Kerry: Bush Prefers 'Paying Off Cronies' to Selecting Good Ambassadors

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Kerry_Bush_prefers_paying_off_cronies_0626.html

Kerry: Bush prefers 'paying off cronies' to selecting good ambassadors
Michael Roston
Published: Tuesday June 26, 2007

A government watchdog sided with the White House Monday on the legality of a controversial recess appointment by President George W. Bush. The Senators who sought the Government Accountability Office's legal opinion renewed their sharp criticisms of the president for his elevation of St. Louis, Missouri-based businessman Sam Fox to the ambassadorship of Belgium.

"The White House’s abuse of the recess appointment made it clear they care more about paying off cronies than nominating ambassadors with good judgment," said Amy Brundage, a spokesperson from Senator John Kerry (D-MA). "Congress has had enough and is going to find every way possible to ensure President Bush listens to Congress about the judgment, character, and honor of those who represent our country all over the world."

Fox, who was sworn in earlier in June as Ambassador to the small European country, made a large donation in 2004 to the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Senator Kerry was targeted by the group during his presidential campaign, and Fox failed to show much remorse for his contribution when the Massachusetts Democrat confronted him in a confirmation hearing earlier in the year.

Shortly before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing which would have recommended against sending Fox's nomination to the Senate floor for a vote, President Bush withdrew the Republican donor's nomination. When the Senate went into recess, Bush made an April 4 recess appointment late in the day.

Senate Democrats immediately raised legal objections to Bush's move. They claimed that Fox could not draw a paycheck for his government service because the Senate had not confirmed him, and that it was also illegal for an ambassador to serve voluntarily. They sought a opinion from the Government Accountability Office, Congress's chief independent oversight entity, on whether Bush's recess appointment was legally sound.

environment and on the attacks on Gore for smoking pot.

Showing up to defend other Dems under attack is exactly what ALL lawmakers should do - like the way the big name GOPs showed up every night to provide back up for Bush.

Why didn't anybody stand up for him?

"The GAO agreed that Fox could not receive a paycheck for his service."

Now if that isn't convoluted logic, nothing is.

But a good administration will also try to make the choices inoffensive.

Bush's Dominatrix Speaks Out?
« H E » email
posted Monday, 24 July 2006

The sexual peccadilloes of this president become more bizarre by the week. First, there were rumors of an affair with Condoleezza Rice; then the groping and grabbing of a German chancellor; and now a story that George Bush enjoyed the services of a dominatrix in 1984 -- and we don't mean Laura getting pissed at his drinking again.

Leola McConnell, a Liberal Democratic Party (not the same as the Democratic Party) candidate for governor of Nevada, claims that in 1984, when she was working as a professional dominatrix (a profession in which she would later gain some renown), she was hired to work for former Tennessee State Senator Victor Ashe. At one of those parties was George W. Bush. Now, it might seem weird that George W. would enjoy S&M, but I think his policies are a dead giveaway. Iraq is sadistic, his poll numbers are masochistic...

I don't like political rumors, partisanship, and flat-out character assassinations, but... the frat-boy attempt at physical contact with Angela Merkel was caught on tape, the affair with Condi is based on a largely circumstantial, though some verifiable, paper trail, and this story is based on the claims of a New Orleans/Las Vegas dominatix. Still, if Bush does like S&M, it explains why he's afraid of Helen Thomas and Maureen Dowd... and if he likes gay S&M, it explains why he loves Ann Coulter... I bet somewhere Dick Cheney has a leather corset lying around... I'll also bet whatever George W.'s safety word is, it's one syllable...

<snip>

Victor Ashe, who's been criticized for his sexual activities and general licentiousness in the past by, among others, the late Religious Right leader and Ashe political opponent Ed McAteer, is currently the ambassador to Poland, which should prove that he and George W. don't have a joint homosexual connection. If they did, Bush would have made him ambassador to Jamaica or Brazil, someplace where he'd need short-shorts and a Speedo... Someplace Bush could truly appreciate him... But Poland? OK, maybe Germany, where the S&M trade is similar to karaoke here -- looked down upon but not all that uncommon. German pornography is more open than Oprah's relationship with Gayle King... I mean, why do you think German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted that way? She's usually the one doing the attacking...

More:
http://leftwinglaughs.blog-city.com/bushs_dominatrix_speaks_out.htm

nothing really new here, but I'm glad Kerry is keeping the drumbeat going.

:kick: