Hoho with his first ingredient for his new breakfast sausage?
Posted on 01/29/2006 8:14:03 AM PST by Carl/NewsMax
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Sunday that Democrats who took money from Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff and who did something on behalf of those tribes have "a big problem."
Dean made the statement apparently unaware that Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has reportedly done exactly that.
Under questioning by "Fox News Sunday's" Chris Wallace, Dean claimed that Democrats did no favors for Abramoff's Indian tribe clients:
"Nobody got anything out of the Democrats from Jack Abramoff," the top Democrat insisted. "No Democrat delivered anything and there's no accusation and no investigation that any Democrat ever delivered anything to Jack Abramoff. And that's not true of the Republicans."
But Wallace countered: "So if we find that there were some Democrats who wrote letters on behalf of some of the Indian tribes that Abramoff represented, then what do you say, sir?"
Dean's response: "That's a big problem. And those Democrats are in trouble. And they should be in trouble."
In November 2005 the Associated Press reported that Senate Minority Leader Reid had accepted tens of thousands of dollars from an Abramoff client, the Coushatta Indian tribe, after interceding with Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton over a casino dispute with a rival tribe.
Reid "sent a letter to Norton on March 5, 2002," the AP said. "The next day, the Coushattas issued a $5,000 check to Reid's tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund. A second tribe represented by Abramoff sent an additional $5,000 to Reid's group. Reid ultimately received more than $66,000 in Abramoff-related donations between 2001 and 2004."
Questioned about the donations in December by "Fox News Sunday's" Wallace, Reid immediately turned testy.
"Don't try to say I received money from Abramoff. I've never met the man, don't know anything," he claimed.
The full exchange between Dean and Wallace went like this:
DEAN: It is possible that some of Jack Abramoff's clients may have decided on their own to give Democrats some money. The key is . . .
WALLACE: I'm sorry. Did you say that you're sure that Abramoff didn't direct them to give that money?
DEAN: No, what I said was that it is possible that some Democrats got money from someone he [represented]. What I'm saying is that Abramoff may not have directed some of this money to Democrats.
WALLACE: In fact, he did. We have evidence of that.
DEAN: But the point is not one Democrat either knew it or acted on it. Nobody got anything out of the Democrats from Jack Abramoff. No Democrat delivered anything and there's no accusation and no investigation that any Democrat ever delivered anything to Jack Abramoff. And that's not true of the Republicans.
WALLACE: So if we find - and we have to wrap this up - so if we find that there were some Democrats who wrote letters on behalf of some of the Indian tribes that Abramoff represented, then what do you say, sir?
DEAN: That's a big problem. And those Democrats are in trouble. And they should be in trouble. [END EXCERPT]
Hoho with his first ingredient for his new breakfast sausage?
I just go on the assumption that, at least in the Senate, they're all dirty to some extent, since so much $$ goes into their campaigns - and all the lobbying that is thrown into the mix. But what we need here is a quid-pro-quo. Lobbyists can do their song and dance in front of anyone, and influence anyone, but is only illegal if they also bring cash. Very hard to prove, unless the money was sent directly from Abramoff.. All the western state politicians, particularly the senators, get money from Indian tribes.. the question is, were they getting the money BEFORE Abramoff started lobbying on their behalf? Or did the money donations significantly increase?
Unfortunately, an iron-clad case is required before one of these slippery eels is nailed.
Hey Reid, watcha think of deenie weenie now?
The dimwit got "not one thin dime" and "not one red cent" crossed up.
YEEEEAAAAAAUUUGGHH!
-ccm
Mr. Dean is unaware of so many things, even the truth about other Democrats.
Not one red dime and not one silver penny by God!
That pix never fails to crack me up! We need one of our creative Freepers to photoshop a Viking Kitty with Dean in it's grip, LOL!
Maybe not one red dime but a lot of greenbacks...
I was thinking of going to him for a vasectomy, but after this latest gaff, I don't want voice to be 5 octaves higher.
In the finest tradition of left-wing word parsing, Democrat dimes would of course be blue.
Oops....
Weasel, weasel, weasel.
Don't know if it was a comment against the "RED States" i.e.Conservatives, "Red" i.e. Commies, or "red" i.e. a racist slur against the Indians. Either way that's Howie Zany Dean.
Very good to point this out. You might want to send the RNC a note pointing it out.
It's not the color it's the source Conservatives = Red, Commies = RED, or in a racial slur red = Indians ahem Native Americans in PC speak.
First of all, I'm confused. I thought, according to Yeeha earlier this week, that not one dim took, "...one dime." of A's money. So what's this, now???
Secondly, he's saying that his dims may have (love that qualification) taken money but surely didn't do anything for it?!?! Coke® shot out of my nose when I read that.
Yeeha just gave FOX and the G.O.P. 2months of material. Not only that but he effectively diffused the issue and harpooned their own strategy.
Hearings anyone??
My thoughts exactly. A half-decent diagnostician he could never be. Perhaps that's why he went into politics. Liberal politicians are not noted for their logical abilities.
Perhaps Dean is trying to split hairs and differentiate money from Abramoff and money from Abramoff's clients. IMHO, six of one, half dozen of the other.
Any bets on how long Dean lasts as DNC Chairman after the 2006 elections?
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