Thursday, August 24, 2006
Kickback Nation
Your modern GOP in action.0 comments
Ever notice how the GOP morphs further into a crime syndicate with every passing day?
Indicted Ky. Governor in Negotiations
Just how, exactly, do you negotiate governmental corruption crimes? Usually, that's called plea-bargining. Trading the circumstantially unprovable murder case for two assault-with-intent charges you can make stick. Or tax evasion.
In corruption, you either screwed the law over or you didn't. It's fairly clear-cut. Any quid-pro-quo is a crime. Period. From there, it's a matter of scale.
What does Kentucky's Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher have to offer?
"I'll take back these twelve illegal jobs, and you can still be upset with me for these other four. OK?"
Is that what we're dealing with, here?
A special grand jury has been investigating whether the Fletcher administration broke state law by giving protected state jobs to political supporters. It indicted Fletcher in May on misdemeanors alleging conspiracy, official misconduct and political discrimination.
The judge in the case, David E. Melcher, has since ruled that Fletcher cannot be prosecuted while in office. [Attorney General Greg] Stumbo said the judge encouraged settlement talks.
"It's highly, highly unlikely that the governor will ever stand trial," the attorney general said Thursday.
Fletcher, who has pleaded not guilty, had already issued a blanket pardon exonerating anyone else in his administration charged in the scandal, and Stumbo said a pardon was still an option for Fletcher, as well. [Emphasis added.]
Corruption cases tend to be "he said, and this guy says, too!" type of cases. So, now all the people around Fletcher are off the hook legally. They can't be touched. They can all say they killed the Lindbergh baby, or JonBenet Ramsey, and not get a scratch. They're free to ease their consciouses and maintain their seat for the Rapture (which was supposed to arrive two days ago, BTW, but didn't, so they still have time to repent!) by doing the right thing and testifying.
Drive a wedge between them and Fletcher and get one of these bright lights to talk.
Unless Karl Rove has the photos/voice mails on all of them. Which he probably does. This, after all, is what the NSA spying is for.
Here's the part that gets up my nose, however.
By settling the matter, Fletcher can seek re-election next year without the shadow of criminal charges looming over him.
Like a true GOPer.
It's not whether Republicans are crooks, or not. We've long ago settled that one. No, the only issue facing the nation now is simply the matter of the time it takes them to get away with it. Whether these cases become annoyingly long, or inconvenient for our happy GOPer—whatever the nuisance charge that those uninitiated drones in law enforcement come up with. (NOTE: Before any notes start coming in, Duke Cunningham was excessive, and none too bright, even by GOPer standards.)
Crime? What Crime? Nothing to see here, folks. Just move along. Just your corruption dollars at work.
posted by Gotham 11:57 AM
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