It's hard to call something that big a "target". (No physical slurs intended, even though they too would be accurate).
Owl _ Eagle
Guns before butter.
A picture is worth a thousand words. . .
In an astonishing reversal of President Bush's nonchalant attitude towards an array of corruption charges against Bill and Hillary Clinton, the president and his aides are now said to be "quietly pushing" a probe into allegations that Clinton staffers trashed the White House in Jan. 2001. What's more, they've asked that the newly revved up investigation focus on the East Wing, where former first lady Hillary Clinton had her offices.
The shift could mean the GAO probe will also examine evidence that Mrs. Clinton absconded with furniture and other White House artifacts to decorate her private mansions in New York and Washington.
"White House folks suggested we cast as wide a net as possible," GAO director Bernard Ungar told the New York Daily News Saturday, adding that the Bushies wanted to redirect the probe's previous focus from the Eisenhower office building to Mrs. Clinton official digs.
The request for action on the Clinton vandalism charges prompted complaints from GAO chief David Walker, who told the News, "they want us to do more work than is even reasonable."
The Clinton probe could prove distracting to Walker's focus in recent weeks: prying loose White House records on meetings between Vice President Dick Cheney and Enron officials.
Oh, yeah! Walker would rather go after the Enron ghost. . .
(((PING))))))
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my ping list!. . .don't be shy.
Clinton Inquiry Pushed
White House seeks broader look into vandalism rap
By TIMOTHY J. BURGER
Daily News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- President Bush and his aides have quietly pushed to expand the year-long probe into alleged vandalism by departing Clinton staffers, the Daily News has learned.
The administration's eagerness to cooperate and encourage the General Accounting Office investigation contrasts sharply with statements in which Bush and his spokesman had publicly downplayed the vandalism tempest.
General Accounting Office chief David Walker says Bush aides want his office to 'do more than is even humanly possible' in vandalism probe.
GAO chief David Walker said Bush aides "want us to do more work than is even reasonable" in the vandalism probe.
Bernie Ungar, a GAO director in charge of the investigation, said, "White House folks suggested that we cast as wide a net as possible."
Ungar said Bush aides urged the agency to expand its scope to include the White House's East Wing where Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) had her offices as First Lady but investigators stuck to the West Wing and the Eisenhower office building.
100 Aides Interviewed
The White House has granted every information and interview request including 100 Bush aides, all the way up to chief of staff Andrew Card.
Card was interviewed for an "ample amount of time" in November, Ungar said.
Walker said he hopes to wrap up the 13-month investigation by spring.
Clinton staffers were accused of sabotaging everything from phones and computers to doorknobs and closets.
A year ago, Bush and his aides made public statements suggesting they were not interested in pushing the probe.
"There might have been a prank or two, maybe somebody put a cartoon on the wall, but that's okay," Bush said. "It's time now to move forward."
'A Double Standard'
At the time, Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said, "I think that whatever took place is past. ... As far as we're concerned, it's over."
The cooperation in the vandalism probe also contrasts sharply with the steadfast White House resistance to a GAO demand for records from Vice President Cheney's energy policy task force, critics said. They include details of a meeting between Cheney and disgraced ex-Enron chief Kenneth Lay and at least five other task force meetings with company officials.
"It's clearly a double standard," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who asked the GAO last year to obtain the Cheney records.
But White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said, "They are completely different matters. The matter related to the vice president's meetings is totally outside the bounds of the GAO's authority."
"The vandalism matter relates to the treatment of government property and it's clearly within the scope and authority of the GAO," she said.
Asked about the difference in cooperation between the energy task force and vandalism inquiries, Walker told The News, "It's facts and circumstances as to how much they want to cooperate."
You can't be gracious to white trash; they have no comprehension of the word or ability to display such qualities.