Posted on 12/01/2003 8:22:07 PM PST by GOPcapitalist
HOUSTON – One indication of businessman Bill White's confidence he'll be Houston's next mayor -- White said his employer, the WEDGE Investment Group, has already picked his replacement as the company's CEO.
But White's opponent is issuing a tough attack by mentioning White's name in the same breath as a Mideast group linked to terrorism.
The last days of Houston's campaign for mayor the front-running campaign is under attack.
"These are interesting relationships," says mayoral candidate Orlando Sanchez. "We just want to know the answers."
Ever since he announced he was running for mayor, Bill White's opponents have quietly raised questions about his connection to his boss, Lebanese investor Issam Fares, the founder of Houston-based Wedge Group. A secretly backed Web site even tried to draw a link between White, Fares and international terrorism.
"It's clear that he's involved in a personal and financial relationship, making money for a gentleman who believes that Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization," says Sanchez. "And clearly, there's evidence that they are."
"Mr. Sanchez today made a desperate, last-minute, negative attack," says White. "Because he's falling behind in the polls."
White responded by releasing a videotape of former president Bush praising White's boss. "But with Issam Fares here," he says. "I feel blessed by being with a very good close friend."
And with a little research through campaign finance reports, 11 News discovered Fares also gave $100,000 to George W. Bush's 2000 election campaign.
Even if Sanchez had the money to buy a lot of TV commercials and get this message out, it isn't clear just how much it would help him. Even in Meyerland, with its concentration of Jewish voters all too familiar with the history of Hezbollah, opinions are mixed.
"I would think it was not true," says one person. "I wouldn't believe it."
"I'd be extremely upset, extremely," adds another. "I would find that quite disheartening."
"Well, if it's his boss' opinion," continues a third. "I guess he wouldn't have to have the same opinion."
Sanchez's opponent has a lot more money for TV commercials. So he's hoping the media will pick up stories like this and give him more exposure between now and Election Day.
Both mayoral candidates will appear in a live televised debate this Wednesday at 7:00 on Channel 11. The debate is sponsored by KHOU and the Houston Chronicle.
- Democrat candidate for mayor of Houston
- Bagman for terrorists
Also, here's the TRUTH about Terrorist Issam Fares in his own words:
November 10, 2001 Saturday - AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
Beirut calls on US to remove Hezbollah from terrorism list
Lebanon called on Washington Saturday to remove Hezbollah from its terrorist list, arguing that the radical Muslim group was resisting Israel's occupation of Lebanese land and never harmed US interests.
Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares also criticized US White House spokesman Ari Fleischer for saying on Friday that Lebanon's "neutrality is not an acceptable position."
Fleischer said "you can't, on the one hand, condemn the al-Qaeda and hug the Hezbollah or hug the Hamas." Al-Qaeda is the network of Osama bin Laden and the prime suspect in the September 11 terror attacks on the United States. Hamas is a radical Palestinian group that regularly carries out attacks on Israeli targets.
Fares, a long-time friend of US George W. Bush and his father, as well as of Secretary of State Colin Powell, said "the Lebanese official position toward Hezbollah, which has popular backing, cannot be doubted and cannot be called 'neutral' or 'unacceptable.'
"Liberating the land cannot be considered a neutral position," he said.
"It is a mistake to make a comparison between the al-Qaeda network ... which Lebanon has condemned, and Hezbollah, which Lebanon considers a resistance party fighting the Israeli occupation.
"This is a mistake that cannot be accepted, because Hezbollah was behind the liberation of the parts of southern Lebanon that Israel had occupied for 22 years, during which (Israel) refused to implement UN Security Council Resolution 425."
That resolution called for Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory occupied following its invasion of the country in 1978.
"Hezbollah did not carry out any resistance operation against American interests in Lebanon or abroad and did not target civilians in its resistance activities as happened on September 11 at the World Trade Center," he said.
Fares reminded Bush that "this issue is very delicate and sensitive in Lebanon."
However, he asserted "Lebanon's readiness to counter terrorism, whether at the information level or concerning the freezing of financial assets of terrorist organisations if they are found in Lebanese banks.
"The concerned ministries in Lebanon are currently preparing answers to the questions (about terrorist suspects) received a few weeks ago by the foreign ministry from the United Nations Security Council committee," he said.
Beirut officially rejected this week a US request to freeze the assets of Hezbollah, which continues to carry out armed operations against the disputed Shebaa Farms area, captured by Israel from Syria in 1967 and now claimed by Lebanon.
Hezbollah and a number of Palestinian organisations are on a blacklist published by Washington on November 2, adding to 66 groups and individuals on two earlier lists whose global assets should be frozen.
They are just as monolithic in supporting liberals as blacks are.
We can nibble at the edges and appeal to some sensible ones, but it's nothing to base a conservative candidacy on. It ain't gonna happen.
I agree that this is often the case with one major exception: terrorism. Jewish voters do not react kindly to Democrats with strong terrorist ties. When possible they have defeated these democrats in their own primaries (i.e. Cynthia McKinney and her father). But in this case with Bill White there is no primary, leaving Sanchez as the alternative. Hopefully they will react sensibly and reject Bill White, the terrorist bagman.
I'd like to think so. But what percentage of Jewish voters voted for Gore?
I fear you are correct. I have been screaming at some of his campaign staff since September to call White to task on the terrorism issue. Only now have they done anything.
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