A thread bellow mentions that Bush Co. plans to withhold information from congress till after the midterm election. This led me to think how the last three Republican administrations have handle their various scandals. Nixon tried stonewalling and destruction of information with limited success, Reagan had greater success and Pappy was most successful of all. Each administration learned from the mistakes of the previous one.
In vary brief form it looks like this: Nixon the head crook was pardoned, Reagan the Judiciary was flooded with partisans that did legal back flips in order to release co-conspirators (i.e. the North conviction being over turned) and most of the conspirators presenting a united from (i.e. Reagan’s “I don’t remember”), and Pappy with the pardoning of the little crooks.
Now we have the Shrub the end of the line in a devolutionary chain back to feudalism. What has he added to the mix? Why the media of course, which may have been tame dogs for Reagan and Pappy, are now fawning lap puppies to the misshapen Dauphin. It is their addition to the concoction of theft that makes this administration the apogee of corruption.
In part the Job of the propagandist is to inoculate the public against reaction to certain pieces of information. This is what brings me to Marc Rich the man pardoned by Clinton as his administration ended. The Republican leadership knew that the Rich pardon was in the works. Several of Rich’s lawyers were and are in top positions with the Bush campaign and administration. Each when questioned individually thought Clinton’s pardon was appropriate.
A careful investigation into the pardon would find nothing unusual about it except for the reaction of the press. The amazingly loud and sustained cries of corruption may only have been a typical partisan trick. But let us suppose instead it was an act of inoculation.
I am guessing that from the moment this administration entered office it knew that it would have to end with pardons of key conspirators. The noise over the Rich pardons was meant to deafen the public against similar (but justified) outcries for their pardons when they leave office.
If I am close to correct about this then we can expect to hear renewed yammering about Marc Rich, starting about the same time it looks like Smirk will lose the 04 election.

You can now remove the tin foil citizen nothing happening here.

Buzzcook


An honest Republican?

At the very least, the bushistas were very clever at getting the media to play the "shocked, shocked" game regarding the Rich Pardon (just like they were shocked Clinton was getting some on the side, while they all new every President from JFK and LBJ to Poppy with his little Jennifer Fitzgerald were getting it, too--if only in the missionary position).

No one seemed to mind Poppy pardoning known Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch for Jebbie, or the Pakistani heroin dealer for Jesse Helms.

The fact that Libby was involved is not surprising...rich people like Rich hire top-gun lawyers from every sector: anyone who can get them what they need. That he told Clinton it was appropriate is the key, because I'm sure he leaked it to the Cheney/Bush camp to use for fodder, laughing all the way.

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Clinton was engaged in high level and sensitive negotiations with Ehud Barak with ME peace in the balance. Barak asked Clinton for a favor - pardon Jonathon Pollard and Marc Rich (a man who wouldn't even have been convicted under current RICO laws). Clinton said yes to Rich and no to Pollard. Case closed.

The press simply used this to further attack Clinton as he was out the door. Yes, the "liberal" press.