Posted on 01/11/2002 8:37:48 AM PST by sixmil
Do you want an 60-second rendition of just what all this Enron stuff is all about?
OK .. here you go.
Enron was the nation’s seventh largest corporation in terms of revenue. Enron would buy natural gas and electrical energy from producers and re-sell those commodities to distributors and consumers. Enron was apparently cooking the book. Enron was heavily in debt, but the debt was hidden in various partnerships. Eventually the house of cards caved in and Enron tanked. Many Enron employees and investors literally lost most of their life savings.
Enron’s connection to President Bush? The corporation and it’s top official contributed heavily to Bush’s various political campaigns. Also – when the financial cave in began at Enron some Enron officials had meetings with Bush Administration officials seeking help.
That’s just about it. This is the synopsis for the “scandal” that many in our wonderful news media say could be “as big as Whitewater.”
So, you want to compare Bush/Enron with Clinton/Madison Guaranty and the Whitewater scandal? Fine! Let’s go for it. For starters:
Can you show me any evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, that George W. Bush or anyone working for George W. Bush did anything to help Enron hide its financial misdeeds?
Can you name one Bush family member who received money from Enron for professional services – as an attorney, for instance?
Can you show any loans to George W. Bush or any of his family members from Enron or from any of Enron’s principals?
Can you show that George W. Bush invested in Enron and that that investment was subsequently protected by Enron officials when the financial picture started to fall apart.
Can you provide me with any evidence that any administration official, from Bush’s years as Governor of Texas or since he became president, has taken any action whatsoever to prevent, stall or impede an investigation by any government regulatory agency, either state or federal, into the financial affairs of Enron?
Can you provide any evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, of any sexual relations between George W. Bush and any officer or the wife of any officer of Enron?
Can you produce evidence that either Enron or any Enron official ever made payments on any promissory obligation of George W. Bush or any member of his family?
Can you introduce any evidence that George W. Bush, or any member of his immediate family, ever participated in the preparation of any legal documents drawn for the sole purpose of defrauding the federal government?
Can you show that either George W. Bush or any member of his administration or his immediate family has lied, whether under oath or not, about any aspect of his relationship with Enron or any Enron officials?
Can you provide me the name of any Enron official who is presently serving time in jail for contempt of court for his or her refusal to answer questions under oath about the role of George W. Bush or any member of his family or administration in dealings with Enron?
Can you show me that any pertinent documents relating to Enron, which documents were once in the possession of George W. Bush, any member of his immediately family or any administration official has been destroyed, lost, shredded or otherwise disposed of?
Explain just why there is so much criticism of George W. Bush over the Enron debacle while Enron is being represented in Washington by Bill Clinton’s former attorney.
But, you say, Enron talked to Bush officials when they knew they were in trouble? So? Didn’t airline representatives talk to both Republican and Democratic officials in Washington when they found themselves in trouble? Didn’t Chrysler make a trip to Washington decades ago when it hit some rough roads? It’s pretty much standard practice for huge corporation to go to Washington when the going gets rough. Sometimes you see a bail-out as you did with the airlines and Chrysler. Sometimes the corporate officials learn that they are going to have to go it on their own.
Democrats and Clinton-lovers are just salivating on this one. They are trying to convince the myrmidons that Enron is Bush’s Whitewater. As you can see from the list above, this is a tough play to run. It doesn’t matter, though, because the vast majority of people in this country – including most Democratic voters – don’t have the intellectual curiosity to delve into the situation. They’ll believe what their favorite politician says – or what they hear from their favorite news anchors – and that will pretty much be it.
If there’s any fraud, criminal conduct or ethical violations here … show me the proof. I’ll be right there with you demanding appropriate action.
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