How long can the list of scandals involving the Republican Party get? A short list would have to include: 1) Memogate (Republican Senate staffers accessed nearly 5,000 computer files containing confidential Democratic strategy memos about President Bush's judicial nominees), 2) the Cheney Energy Task Force (can we say "Enron?"), 3) the Indian Gaming scandal (indicted Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and former DeLay aide Michael Scanlon are involved in this one), 4) Halliburton's various shenanigans ("no bid" contracts, war profiteering, etc.); 5) Tom DeLay (indicted for illegal corporate contributions); 6) Bill Frist (under investigation by the SEC for insider trading - selling, just before the stock collapsed, his shares in a company founded by his brother and father!); 7) Valerie Plame-gate (who leaked the identity of this undercover CIA operative? Karl Rove? Dick Cheney's office or even Dick Cheney himself? Etc., etc. Well, as if that's all not enough, today the Washington Post reports on yet ANOTHER Republican scandal, this one involviing Ohio Congressman Robert Ney and our old friend Jack Abramoff (see above). It seems, according to the Post, that "Ney accepted many favors from Abramoff, among them campaign contributions, dinners at the lobbyist's downtown restaurant, skybox fundraisers, including one at his MCI Center box, and a golfing trip to Scotland in August 2002."
And on and on it goes. Here in Virginia, we've got our own Republican corruption scandals. Just 3 days ago, U.S. Magistrate Judge Dennis W. Dohnal ruled that the Republican Party of Virginia must take responsibility for its own illegal actions eavesdropping on confidential Democratic Conference calls in 2002. This came after the Virginia State Republican Party actually had the audacity (not to mention stupidity) to sue its insurance company, Union Insurance, nearly $1 million to cover its liabity for illegally monitoring private Democratic party strategy calls. Fortunately, as my colleague Mary points out, "The judge didn?t buy it. Jerry Kilgore and the Republican Party of VA now face legal accountibility for their own corruption."
And don't even get me started on the slime-ridden goings-on in Jerry Kilgore's home town of Gate City. Oh no.
So, there you have it. The Republican Party, in just a few short years in power, has managed to reach levels of corruption that haven't been surpassed since Watergate during the Nixon Administration and Iran-Contra during the Reagan Administration. Imagine what Jerry Kilgore could do in Virginia if we gave him 4 years to work his magic here? That's ok, Jerry, we'll take a rain check -- for a couple of million dollars, that is, in untraceable funds to a Swiss bank account. Thanks!