A significant target of the Perry generosity is Tom Davis (R-VA), who oversaw the Government Reform Committee during a period of pay-to-play politics and almost unprecendented scandal when the Committee set records for inactivity.WaPo reported today about the Deepwater Revolving door and pay-to-play politics that jeopardizes the Coast Guard, Homeland security and border control. The story mentioned Phillip J. Perry.
The Perry family of McClean, VA has donated generously to the campaigns of crooks like Bob Ney, Randy Forbes, and Conrad Burns, as well as Tom DeLay's ARMPAC, and Tom Davis. The Perry family donations exceed $50,000.
A significant target of the Perry generosity is Tom Davis (R-VA), who oversaw the Government Reform Committee during a period of pay-to-play politics and almost unprecendented scandal when the Committee set records for inactivity.
What did the Perrys get for their money? Perry, formerly a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin, avoids oversight for the contracting out of the Coast Guard; Lockheed Martin is building boats that won't meet functional requirements. Perry got to go through the Deepwater Revolving Door. Perry, a son-in-law of Dick Cheney, was nominated to be General Counsel to the Department of Homeland Security from June 2005 until he left in February 2007.
PERRY, GERALD STEPHEN------10/23/1998---$500.00-THE DUTKO GROUP INC.
PERRY, GERALD STEPHEN------05/05/1999--$1000.00-THE DUTKO GROUP INC.
PERRY, ANNE POWERS MRS----04/28/2000--$1000.00-HOMEMAKER.
PERRY, GERALD STEPHEN MR.-02/09/2001---$500.00-THE DUTKO GROUP INC./EXECUTIVE.
PERRY, PHILIP JONATHAN MR.-07/16/2001---$250.00-WHITE & CASE /ATTORNEY.
PERRY, GERALD STEPHEN MR.-03/13/2002---$500.00-THE DUTKO GROUP INC./EXECUTIVE.
PERRY, GERALD STEPHEN MR.-12/29/2003---$500.00-THE DUTKO GROUP INC./EXECUTIVE.
PERRY, GERALD STEPHEN MR.-07/15/2005--$1000.00-THE DUTKO GROUP INC./EXECUTIVE.
The Post is working on Lurita Doan today. (It could have headlined it as "Doan's Ills.) She is to appear before Mr. Waxman this week to answer questions about playing politics on the government's dime over at GSA.
So many scandals. Josh Marshall, who has spearheaded the look into the U.S. Attorneys' scandal over at www.talkingpointsmemo.com, had this to say about what we're seeing -- systematic corruption:
But none of what we're seeing here is at the margins. What we seem to see are repeated cases in which US Attorneys were fired for not pursuing bogus prosecutions of persons of the opposite party. Or vice versa. There's little doubt that that is why McKay and Iglesias were fired and there's mounting evidence that this was the case in other firings as well. The idea that a senator calls a US Attorney at home just weeks before a federal elections and tries to jawbone him into indicting someone to help a friend get reelected is shocking. Think about it for a second. It's genuinely shocking. At a minimum one would imagine such bad acts take place with more indirection and deniability. And yet the Domenici-Iglesias call has now been relegated to the status of a footnote in the expanding scandal, notwithstanding the fact that there's now documentary evidence showing that Domenici's substantial calls to the White House and Justice Department played a direct role in getting Iglesias fired.What is equally threatening is the systematic nature of the offense. *** Indeed, there appears to have been a whole process in place to root out prosecutors who wouldn't prostitute their offices for partisan goals.
You might want to read the whole article. He's quite the elegant writer.
Remember when Republicans could be good guys? Who is this a picture of on the left?
Hint: Michigan.
Virtually every day I am impressed with the netroots' methodical uncovering of facts and the "eureka!" exposing of the tangled personal and corporatist web of connections that characterize--if we can borrow a term from medicine--this arteriovenous malformation that is the Bush Administration.
Even if we cannot yet remove the malformation, perhaps dogged investigators like Andrea can help to expose it, clamp down on it, starve it, and preserve the remaining healthy tissue (i.e., the non-Bushie rest of the country).
For a brilliantly written take on the institutional failures of the MSM in these rapidly unfolding scandals, you can check out "Hunter" today at DailyKos, a site that I scan regularly, along with RK here and the TPM Muckraker. Here is a Link:
As per the comments by the MSM, I've been posting on the Episcopal/gay issue, and there the Post has done a poor job. An ex-Post reporter, Jim Naughton, has dug up a lot on the right wing financial support for the anti-gay crowd. It's just another example of bloggers crossing over into reporter territory.
I think looking at the RNC e-mail records will provide a boatload of information.
The Post reported in February that Small accumulated nearly $90,000 in unauthorized expenses from 2000 to 2005, including charges for chartered jet travel, his wife's trip to Cambodia, hotel rooms, luxury car service, catered staff meals and expensive gifts, according to confidential findings by the Smithsonian inspector general.Last week, The Post reported that Small spent nearly $160,000 on the redecoration of his offices in the institution's main building on the Mall shortly after he took the helm of the Smithsonian.