Bush Prosecuted Mississippi Democratic Judge

It's a Raw Story.

The cast of characters includes some familiar faces. with from former Democratic Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's case: Karl Rove, Republican "consultant" William Canary, Bill's wife US Attorney Leura Canary, current Republican Alabama Republican Governor Bob Riley, etc., plus Justice Antonin Scalia and the Choctaws (Doesn't Antonin Scalia and the Choctaws sound like a cheesy Jersey bar band from the early '70s?)

This story also details something I've been interested in since last year: How the US Chamber of Commerce became an implement of Republican power. The Chamber is our country's largest trade organization. In the past decade since Republican BBF Tom Donohue took charge, has spent $369,914,680 topping opensecrets' lobbyist spending chart. The organization also spent $60 million during the last presidential election.

Three months ago The LA Times took a closer look after Donohue pledged to "punish" populist "ani-business" candidates:

Under Donohue, the organization has also frequently aligned itself with GOP priorities.

Since he took over the chamber, contributions by businesses have soared, often to pay for political advertising known as "issue ads," which are exempt from many of the Federal Election Commission limits.

Under a system Donohue pioneered, corporations contribute money to the chamber, which then finances attack ads targeting individual candidates without revealing the name of the businesses involved in the ads.

In 2000, drug companies paid the chamber to run advertisements in Michigan to help elect then-Republican Sen. Spencer Abraham. Pharmaceutical companies that year gave the chamber additional millions to run issue ads attacking mostly Democratic House candidates. And large corporations paid $1 million or more to support advertising campaigns against judges deemed too friendly to plaintiffs.

There has been pressure from lawsuits and government activist groups to require the chamber to reveal the source of its political funds and more details on its spending.

Donohue is not inclined to do so.

"I will disclose any funds I am legally required to disclose -- and not disclose any others," Donohue said. "We are exercising our constitutional right to petition the government and we will continue to do so."

If by "petitioning the government" Donohue means accepting big money from big business to run blind "issue" ads attacking primarily Democratic candidates, then he's stretching the definition pretty damn far. More proof that we'll never have "free" elections in this country until we get meaningful election reform.

Workers make less due to inflation, health care and cost of living increases. Big business makes more and more money. Big business spreads some of that profit around under the radar to the Tom Donohues to keep things headed in this "right" direction. As it stands right now, this game is fixed.

-AF

Mukasey & Public Integrity

Scott Horton knows the score.

-AF

Will Rove Get Popped For Gov. Siegelman Persecution Prosecution?

TPM has the rundown in Siegelman: Rove's Fingerprints "Are Smeared All over The Case"



A couple of TPM commenters raised the question $64,000 question: Will Bush pardon Rove?

For Rove to get a post-conviction Bush pardon, the current DOJ would have to act with unnatural speed to bring Karl to trial. Remember, it took almost fourteen months from Scooter Libby's indictment to his trial's start. As stupid as he may be, Bush would not dare put Rove on trial before the upcoming election. Even if for some reason Bush wanted to, Cheney wouldn't let him. By now I think both are too concerned for their “legacy” to purposely make any missteps before November.

Bush could pardon Rove before Rove was even charged. But there would be a tremendous outcry. The MSM is just starting to become aware of this story. This awareness is only going grow now that Siegelman is out and free to do interviews. Again this will not be addressed in any way until after the election.

Rove's best bet is for his formerly hated archenemy McCain to get elected. Why do you think the Rovester has been advising the guy he tried to destroy with his infamous SC push polling?

-AF

+ For some additional perspective on the Siegelman case consider this: It took the Alabama courts' and DOJ almost 9 months to let Siegelman (D) out pending his appeal. Even though the charges against him were far more serious, Brent Wilkes (R) spent just 5 weeks in jail before being sprung pending appeal.

The Bubble & The Damage Done

The consistently genius Scott Horton at Harper's No Comment blog has these excellent twin posts examining our "faith-based" economy: "The Bubble Bursts" and "How Bush's Fiscal Mismanagement Produced a Recession." He also offer a similarly excellent evisceration of Orwell admirer Michael Mukasey "Bulletins from the Ministry for Torture." Sadly, Mukasey admires Orwell for not for the substance of his cautionary prose but for the clarity of his vision. Further proof that some among us were born without the irony gland.

Mr. Horton, a lawyer, has also written extensively about the Bush Administration's enlistment of the US Justice Department to punish its political adversaries. This time his focus is not on the USA's or Alabama. In order to prove just how widespread this practice was, Horton takes us to the Motor City in A Political Prosecution Goes Under the Microscope.

AF

**Note: This post edited slightly for clarity.

Outrage Overload

So much outrage, so little time. I have a couple of posts in progress.

While you're waiting, Scott Horton has three typically genius posts at Harper's No Comment blog: Voltaire on the Danger of Being Right When Those in Authority Are Wrong, Vladimir Putin: Person of the Year and continued insight into the GOP 's persecutive prosecution of Alabama's former Democratic Governor: Siegelman Accuser Released

AF