reporting that's in keeping with a man who bills himself as this generation's Edward R. Murrow."

Wrong again, Keith has NEVER referred to himself as this generations Edward R Murrow, guys like me do. In fact, I've heard Keith say in interviews he's embarrassed by the constant Murrow comparisons.

But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of your opinions.

You are right on it James - also if the bridge to nowhere is a crime - Robert "Sheets" Byrd would have been jailed years ago. Everything in WVa has his name on it, including many bridges to nowhere. I fully expect Molly Olberman to delve into WIlliam Jefferson tonight.

You are right on it James - also if the bridge to nowhere is a crime - Robert "Sheets" Byrd would have been jailed years ago. Everything in WVa has his name on it, including many bridges to nowhere. I fully expect Molly Olberman to delve into WIlliam Jefferson tonight.

Go get this corrupt dumba$$. he is as slimy as they come. and yes, cong. jefferson is just as bad, and keith did cover that. but it seems like there is no end to rethuglican corruption. i think being in the congress corrupts them. they are overwhelmed by all the goodies, and they go for it. doesnt happen to all of them, but thems that does, whew. i say 'trow the bums out'. all of em. dems or thugs. say goodnite gracie.

Now I'm finally starting to get it.  Bridge to nowhere is a metaphor for something isn't it.  Also I'm pretty sure if the Feds really want to find something solid on him all they have to do is dig down a few feet at his raided home and they'll find a series of tubes filled with dump trucks of money.  Of course they might also just find another series of tubes with an entirely different substance in it that most politicians are really good at shoveling but who can speculate without digging deeper.

Dear moderator,

Would someone please did up links for the trolls who keep asking why Keith only goes after Republicans.

I'll keep them handy whenever one of them brings up the "Sandy Berger stole and destroyed classified security documents from the National Archives" and "William Jefferson was caught with $90,000 of bribe money in his freezer" scandals.

James, San Diego, CA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 1:57 AM)

You are bringing up ancient history.  Are you suggesting that everytime a Republian gets caught doing something corrupt, that broadcasters have to rehash the Democrats corruption.  

I'll save you time, they are both corrupt, all politicians are corrupt -- it a job requirement.

Now back to Keith, I'm sure that he did go after them, but I admit that I wasn't listening at the time.  At the time of the 'Democratic' misdeeds, the 'Republicans' were in power.  To be effective, you always go after the ones with the most power, otherwise it's like kicking a man when he's down -- and it changes nothing.  

Enjoy

J Z Jackson, Tampa, Florida (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 9:44 AM)

No the "Bridge to Nowhere" is real.  He wants to build a really long bridge to an island with about 50 people on it.  It would be cheaper to buy each adult on the island their own 'first-class' helicopter.

It was a real earmarked Transportation appropriation a few years back.  When asked to sacrifice the bridge for Hurricane Katrina victims, he threw a fit and yelled "NO".  That's the clip that you see over and over again on the Daily Show.  

As to what the feds will dig up in his basement, we'll let Geraldo Rivera expose that one.

KO is trying to keep up with the number with vast and growing number of corrupt republicants.  
For every one corrupt democrat there are 10+ corrupt republicants. As the Ghost of Bill Hicks quoted Maher, "this country has f&ckup fatigue."
I'm sure KO would love to take a break from commenting on the GOP scumbags, but you guys won't cut us a break.

Impeach Gonzales, Impeach Cheney, Impeach Boosh in that that order.

Correction: "KO is trying to keep up with the vast and growing number of corrupt republicants. "  
... my rage gets the best of me.
-hugs, Bodeane

James, maybe the reason Keith isn't trumpeting the Berger or Jefferson cases is that the Jefferson case IS BEING INVESTIGATED and Berger has already plead guilty, been convicted and sentenced for his wrongdoing.  Wrongdoing from bush's camp can't even be investigated due to the veils of secrecy, claims of executive privilege, and outright refusal to cooperate with ANYONE who doesn't support their corrupt agenda.  

"But why is it that Keith goes full board when Republicans do wrong, but when Democrats do wrong, Keith gives them a pass? ... When Congressman William Jefferson was caught with $90,000 of bribe money in his freezer wrapped in tin foil, Keith didn't care.  It's not exactly the kind of news reporting that's in keeping with a man who bills himself as this generation's Edward R. Murrow.
James, San Diego, CA (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 1:57 AM)"

Breaking with my longstanding policy of not responding to talking points only bloggers:

Yeah, this is the crapola we get from people who don't actually WATCH the shows, but come onto the blog to attack with Repugnikant talking points.  The funny "tag line" on the Jefferson story was "Cold Cash" when it was first reported.  All the developments in the case were also on the show.

The hypocritical NeoConNutJobs attack things done by Democrats but excuse the exact same things done by Repugnikants.  Lying about sex by a Democrat - really bad.  Lying about a matter of national security or justice by a Repugnikant - just fine.

The point, James, is that you think it's about right and left when it's really about right and wrong.

Innocent until proven guilty? Not with you nut jubs!

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington have called for Sen. Stevens to step down from his seat on the Appropriations Committee.

http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/29817

They did the same thing when Rep. William Jefferson was under investigation.

They feel it is only proper for officials being investigated to step down from important and influential committee assignments.  I agree.  Again, it's not about right and left, it's about right and wrong.

Could the Dems actually have a chance in Alaska?
Sue, West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Monday, July 30, 2007 9:29 PM)

Sadly, I don't think so!! It's a disgrace isn't it?

Carol - Yes, I am positive "CCC", or the "Conservative Commentator Channel", which is how I will refer to FNC from this point forward, will put a "D" after his name!! You can bet on that!!

PEACE!!

Hey Sick Willy, you got a point to make or you just would like to fling mud. The point being made here is that he his under investigation, just like Jefferson. I guess you would like to see more tempered criticism toward the repubLIEcan, but have no complaints toward like individuals chastising Jefferson. This ain't BK, you don't get to have your way here. Put forth more something from your cranium and less something from your rectal repository.

When does Gonzo lean on the prosecutors and investigators to back off? Hmmm, maybe he is too busy with congress to do his job.

So the reddest of states is also the most corrupt.  What a shock. Perhaps its time to redefine incumbent republican as one who is indifferent to the rule of law and ethics of office.  

Sue, West Allis, Wisconsin (Sent Tuesday, July 31, 2007 3:19 PM)
Great Post and I sooooo agree!

How strange. I go online to see the news...check out the Countdown blog on corruption in Alaska and lo and behold...there is a huge comment on Clinton and the pardons he gave in the last decade of the 20th century. When will the Republicans give it up? I know they seem challenged by the internet, but for god's sake! Listen, fellas, you have to let it go, you can't blame William J. Clinton for everything that has ever happened. 9/11, Bill did it! Iraq, Bill's fault! Health care, Bill didn't get that through either! But Alaskan corruption blamed on Bill's pardons? Is Dick, the VP sending a special Kool aid to all of the right?

How strange. I go online to see the news...check out the Countdown blog on corruption in Alaska and lo and behold...there is a huge comment on Clinton and the pardons he gave in the last decade of the 20th century. When will the Republicans give it up? I know they seem challenged by the internet, but for god's sake! Listen, fellas, you have to let it go, you can't blame William J. Clinton for everything that has ever happened. 9/11, Bill did it! Iraq, Bill's fault! Health care, Bill didn't get that through either! But Alaskan corruption blamed on Bill's pardons? Is Dick, the VP sending a special Kool aid to all of the right?

Michael Luce -- it's called if you don't have ammo in a war of ideas you change the subject.

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