So yesterday, I wrote what I thought was a nice little rant for Cheers & Jeers, tearing Richard Cohen a new asshole for his stupidity about the Iraq War. It left me a little woozy, but feeling much better, thank you. Quite satisfying, actually.
Today comes another steaming pile from the Washington Post,
courtesy of Jonathan Weisman and Derek Willis.
How steaming was the pile? Oh, very. Read on.
On the one hand,
The Justice Department is leading a wide-ranging criminal investigation of Abramoff and his former partner, Michael D. Scanlon, based on evidence that points to possible corruption in Congress and the executive branch, according to lawyers involved in the case. Scanlon pleaded guilty on Nov. 21 to conspiring to bribe a congressman and other public officials, and he agreed to pay back more than $19 million he fraudulently charged Indian tribal clients. Scanlon has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Prosecutors have already told one lawmaker, Rep. Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio), and his former chief of staff that they are preparing a possible bribery case against them, according to two sources knowledgeable about the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The 35 to 40 investigators and prosecutors on the Abramoff case are focused on at least half a dozen Republican members of Congress, including former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), lawyers and others close to the probe said.
On the other hand,
The senior Democrat on the Senate committee investigating former lobbyist Jack Abramoff announced this week that he will return $67,000 in donations from Indian tribes represented by the indicted Republican.
Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.), vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, said he has never met Abramoff, nor did he advocate any program backed by Abramoff's tribal clients that he would not have otherwise embraced. But his move, reported yesterday in the Forum of Fargo, N.D., illustrates how broadly the political stain of Abramoff's money is spreading on Capitol Hill.
Great use of Republican talking point, there, guys, I love it. But hey, six Republicans are being investigated for crimes, and one Democrat has returned campaign contributions. Surely, one is more important than the other, right? Surely, one is a footnote and one is the highlight of the story?
Yes, but not the way you think. Here's the headline:
Democrat on Panel Probing Abramoff to Return Tribal Donations
One more thing:
Republican political strategists hope the rash of Abramoff-related activities will defuse the issue ahead of the November 2006 elections. Democrats have run two television advertisements in Montana, castigating Burns for his activities on behalf of Abramoff, but as the lobbyist's taint spreads, its political impact may dissipate, said Brian Nick, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
"If the Democrats are alleging that Republicans are guilty of any wrongdoing, they're sitting in the same boat," he said. "It just becomes a nonstarter."
Any retort from the Democrats on this one, boys? Ummm, actually, no.
Wow. No bias here, nothing to see, move along, move along. Republicans are being investigated, but hey, everybody's doing it. The RNC couldn't have written a better fucking press release, for Christ's sake.
And the Washington Post is worried about what the White House and Republicans think about Dan Froomkin? Managing Editor Len Downie and Political Editor John Harris have clearly started the pushback to curry favor with the White House. The Weisman/Willis piece can only be seen rationally in this context.
Liberal paper, my ass. Running to curry favor with the incompetent wingnuts running the White House? Oh, yeah.
[Gnashing of teeth, rending of garments, tearing out what little hair is left]
