May 2, 2007

Feinstein Revisited

I'm getting some e-mail and comments about the David Keene essay in The Hill regarding Dianne Feinstein regarding the multiple conflicts of interest between her Appropriations subcommittee assignment and her husband's businesses. Two days ago, Keene noted that her status as a "Cardinal" in the Appropriations process, combined with her position on the Senate Rules committee, left her able to oversee the issuance of contracts to businesses that enriched her family:

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D) chairs the Senate Rules Committee, but she’s also a Cardinal. She is currently chairwoman of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies subcommittee, but until last year was for six years the top Democrat on the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (or “Milcon”) sub-committee, where she may have directed more than $1 billion to companies controlled by her husband.

If the inferences finally coming out about what she did while on Milcon prove true, she may be on the way to morphing from a respected senior Democrat into another poster child for congressional corruption.

The problems stem from her subcommittee activities from 2001 to late 2005, when she quit. During that period the public record suggests she knowingly took part in decisions that eventually put millions of dollars into her husband’s pocket — the classic conflict of interest that exploited her position and power to channel money to her husband’s companies.

In other words, it appears Sen. Feinstein was up to her ears in the same sort of shenanigans that landed California Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R) in the slammer. Indeed, it may be that the primary difference between the two is basically that Cunningham was a minor leaguer and a lot dumber than his state’s senior senator.

I'm glad Keene gives this some sunlight -- but I first wrote about this last month. As Keene notes, not much has changed in the interim -- but I have posted my original at Heading Right to highlight just how disinterested the media seems in Congressional corruption when practiced by Democrats.

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/cq082307.cgi/9858

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Feinstein Revisited:

» Senator Feinstein; Money for War Should Go To My Husband from Webloggin
In any event, it is quite obvious that Feinstein used her position to get wealthy by funneling money to her husband’s companies. She knew what was going on and she facilitated it. ... [Read More]

Comments (13)

Posted by quickjustice [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 1:55 PM

I m calling you on this, Ed! It s "uninterested", not "disinterested"! ;-)

Posted by Carol_Herman [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 2:06 PM

It's like hearing "Men Have Sex." What can you say? REALLY?

Politicians, in order to be successful, are just like police detectives. They know every whore house on their beat. Without even needing to finance those "establishments."

What you could learn, here, if you wanted a lesson; is that Feinstein is a mover and shaker among 100.

I'm sure, in the beginning, she got "more access" than most; because the white guys were looking for wommen. They even made new executive bathrooms for this!

As to men and women, being equal; I'd show ya that in Eleanor Roosevelt, Winston Churchill met his match. (FDR was the referee.)

Now. The Lesson. 101.

You no longer have some devoted congress critters on the right, because one after another they fell on their "pulpit garments." (The donks don't wear them!)

Otherwise, how do you explain the recognizable names that are no longer "there." There.

DeLay
Livingston
Gingrich
Hastert

Wanna quibble that I'm talking HOUSE? Not Senate? Well, the house turns over every two years. So your "goody-two-shoes" criteria gets in the way.

When you lose a TOP NAME, due to "ethics" as the interference; it's like the priests of old, who broke many a Catholic girl's heart; forbidding a church marriage. (As if you can always fall in love with virgins.)

Do you know what followed?

Just by example.

A friend of mine; close to my age. Is a devoted Catholic. So we're able to talk about Church affairs, the way it used to be in my own yoot. When I had Catholic friends. Lighting candles to ward off "whatever." And, I'd bet ya, most of them, today, no longer even go to church.

And, then? The local Italian family, when the social news came out that their daughter married, I was SHOCKED to see it was not in a Catholic Church at all. Yes. The daughter wore white. And, very expensive. But the priest? Nope. Didn't get to participate in the nuptuals. Or even still have this family under his umbrella.

Does this relate to politics?

Sure. If you think living people create an institution; and are capable of walking our one, by one. You'd learn that to "smear" Feinstein is a foolish game. The donks aren't of your faith. And, they're not committing Hari-Kari

Posted by TomTom [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 2:25 PM

Carol, PLEASE take your medicines, please. Or we're going to have to take away your computer. Please, just do it for Mom,OK?

Posted by MarkD [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 3:31 PM

Where is the Attorney General?

I have abridge to sell those who believe this is a coincidence.

Posted by NoDonkey [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 3:53 PM

Well, the mean ol' Republicans could raise a big stink about the trophy wife's thievery.

Oh, right. The Republicans haven't the stomach for it. Might take some effort.

Meanwhile, Henry Waxman is hauling Republicans before his kangaroo court, by the cartful.

Looks like the Republicans have adopted the Democrats strategy on Al Qaeda.

Pretend they aren't who they are and maybe they won't get angry with us.

Posted by Angry Dumbo [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 5:49 PM

How about this for a conspiracy theory: Fired by AG Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney Carol Lamm was terminated according to Gonzalez for focusing too much on "public corruption" cases rather than immigration inforcement.

If Lamm was indeed looking into public corruption, how about $1.5 billion in government business funneled into URS of San Francisco and the Perini Corp. controlled by Feinstein's husband, Richard C. Blum? This would be a target too rich to miss.


If you ever questioned why the Democrats want to bring back the "fairness doctrine" under the proposed Media Ownership Reform Act (MORA), I direct to my favorite snip from the article:

"In spite of the blatant appearance of corruption, no major publication has picked up on the story, the Senate Ethics Committee has reportedly let her slip by, and she is now chairing the Senate Rules Committee, which puts her in charge of making sure her colleagues act ethically and avoid the sorts of conflicts of interest with which she is personally and so obviously familiar."

Posted by Carol_Herman [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 6:35 PM

Tom, Tom. STop beating yourself below your belly button.

I know there's a curve. And, there are short people, too. So, some sentences fly way above them.

I also know that the donks aren't in trouble. Polls are showing they're holding their lead. How much of a lead? ONE PERCENT.

But that means to get ahead the republicans need TWO.

What could you learn if you looked in the market place, and you saw the advantages you once had, slipping away?

Dunno.

Because you're not able to take out the donks. They don't abide by the republican rules. Because? THEY ARE A DIFFERENT PARTY!

And, right now? Or up ahead? Not likely you're gonna get your "groove" back. Come 2008. Besides the presidential nomination. Congress goes into play. ALL the HOUSE. And, 36 from the SENATE. Ah. Here's the rub. In 2008, only one dozen donks are running for re-election. While two-dozen members who have to renew their jobs with the American people; are up for re-election.

And, the other thing worth observing? The donks are running, in CONGRESS, as a TEAM. But when you look to see if anyone's waivering? Hmm?

By the time 2008 rolls around, the republicans will be nominating "someone" to challenge, in the presidential election. Will you be checking coattails?

I didn't design the Ma and Pa Kettle Show. When I first heard it? I thought it would LOSE VOTERS. But that has not happened. You want to count the unhappy Code-Pinker's? Go ahead. Count cooties, too. But it's not how the polls are coming out.

Where Bush is in a downslide. I-R-A-K is not "halping." And, politics is one game of HARDBALL.

In Israel? Seems Olmert's holding on. (Well, per DEBKA. So you can take it with a grain of salt.) But Livni's about to be fired. Which means Olmert is controlling his faction. And, Livni, Ehud Barak, and Shimon Peres, have been exposed as those that tried to bring Olmert down.

What happens months ahead? When the kinds of actions you've been anticipating were supposed to happen today?

World doesn't run on headline fumes, anymore. It's the best that I can say.

By the way, whose the "go to republican minority chair?" Lott? Is he hiding under it? Is it McConnell? Seems there's a leadership crisis in Congress. And, it's not a democrapic problem.

Didn't Feinstein just win her re-election? George Allen didn't.

Posted by richard mcenroe [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 7:15 PM

Hmmm... any connection between Feinstein and the navy contract for the LCS Lockheed just screwed up for hundreds of milliions of dollars and lost?

Posted by conservative democrat [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 7:53 PM

If Feinstein was guilty don't you think every gop politician in the country would be shouting at the top of their lungs? Lets see, their not, even as a stupid democrat I figure they have nothing, just like Whitewater had nothing. Please gop, don't be grasping for straws, it makes you look pathetic. Although maybe this story could draw some attention away from the multitudes of republican scandals.....or maybe not.

Posted by Carol_Herman [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 8:17 PM

Folks. You think lobby-ists in DC are poor people?

Whatever it is the congress critters do; it's up there with the death rate in South Central LA. Frequent. And, frequently, it goes unreported.

I'm not even impressed with this stuff. Because I don't care. It's like telling a kid their parents had sex! Which shocks the kids. Because they don't believe "their own parents do that stuff."

At least? Well, to get a place to sit in Congress. And, to get an office. Ya gotta win.

What makes some candidates win better?

Dunno.

Schwartzenegger got to be governor in his own term. Instead of just polishing off the last two years of Grey Davis' role.

And, Feinstein one with more than a million MORE votes than Schwartzenegger got.

What does that mean? It means in California, Feinstein isn't in trouble.

How'd she do that? Get elected? Meet all the other stuff that put her in office, and not your own mother?

Well, you could start with a general assumption that when her party was looking for candidates to run; they didn't use the Yellow Pages.

And, all this hoopla about 'ethics." Pot's calling the Kettle's black again, I suppose?

Posted by DonS [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 8:34 PM

"If Feinstein was guilty don't you think every gop politician in the country would be shouting at the top of their lungs?"

What DiFi needs is a good investigation. Guilt would be determined by the outcome.

You don't start an investigation knowing the outcome. A good example is the whole Wilson/Phame thing, where we found out that Wilson lied about the Niger trip.

Posted by Rose [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 9:17 PM

See, the DIM has achieved one aspect they have worked hard to get to - that point where the greatest scandalous behavior ON THEIR OWN PART is a subject so boring (so commonplace, and immoveable) as to seem of no apparent consequence to anyone at all.

"So? What else is new!"

Now we have reached the point, what can the DIM possibly do that would become of ANY moment to the American people.

NAME AN ACTIVITY by the Dims that would get people stirred up. I cannot think of one.

Take this very conversation - can you imagine having this conversa tion on a day during WW2 when Congress tied the budgetary needs of the Military IN A TIME OF WAR to a TIMETABLE that would be announced tothe Germans and Japanese? And one of the DIM Commentaries commenting in prime time television that the TIMETABLE is something THE AMERICAN PEOPLE are DEMANDING - and it doesn't even get a YAWN.

But we go on to discuss that crooked politicians aren't getting reprimanded - much less are we NOT fussing that they aren't being REMOVED from office!

HO HUM! Another day, another rockslide.

I think the frog is thoroughly cooked.

Posted by Rose [TypeKey Profile Page] | May 2, 2007 9:36 PM

The frog is completely, thoroughly cooked, and snoring loudly.