I'm as committed as anyone to taking back the White House, and I do have a preferred candidate. But I feel like we're losing sight of why this is so important:
Federal prosecutors are steering no-bid contracts to former government officials who earn millions of dollars by monitoring companies accused of cheating investors and other schemes.
A consulting firm led by former U.S. attorney general John D. Ashcroft recently won an assignment, valued at more than $25 million, to ensure that a medical equipment maker stops paying kickbacks to doctors who use its products. Other former government officials with ties to the Bush administration have secured similar deals, which are paid using corporate funds and entail few, if any, checks on spending.
The full WaPo story is here.
I'm all for hope - and optimism - and looking to the future. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let the bright shiny newness of the prospect of an incoming Democratic president distract me from maintaining a close watch on Bush's kleptocracy. I worry there's a real danger that something will get shoved through by this administration that will have lasting consequences difficult, if not impossible, to undo.
Daily Kos - and the entire liberal blogosphere - has played a critical role in outlining the vastness of the corruption hiding in the heart of BushCo. (It was just about a year ago that the U.S. Attorneys scandal started to gain steam, in part because the DKos community was able to compare notes on developments around the country.) As much as I'm pining for 01.20.09, we can't afford to just ignore him as irrelevant. He and his cronies can still cause enormous damage.
Could we just diversify the diaries a little bit over the next few weeks, or at least remember the primaries are just intended to get us to the main event?