Posted on 09/14/2007 8:48:57 AM PDT by Calpernia
Why, just as the investigation into Clinton campaign corruption was hitting pay dirt, did Fred Thompson suddenly strike a deal with Democrats to shift the hearings into a softer, gentler discussion of legislative changes?
Consider the momentum building:
1. Venerable Gore, now wisely hiring criminal lawyers, was shown to be fund-raising from federal property for his own campaign, which forced Janet Reno to shake up Justice's hapless bureaucracy - in hope of evading the law's mandate to seek court appointment of a real prosecutor.
2. Our rogue president, after selling face time to an engaging hustler for $300,000, was shown to have directed his aide to be ``supportive'' of the donor at the Energy Department. Mack McLarty swore this attempted fix was merely ``seeking information,'' echoing the words of Sherman Adams to excuse his improper intercession for Bernard Goldfine in 1958.
3. One of two Clinton 1992 fund-raisers who became high officials at Energy was shown to be a perjurer. ``Somebody's lying,'' concluded a senator. In that connection . . .
4. DNC chairman Don Fowler was shown disremembering conversations held with a CIA operative named Bob to help sanitize donor Roger Tamraz. This triggered a CIA Inspector General investigation likely to reveal abuse of authority within the Directorate of Operations.
With all that - plus evidence of China 's fund-funneling - what caused Fred Thompson to veer off into legislative la-la land? His reasons:
1. The coming week's hearings were to be Democrats' payback time, and GOP leaders did not want to offer a chance to argue ``everybody did it.''
2. Thompson thought he was running low on ammunition. The best witnesses - Huang, Middleton, Trie - were taking the Fifth or hiding overseas.
3. After a slow start that drew media derision, Thompson reached a level of interest and grudging respect that would be hard to maintain (ain't gonna get no betta); soon the pack's mantra would become ``petering out.''
4. Thompson believes this is the time for a deep breath; to see if New York U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White's prosecution of teamsters leads to the AFL and the White House's Harold Ickes (whom he will depose again); to press the Freeh-Reno crowd on the Asian connection; and in three weeks, to take another look at his hand.
By thus thinking tactically - about how the hearings ``play'' - Thompson is making a strategic blunder.
A serious Senate investigation has three purposes: first, to use its subpoena power to expose to public view, often in dull detail, the widespread wrongdoing and potential lawbreaking that corrupted a presidential election. Next, with the public educated and aroused, to shame the see-no-evil, conflicted Justice Department into action. Purpose three: to propose legislation to make certain future wrongdoing of this kind is prosecutable.
But just when the committee's exposing purpose was getting traction - when front pages and even TV network news shows were paying attention - Chairman Thompson cut away from the chase.
Because he mistakenly thought he was running out of fresh ammunition and running out of time, the Tennessee senator switched to the general legislative purpose. It was part of a deal with Trent Lott to steal a march on the Democrats' domination of campaign finance reform.
With Thompson taking his heavy breather, who will take up the torch? It's up to Intelligence Chairman Richard Shelby, who plans to examine Democratic penetration of the CIA, perhaps publicly, as former DCI John Deutch urges; Dan Burton and his House committee, bedeviled by cover-upper Henry Waxman but unencumbered by deadline; 41-year-old Mary Jo White; and slowpoke prosecutor Hickman Ewing Jr., administering water torture to Webster Hubbell.
Too bad about Fred Thompson's wimpout. Hope he catches his breath in time.
Coy? Fred headed up this investigation before. It is relevant again now, I totally support him bringing info to the table that can put the Clinton’s behind bars.
We love it. Just be man enough to post its own thread.
You can post all the dirty laundry you want, in it’s own thread.
Absolutely! Additional Views of Chairman Fred Thompson
Rich Galen issued a statement for Fred's campaign concerning Hsu:
Rival charges Hillary Clinton turned blind eye to Hsu's past Sep 11, 2007 5:15 PM (2 days ago)
by Bill Sammon, The ExaminerWASHINGTON (Map, News) - Hillary Clinton's links to illegal fundraising by Asian-Americans in 1996 should have made her wary of accepting $850,000 from a fugitive Asian-American this year, a rival presidential campaign said Tuesday.
The criticism came from an adviser to former Republican Sen. Fred Thompson, who chaired a Senate investigation into illegal contributions by Asian-Americans to Bill Clinton's re-election campaign and the couple's legal defense fund in the 1996 election cycle.
Thompson adviser Rich Galen said Clinton's 2008 campaign has become "the sequel" to her husband's scandal-plagued 1996 campaign.
Late Monday, Clinton announced she was returning $850,000 raised by fugitive Norman Hsu, who jumped bail in 1992 after being convicted of defrauding investors of $1 million. Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said the campaign was "unaware" of a warrant for Hsu's arrest.
Galen was unconvinced.
"You have to look at this with a great deal of skepticism that - having been through this sort of thing in '96 - that nobody thought to say, 'Hey, you know, we better take another look at this before we take all this money,' " he said.
"And the fact that nobody did - or if they did, they decided to just put their finger in front of their lips and say shhh and try to sneak off into the distance - tells you a great deal about the fact that the Hillary Clinton campaign is the Bill Clinton campaign redux."
So what do you have to say about Sen. Thompson wimping out to the Democrats? I was totally disgusted in the whole senate Republican leadership back in those days and my opinion of them hasn’t changed one bit since then. Fred Thompson was a failure then and would be a failure as president. The Clinton’s got away with crimes of every description and Fred and company aided and abetted them. We had the chance to put them out of business and blew it. Now you want to elect a man to defeat Hillary who wouldn’t even be running if Thompson would have done his job in the first place.
Oh puhleeze...cut the garbage. Anyone can find your recent posts on Thompson under “In Forum”. Are you seriously trying to tell me you didn’t post this to boost Hunter’s dismal ratings?
bttt
There was a freeper that made a chinagate site. I can’t find the link. Do you know who that was?
And thank you!
Coy?
Yes, coy.
It’s a hit piece.
My posting history at FR speaks for itself.
He can redeem himself. I’m sure he has plenty of material to contribute to the investigation.
>>>If I thought you were seriously doing an investigation...I would assist in research.
Then you didn’t look at my posting history thoroughly enough. Of course my current posts are going to be election related. I, like most on a news forum are news/political junkies. This is an election season. That is the current topic.
Why do these faux Duncan Hunter “supporters” spend more time trashing Thompson all over the internet than actually SUPPORTING Hunter?
Why don’t they trash other candidates who have higher ratings than Hunter (which means every other GOP candiate)?
Who are they REALLY trying to help here, Rudy or Mitt?
It’s a cornspiracy, I tells ya...
Calpernia wrote: “Any reason why you can’t start a different thread with that?”
Perhaps the same reason why faux Duncanistas hijack so many Fred threads?
You all should be screaming how right he was. Why aren't you?
Copy and paste a thread I’ve hijacked please.
Indeed. **snort**
I’m sure you do.
Duncanista tactics make me laugh hard enough to snort. Almost every day.
Ah...now we get the truth. Then don’t try to play this off as an investigation on the Clintons. And don’t accuse me of being off-topic if the reason you posted this thread is admittedly a current topic in your view.
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