Enron and Clinton- Dirty Deals and the DNC Cash Machine

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/14/124745.shtml

ENRON documents http://www.softwar.net/enron.html

Enron and Clinton
by Charles R. Smith

Dirty Deals and the DNC Cash Machine

Fiction writers documented the fall of Enron as a scandal to be linked to
President Bush. Yet the U.S. Commerce Department has just released over 5,000
pages of documents that detail the Enron scandal during the Clinton years.

The Commerce materials outline a long-standing and very close relationship
between the Clinton administration and Enron. For example, in March 1999 U.S.
Commerce Secretary William Daley's trade delegation to China produced several
sweet business deals, including a special little gem for Enron.

Enron International China Pipeline, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enron Corp. of
Houston, Texas, signed a memorandum of understanding with China National
Petroleum Corporation to jointly develop a natural gas pipeline.

"Enron International approached FCS (Foreign Commercial Service) Beijing for
advocacy support for its joint venture to build a 4,000 km, $400 million natural
gas pipeline from reserves in Sichuan Province to markets in and around Wuhan in
eastern China," states an April 1999 Commerce document from Ivone Yang.

"CO Adams worked with Enron and USDOC's Advocacy Center to win the Chinese
authorities blessing so that Enron International was able to sign a Memorandum
of Understanding during Secretary Daley's visit to China in March 1999 with its
partner, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)," notes the Commerce
Department memo.

The deal also sealed the first major U.S. energy effort with China National
Petroleum. However, China National Petroleum already has great experience at
building pipelines under hostile conditions. CNPC is a Chinese army-owned firm
that currently operates an oil pipeline inside war-torn areas of Sudan.

According to an article published in Investor's Business Daily by John Berlau,
"Chinese Oil Firm Listing on NYSE Faces Fight Due to Terrorist Links," CNPC
operates an oil pipeline through the contested areas inside Sudan.

"Canada's Foreign Affairs Ministry recently found that the oil pipeline that
CNPC is building with Sudan's government and others is 'exacerbating the
conflict' that has already killed 2 million people," wrote Berlau. "Not only
will the oil revenue go to fuel the war effort but Sudan's government is using
the pipeline project's airstrip for bombing missions."

Green Gore Goes Red

The work to help Enron even touched the king of "Green" - Al Gore. The Chinese
deal with Enron has its roots with former Vice President Al Gore. In 1998, Gore
wrote the Chinese leadership, urging them to sign lucrative contracts with
Enron.

"In mid 1997, then State Development and Planning Commission (SDPC)
Vice-Chairman Zeng Peiyan and the Secretary of Energy signed an Energy and
Environment Cooperation initiative. Under that initiative, the two side have
held two oil and gas forums and, last spring in Beijing, a national gas experts
meeting," notes a 1998 Commerce Department document.

"The largest project to date in promoting natural gas use is the Guangdong
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal, to be constructed near Shenzhen... Several
U.S. companies are actively pursing foreign partner status, including
ExxonMobil, Enron and Chevron," noted the Commerce document.

"Vice President Gore recently wrote to Premier Zhu, expressing his hope that the
Guangdong LNG project would become an example of successful U.S.-China clean
energy cooperation," states the Commerce Department document.

African Enron

In 1995, the Clinton-Gore effort to help Enron win deals crossed all bounds of
decency by using humanitarian aid as leverage. The Clinton-Gore National
Security Council and Vice President Gore strong-armed Mozambique so that Enron
could obtain an exclusive deal using threats of aid cuts as leverage.

Enron failed to match the terms offered by South African firm Sasol for the
giant Pande gas fields. However, Enron Corp.'s plan to develop Mozambique's
Pande natural gas field was saved from cancellation by a blunt threat from
Clinton Security Council head Anthony Lake to cut off future U.S. humanitarian
aid to Mozambique.

When Mozambique threatened to cancel the Enron Pande gas deal, Lake promptly
suspended a $135 million humanitarian aid payment. Lake also wrote a threatening
letter directly to the president of Mozambique.

"There is at the moment a debate of unprecedented intensity in Washington with
regard to my government's overall budget, and particularly, funding for foreign
assistance. Mr. President, we hope for a mutual effect on Africa on this debate.
However, it will become increasingly difficult to defend such programs if some
are able to argue that promising countries like Mozambique are not moving ahead
rapidly to ensure economic growth through resources development," wrote Lake.

In the end, Mozambique caved, giving the exclusive deal to Enron over a South
African firm. However, the only market for the Mozambique gas was a steel plant
in South Africa. It would take two visits from VP Gore and Energy Secretary
Hazel O'Leary to South Africa to convince the Pretoria government to buy the
Enron deal.

Enron DNC Money

During the 1990s, Enron CEO Ken Lay personally contributed $11,000 to former
President Bill Clinton for his two campaigns. In addition, Lay gave Vice
President Al Gore $13,750 for his 2000 election campaign.

During Clinton's eight years in office, the company and Lay contributed about
$900,000 to the Democratic Party. Former Enron officials said an important part
of their strategy to win favor with the Gore campaign was a significant increase
in the company's donations to Democrats. In 1999 and 2000, the company gave
$362,000 in soft-money donations to Democrats.

Most Americans were not aware of Enron's dealings with a Chinese army oil
company engaged in oil-for-blood in Sudan. The mass media neglected to inform
the U.S. public about the cruel use of humanitarian aid by the Clinton
administration that greased an Enron deal in Africa. The fiction writers who
spin your news never mentioned the Enron donations to the DNC.

If you paid attention to any of the mainstream media outlets, you can be certain
that Enron never existed during the Clinton years.

* * * * * *
RADIO AND TV SCHEDULE

Charles Smith will be on:

The John Dayl show, KXAM, Scottsdale Ariz., on Wednesday, 5/14/03, at 4 p.m.
Eastern time.

The American Freedom Network with NewsMax contributor Dr. James Hirsen on
Friday, 5/16/03, at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Show information at
http://www.amerifree.com.

The Jerry Hughes show on Friday, 5/16/03, at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Show
information at http://www.cilamerica.com.

The Phil Paleologos "American Breakfast" show on Tuesday, 5/20/03, the Langer
Broadcast Network, at 8 a.m. Eastern time. Show information at
www.dinershow.com.

The next time the Democrats bring up Enron I wish some Republican would mention Clinton, Gore, and O'Leary's involvement rather than just brush it off.

I really think that's why the stink died down so fast with the media- everytime they tipped over a rock, mostly democrats came boiling out...

Guess I should add my latest updated links:

"Has that clinton "legacy" made you feel safer yet?"

Lest Americans ever forget why the clintons, and all their enablers need to be hectored, hounded, and harried into silence, until "clintonese is only spoken in Hell," look here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/765080/posts

The Clinton Files
various links | 10-08-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/723210/posts

Liars-- and Sleaze, Incorporated... ( my files on the clintons and friends )
various links | 7-27-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/611951/posts

Hodgepodge O' Hillary
various links | 01-20-02 | backhoe

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/771000/posts

The Atomic Genie- what we have about North Korea's Nuclear program
various FR posts | 10-17-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

James Carville - Salon Interview
Salon
JOAN WALSH
March 11, 2002

The New York Times?
Yeah. But I can't do anything about them. Mealy-mouthed editorial writers I can't do anything about. Self-indulged Op-Ed writers I can't do anything about. But we can do something about Democrats standing up. We can do something about Enron.
Speaking of Enron, I read that Enron offered you some kind of P.R. job?
I went down there. It's just something that didn't work out, you know what I mean? I don't wanna make Enron about me.
Were you even tempted?
Oh, it was a long time ago. I don't remember that it came to much. But my point is, what the Republicans put out about Enron and what the Democrats and the media are buying, is unbelievable. They've wrapped up this nice, neat story : You've got a heroine, Ms. [Sherron] Watkins; you have a dupe, that's Lay; you have a two-shooter theory, Fastow and Skilling; and Arthur Andersen was an accomplice. So the whole thing is solved and you don't have to look any further for a culprit. But that's the silliest thing I've ever heard.
What's your analysis?
My analysis is, the Republican Congress caused Enron.
How?
If it wasn't for the fact that the Republican Congress was bought off by Enron, most of this wouldn't have happened. If they'd have passed [former SEC chair Arthur] Levitt's reforms, separating accounting from consulting, they'd have never gotten away with it; if they'd have passed [Commodity Futures Trading Commission head] Brooksley Born's proposal to disclose all these derivatives, then people would have known about this. If they'd done Sen. Boxer's thing to limit the holdings in one company people could have in a 401K, then people wouldn't have gotten burned like this.
Why aren't Democrats standing up and saying Republicans caused it? Will the Washington Post write some mealy-mouthed story saying, "Well, you shouldn't really say that!" Of course, but who cares? Will cocktail parties decry the return of partisanship in Washington? Of course they will, but what difference does it make? None! You'll get your message out. But Democrats in Washington are completely mortified that somebody's gonna say something bad about them at a dinner party in Cleveland Park on a Saturday night . You tell them there's an Op-Ed piece coming out, with somebody saying they're being divisive, and they'll fall apart. But that's what Republicans do. Look at the way they talk about 'Clinton caused Sept. 11.' They don't have any facts -- we have facts to prove otherwise -- but they just do it anyway.
Do you think there really was a "vast right-wing conspiracy," to use Hillary Clinton's famous term?
Of course there was. Who doesn't think that?
I think the media depicted it as a crazy, over-the-top exaggeration.
They just say that. They don't think it. Who in the media could think there wasn't a vast right-wing conspiracy? Anybody with a brain knows there was and much vaster than anyone anticipated.
You never anticipated it?
Oh, I did.
In '92 ?
I don't know about in '92, but by '93 or '94, I sat down with the Washington Post and did a chart. Look it up. I called it "the puke-funnel theory ."
The what?
"The puke-funnel theory." Look it up in Lexis-Nexis. C'mon. Does anybody really think that Ken Starr wasn't part of it? Now we find out Robert Ray, his supposedly nonpartisan successor, is running for Senate in New Jersey. You know, when I pointed out all these things about Starr, the media went crazy. But I kept doing it, and you know what? I was right. And it worked. You can't let chitchat at a cocktail party determine what a major party is gonna do and not do. You can't be intimidated by cocktail chitchat.

Jan. 17, 2002, 3:48PM
Enron donates to Democrats just before bankruptcy; hires lawyer Robert Bennett
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- A week before filing for bankruptcy protection, energy giant Enron Corp. donated $100,000 to the Democratic Party committee that helps Senate candidates, campaign finance reports show.
The company, which had given 90 percent of its money to Republicans this year before the Democratic donations, also has hired high-profile Washington lawyer Robert Bennett, whose past clients include President Clinton.
"Donations of this type reflect certain political realities which are followed by all major corporations," Bennett said Wednesday in explaining Enron's $50,000 checks on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 2.
Tovah Ravitz-Meehan, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senate fund-raising committee, said the head of the organization, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has asked that Enron's money be given to a charitable organization helping laid-off Enron workers. She said the charity hasn't been chosen.
"It wasn't right to keep it and it wasn't right to give it back to Enron so we're looking for charitable options," Ravitz-Meehan said.
Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike have heaped criticism on Enron, accusing the company of burning stockholders who were unaware of the company's failing condition, throwing thousands of people out of work and decimating retirement accounts.
Earlier this week, Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee demanded the Federal Trade Commission investigate why company executives were allowed to cash out their stock while other employees were prevented from selling the company's sinking shares in their retirement accounts.
Bennett said there was no connection between congressional inquiries and the donations.
"It is very unfair to draw any improper motive based on these contributions," he said. "While the money was given in November, a large portion of it had been committed as far back as September."
Bennett will represent Enron in dealing with Congress, the news media and investigators.
He represented Clinton in the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Paula Jones, and was the Senate ethics committee's counsel in the investigation of five senators with ties to a failed savings and loan operator.
Before the contributions to the Democrats, Enron this year had contributed $173,000 to candidates and parties, with almost 90 percent going to Republicans.
Since the 1989-90 election cycle, Enron has made nearly $5.8 million in campaign contributions, 73 percent to Republicans.
The contributions were compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics, an organization that tracks campaign finance issues.
In addition to the corporate donations, federal reports show Enron chairman and chief executive Kenneth Lay donated $250,000 to the Republican Party during President Bush's campaign and raised at least $100,000 for Bush from other donors.
The Justice Department is investigating Houston-based Enron for possible criminal conduct. The Labor Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are conducting civil investigations.
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