Thursday, May 25, 2006
Corruption and Foreign Policy
Speculation is somewhat rampant on the radio waves today that Ken Lay, affectionately known as “Kenny Boy” to the president, will be getting a nice, fat presidential pardon come January 2009.
Lay and Skilling were found guilty of fraud today and each is looking down the barrel of about twenty years in jail. Lay, however, was one of President Bush’s greatest campaign contributors in 2000 and he was a “pioneer” for Bush’s campaign in 2000…just like Jack Abramoff.
Bush today ordered the FBI to seal the documents taken from congressman William Jefferson’s office for 45 days.
It makes sense. Bush has no vested interest in pursuing one democrat of the House in a way that will antagonize most of congress, though he has shown (and is showing) little inclination to coddle congress on anything.
His new domestic policy advisor is Karl Zinsmeister, drafted (of course) from the American Enterprise Institute. Zinsmeister sounds like the typical kind of person you would find at the AEI. I especially love the “colorblindness” problem: “The penalty for the person who, ignoring race, turns down the wrong street today can literally be death.” In other words, Zinmeister’s advice to the American people: don’t walk through black neighborhoods. Apartheid would be proud.
Bush is also cracking down on leakers. The FBI is going to interview current and former members of congress to find out who leaked the story about the NSA’s domestic program. This follows on the Attorney General’s remarks that he might use the 1917 Espionage Act to prosecute journalists who publish leaks.
I wonder what information the Justice Department will have to declassify to prosecute a leaker. Will the government not have to prove the program is legal to justify prosecuting those who leak its existence?
President Bush met held a joint conference with Israeli President Olmert recently. He maintained that Israel and America were committed to following the “road map,” but he also maintained that Israel can go it alone if the Palestinians refuse to negotiate. He praised Israeli plans to withdraw from most of the West Bank. When answering a question about Iraq, he seemed to get confused, and he said (erroneously) that suicide bombers are the “main” weapon of “the enemy” in describing how hard it is to stop insurgents in Iraq.
Of course, in Iraq the main source of casualties has never been suicide bombers. Most casualties have been caused by explosive devices, as this Brookings Institute document details regarding the past month. Other indices have been the similar across the three years of the insurgency. Our president, of course, isn’t a “details” man. Most of the West Bank should be good enough. Whatever.
It is hard for the United States to be a leader in the world when the UN Committee Against Torture is thoroughly criticizing the US’s practices.
# posted by BitterHarvest @ 4:15 PM 
