Free Republic

Former Bill Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri criticized President Bush's handling of the Enron scandal on Sunday, saying it had already become "a major problem" for the White House that would likely damage his image with the public. "Even if no more damaging information comes out, this is a major problem for this administration," Palmieri told the New York Times. "It is going to damage the president's credibility and it's going to hurt their ability to get their message out." Palmieri was one of three spokeswomen hired by Mr. Clinton after he left the White House last year. Over initial objections ...

With the political furor over the collapse of Enron Corp. gaining momentum, Republicans on Capitol Hill are already preparing their strategy for countering Democratic attacks. It's a strategy that sounds hauntingly familiar to veterans of the political wars of the late 1990s: Blame it on Bill Clinton and the Democrats. And if that doesn't work, point out that Democrats, both individually and through their national party committees, were just as willing as Republicans to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in political donations fromEnron over the past decade. And say that Democrats became self-righteous on the issue only after it ...

Loral fined $14m over China missiles claim By Edward Alden and Peter Spiegel in Washington Loral, the US satellite company, said it would pay $14m to the US State Department to settle a claim that it improperly gave technical information to China that may have aided that country's nuclear missile programme. Loral also said the Justice Department had ended its investigation of the company and would not pursue any criminal charges. The fine marks the last chapter in a bitter political battle in Washington in which Republicans alleged that during the Clinton administration the US had turned a blind eye ...

<p>In March 1995, Enron Corp. executive Andrew Fastow approached Philip Pool, a banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Inc. with a tantalizing offer.</p> <p>As an official of a prized DLJ corporate client, Mr. Fastow wanted DLJ's help to raise money for a partnership the Houston energy company was putting together. The partnership, Mr. Fastow said, would help Enron by buying assets from the company and keeping debt off its balance sheet. Too much balance-sheet debt would lower Enron's credit rating and hinder growth.</p>

<p>Commerce Secretary Don Evans tells "Meet the Press" that he said "thanks for the call" when Enron CEO Kenneth Lay phoned him - but never lifted a finger to aid the bankrupt firm.</p> <p>January 14, 2002 -- WASHINGTON - Federal investigators are reportedly looking for a rat to finger the big cheeses who may have run afoul of the law during Enron Corp.'s colossal collapse.</p>

THE RAPID COLLAPSE last November of the Houston-based energy firm Enron, whose executives have close ties to President George W. Bush, has fired the Washington rumor mills and stirred talk of a White House scandal similar to the campaign fund-raising misdoings that plagued the Clinton and Gore administration. But the differences between the Clinton/Gore transgressions and what we know so far of the Enron debacle are many and significant. Much has been made of the half million dollars Enron donated to Bush's run for the White House and of Bush's apparent friendship with Enron chief Kenneth Lay. But there is ...

<p>It should hardly come as a surprise that, even though the fallen corporate giant Enron aggressively courted politicians from both major parties on Capitol Hill over the past decade, some Democrats appear eager to use the scandal as a political weapon against President Bush and congressional Republicans. Rep. Henry Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee (yes, the same man who couldn't seem to find anything wrong with Clintonista behavior throughout the glorious, scandal-free '90s), released a letter from the Bush administration acknowledging that Vice President Richard B. Cheney or his aides had met last year on six occasions with Enron executives to discuss national energy policy issues. Mr. Waxman claims that the letter showed that the "access provided to Enron far exceeded the access provided by the White House to other parties interested in energy policy." Thus far, however, he hasn't put forward the evidence to substantiate this.</p>

<p>Eager to tarnish the administration's ethical image, Democrats are trying to link the White House to the Enron bankruptcy scandal by pointing to the big contributions Enron officials made to President Bush's campaign.</p> <p>But Bush strategists say there is no quid pro quo connection between administration actions and the campaign donations that Enron executives made to the president's campaign.</p>

Washington, DC, Friday, December 7, 2001 - Records show Enron paid large sums to enlist the lobbying aid of former Tennessee Valley Authority Director Johnny Hayes and another Tennessee friend of former Vice President Al Gore. Enron paid $200,000 to Sideview Partners Inc., a company headed by Mr. Hayes, for lobby work involving TVA earlier this year, according to Mr. Hayes' midyear 2001 lobby activities report. The Texas company, known for its close political ties to Republicans, also paid $500,000 to the Nashville law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, where another longtime Gore friend and fund-raiser, Charles Bone, works, ...

What a simple sounding name. &nbsp;Enron. &nbsp;It has that nice ring to it like, Someone'n Ron. &nbsp;Don't ask me why, but I like it. &nbsp;So do the Democrats and some of the members of the press. &nbsp;They're salivating in the wings. &nbsp;Six different Senate and Congressional sub-committees are looking into this. &nbsp;Drudge has just reported that televised hearings will be forthcoming. &nbsp;Isn't it grand? Some are likening this to Whitewater already. &nbsp;A smile breaks out on my face when I hear that. &nbsp;I remember all the scandles from the Clinton Presidency. &nbsp;I also remember the snail's pace that any ...

With the political furor over the collapse of Enron Corp. gaining momentum, Republicans on Capitol Hill are already preparing their strategy for countering Democratic attacks. It's a strategy that sounds hauntingly familiar to veterans of the political wars of the late 1990s: Blame it on Bill Clinton and the Democrats. And if that doesn't work, point out that Democrats, both individually and through their national party committees, were just as willing as Republicans to accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in political donations fromEnron over the past decade. And say that Democrats became self-righteous on the issue only after it ...

A Quick Tour of opensecrets.org Feeling overwhelmed? We can empathize. Campaign finance is a complicated subject, and can be confusing to the uninitiated. So if you're new to the site, or new to the subject matter, allow us to suggest a few ways to approach opensecrets.org. This virtual tour will help give you an idea of the kinds of information available: 1. Track an industry. You may want to start with the industry you're working in now. We have more than 80 different industries profiled in our industries section, with political contributions going back a decade. 2. Check up on ...

<p>What the Enron mess would look like if it really were a political scandal.</p> <p>Monday, January 14, 2002 12:01 a.m.</p> <p>We hasten to agree that the Enron collapse should be investigated. On the record so far, it looks as if a bunch of natural gas salesmen got over their heads in financial wizardry and made a catastrophic mess trying to make back what they lost. But we don't know the details of their off-balance-sheet inventions, and the deals should be carefully scoured for so-far missing evidence of criminal intent.</p>

I have been looking all over for a picture of Clinton with Ken Lay, but so far I have not found anything. Does anyone know where I could perhaps find one?

Former Bill Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri criticized President Bush's handling of the Enron scandal on Sunday, saying it had already become &quot;a major problem&quot; for the White House that would likely damage his image with the public. &quot;Even if no more damaging information comes out, this is a major problem for this administration,&quot; Palmieri told the New York Times. &quot;It is going to damage the president's credibility and it's going to hurt their ability to get their message out.&quot; Palmieri was one of three spokeswomen hired by Mr. Clinton after he left the White House last year. Over initial objections ...

Just breaking on Drudge Radio Show

Newsweek Cover: 'Enron. Burned!' Commerce Secretary Evans Phoned Lay on October 15, the Day Before The Enron CEO Told Wall Street About the Company's Financial Troubles; But Both Men Say They Did Not Discuss the Impending Crisis Enron Bubble Bursting is Emblematic of Wholesale Systemic Failure; Anderson Errors Could Cut Accounting's Big Five to Four NEW YORK, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Last fall, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans, who was halfway around the world in Moscow on a trade mission, reached out to Enron CEO Kenneth Lay in Houston to discuss with him Enron's disastrously controversial, financially-draining electricity plant in India. ...

Do you want a 60-second rendition of just what 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 books. 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 its top official ...

Anyone who watched any, or all, of the Sunday talk shows today learned ONE thing. It is that Kenneth Lay, chairman of the now bankrupt Enron, changed his name several weeks ago. His new name, now, is Kenneth LaywhoisaclosefriendofBushandhisbiggestcampaingcontributor. It must be hard for Lay to remember his new name, but not for all the rest of the media, for that is how he is referred to continuously, ad nauseum. You can see each of

&nbsp; Business Headlines &nbsp; Sources:&nbsp;&nbsp;Reuters &nbsp;| &nbsp;AP &nbsp;| &nbsp;The&nbsp;New&nbsp;York&nbsp;Times &nbsp;| &nbsp;TheStreet.com &nbsp;| &nbsp;Forbes.com &nbsp;| &nbsp;ABCNEWS.com &nbsp;| &nbsp;BusinessWeek&nbsp;Online &nbsp;| &nbsp;NewsFactor &nbsp;| &nbsp;SmartMoney.com &nbsp; Saturday January 12 3:14 PM ET Power Plant Cuts Storing Up Trouble?&nbsp; By Carolyn Koo NEW YORK (Reuters) - The California energy crisis is starting to fade from memory, but U.S. power companies may be storing up fresh trouble for consumers in sites around the country. The spectacular collapse of trading giant Enron Corp. (NYSE:ENE - news) and a plunge in power prices has led some companies to pull the plug on plans for power plants. That ...