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Breslin on Hillary and her Iraq craziness

COMMENTARY Where's Hillary on Iraq? Jimmy Breslin November 30, 2005 Beautiful. I am in receipt today of a mailing from the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign. This is different from the letter she sent out by e- mail in a rush. I don't know who got the e-mail. She announces it is 1,600 words long. That much of her sentences could end reading. The letter I got is more than a dead dry political mailing. I found it such compelling reading that I drop everything and share with you promptly and thus prominently. It is a four-page questionnaire with the headline, "2005 Critical National Issues Survey." I thought that this was about the more than 2,000 dead in Iraq. Not even close. I read on, thinking that the pamphlet might tell me what Hillary stands for, as she is pretty much a blank thus far. The questionnaire begins with a statement that we can't let Republican political attacks distract Hillary from her efforts in the Senate to address the critical issues our nation needs to address. Then there is the normal space for contributions by check or credit card. The amounts are from $25 to $100 and "other." Fine so far. Here are the critical issues: "Economy/jobs. Environment. Social Security/Medicare. Education. Homeland Security. Health Care. Tax Cuts. Reproductive Rights. Separation of Church and State." Absolutely marvelous. Nothing about Iraq. Or the life and death of young Americans in Iraq. Or troop withdrawals from Iraq. I go through the rest of the pamphlet. "How concerned are you that President Bush is not doing enough to get Americans back to work, create more jobs and get the economy moving again? "How concerned are you that the massive budget deficits caused by Republican economic and tax policies will inevitably result in drastic cuts in Social Security, Medicare, education and social services?" Absolutely beautiful! There are, as stated earlier, now more than 2,000 young Americans who have died in Iraq. She wants to be a candidate for president and she doesn't even mention our dead, or our next dead. Wait. Here is question 9: "How concerned are you that the administration's unilateral policies have reduced our number of allies and endangered our national security?" How absolutely marvelous! "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is," her husband said when he was questioned about rolling around on the office carpet with a young office worker. And she not only copies, but clearly surpasses. She deals with something important. Hillary Clinton today holds the new North American record for fakery. She copies. She sneaks and slithers past you with her opinion on a war that kills every day. Hillary Clinton is in favor of the war and of executions. Sensational! The other day, when Rep. John Murtha of Johnstown, Pa., called for a withdrawal from Iraq, and obviously did so with half the Pentagon behind him, Hillary said, no, we shouldn't pull out at this time. Oh, it would cause so much violence. We must stay. It takes a national Alzheimer's for her to be able to try to get away with things like this. If Hillary Clinton wants this war to go on, then she should send her daughter to fight in Iraq. We have had in New York as United States senators, Robert F. Kennedy, Jacob Javits and Daniel Moynihan. We now have Hillary Clinton blowing on her fingers as she goes about cracking the combination to another safe. If the one hand glistens, it is from the wedding ring that she has used to hypnotize the public so far. Beautiful. Copyright © 2005, Newsday, Inc -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.10/189 - Release Date: 11/30/2005

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Hastert and the Waterfall Resort

Does anyone know what the Resort is?  Anyone know why Hastert was there?  Who else attended?   By LARRY MARGASAK and SHARON THEIMERAssociated Press WritersDec 20 2:03 PM US/EasternWASHINGTON - As Tom DeLay became a king of campaign fundraising, he  lived like one too. He visited cliff-top Caribbean resorts, golf  courses designed by PGA champions and four-star restaurants _ all  courtesy of donors who bankrolled his political money empire. Over  the past six years, the former House majority leader and his  associates have visited places of luxury most Americans have never  seen, often getting there aboard corporate jets arranged by lobbyists  and other special interests.   Public documents reviewed by The Associated Press tell the story: at  least 48 visits to golf clubs and resorts with lush fairways; 100  flights aboard company planes; 200 stays at hotels, many world-class;  and 500 meals at restaurants, some averaging nearly $200 for a dinner  for two.   Instead of his personal expense, the meals and trips for DeLay and  his associates were paid with donations collected by the campaign  committees, political action committees and children's charity the  Texas Republican created during his rise to the top of Congress.   Put them together and an opulent lifestyle emerges.   "A life to enjoy. The excuse to escape," Palmas del Mar, an oceanside  Puerto Rican resort visited by DeLay, promised in a summer ad on its  Web site as a golf ball bounced into a hole and an image of a sunset  appeared.   The Caribbean vacation spot has casino gambling, horseback riding,  snorkeling, deep-sea fishing and private beaches.   "He was very friendly. We always see the relaxed side of  politicians," said Daniel Vassi, owner of the French bistro Chez  Daniel at Palmas del Mar. Vassi said DeLay has eaten at his  restaurant every year for the last three, and was last there in April  with about 20 other people, including the resort's owners.   The restaurant is a cozy and popular place on the yacht-lined marina  at Palmas del Mar. Dishes include bouillabaisse for about $35.50,  Dover sole for $37.50 and filet mignon for $28.50. Palmas del Mar is  also a DeLay donor, giving $5,000 to DeLay's Americans for a  Republican Majority PAC in 2000.   Since he joined the House leadership as majority whip in 1995, DeLay  has raised at least $35 million for his campaign, PACs, foundation  and legal defense fund. He hasn't faced a serious re-election threat  in recent years, giving him more leeway than candidates in close  races to spend campaign money.   AP's review found DeLay's various organizations spent at least $1  million over the last six years on top hotels, restaurants, golf  resorts and corporate jet flights for their boss and his associates.   The spending shows how political power can buy access to the  lifestyles of the rich and famous. While it's illegal for a lawmaker  to tap political donations for a family vacation, it is perfectly  legal to spend it in luxury if the stated purpose is raising more  money or talking politics.   Until his recent indictment in Texas on political money laundering  charges, DeLay was the second most powerful lawmaker in the House and  as such, could command an audience of donors wherever he went.   DeLay attorney Don McGahn declined to identify which trips listed in  the reports were taken by DeLay and which by his associates. But he  said all the travel was legal and not done for DeLay's benefit.  "Raising political money costs money," he said.   "Mr. DeLay has done extensive fundraising, and traveled far and wide  to do so, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone who has  raised more for others, whether for candidates or political parties,"  McGahn said.   Special interests routinely make donations and attend fundraisers to  gain access to government decisionmakers. And while other  congressional leaders accepted trips and used political money to  cover travel, none compares with DeLay:   _Campaign and PAC reports filed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist,  R-Tenn., show several payments to companies for travel, including  Cracker Barrel, Union Pacific, Schering-Plough and Home Depot. But  there were few visits to golf courses, and those were mostly close to  home.   _Reports from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., show  expenses at resorts in South Carolina, New Mexico and Puerto Rico.  But he too holds most events closer to home, like Las Vegas casinos  and Lake Tahoe resorts.   _House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has held events at  ritzy hotels such as The Mark in New York and the Four Seasons in  Atlanta, but had few corporate flights or visits to resorts, her  reports show.   House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., comes closest to rivaling  DeLay's travels, reporting fundraisers at Walt Disney Parks and  Resorts in Florida, the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua, Hawaii, the  Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the Waterfall Resort in  Alaska. Hastert's groups also paid for dozens of corporate jet  flights and restaurant meals.   Some say DeLay pushes the limits, and risks alienating donors.   "I don't think the people that contributed to me would believe it was  a good expenditure of their hard-earned dollars for me to go and play  golf and enjoy life anywhere," said former Rep. Charlie Stenholm, a  fiscally conservative Texas Democrat who lost his House seat  following DeLay-led redistricting.   DeLay's travels with recently indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff are now  under criminal investigation. But those trips were paid by special  interests directly under the banner of congressional fact-finding.   DeLay's own political empire has underwritten far more travel.   The destinations for DeLay or his political team include a Ritz-  Carlton hotel in Jamaica; the Prince Hotel in Hapuna Beach, Hawaii;  the Michelangelo Hotel in New York; the Wyndham El Conquistador  Resort & Golden Door Spa in Fajardo, Puerto Rico; and the Phoenician  Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., built by Charles Keating before he  became the most public face of the savings and loan scandal in the  early 1990s.   There's also the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla., offering "dazzling  views of the Gulf of Mexico, warm golden sunsets and three miles of  pristine beach" plus golf, a spa, goose-down comforters, marble  bathrooms and private, ocean-view balconies. Rooms run from about  $389 to more than $3,000 a night in December, the month DeLay's PAC  spent $4,570 on lodging there in 2004.   "He liked to talk to people," said Pedro Muriel, a waiter at Puerto  Rico's El Conquistador Resort. Muriel recalled DeLay staying in an  enclave of privately owned red tile-roofed villas.   The villas have up to three bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms and  French doors that open onto terraces or balconies facing the  Caribbean. A moon-shape pool hugs the edge of a steep cliff, its  waters spilling over and appearing to blend into the sea. Villa  prices average about $1,300 a night.   Guests get their own butlers. The resort offers six swimming pools  and an 18-hole championship golf course. Its casino served as the  setting for the last scene in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger."   DeLay's donors have also financed visits to country clubs and  tournament-quality golf courses, including the exclusive Baltusrol  Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., site of this summer's PGA  Championship; Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pa., home of  another PGA event; and Harbour Town Golf Links, a Jack Nicklaus-  designed course on Hilton Head Island, S.C.   "World class. Dynamic. Luxury resort. Spend a day, spend a week,  spend a lifetime," another DeLay fundraising spot, the ChampionsGate  golf resort near Orlando, Fla., invites on its Web site.   The resort, where a round of golf typically costs $70 to $80 per  player, has two championship courses designed by pro golfer Greg  Norman and offers players a Global Positioning Satellite system it  boasts "acts as a professional caddie."   Dining at fine restaurants also is routine. The stops for DeLay and  his associates include Morton's of Chicago, where the average dinner  for two goes for about $170 before tax and tip, and "21" in  Manhattan, a longtime glamour spot where American caviar goes for $38  for a taste.   When DeLay wants to head somewhere without the hassle of commercial  travel, he often asks a company for its jet and uses donations to pay  for it.   Dozens of businesses have loaned DeLay their planes, from tobacco  giants UST, RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris to energy companies like El  Paso, Panda, Reliant and Dynegy.   R.J. Reynolds let DeLay use a company plane at least nine times since  once joining Philip Morris in making jets available for a DeLay PAC  fundraiser at a Puerto Rican resort in winter 2002. R.J. Reynolds  spokesman David Howard said planes are loaned usually at lawmakers'  request and are only done if jets aren't needed for company business.   "It's much more convenient as opposed to your regular commercial  travel," Howard said, noting there is no need to go through airport  security.   On R.J. Reynolds' planes, smoking is allowed and there are usually  beverages and deli-style food. There's more leg room and the  convenience of phones.   The smoking rule suits DeLay, who likes to chomp on cigars while  golfing and reported spending at least $1,930 in PAC money on cigar-  shop purchases. The cigars were reported to the Federal Election  Commission as donor gifts.   DeLay's political committee also reported a $2,896 shopping spree at  the Amelia Marche Burette gift shop on Amelia Island, Fla., for donor  gifts. The shop carries "gourmet cookware, Sabatier cutlery and  gadgets for your every need." No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.1/207 - Release Date: 12/19/2005

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Breslin on Hillary and her Iraq craziness

COMMENTARY Where's Hillary on Iraq? Jimmy Breslin November 30, 2005 Beautiful. I am in receipt today of a mailing from the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign. This is different from the letter she sent out by e- mail in a rush. I don't know who got the e-mail. She announces it is 1,600 words long. That much of her sentences could end reading. The letter I got is more than a dead dry political mailing. I found it such compelling reading that I drop everything and share with you promptly and thus prominently. It is a four-page questionnaire with the headline, "2005 Critical National Issues Survey." I thought that this was about the more than 2,000 dead in Iraq. Not even close. I read on, thinking that the pamphlet might tell me what Hillary stands for, as she is pretty much a blank thus far. The questionnaire begins with a statement that we can't let Republican political attacks distract Hillary from her efforts in the Senate to address the critical issues our nation needs to address. Then there is the normal space for contributions by check or credit card. The amounts are from $25 to $100 and "other." Fine so far. Here are the critical issues: "Economy/jobs. Environment. Social Security/Medicare. Education. Homeland Security. Health Care. Tax Cuts. Reproductive Rights. Separation of Church and State." Absolutely marvelous. Nothing about Iraq. Or the life and death of young Americans in Iraq. Or troop withdrawals from Iraq. I go through the rest of the pamphlet. "How concerned are you that President Bush is not doing enough to get Americans back to work, create more jobs and get the economy moving again? "How concerned are you that the massive budget deficits caused by Republican economic and tax policies will inevitably result in drastic cuts in Social Security, Medicare, education and social services?" Absolutely beautiful! There are, as stated earlier, now more than 2,000 young Americans who have died in Iraq. She wants to be a candidate for president and she doesn't even mention our dead, or our next dead. Wait. Here is question 9: "How concerned are you that the administration's unilateral policies have reduced our number of allies and endangered our national security?" How absolutely marvelous! "It depends on what your definition of 'is' is," her husband said when he was questioned about rolling around on the office carpet with a young office worker. And she not only copies, but clearly surpasses. She deals with something important. Hillary Clinton today holds the new North American record for fakery. She copies. She sneaks and slithers past you with her opinion on a war that kills every day. Hillary Clinton is in favor of the war and of executions. Sensational! The other day, when Rep. John Murtha of Johnstown, Pa., called for a withdrawal from Iraq, and obviously did so with half the Pentagon behind him, Hillary said, no, we shouldn't pull out at this time. Oh, it would cause so much violence. We must stay. It takes a national Alzheimer's for her to be able to try to get away with things like this. If Hillary Clinton wants this war to go on, then she should send her daughter to fight in Iraq. We have had in New York as United States senators, Robert F. Kennedy, Jacob Javits and Daniel Moynihan. We now have Hillary Clinton blowing on her fingers as she goes about cracking the combination to another safe. If the one hand glistens, it is from the wedding ring that she has used to hypnotize the public so far. Beautiful. Copyright © 2005, Newsday, Inc -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.10/189 - Release Date: 11/30/2005

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Hastert and the Waterfall Resort

Does anyone know what the Resort is?  Anyone know why Hastert was there?  Who else attended?   By LARRY MARGASAK and SHARON THEIMERAssociated Press WritersDec 20 2:03 PM US/EasternWASHINGTON - As Tom DeLay became a king of campaign fundraising, he  lived like one too. He visited cliff-top Caribbean resorts, golf  courses designed by PGA champions and four-star restaurants _ all  courtesy of donors who bankrolled his political money empire. Over  the past six years, the former House majority leader and his  associates have visited places of luxury most Americans have never  seen, often getting there aboard corporate jets arranged by lobbyists  and other special interests.   Public documents reviewed by The Associated Press tell the story: at  least 48 visits to golf clubs and resorts with lush fairways; 100  flights aboard company planes; 200 stays at hotels, many world-class;  and 500 meals at restaurants, some averaging nearly $200 for a dinner  for two.   Instead of his personal expense, the meals and trips for DeLay and  his associates were paid with donations collected by the campaign  committees, political action committees and children's charity the  Texas Republican created during his rise to the top of Congress.   Put them together and an opulent lifestyle emerges.   "A life to enjoy. The excuse to escape," Palmas del Mar, an oceanside  Puerto Rican resort visited by DeLay, promised in a summer ad on its  Web site as a golf ball bounced into a hole and an image of a sunset  appeared.   The Caribbean vacation spot has casino gambling, horseback riding,  snorkeling, deep-sea fishing and private beaches.   "He was very friendly. We always see the relaxed side of  politicians," said Daniel Vassi, owner of the French bistro Chez  Daniel at Palmas del Mar. Vassi said DeLay has eaten at his  restaurant every year for the last three, and was last there in April  with about 20 other people, including the resort's owners.   The restaurant is a cozy and popular place on the yacht-lined marina  at Palmas del Mar. Dishes include bouillabaisse for about $35.50,  Dover sole for $37.50 and filet mignon for $28.50. Palmas del Mar is  also a DeLay donor, giving $5,000 to DeLay's Americans for a  Republican Majority PAC in 2000.   Since he joined the House leadership as majority whip in 1995, DeLay  has raised at least $35 million for his campaign, PACs, foundation  and legal defense fund. He hasn't faced a serious re-election threat  in recent years, giving him more leeway than candidates in close  races to spend campaign money.   AP's review found DeLay's various organizations spent at least $1  million over the last six years on top hotels, restaurants, golf  resorts and corporate jet flights for their boss and his associates.   The spending shows how political power can buy access to the  lifestyles of the rich and famous. While it's illegal for a lawmaker  to tap political donations for a family vacation, it is perfectly  legal to spend it in luxury if the stated purpose is raising more  money or talking politics.   Until his recent indictment in Texas on political money laundering  charges, DeLay was the second most powerful lawmaker in the House and  as such, could command an audience of donors wherever he went.   DeLay attorney Don McGahn declined to identify which trips listed in  the reports were taken by DeLay and which by his associates. But he  said all the travel was legal and not done for DeLay's benefit.  "Raising political money costs money," he said.   "Mr. DeLay has done extensive fundraising, and traveled far and wide  to do so, but you would be hard-pressed to find someone who has  raised more for others, whether for candidates or political parties,"  McGahn said.   Special interests routinely make donations and attend fundraisers to  gain access to government decisionmakers. And while other  congressional leaders accepted trips and used political money to  cover travel, none compares with DeLay:   _Campaign and PAC reports filed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist,  R-Tenn., show several payments to companies for travel, including  Cracker Barrel, Union Pacific, Schering-Plough and Home Depot. But  there were few visits to golf courses, and those were mostly close to  home.   _Reports from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., show  expenses at resorts in South Carolina, New Mexico and Puerto Rico.  But he too holds most events closer to home, like Las Vegas casinos  and Lake Tahoe resorts.   _House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has held events at  ritzy hotels such as The Mark in New York and the Four Seasons in  Atlanta, but had few corporate flights or visits to resorts, her  reports show.   House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., comes closest to rivaling  DeLay's travels, reporting fundraisers at Walt Disney Parks and  Resorts in Florida, the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua, Hawaii, the  Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., and the Waterfall Resort in  Alaska. Hastert's groups also paid for dozens of corporate jet  flights and restaurant meals.   Some say DeLay pushes the limits, and risks alienating donors.   "I don't think the people that contributed to me would believe it was  a good expenditure of their hard-earned dollars for me to go and play  golf and enjoy life anywhere," said former Rep. Charlie Stenholm, a  fiscally conservative Texas Democrat who lost his House seat  following DeLay-led redistricting.   DeLay's travels with recently indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff are now  under criminal investigation. But those trips were paid by special  interests directly under the banner of congressional fact-finding.   DeLay's own political empire has underwritten far more travel.   The destinations for DeLay or his political team include a Ritz-  Carlton hotel in Jamaica; the Prince Hotel in Hapuna Beach, Hawaii;  the Michelangelo Hotel in New York; the Wyndham El Conquistador  Resort & Golden Door Spa in Fajardo, Puerto Rico; and the Phoenician  Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., built by Charles Keating before he  became the most public face of the savings and loan scandal in the  early 1990s.   There's also the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Fla., offering "dazzling  views of the Gulf of Mexico, warm golden sunsets and three miles of  pristine beach" plus golf, a spa, goose-down comforters, marble  bathrooms and private, ocean-view balconies. Rooms run from about  $389 to more than $3,000 a night in December, the month DeLay's PAC  spent $4,570 on lodging there in 2004.   "He liked to talk to people," said Pedro Muriel, a waiter at Puerto  Rico's El Conquistador Resort. Muriel recalled DeLay staying in an  enclave of privately owned red tile-roofed villas.   The villas have up to three bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms and  French doors that open onto terraces or balconies facing the  Caribbean. A moon-shape pool hugs the edge of a steep cliff, its  waters spilling over and appearing to blend into the sea. Villa  prices average about $1,300 a night.   Guests get their own butlers. The resort offers six swimming pools  and an 18-hole championship golf course. Its casino served as the  setting for the last scene in the James Bond movie "Goldfinger."   DeLay's donors have also financed visits to country clubs and  tournament-quality golf courses, including the exclusive Baltusrol  Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., site of this summer's PGA  Championship; Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pa., home of  another PGA event; and Harbour Town Golf Links, a Jack Nicklaus-  designed course on Hilton Head Island, S.C.   "World class. Dynamic. Luxury resort. Spend a day, spend a week,  spend a lifetime," another DeLay fundraising spot, the ChampionsGate  golf resort near Orlando, Fla., invites on its Web site.   The resort, where a round of golf typically costs $70 to $80 per  player, has two championship courses designed by pro golfer Greg  Norman and offers players a Global Positioning Satellite system it  boasts "acts as a professional caddie."   Dining at fine restaurants also is routine. The stops for DeLay and  his associates include Morton's of Chicago, where the average dinner  for two goes for about $170 before tax and tip, and "21" in  Manhattan, a longtime glamour spot where American caviar goes for $38  for a taste.   When DeLay wants to head somewhere without the hassle of commercial  travel, he often asks a company for its jet and uses donations to pay  for it.   Dozens of businesses have loaned DeLay their planes, from tobacco  giants UST, RJ Reynolds and Philip Morris to energy companies like El  Paso, Panda, Reliant and Dynegy.   R.J. Reynolds let DeLay use a company plane at least nine times since  once joining Philip Morris in making jets available for a DeLay PAC  fundraiser at a Puerto Rican resort in winter 2002. R.J. Reynolds  spokesman David Howard said planes are loaned usually at lawmakers'  request and are only done if jets aren't needed for company business.   "It's much more convenient as opposed to your regular commercial  travel," Howard said, noting there is no need to go through airport  security.   On R.J. Reynolds' planes, smoking is allowed and there are usually  beverages and deli-style food. There's more leg room and the  convenience of phones.   The smoking rule suits DeLay, who likes to chomp on cigars while  golfing and reported spending at least $1,930 in PAC money on cigar-  shop purchases. The cigars were reported to the Federal Election  Commission as donor gifts.   DeLay's political committee also reported a $2,896 shopping spree at  the Amelia Marche Burette gift shop on Amelia Island, Fla., for donor  gifts. The shop carries "gourmet cookware, Sabatier cutlery and  gadgets for your every need." No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.1/207 - Release Date: 12/19/2005