Imagine that you were a Government Employee ...
one who worked for one of these important Government Departments:
- Agriculture,
- Commerce,
- Energy,
- Education,
- Health and Human Services,
- Housing and Urban Development,
- Interior,
- Labor,
- Transportation and Treasury,
- General Services Administration,
- Agency for International Development,
- Environmental Protection Agency,
- NASA,
- Small Business Administration,
- White House’s National Drug Control Policy,
- White House’s Science and Technology offices,
- Homeland Security, or
- Veterans Affairs.
Then imagine that the Key people appointed by Washington,
to re-shape your Dept, and to ensure that the Dept would
scruplelessly follow the Bush Administration's Policies --
Imagine that these "appointed" Dept Leaders were ordered by Washington
to attend a series of "new policy" briefings,
to be given by someone from Karl Rove's Office.
If that's not outrageous enough,
now imagine that the "new policy"
your Dept Leaders are expect to implement
has as its focus a 28-page PowerPoint Presentation
and SlideShow, the entire purpose of which is
to help the GOP win back Congressional Seats,
in the upcoming 2008 National Election!
That's impossible you'd think!
Only in a Hollywood Spy movie would something like that happen!
Well, think again!
If you thought the Administration's undue influence
over the operation of the Dept of Justice was bad --
Well you haven't seen anything yet!
Such meetings HAVE occurred, and
as recently as January of this year,
AND the White House has admitted it:
The White House on April 25 acknowledged
that political officials in 2006 and 2007
gave briefings on electoral strategy
to top appointees at multiple agencies.
Source: FederalTimes.com: House panel asks agencies for details
on White House political briefings
By DANIEL FRIEDMAN
April 27, 2007
http://federaltimes.com/...
----
White House officials conducted 20 private briefings
on Republican electoral prospects in the last midterm election
for senior officials in at least 15 government agencies
covered by federal restrictions on partisan political activity,
a White House spokesman and other administration officials said yesterday.
The previously undisclosed briefings were part of
what now appears to be a regular effort
in which the White House sent senior political officials
to brief top appointees in government agencies
on which seats Republican candidates might win or lose,
and how the election outcomes could affect the success
of administration policies, the officials said.
Source: Washington Post: Political Briefings At Agencies Disclosed
By R. Jeffrey Smith
April 26, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
----
If you were "lucky enough" to have been invited
to one of these "important briefing" for your Dept COO,
here is what you likely would have seen in the presentation
from J. Scott Jennings, the White House's deputy director of Political Affairs:
-----------------------------------------------------
The White House
Office of Political Affairs
Jan 26, 2007
[as Presented to the General Services Administration (GSA) ]
Page 04: GOP Losses From Scandal, Complacency
(For Larger Image: Right-Click, 'Open Link in New Window')
Page 24: 2008 House Targets: Top 20
(For Larger Image: Right-Click, 'Open Link in New Window')
Page 25: 2008 House GOP Defense
(For Larger Image: Right-Click, 'Open Link in New Window')
Page 27: Battle for the Senate 2008 --
Republican Offensive and Defensive States
(For Larger Image: Right-Click, 'Open Link in New Window')
-----------------------------------------------------
The Presentation from Rove's office: 13-Page Version
http://oversight.house.gov/...
[See pages 04, 10, 11, 12 in shorter 13-pg Document version]
----
The Presentation from Rove's office: 28-Page Version
http://oversight.house.gov/...
[ NOTE: to change Page oreintation in your PDF viewer
use View Menu, Rotate View, choose 'Rotate Counter Clockwise'.]
-----------------------------------------------------
If you think there ought to be a law against such misuse
of Government Resources, well you are right!
There is such a law, and it's called the Hatch Act,
the Violations of which just now beginning to be investigated
by Henry Waxman, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee:
Such coercion is prohibited under a federal law,
known as the Hatch Act, meant to insulate virtually all
federal workers from partisan politics.
In addition to forbidding workplace pressures
meant to influence an election outcome,
the law bars the use of federal resources --
including office buildings, phones and computers --
for partisan purposes.
Source: Washington Post: Political Briefings At Agencies Disclosed
By R. Jeffrey Smith
April 26, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
------------------
Just 'Business as Usual' for this bunch running the country!
Just 'another day in the office', in the U.S. of A.
---------
to learn more about these important investigations:
(stuff that most likely you won't see on TV)
http://thinkprogress.org/...
http://connectingdots.typepad.com/...