Jay Bookman

By RW-(the original)

January 4, 2009 9:38 PM | Link to this

There’s no way Obama had any hint of this problem back when he made the veep decision,

I would be inclined to bet that’s an accurate statement, but I would also bet you have absolutely no shred of evidence to make it in a “news”paper. As I’ve said before it’s a good thing you write in what should be named the fiction section of the paper.

OFF TOPIC

Could somebody at the AJC please provide assurance that the print edition has only been suffering from shrinkage for the holidays? The $2.00 Sunday edition lately is smaller than what used to be published for a quarter on Monday and there isn’t enough copy to line my rabbit’s cage.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 9:51 PM | Link to this

Luck is clearly what McCain was hoping for as well during his bid for the White House. If it weren’t for bad luck he’d have no luck at all though.

If Richardson is crooked then he needs to be out of any position of trust and behind bars if the offense dictates it — the same as it should be for anyone. We’ll just have to wait and see. I hope they get all the weeding out done soon because we the people clearly do not need such distractions once Obama’s term begins and through his administration’s first 100 days. After that, I’m sure we will all have a little clearer picture of the sort of leadership potential he truly has.

By the way, now might be a good time to start working on some catchy campaign counter-slogans. Something along the line of No Jeb in 2012, etc.

By Dusty

January 4, 2009 9:54 PM | Link to this

Bookman!! The title was supposed to be “Richardson’s Retreat”. How can I help you if you don’t pay attention?

Anyway, no surprise?? No investigation? Wonder what Obama thinks about Hillary’s record on contributions? Another surprise?

I hope Obama’s “blind luck” you mentioned keeps coming. Otherwise, he might have to face up to real life without political preference. It tends to take the luster off the luminaries.

By getalife

January 4, 2009 10:08 PM | Link to this

I have no idea why Obama nominated him in the first place if they knew he was under investigation but now both sides are playing the blame game. Needless distraction but looks like Obama will not admit mistakes like w.

I give you the “”American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.”

Big tax cuts and adding 600,000 government jobs.

Yikes.

By sunshine and thunder

January 4, 2009 10:23 PM | Link to this

JAY

Yeah, this is just a distraction. Withdraw the Commerce Sec’s name right before the inauguration and search up another one right in the middle of a recession.

WSJ just printed a story that Obama has learned what a tax cut is. And he’s cutting taxes for businesses.

Let’s see if the left thundernuts in congress are smart enough to go along.

Hey, I thought you guys elected a left nut moonbat. Looks like he’s smarter than you thought.

By Taxpayer

January 4, 2009 10:26 PM | Link to this

Actually, Obama said more than 80% of the 3 million would be private sector which equates to something less than 600k in government. Then, he could probably account for half of whatever that number is by including the military folks that sign up for another tour of duty. The rest is then in the noise. They could fill jobs that are vacated due to attrition or that have been left empty by Bush such as at the EPA or the SEC — areas that he didn’t deem important.

By The Corporal

January 4, 2009 10:34 PM | Link to this

I read that Obama said Richardson would have another postition in his cabinet later after he was exonerated.

Now, since he claims he (Obama) didn’t know about the investigation prior to Richardson’s appointment then how can he claim to know he will be exonerated so he can be appointed again?

By Hillbilly Deluxe

January 4, 2009 10:55 PM | Link to this

The more things change the more they stay the same. (Forget who said that first.)

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 11:28 PM | Link to this

I would suggest that everyone who is jumping to conclusions that Bill Richardson has done something wrong needs to take a deep breath because investigations don’t equate to guilt, although I understand that the bell shaped curve of people are always ready to conclude they do.

Much of politics and politicians—way too much are always going to be about raising money—and often the line between contributions and favorable treatment is pretty grey.

I sure thought it was an odd coincidence when two judges gave considerable money to Roy Barnes within about 72 hours of their appointment for example right here in Atlanta.

The Fulton County Daily Report hit that hard on their front page. I don’t think it made the AJC’s radar at all.

Judge Craig Schwall was a long time contributer to Republican Politicans and to Sonny Purdue a short time before he was appointed to Fulton Superior Court.

I’m going to bet that the people who are prematurely Tut Tuting Richardson or Obama’s appointment of him didn’t let out a squeak during the three contributions I just documented above.

By Chad Harris

January 4, 2009 11:32 PM | Link to this

I should have named the two judges who gave considerable money to Roy Barnes within hours of getting their appointment.

They are Marvin Arrington @ Fulton Superior Court

and

Alvin Wong @ Dekalb State Court.

No one in their right mind would have timed the contributions that closely but hey, Welcome to Georgia.

By AJC/DNC Management

January 5, 2009 5:20 AM | Link to this

!!!!On Topic!!!!

Richardson withdraws bid to be commerce secretary- A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson’s political activities won a New Mexico transportation contract worth more than $1 million.

A developer in New York state donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton’s foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman’s mall project.

Can you tell the difference?

Ding, ding, ding, that’s right, Richardson stepped down.

You just won………………something.

By AJC/DNC Management

January 5, 2009 5:28 AM | Link to this

!!!!On Topic!!!!

Richardson’s withdrawal was the first disruption of Obama’s Cabinet process and the second “pay-to-play” investigation that has touched Obama’s transition to the presidency. But the president-elect has remained above the fray in both the case of arrested Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the New Mexico case.-Urinal/DNC

Aahhh, yes, just like a little lightweight, Oblahmi floated up, up and away.

Judgment?

Thoroughness?

A very small pool of potential choices that aren’t felons or hacks in the democrat party?

ew

By AJC/DNC Management

January 5, 2009 5:36 AM | Link to this

!!!!!1st of the two Off Topic Posts graciously allowed to Management!!!!!

Israel’s military chief said Hamas fighters were trying to draw soldiers deeper into Gaza’s sprawling, densely packed urban areas, where the military said Hamas was shielding itself behind civilians.

“You entered like rats,” Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan told Israeli soldiers in a statement on Hamas’ Al Aqsa TV. “Gaza will be a graveyard for you, God willing,” he said.-Urinal/Jihad

It’s like a thousand to zero in favor of Israel right now, the smartest thing Hamas could do is to scatter hither and yon, but the Urinal has them talking smack in the midst of all the carnage.

So brave.

By cliff zeider

January 5, 2009 5:43 AM | Link to this

Hey Rotten apples donn’t fall to far from the tree. I think you could put all the for mention in a gunny sack and shake it up and dump it out and they would all come tumbling out at the same time.

By Bud Wiser

January 5, 2009 6:57 AM | Link to this

Are we going to go through four years of this crap about Obama “not knowing anything about” friends, felons, political associates, with a new “I didn’t know anything about….” emerging virtually every week?

By the end of his tenure, he won’t know anything or anybody. But since that is the way he’s coming in, I guess it’s no big deal, unless you care about our country, that is.

America committed suicide on Nov 4, ‘08, and the way things are going, it looks like Minnesota at least wants to die laughing. Too bad Franken/Soros is not now, and never has been, funny. Those folks up there never knew funny from dead anyway. No wonder their team got handed their arses yesterday by the Eagles.

By norman ravitch

January 5, 2009 6:57 AM | Link to this

Now it’s time to drop Eric Holder.

By AJC/DNC Management

January 5, 2009 7:17 AM | Link to this

!!!!On Topic!!!!

The Obama transition team was aware of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s relationship with the firm currently being investigated, CDR Financial Products, because Richardson had introduced the firm’s founder, David Rubin, to Obama fundraisers during the Democrat convention in Denver last August.-AmSpec

Thee plot thickens.

ew

By Joey

January 5, 2009 8:02 AM | Link to this

I nominate Al Franken for Commerce Secretary. I am confident he can gin up jobs just like he did the votes.

By Shawny

January 5, 2009 8:04 AM | Link to this

Richardson - under investigation.

Clinton - campaign finance funny business.

Edwards - liar, liar, pants on fire.

Blojobovich - name it.

By Chad Harris

January 5, 2009 11:07 AM | Link to this

If every “investigation” yielded guilty pleas or indictments, or conviction, or pleas the amount of money your stupid government is using for bailouts ala both sides of the aisle would dwarf and there would not be enough money or prisons to hold them.

Currently there are between 100-200 Bush administration officials who have been not only investigated, but flipped like the snitches they have always wanted to be and pled guilty and are in prison or on their way to prison.

Anyone who has posted here “looks like” or yada yada is making a fool of yourself as to Richardson. Richardson’s “investigation” may have leaked, but you have no substantive evidence in your particular hands at this moment that Bill Richardson has done anything wrong or that Obama has done anything wrong to appoint him.

I understand the Republican psyche. You got whipped. You got whipped decisively and right now in your inner sould if you have a brain you know that you are never going to get a candidate elected to the Presidency if you don’t come up with some awfully different paradigm shifts.

So you’re hungry for any scrap however unconfirmed, however unsubstantial that can satisfy the reptilian analogue in your brain thirsty for revenge that one psychiatrist makes millions advising car advertisers to tap.

No one who understands the law would jump to the conclusion that Bill Richardson is in any trouble. There were probably a number of arguments that Richardson continue right where he was appointed.

I remember 4 short weeks ago when people here and on right wingnut blogs were jumping up and down about how Emanuel was through because Fitz had him on tape yada yada.

Fitz has thousands of transcriptions to get translated right now. And I mean translated. When those things are listened to, and no agent wants the task, they are hard to understand, full of passages that can’t be interpreted, and often never are.

When someone is taped for years there are hundreds of innocent conversations. Reid is on tape with Fitz. Durban is on tape with Fitz. They aren’t in any trouble but Reid is making a legal fool of himself right now and he’s going to have to back down or Burris will defeat him in court and Reid now knows this.

So while people here are jumping up and down with the usual hyperbole, just as you and your girl Karen Handel’s lawyer have failed to comply with an Eleventh Circuit order to prove voter fraud in Georgia, no one at this time can come up with any substantive evidence that Richardson has done anything wrong. You’re not in the New Mexico US Attorney’s office, and you’re not in DOJ’s public integrity section, and you don’t know jack about whether their is anything incriminating as to contributions Richardson got, and this “investigation” doesn’t have any conclusions yet.

You can fantasize here if this is where you like to fantasize, but your fantasy won’t include any evidence this early in the game.

By Chad Harris

January 5, 2009 11:41 AM | Link to this

No criminal proceedings will come from these. They’re life in the real world.

I haven’t heard anyone here wanting to go after the two Judges now sitting Fulton Superior Court Judge Marvin Arrington and Dekalb State Court Judge Al Wong who gave sizable contributions to Roy Barnes a couple days before he put them on the bench.

I haven’t heard anyone here who even knows that Fulton Superior Court Judge and Jim Wooten love object Craig Schwall (who is the only Superior Court Judge in history to be reemed out for taking one litigant’s side in a recent Georgia Supreme Court complete reversal of Schwall’s stupidity) made a sizable financial contribution to Sonny Perdue a couple weeks before Purdue appointed him to the bench.

Why the silence in these three known cases of contributions right before the reward. If that ain’t pay for play what is?

By Chad Harris

January 5, 2009 11:48 AM | Link to this

Investigation? Nope. Criminal Charges? Hell No Biz as usual:

From TPM Muck:

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) helped a New York developer with legislation not long before he donated to her husband’s foundation, the New York Times reports. Robert Congel’s donation of $100,000 to Bill Clinton’s foundation came after Mrs. Clinton secured earmarks for $5 million worth of road construction serving one of Congel’s projects and an allowance to use tax-free bonds for the financing of this project. (New York Times)

Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) attempted to influence embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL) choice of Senate appointee soon before charges against Blagojevich became public. Reid tried to convince Blagojevich to not appoint Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. and Danny Davis, as well as Emil Jones, president of the state senate - all of whom are black. Chicago Sun-Times sources say Sen. Reid found them to be insufficiently electable. (LA Times)

By Chad Harris

January 5, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this

@ Joey:

Al Franken has just been certified to a position of considerably more power for which he is fully prepared. He’s the new Senator from Minnesota.

You can probably get a room an commiserate with Norm Coleman if you like. He probably goes cheap these days.

By Chad Harris

January 5, 2009 12:56 PM | Link to this

Blogo—Name it.

No problem.

Blago Under investigation. No one from Obama’s campaign nor Jessie Jackson Jr. under investigation.’

I’ll be happy to name what you don’t know and don’t have the experience to understand, and apparently Senator Harry Reid and his staff don’t either from the stupid comments on MTP.

Reid said Blago would be indicted in a few days. Nope.

Fitz has filed a motion unopposed by Blago’s lawyers for a 90 day extension in his investigation and he may file for more extensions.

Why would that be?

Fitz says in the motion he has thousands of conversations to process and part of that process is evaluating them and interpretting them which takes hours for each one of them on special tape players that the NDI or any district has in limited number with limited numbers of agents to hear them.

They have to be transcribed by the pool of court reporters that the AOC alots to the NDI who have as higher ranking priority active trials and all arriagnment or case status or pre-trial disputes before Magistrates in the NDI.

They also have to do the takedowns on all grand jury sessions in the NDI which take priority.

Many of the thousands of transcripts are very hard to decipher and can only be interpreted after scores of other tapes are listened to and transcribed.

By the time there is any indictment of Blago and Harris and no one from Obama’s team or Jessie Jackson Jr. and the time when you will read lay interpretations of the indictment it will be April and if there is another 90 day extension it will be Fall.

And you will be left with the same fantasies you have now, not knowing a fraction of where Fitz’s case is or what he has.

Since the 30 days to indict is up very soon, granting of Fitz’s unopposed motion should happen in a few days.