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You live in a dream world, boutons. You are dumb as a door knob.
I concur. Term limits is my suggestion.
Get voted in, do your best with the time you have and don't worry about "polls" showing you may not get re-elected because it wouldn't matter.
You live in a dream world, boutons. You are dumb as a door knob.
Problem w/term limits = no accountability lame ducks. Also "better make it while you can".
For reference see the SA City Council; a paragon of selfless public service if ever there was one.
Why are americans so stupid? Every one going down on charges is a republican but both parties are looked upon as bad now?
whatever
See "Torricelli, Robert"
You think the Dems are all virtuous and above board. Really?
You forgotten the Chinese funding of the DMC?
The mass pardons on Clinton's way out the door?
Stupid is as stupid does.
that was too easy. sorry
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) yesterday defended Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) after calls from congressional Democrats to investigate the Republican appropriator for selling his San Diego home to a defense contractor whose firm had received $65 million in federal funds in 2004.
“Duke Cunningham is a hero,” DeLay said during a press briefing Tuesday. “He is an honorable man of high integrity.”
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/expor...505/delay.html
It should be noted with some honesty here by this Democrat that he also said as much about another Congressman that seemed to be in the same situation...
At the briefing, DeLay also defended Democratic Rep. John Murtha (Pa.), who was the subject of a Los Angeles Times article questioning the lobbying activities of Murtha’s brother in connection with passage of last year’s $417 billion defense spending bill.
The article said Murtha’s brother, Robert “Kit” Murtha, is a senior partner at a Washington lobbying firm that represented 10 companies that received a combined $20.8 million in contracts from the defense bill.
“I know that John Murtha is an honorable man,” DeLay said during the briefing, adding that he did not know any details of the article. “He is a man of great integrity.”
DeLay would not say if the House planned to investigate either member.
“We’re always concerned when a member of Congress violates the rules of the House,” DeLay said before adding, “Just because it appears in an article doesn’t mean a thing.”
Interesting. I'm not sure I would want Delay as a character witness anyways, heh.
Therapist: OK mister DeLay, I'm going to say a name, you say the first thing that comes to your mind...
"Murtha" - "Great Character and Integrity"
"Cunningham" - "Great Character and Integrity"
"Bush" - "Great Character and Integrity"
"Clinton" - "Great Character and Integrity"
"Nixon" - "Great Character and Integrity"
"Frank" - "Wednesday at Noon"
The Repug script has changed, everybody's "on message" trying to distance from Duke C.
The New York Times
November 30, 2005
Republicans Denounce Ex-Lawmaker
By JOHN M. BRODER and CARL HULSE
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 29 - Concerned that the stain of former Representative Randy Cunningham's admission that he took bribes and evaded taxes could damage the party's prospects, President Bush and other Republican leaders issued strong denunciations of Mr. Cunningham's actions on Tuesday.
With several investigations focusing on top Republican officials and growing public unease over the war in Iraq and economic policy at home, party leaders moved to distance themselves and their party from Mr. Cunningham's felony plea.
Though some Republican officials said Democrats in Congress were equally guilty of questionable behavior, including lobbyist-paid trips and underreporting of campaign contributions, they acknowledged that Republicans, because they control the White House and Congress, are being held to a higher standard by many voters. They also expressed shock and embarrassment at the extent of Mr. Cunningham's wrongdoing, which the president described on Tuesday as "outrageous."
Mr. Bush, answering a question about Mr. Cunningham's resignation from a reporter in El Paso, said members of Congress must take their legal and ethical obligations seriously.
"The idea of a congressman taking money is outrageous," the president said. "And Congressman Cunningham is going to realize that he has broken the law and is going to pay a serious price, which he should."
Mr. Cunningham, an eight-term representative from San Diego, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he took at least $2.4 million in bribes to steer Pentagon contracts to two friends. He announced his resignation from Congress hours after entering his plea.
Representative David Dreier, the California Republican who heads the House Rules Committee, said Mr. Cunningham had violated the ethical standards of the House and was right to resign immediately.
"It is regretful that his great service to this country has been tarred by his actions," Mr. Dreier said in a statement.
The case intensified attention to charges of ethical and legal violations by members of Congress, including such influential leaders as Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the Republican leader in the Senate, and Representative Tom DeLay, the Texas Republican who was forced to step down as majority leader after he was indicted in Texas in September.
In addition, three of Mr. Cunningham's Republican colleagues in California have drawn scrutiny for possible violations of House ethics rules.
One of them, Representative John T. Doolittle, has acknowledged that his wife, Julie, who runs a marketing firm in Washington, has been subpoenaed in the federal investigation of the former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Mr. Doolittle's former chief of staff, Kevin A. Ring, briefly worked for Mr. Abramoff after leaving Mr. Doolittle's Congressional office.
Mr. Doolittle's press secretary, Laura Blackann, said that Mr. Doolittle had not been contacted by the Justice Department in connection with the Abramoff investigation and that any dealings between the two men were proper and legal.
Another California Republican, Representative Dana Rohrabacher from Orange County, has acknowledged receiving a $23,000 option on a screenplay from a Hollywood producer who last month was charged with multiple counts of fraud in connection with an investment scheme.
Mr. Rohrabacher acknowledged introducing the producer, Joseph Medawar, to several officials in Washington, with the understanding that Mr. Medawar was working on a television series about the Department of Homeland Security.
Mr. Rohrabacher said that the House ethics committee had approved his screenplay deal with Mr. Medawar and that he was unaware of any possible fraud.
"I have not seen all the evidence," he said. "Whether he is a flamboyant incompetent or he's a con man will be determined by the jury."
A third California Republican, Representative Richard W. Pombo, has been criticized by Democrats as failing to report the value of two foreign trips paid for by a lobby group, paying family members from political accounts, and accepting campaign contributions from Mr. Abramoff and Mr. DeLay.
Mr. Pombo dismissed the accusations as partisan attacks.
Karen Hanretty, communications director for the California Republican Party, said the attacks were part of a broader assault on Republicans.
"There's always a roomful of researchers who are digging up dirt on the opposition," Ms. Hanretty said, "and that's just part of the political game, whether it's at the state level or the national level."
"The party that holds power in D.C. always comes under greater scrutiny," she said.
But accusations of ethical violations pale beside Mr. Cunningham's admitted criminal conduct.
According to his plea agreement with federal prosecutors, Mr. Cunningham, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from two military contractors while helping them win Pentagon contracts.
Lawyers involved in the case identified the contractors as Mitc J. Wade, founder of MZM Inc., a company he has since sold that provides intelligence services to the Pentagon and other government agencies, and Brent Wilkes, founder of a data processing company that did business with the Defense Department.
Prosecutors said the contractors also gave Mr. Cunningham hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of gifts, including a Rolls-Royce, two 19th-century French commodes, four armoires, a wooden sideboard with turned wooden spindles, three nightstands, a necklace, a laser shooting simulator and $15,000 worth of Oriental carpets (described in court do ents as "one Indo Herati, one Karaja, one Indo Keshan and two Cino Kerman rugs").
The contractors also paid for tens of thousands of dollars' worth of repairs to the Rolls-Royce and to Mr. Cunningham's boat, the Kelly C, and essentially bought the former congressman a $2.55 million home in the exclusive San Diego County community of Rancho Santa Fe.
Under the plea deal, Mr. Cunningham has to forfeit the house, $1.8 million in cash, and all the rugs and antiques.
Carol C. Lam, the United States attorney for the Southern District of California, called Mr. Cunningham's actions "a crime of unprecedented magnitude and extraordinary audacity." Ms. Lam said the investigation was continuing.
Calls to Mr. Cunningham's office were not returned. He made no public appearances on Tuesday.
John M. Broder reported from Los Angeles for this article, and Carl Hulse from Washington.
* Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
^^^ Good for them.
I have been inspired to add Delay's defense of Cunningham to my siggy, enjoy.
There has been more Democrat scandals than republican ones.
On the tenth of May, 1972 Lieutenant Randy Cunningham and his RIO, LT(JG) Willie Driscoll, flying a Phantom F-4J, ShowTime 100, would shoot down two MIGs, making them the first American aces of the Vietnam War. Then they would shoot down a third. This account from Ace Pilots:
Just who the third pilot Cunningham shot down that day is the subject of dispute. Some say it was "the top Vietnamese ace known as 'Col. Tomb' in the media" other said it was "a flight leader or squadron commander of the 923rd Regiment".They were participating in a strike against the Hai Dong railyards, on flak suppression, when a score of enemy fighters challenged them. ... After dropping their bombs on some warehouses, Showtime 100 loitered to cover the A-7 fighter-bombers still engaged. Responding to a call for help, Cunningham took his F-4J into a group of MiG-17s ("Frescoes"), two of which promptly jumped them. Heeding a "break" warning from Grant in Showtime 113, Cunningham broke sharply and the lead pursuing MiG-17 overshot him. He instantly reversed his turn, putting the MiG dead ahead; he loosed a Sidewinder and it destroyed the MiG.
... VF-96 Exec, Cdr Dwight Timm had three MiGs on his tail, one being very close, in Timm's blind spot. ... After more maneuvering, Cunningham re-engaged the MiG-17 still threatening his XO. He called again for him to break, adding, "If you don't break NOW you are going to die." The XO finally accelerated and broke hard right. The MiG couldn't follow Showtime 112's high speed turn, leaving "Duke" clear to fire.
Calling "Fox Two," Cunningham fired his second Sidewinder while the MiG still inside the minimum firing range. But the high speed of the Fresco worked against it, as the Sidewinder had time to arm and track to its target. It homed into the tail pipe of the MiG-17 and exploded. Seconds later, Cunningham and Driscoll, finding themselves alone in a sky full of bandits, disengaged and headed for the Constellation.
As they approached the coast at 10,000 feet, Cunningham spotted another MiG-17 heading straight for them. ... The MiG's nose lit up like a Roman candle! ... In an effort to out-climb the MiG, Cunningham went to afterburners, which put him above the enemy aircraft. As he started to pull over the top, the MiG began shooting. This was Cunningham's second near-fatal mistake; he had given his opponent a predictable flight path, and he had taken advantage of it. Duke rolled off to the other side, and the MiG closed in behind.
Not wanting to admit he was getting beaten, he called to Willie, "That S.O.B. is really lucky! All right, we'll get this guy now!" With the MiG at his four o'clock, he nosed down to pick up speed and energy. Cunningham watched until the MiG pilot likewise committed his nose down. "Gotcha!" he thought, as he pulled up into the MiG, rolled over the top, got behind it. While too close to fire a missile, the maneuver placed Duke in an advantageous position.
He pulled down, holding top rudder, to press for a shot, and the MiG pulled up into him, shooting! He thought, "Maybe this guy isn't just lucky after all!" The Communist pilot used the same maneuver Duke had just tried, pulling up into him, and forcing an overshoot. The two jets were in a classic rolling scissors. As his nose committed, Duke pulled up into his opponent again.
As they slowed to 200 knots, the MiG's superior maneuverability at low speed would gave him more advantage. A good fighter pilot, like Kenny Rogers' poker player, "knows when to hold, and knows when to fold." This was the MiG's game; it was time to go. When the MiG raised his nose for the next climb, Cunningham lit his afterburners and, at 600 knots airspeed, quickly got two miles away from the MiG, out of his ATOL missile range. ... Cunningham nosed up 60 degrees, the MiG stayed right with him. Just as before, they went into another vertical rolling scissors.
... Driscoll strained to keep sight of the MiG, as Duke pitched back towards him for the third time.
Once again, he met the MiG-17 head-on, this time with an offset so he couldn't fire his guns. As he pulled up vertically he could again see his determined adversary a few yards away. Still gambling, Cunningham tried one more thing. He yanked the throttles back to idle and popped the speed brakes, in a desperate attempt to drop behind the MiG. But, in doing so, he had thrown away the Phantom's advantage, its superior climbing ability. And if he stalled out ...
The MiG shot out in front of Cunningham for the first time, the Phantom's nose was 60 degrees above the horizon with airspeed down to 150 knots. He had to go to full burner to hold his position. The surprised enemy pilot attempted to roll up on his back above him. Using only rudder to avoid stalling the F-4, he rolled to the MiG's blind side. He tried to reverse his roll, but as his wings banked sharply, he briefly stalled the aircraft and his nose fell through. Behind the MiG, but still too close for a shot. "This is no place to be with a MiG-17," he thought, "at 150 knots... this slow, he can take it right away from you."
Now the MiG tried to disengage; he pitched over the top and started straight down. Cunningham pulled hard over, followed, and maneuvered to obtain a firing position. With the distracting heat of the ground, Cunningham wasn't sure that a Sidewinder would home in on the MiG, but he called "Fox Two," and squeezed one off. The missile came off the rail and flew right at the MiG. He saw little flashes off the MiG, and thought he had missed. As he started to fire his last Sidewinder, there was an abrupt burst of flame. Black smoke erupted from the Fresco. It didn't seem to go out of control; the fighter just kept slanting down, smashing into the ground at about 45 degrees angle.
On November 29, 2005 Congressman Randy Cunningham pled guilty to receiving $2.4 million in bribes from military contractors and evading more than $1M in taxes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
No defense, no excuse, no rationalizing, no mitigating, no minimalizing, no deflection, no projection, no justifying... Wow! Even in guilt he's a classier act than any Democrat who ever got caught."I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my high office," Cunningham, 63, said outside the federal courthouse. "I know I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation [and] my high office." Cunningham left without answering questions.
AE Houseman, in his poem To An Athlete Dying Young wrote about the human need to keep youthful triumph safe from the corruption of time.
They were two different days, separated by 32 years. The grandfather paradox argues that the past exists independently of the present, that it remains graven in the mind of God, beyond our power to alter -- or to besmirch. Whatever Randy Cunningham did in later life, it remains true that on the tenth of May, 1972 ShowTime 100 would shoot down two MIGs, then a third. ...Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.
I can abhor his criminal acts and revere his heroism. Similarly, I can appreciate that he is willing to take full responsibility for his actions.
He shat all over his own legacy.
We don't even know the half of the Dukester's crooked past and a great example of money laundering...
"Cunningham Stripped $700 Million from U.S. Defense
'Dukester's' Epic Boo-Hoo Hiding Massive Pentagon Rip-Off
*World Exclusive*
Nov 30 2005--Venice,FL.
by Daniel Hopsicker
Mad CowThe MadCowMorningNews has learned that California Republican Congressman Randy ‘Duke’ Cunningham steered $500 million in defense contracts in less than a decade, according to the company’s own website, to a start-up San Diego software firm which—and here’s the beauty part—doubled as a lobbying firm.
The lobbying firm then gratefully kicked back—at a bare minimum—hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to a Jack Abramoff-directed Washington D.C. lobbying and consulting firm run by two former senior staffers of Texas Republican Tom DeLay.
It offered, in other words, one-stop shopping.
While the focus was on the $2 million in bribes paid to Cunningham after his guilty plea, the question of just what the Congressman had done for all that long green received scant media attention."
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