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MCCAIN, REED, NORQUIST, AND ABRAMOFF.
To give a little more context to the attack ad Obama released yesterday linking John McCain to Ralph Reed and Jack Abramoff, you have to remember that the Abramoff revolved around the fedora-wearing lobbyist's efforts to bilk Native-American tribes out of millions of dollars. Consequently, the first round of the investigation came before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which John McCain, at that time, chaired. My former colleague Sam Rosenfeld reported what happened next:
In late June, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held the third in its series of hearings on the sprawling casino-lobbying scandal centering on former Tom DeLay cronies Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon...The problem is, Democrats seem to have mistakenly assumed that committee Chairman John McCain would do their partisan work for them. In fact, the Arizona “maverick,” eyeing an '08 presidential run, has made it abundantly clear that his committee's investigation will not touch Republican lawmakers, assuring Senate colleagues of as much in a widely reported meeting in March. With money from Abramoff's Indian clients having been connected not only to DeLay but also to Congressman Bob Ney and Senators Conrad Burns and Mark Vitter, such a self-imposed restriction “obviously makes for a pretty huge hole in the investigation,” according to Naomi Seligman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).This was, for Democrats a surprised. McCain loathed Grover Norquist. His dealings with Ralph Reed weren't quite so personal, but he wasn't exactly enamored with the political structure that Reed represented. And the corrupt Republican lawmakers their testimony would implicate were not among the Washington-types McCain was reputed to have as friends. But mindful of his presidential ambitions, McCain dampened the investigation. Folks forget that it could have been McCain who benefited politically from the anti-Abramoff hunt, but he made a decision to pass that baton and collect a couple chits from the GOP establishment. Now, as Obama's ad notes, he's calling them in. Reed is fundraising for him. Norquist is supporting him. And the GOP establishment has embraced him. If McCain had lived up to his reputation as an anti-corruption reformer in 2005. it's likely that none of these things would have happened.And, sure enough, the June 22 hearing (focusing on the Mississippi Choctaw tribe) aired plenty of fun details about Abramoff and Scanlon's various shenanigans, particularly their use of myriad front groups to launder casino money. But barely a lawmaker's name was mentioned in three and a half hours of testimony and questioning. Indeed, in his apparent efforts to dampen the political explosiveness of the hearing, McCain went further than merely ignoring the role of sitting lawmakers in the saga; he neglected in the end to require that high-level GOP operatives Ralph Reed and Grover Norquist, both of whom had been subpoenaed by the committee, actually appear and give testimony at the hearing.
COMMENTS (7)
Ezra,
Thanks for the background and explanation. The problem I have with the ad is that for those folks who don't know the history, one simply does not walk away thinking:
If McCain had lived up to his reputation as an anti-corruption reformer in 2005. it's likely that none of these things would have happened.
Ostensibly this should be the take-home message of the ad, and yet it doesn't come through loud and clear.
I've heard that the Obama campaign is only running this in GA? Perhaps the people down there are more familiar with Reed and know the background here a little better. Anyway, I'd appreciate your further thoughts on these points.
Posted by: Jake | August 21, 2008 8:47 AM
Jake, they don't need to think that. They WILL walk away thinking "McCain pulled his punches on a political ally. Now that ally is paying him back.". That might not be entirely accurate, but it's effective and it's effectively true.
What problems can really be had with that ad?
Posted by: Soullite | August 21, 2008 9:15 AM
Does that "widely reported meeting" come with a quote from McCain? Or, at least, a punchy description from a major news network? "McCain promised his investigation would not implicate any GOP officials", that should be the centerline of the ad.
Posted by: DavidS | August 21, 2008 9:26 AM
I am amazed that you write
"His dealings with Ralph Reed weren't quite so personal,"
I believe that Reed was the principal behind the appalling smear in S Carolini in 2000 which suggested that the McCain's adopted Bangladeshi daughter was the product of McCain's adultery with an African American woman.
Just ask Marshall Wittmann
http://tinyurl.com/6s3fgz
That's about as personal as it gets. Now I don't have proof, but I don't have doubts either. I'm sure McCain at least suspects Reed.
That he is willing to ask Reed for favors shows not only that McCain has no honor or shame but also that he has no pride. He is willing to do anything to be President.
Posted by: Robert Waldmann | August 21, 2008 9:32 AM
From Paul Kane's chat in the WaPo (8/21/8)
Posted by: ibc | August 21, 2008 12:12 PM
It's Sen. David Vitter, not "Mark" Vitter.
David. Starts with a "D". Like the word "diapers".
Posted by: oyster | August 21, 2008 2:56 PM
As the game is set to be released on September 18th many players will be pushing hard to level their characters as fast as possible as well as farming as much gold as they can on the process. Warhammer gold is valued the highest during the start of the game when every player is striving to get as much of it as possible into their own hands.
Posted by: woaixingxing | September 29, 2008 4:34 AM