I think there are more Republicans under investigation by the FBI than those that are not. The genius who explained to us that the internet “is not a big truck, but a series of tubes,” Red Stevens of Alaska is under investigation… If you ask me, Republican = Corruption

From Yahoo

Federal agents are looking into Sen. Ted Stevens’ role in the ongoing investigation into the remodeling of his Alaska home, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the probe.

The two officials said Stevens was not considered a target of the investigation. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing inquiry.

The investigation has been open for some time, and is linked to the VECO Corp. bribery case that earlier this month produced guilty pleas from two of the oil-field service company’s top executives, the law enforcement officials said.

The FBI and Justice Department are investigating corruption in Alaska — which may extend to the state’s federally elected officials in Washington, the officials said.

Three contractors who worked on the remodeling project at Steven’s home in Girdwood, a resort town about 40 miles south of Anchorage, said the FBI asked them to turn over their records from the job, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday. One also said he testified about the project before a federal grand jury in December.

The remodeling work in summer and fall 2000 more than doubled the size of the house, a four-bedroom structure that is Stevens’ official residence in Alaska.

I could not make this up if I tried. Paul Wolfowitz, the soon to be unemployed President of the World Bank, was fired for one reason and only one, He used his position as President of the bank to get his girlfriend a promotion and pay raise. Well I guess he is no longer useful to him, because she just broke up with him… He lost his job, and his f*ck buddy in the same week…

From the Malaysia Sun

Outgoing World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz hasnot only lost his job, but his girlfriend, too.

Wolfowitz was asked to resign from the World Bank over a controversial pay and promotion package that he had arranged for his brunette girlfriend, Shaha Ali Riza.

Sources were quoted by the New York Post as saying that Riza, a brilliant feminist with a promising diplomatic career, was upset by all the publicity and the implication that she was getting ahead with the help of a powerful man.

“She was furious about the embarrassment,” one source was quoted, as saying.

Last week, Wolfowitz bowed to mounting pressure over the cronyism scandal, agreeing to step down June 30. The announcement came nine months after Page Six first revealed how he’d ruffled the feathers of World Bank employees by dating, and then promoting, the Tunisian divorcee, who managed the bank’s External Relations and Outreach for the Middle East and North Africa Region.

After Wolfowitz joined the World Bank, Ali Riza was first transferred to a joint World Bank/U.S. Agency for International Development multinational investment project, and then to work on the bank’s South American interests.

“Apparently she never asked for a promotion and liked her old job,” our source said.

Both Wolfowitz and Riza have declined to comment on the breakup.

Is getting to the point where I should just pre-write these things and just fill in the Republican congressman's name. Florida Republican representative Tom Feeney is now under investigation by the FBI connected to former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Republican Representative Feeney has been in “cover your ass” mode for some time, one needs to look no further than his out of the blue check for $5,643 to the House ethics committee to “pay” for his trip to Scotland with Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff. So Republican Representative Rick Renzi, and Republican Representative John Doolittle in a third member in the train trip to the big house. And starting to wonder if there is a single Republican on Capitol Hill that is not corrupt.

Oh the shit is about to hit the fan, the subpoenas are in the mail.

From RawStory

In a meeting considering the issuing of a series of subpoenas from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Wednesday, the chairman said he had hit a 'brick wall' in dealings with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"We have hit a brick wall with the Secretary of State," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA). "She will not propose a date to testify, she will not agree to testify, and she insists that our Committee be satisfied with partial information that was previously submitted to other committees."

Waxman's remark came in a fractious hearing on issuing three subpoenas. One sought Rice's testimony on May 15 concerning the intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq. The other two concerned the deletion of e-mails on accounts supplied the Republican National Committee and used by White House employees, as well as RNC documents concerning the use of the General Services Administration to assist Republican political efforts.

All three subpoenas were agreed to by the Committee. Waxman attempted to show that his willingness to have a hearing with votes was a new direction for the Oversight Committee.

"Under the rules of this Committee, the Chairman has the power to issue subpoenas without debate or votes in the Committee. That is what Dan Burton used to do. In fact, that is what he did over 1,000 times," he said. "But I am taking a different approach today. I believe the entire Committee should have a chance to participate in the subpoenas we will consider today."

it's getting to the point that we may need to put a new topic on the blog for the number of Republicans that are under investigation by the FBI. Rick Renzi a Republican representative from the state of Arizona, told America today that he is under investigation by the FBI and therefore is stepping down from his position on in the House Intelligence Committee. this little confession dropped in the Friday news dump is on the heels of California Republican John Doolittle's earlier confession that he is leaving the House Appropriations Committee after the FBI raided his Virginia home.

What a shocker, the FBI raided a Republican congressman's home. The Republican Representative from the great state of California John Doolittle had his home in Oakton Virginia raided in connection to Jack Abramoff. I would like to say that I'm surprised but I'm not, what I am afraid of is whoever issued these warrants for the search better make sure their resume is up-to-date, because in the Bush administration if you go after Republican corruption you will get fired.

This is a must read, It is all about keeping power forever. I guess they forgot that once you have power you have to lead.

From the LA times (Bolds are mine)

THE SCANDAL unfolding around the firing of eight U.S. attorneys compels the conclusion that the Bush administration has rewarded loyalty over all else. A destructive pattern of partisan political actions at the Justice Department started long before this incident, however, as those of us who worked in its civil rights division can attest.

I spent more than 35 years in the department enforcing federal civil rights laws — particularly voting rights. Before leaving in 2005, I worked for attorneys general with dramatically different political philosophies — from John Mitchell to Ed Meese to Janet Reno. Regardless of the administration, the political appointees had respect for the experience and judgment of longtime civil servants.

Under the Bush administration, however, all that changed. Over the last six years, this Justice Department has ignored the advice of its staff and skewed aspects of law enforcement in ways that clearly were intended to influence the outcome of elections.

It has notably shirked its legal responsibility to protect voting rights. From 2001 to 2006, no voting discrimination cases were brought on behalf of African American or Native American voters. U.S. attorneys were told instead to give priority to voter fraud cases, which, when coupled with the strong support for voter ID laws, indicated an intent to depress voter turnout in minority and poor communities.

I am glad to see that the Democrats are growing a set of balls and standing up for our troops against the abuse of the President. The Democratically controlled Congress on both side passed the war funding bill. Bush is scared out of his scull, never before has Congress ever stood up to him, and he does not know what to do.

He is calling all of the House Republicans to the White House, attempting to shore up support for his veto. Never in my life have a ever heard of a president needing to shore up support for a veto. Why is he doing this? Easy, the Republicans know that if he vetoes this bill, a real argument can be made that the Republican president stopped funding for the war. If you want proof of this theory, you need look no further than the Senate vote on this bill, even with the timetables, the Republicans would not filibuster this, because they knew it would not look good to filibuster the funding of the troops. The Republicans also fear that if the President vetoes this bill the Democrats my not bring it’s successor to the floor, ending the war by default, and the blame will be on the Republicans. This president has only vetoed one bill in his whole life, a stem cell research bill, do Republicans really want the other bill Bush vetoes to be funding for our troops? The war is unpopular to the American people, and the Republicans are already bleeding to death, they may be willing to throw Bush under the bus to save their asses.

I would warn the President not to veto the Iraq War spending bill, because when it is all said in done the fact remains that the Congress passed the funding, and a Republican president vetoed it.

Who's next in this corrupt Administration? Anyone want to place a bet on how and when Bush pardons him? Does he wait until the end of the nightmare, or does he do it in this Friday's news dump?

From the AP

Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, was convicted Tuesday of lying and obstructing a leak investigation that reached into the highest levels of the Bush administration.

Libby is the highest-ranking White House official to be convicted of a felony since the Iran-Contra scandal of the mid-1980s. The case brought new attention to the Bush administration's much-criticized handling of weapons of mass destruction intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war.

The verdict culminated a nearly four-year investigation into how CIA official Valerie Plame's name was leaked to reporters in 2003. The trial revealed how top members of the administration were eager to discredit Plame's husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who accused the administration of doctoring prewar intelligence on Iraq.

Libby, who was once Cheney's most trusted adviser and an assistant to President Bush, was expressionless as the jury verdict was announced on the 10th day of deliberations. His wife, Harriet Grant, choked out a sob and sank her head.

CREW just asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) for his role in the growing scandal surrounding the dismissal of David Iglesias, the U.S. Attorney from New Mexico. As noted below, Senator Domenici called Mr. Iglesias to discuss the status of a pending corruption case. The release and our complaint against Senator Domenici can be found here:

Today Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Senate Select Committee on Ethics to investigate whether Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-NM) violated Senate Rules by contacting the U.S. Attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico, David C. Iglesias, and pressuring him about an ongoing corruption probe.

Sen. Domenici has acknowledged that he contacted Mr. Iglesias to inquire about an ongoing corruption probe of Democrats. Mr. Iglesias previously stated that in mid-October, he was pressured about the pace of the investigation by two New Mexico lawmakers. Initially, when asked about Mr. Iglesias’s allegations, Sen. Domenici stated, “I have no idea what he’s talking about.” Sen. Domenici has now admitted that he called Mr. Iglesias, stating “I asked Mr. Iglesias if he could tell me what was going on in that investigation and give me an idea of what time frame we were looking at.”

No I am not kidding, Bush may be doing an Iran-Contra style money laundering scheme to fund the Sunnis against the Shiites at the behests of the Saudis, Bush’s masters. Always remember that Al Qaeda is a Sunni faction brought to you by Saudi Arabia. Bush may be funding the very people that perpetrated 9/11.

I want to wish the Vice President of the United State a happy 666^th birthday. I hope that you get what you deserve for your birthday. I hope that the great balancer and issuer of justice visits you for your birthday and you get what you have earned. I ask Karma to cast her gaze to you, and all that you have given to mankind comes back to you times 10. Hey Dick, you claim to believe in god, feelin’ lucky?

I just want to say that I think John McCain is got to be one of the dumbest politicians alive. While everyone in America is running away from this failure in the White House, John is running towards it. He is raving about how great the �president��s plan is, that he is a genius. John McCain got off his knees in front of Bush long enough to say, �I believe that together these moves will give the Iraqis and Americans the best chance of success.� Really John? What about the 4 other times we did the same thing?

I feel that John McCain knows that if he sucks on it hard enough that Bush will turn over to him the �Master Donator List� and the geezer can start making phone calls and picking through color swatches. NEWS FLASH JOHN MCCAIN: America hates this war, they hate the son of a bitch that got us into it, and they hate this plan to send more of our soldiers into harms way for a lie. Just because you have the list John does not mean America will not see you as nothing more than an older, uglier more of the same.

Good to know that G.W.Bush could not even take the time to put down the smoke before the image. May be they were going for a more "Candid" shot, and this is about the only time George did not have a 5th of vodka in his hand. The family just takes what they can get from George.

I love Think Progress, I think this is classic, because Frist is the "Master" of partisanship…

From Think Progess.

Today, with Vice President Cheney presiding over the Senate chamber, Bill Frist delivered his farewell address, urging his colleagues not to be influenced by �destructive partisanship.� Watch it:

An odd statement coming from Frist, who in his four years as Majority Leader allowed one polarizing issue after another to divide the Senate and the nation. ThinkProgress recounts some of Frist�s partisan ploys:

Frist Pushed Gay Marriage Ban. �Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Monday he plans a vote in early June on a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, a move likely to fail but sure to spark a fiery election-year debate.�

Frist Pushed Flag Burning Amendment. �Amending the Constitution to prohibit flag burning may be considered political posturing in the nation�s capital, says Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, but it�s not pandering to the GOP�s conservative base to pursue such protection. �It�s important to the heart and soul of the American people,� said Frist.�

Frist Lumped Minimum Wage Hike With Estate Tax Cut. �The only opportunity this year to increase the minimum wage and renew popular tax breaks will be linked to a reduction in the estate tax, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said Tuesday. � �It�s now or never,� Frist said.�

Frist Bucked Bush On Immigration, Proposed Enforcement-Only Bill. �Maneuvering toward a pre-election showdown on immigration, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Sunday said he would seek passage of legislation to secure the borders and predicted Democrats would resist. �Right now I got a feeling the Democrats may obstruct it,� said Frist.�

Frist Offered False Medical Diagnosis From Senate Office. �Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a renowned heart surgeon before becoming Senate majority leader, went to the floor late Thursday night for the second time in 12 hours to argue that Florida doctors had erred in saying Terri Schiavo is in a �persistent vegetative state.� �I question it based on a review of the video footage which I spent an hour or so looking at last night in my office,� he said.�

Frist Advocated Teaching Intelligent Design. �Echoing similar comments from President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said �intelligent design� should be taught in public schools alongside evolution.�

Full transcript:

I think, as a consequence, we are moving toward a body that has too much of a two-year vision, governing for that next election, rather than a body with a 20-year vision, governing for the future. As we consider the future of the institution, I urge that we ask ourselves what it is that our forefathers envisioned. Is today�s reality what they foresaw?

I urge that we consider our work in this chamber. What is it really all about? Is it about keeping the majority? Is it about red states versus blue? Is it about lobbing attacks, in some way, across the aisle, back and forth? Is it about war rooms, whose purpose is not to contrast ideas but to destroy? Or is it more?

[�]

I think we need to remember this vision of the Senate: that the framers established the Senate to protect people from their rulers and as a check on the House and on the passions of the electorate. And let us not allow these passions of the electorate be reflected as destructive partisanship on this floor.