Frog Marching @ 1600

1:09 pm EST September 20th, 2005 | Politics | 13 Comments

Somebody is in trouble

The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal reached into the White House yesterday, picking off President Bush’s top procurement official — who just barely had time to resign before being arrested.

The federal charges against David Safavian stem from his tenure as chief of staff of the General Services Administration, predating his arrival at the White House a year ago. But his arrest nonetheless draws renewed attention to the ongoing corruption and influence-peddling inquiry swirling around Abramoff, a lobbyist well known for his connections to conservative Republicans in the White House and Congress.

If this had happened in the Clinton White House it would be gavel to gavel coverage. As it is, it seems to be blacked out. Our liberal media at work again.

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13 Responses to “Frog Marching @ 1600”

  1. TomY says:
    September 20, 2005 at 1:09 pm

    I bet they’ll blame this on Clinton anyway, to the extent that conservatives even process it.

  2. Quaker in a Basement says:
    September 20, 2005 at 2:09 pm

    But like Dugger said, let s prove him guilty first.

    Yes, that seems fair. After all, that’s how things were done during the Clinton years, isn’t it?

    Haw.

  3. Dugger says:
    September 20, 2005 at 2:09 pm

    “I bet they ll blame this on Clinton anyway, to the extent that conservatives even process it. ”

    Actually, Tom, how about this sequence: first determine if he’s done something wrong and then, if he did, apportion blame where it will belong, not with Bubba, not with W, but with Safavian. I can’t find who his “daddy” is. He was appointed to GSA in 1993, but has a Republican pedigree and was upgraded by Bush. He evidently is an Iranian American and has (supposed) expertise in procurement.

    Dugger

  4. sam says:
    September 20, 2005 at 2:09 pm

    “If this had happened in the Clinton White House it would be gavel to gavel coverage.”

    What was the name of that former National Security Advisor who walked out of the National Archives with documents in his pants again? The “gavel to gavel coverage” was unrelenting.

    And no, two wrongs don’t make a right. If he is proved guilty of wrongdoing, he should be punished no matter where he came from. But like Dugger said, let’s prove him guilty first.

  5. Quaker in a Basement says:
    September 20, 2005 at 4:09 pm

    Tom, I might feel differently about this question if concepts like “guilt” and “innocence” mattered. How many different commissions have looked at Waco and determined that the Branch Davidians were the problem? How many times has the case of Vince Foster been reviewed? How much ink and money has been spilled over Whitewater? Over Filegate? Over Travelgate?

    Every one of these “scandals” came to nothing, but they still have currency among those who want to make Bill Clinton the wellspring of all evil.

  6. TomY says:
    September 20, 2005 at 4:09 pm

    You see Quaker, for a Republicans, the idea of politicizing a criminal enquiry in order to hurt their opponents is simply beyond the pale. Reason and truth must always prevail!

  7. Dugger says:
    September 20, 2005 at 5:09 pm

    “Every one of these  scandals came to nothing’

    True re Vince Foster (our side had some heavy Kool Aid imbibers there – but were there extra official investigations? ). Not so re Waco, IMO. That still stinks. Will stink for along time. Bad! Whitewater, Filegate, and Travelgate all had aspects of unofficial wrongdoing – but not criminal on part of major players.

    And Quaker, do you remember Speaker Foley, the Democrats and the “October Surprise” investigation? Prior to all the “gates” and Waco. That should figure in your litany “scandals”.

    Dugger

  8. Quaker in a Basement says:
    September 20, 2005 at 6:09 pm

    Waco, Dugger?

    Geez, even the nutjobs at Newsmax recognized the truth about that one long ago.

    As far as Foley goes, the only thing I remember is how he was railroaded out of office by a pudgy backbencher who later committed the same offences times ten.

  9. Quaker in a Basement says:
    September 20, 2005 at 7:09 pm

    Senior moment–I’m thinking of Wright, not Foley.

  10. dugger1 says:
    September 21, 2005 at 8:09 am

    Quaker,

    If you get bored some time, search “october surprise”. Picture double nought Bush in SR 71 at night en route to paris etc. Speaker Foley said the charges (via the aptly named Gary Sick) were so serious, they just had to be investigated.

    Re Waco, we may be talking at cross purposes. It was very. very very poorly done. Killed a bunch of innocent little children. Koresh and the BDs could have been waited out easily and put in the legal system. That was an era when some of our federal law enforcement went a little overboard IMO.

    And you are wrong about Newt committing the same offences as Wright.

    Dugger

  11. Quaker in a Basement says:
    September 21, 2005 at 2:09 pm

    And you are wrong about Newt committing the same offences as Wright.

    Yes. Wright was a piker.

  12. Quaker in a Basement says:
    September 21, 2005 at 2:09 pm

    Koresh and the BDs could have been waited out easily

    Read the report, Dugger. Koresh set the joint on fire!

  13. dugger1 says:
    September 21, 2005 at 9:09 pm

    It does appear that the Davidians either set or caused the fire. I’m well famliar with it all. I’m not arguing innocence of Koresh, rather gross stupidity of the government. I’m arguing that with x number of little children in a building and a not very serious offense having been originally committed, Koresh could have been waited out and spared those kids, women and children. And the goverment is well aware of how quickly burnable things are in Texas. Wood is very dry. Why screw around with flammables with an idiot like Koresh. Wait him out, slap in him the slammer and give him extra time for not coming out when he was supposed to. Koresh is done and many innocent lives saved.

    Dugger