Justin's Thursday Political News 8.02.07

Posted by Justin Baragona on 08.02.2007

Rumsfeld says there was no cover up in the Tillman death, Sen. Ted Stevens is under investigation and Rudy Giuliani likes to use the word socialism to describe Democrats.

Welcome to another edition of Justin's Thursday Political News. We are entering the dog days of summer. It's hot, muggy and I do not have anything cool or funny or witty or whatever to say to start this column off, so I'm just going to get right into the news. Is that OK with you readers out there?



Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld appeared before Congress on Wednesday and had this to say regarding Pat Tillman's death:


"I do not recall when I first learned about the possibility that Cpl. Tillman's death might have resulted from fratricide."


Pat Tillman, who was regarded as a national hero and role model due to his decision after 9/11 to forego his football career with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army and serve abroad, was killed in Afghanistan back in April 2004. At the time his death was announced, the Army and White House stated that he was killed in action serving his country and he should be remembered as a hero and a true American. However, in the ensuing months, more and more questions were raised about the circumstances surrounding his death. Also, his family was not satisfied with the explanation they were receiving from Army officials. Finally, it was revealed that Tillman was killed by friendly fire, and there is the distinct possibility that it was not accidental.

Rummy appeared before Congress on Wednesday to state that there was no cover up regarding the cause of Tillman's death, whether it originated in the White House, Defense Department or from Army officials. Basically, in his statements to the House on Wednesday, he used the excuse that the military is very large and that the cause of death and investigation itself was just too hard to track due to all the people that are in the military. Or some such convoluted, Rummy logic. Basically, Rumsfeld was there to make sure that everyone knew he didn't know anything about the circumstances surrounding Tillman's death and neither did the Bush Administration. Of course, there was a fall guy that everyone blamed for the blunder in the investigation (not a cover up, remember!): retired Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger.

Everyone that was from the Defense Department or Army that was called before the hearing made sure to point the finger at Kensinger, who was not there despite being subpoenaed. "When you look at all of the events that led to where we are today ... and you look at what Gen. Kensinger's role was, had he performed his duty, we wouldn't be standing here today," Army Secretary Pete Geren said on Tuesday, prior to the hearing when he addressed the press about the possibility of Kensinger getting demoted (of course, Kensinger is already retired). Geren stated that Kensinger did not notify Tillman's family of the fratricide for five weeks and also did not notify the Army of the probe into Tillman's death. Finally, Geren stated, Kenisnger lied to protect himself once the Army's handling of the whole thing came under investigation. "Gen. Kensinger was the captain of that ship, and his ship ran aground," Geren said. "It ran aground because he failed to do his duty, and the results were calamity for the Army."

In my opinion, Tillman was propped up as a poster boy for the War of Terror and post 9/11 ultra-patriotism. Once he was killed, everyone from the top down (White House, Defense Department, Army) fell all over themselves making sure to get the story out and portray him as a true American hero. They wanted us to know that here was someone who gave his life for his country, who threw away individual glory and wealth to serve in the Army, and that he truly believed in the cause that we were fighting for. Everyone wanted to make sure that they could somehow tie the war and Tillman together in a positive manner and let everyone know that he made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and freedom. It helped even more that he died over in Afghanistan and not Iraq, where it could be portrayed even more that he was fighting the War on Terror. My belief is nobody wanted it to come out that he was killed by his own troops. Whether it was it was actually ordered or merely implied, there was indeed an effort to cover this whole thing up and keep alive the image of Pat Tillman: Freedom Fighter and True War Hero. Yes, a truly cynical viewpoint to have, but this is the culture that has been created by this government.




Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) made the following statement after federal agents raided his Alaska home due to a corruption investigation:


"I continue to believe this investigation should proceed to its conclusion without any appearance that I have attempted to influence its outcome. The legal process should be allowed to proceed so that all the facts can be established and the truth determined."


You know, it was just a matter of time before Stevens was going to be investigated for something, being that he is known for supporting pork barrel projects for his home state, specifically the ' Bridge to Nowhere' and has long used his position on the Appropriations Committee to get earmarked funds for pet projects. He is probably best known for threatening to resign if the money that was earmarked for the Gravina Island Bridge was sent to Louisiana to be used in the aftermath of Katrina. Currently, the Senator is being investigated for his dealings with oil contractor Bill Allen, who was convicted this year of bribing Alaska state legislators, as well as money he had sent to a research center that found its way to a former aide of his.

In regards to his dealings with Allen, the main issue seems to be improvements that were done to Stevens' home in 2000. It appears that Allen paid to renovate Stevens' home in Girdwood, AK, as contractors have stated that all bills were sent to Allen but they received the checks from Stevens. The home doubled in size and received vast improvements. Allen's oil company, VECO Corp., received millions of dollars in federal contracts during this time period. The investigation into Allen by the feds has also led to a raid on Stevens' son, former Alaska Senator Ben Stevens. So, it would be safe to say that the FBI believes that Stevens was in Allen's pocket and Allen paid to get Stevens' house doubled in size so that he would receive more federal contracts for his company.

The other thing being investigated is that Stevens directed money to a research center in Alaska, the SeaLife Center, and that much of that money was then steered to a former aide of his, Trevor McCabe. Stevens had $4 million directed to the National Park Service, of which the SeaLife Center received roughly $1 million. Of the money the research center received, over $700,000 found its way to McCabe. More than $500,000 was paid to a company he owned to purchase land next to the center. Another $200,000 then was paid to a construction company, also owned by McCabe, to destroy a building on the same piece of land. The SeaLife Center has been one of Stevens' biggest recipients of federal money since it opened in 1998. Most of the money used to publicly fund it came from the funds awarded to the state of Alaska due to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Part of the reason that the SeaLife Center was to receive the money from Exxon was because the center was supposed to help restore the areas that were damaged by the spill. However, very little work has been done by the center in regards to this, which has the Interior Department worried that the funds might have been misappropriated. Also, besides the Exxon Valdez money, Stevens has steered an additional $30 million to the center over the past few years.



Rudy Giuliani had this to say Tuesday about Democrat heath proposals while out on the campaign trail:



"We've got to do it the American way. The American way is not single-payer, government-controlled anything. That's a European way of doing something; that's frankly a socialist way of doing something."


I don't even know what to say about Giuliani anymore. Somehow, he takes the issue of health insurance and medical care, and still finds a way to wrap himself in the flag, all the while making him look like Dubya's long lost brother. Also, he makes sure to go the extra mile and denigrates not just another country, but an entire continent. A continent that is full of our allies, allies that will sour even more on us if we were to elect another imbecilic twit. Giuliani made sure in his campaign stop to state how evil and 'socialist' the health care plans that have been outlined by the likes of John Edwards, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are, all the while unveiling an incredibly simplistic, idiotic health-care plan. While Edwards and Obama have gone into great detail to with their proposals, Giuliani was only able to hit on a few points. However, what he did hit on could only spell disaster for those who are seeking better medical coverage.

Right now, over 15% of the population does not have any health coverage. Giuliani is proposing that a tax credit be given to taxpayers to purchase private health insurance and that this will replace coverage from employers. Giuliani is basically stating that health care should be completely free-market and for-profit, all the while using words such as 'accountability' and 'personal responsibility'. His assumption is that the money you receive from the tax deduction for health insurance will be used to continuously pay for health coverage. The only thing I can see his proposal guaranteeing is that many, many more Americans will not have any health coverage. Giuliani believes that as long as he uses the words 'socialism' or 'socialized medicine' in describing Edwards' or Obama's plans, then most Americans will be repulsed by it. However, I don't think he understands that some of the things he says can come back to haunt him. While using socialism as a scare tactic, he made the following statement and comparison: "Well, OK, fine, that's socialized medicine. If you want a system like England has, if you want a system like Canada has, if you want a system like Cuba has, that's where we're headed." Yes, I'm sure our closest allies, Canada and England, like being compared to Cuba by someone who is looking to be the leader of this country. I'm sure that will sit well, as well as him belittling the health care systems of these two countries.



Well, that's going to do it for me this week. My favorite 411 writer is back from Thailand, Ray Church. I would suggest checking out his column while you have the chance, as we don't know when the next time we'll be blessed with his genius will be. I'll be back next week with more news in the realm of politics.