John Pessoa National Futures Advisory Services Eventos amp Seminários Trading Cursos amp Livros Online Webinars John Pessoas Newsletter Indicadores de Software Sala de bate-papo amp University Inscreva-se para John Pessoa Eventos Seminários John Pessoa técnicas de negociação usando gráficos de castiçal em conjunto com Pivot Point Analysis John explica esta ferramenta profissional comerciantes Que a maioria dos comerciantes de chão e fora analistas de pesquisa usam para ajudar a prever altos e baixos de movimentos de preço de mercado. Usando esta combinação de formações de gráfico de castiçal e os cálculos da análise Pivot Point sua abordagem de ensino irá ajudá-lo a melhor sintonizar suas habilidades de investimento. A apresentação de John Persons revelará a fórmula usada no cálculo, bem como a forma de aplicá-la para diferentes períodos de tempo. John sistema também é conhecido como Pessoa Pivots ou PPS. John Pessoa Trading cursos amp livros John Pessoa Advance Trading cursos, Forex Conquistado - Set-ups, regras e orientações para o lucro. John Pessoa somente Curso de negociação de série de DVD Um guia completo para táticas de negociação técnica, ponto de pivô de castiçal, táticas de negociação, Forex Conquistado - Estratégias, para comerciantes ativos John Webinars pessoa John técnicas de negociação de pessoas usando gráficos de castigo em conjunto com Pivot Point Analysis John explica este profissional Traders ferramenta que a maioria dos comerciantes chão e fora analistas de pesquisa usam para ajudar a prever altos e baixos de movimentos de preços de mercado. Usando esta combinação de formações de gráfico de castiçal e os cálculos da análise Pivot Point, sua abordagem de ensino irá ajudá-lo a melhor sintonizar suas habilidades de investimento. A apresentação de John Persons revelará a fórmula usada no cálculo, bem como a forma de aplicá-la para diferentes períodos de tempo. John Pessoa Newsletter O Bottom-Line Newsletter é uma publicação escrita por John L. Pessoa. A publicação foi resultado de muitos pedidos de clientes e amigos da Futures Industry que seguiram as recomendações diárias de Johns em sua linha direta de relatório de linha de fundo diária. Em 1998, John começou a imprimir sua análise como The Bottom Line Newsletter. John Person Software Indicadores projetado para Forex Trading, Stock Trading e Futures Trading. Esses indicadores úteis ajudarão você a calcular os números de Suporte e Resistência de Pontos Pivô projetados com base em um conjunto de algoritmos proprietários que incorpora as Médias de Ponto de Pivô como se se relacionasse com o valor de fechamento e Ponto de Pivô. Setas verdes aparecem indicando uma mudança no momento que ilustram um ponto de entrada ou saída. Esta é uma grande ferramenta que não só irá complementar outros softwares de negociação, pode ser a melhor ferramenta de negociação usada por comerciantes individuais hoje. John Pessoa Live Sala de Treinamento amp Programa Universitário nós fornecemos-lhe uma metodologia avançada, mas simples que evolui os comerciantes para novas alturas através da próxima geração de formação e educação. Nós ensinamos-lhe como competir com os mundos mais rentáveis e poderosos comerciantes para que você possa consistentemente capturar parte dos bilhões em capital de negociação em uma base diária John Pessoa Bem-vindos todos os comerciantes SUCESSO HISTÓRIAS. Saiba por que o uso de quotCandles e Pivotsquot pode ajudá-lo a identificar oportunidades de negociação rapidamente ao traçar mudanças no momento. As técnicas de Johns podem ajudá-lo a identificar sinais de mudança poderosos e surpreendentes. John Pessoa s Calendário - John Pessoa desenvolveu este método especializado e altamente preciso, incorpora-lo em seu boletim semanal, e ensina os comerciantes à procura da melhor abordagem na negociação. Verifique a sua Newsletter e atualizações de vídeo, registrando-se para um julgamento Esta é uma entidade independente consultoria de pesquisa de investimento - Não estamos afiliados com qualquer corretora ou qualquer outra empresa de pesquisa, este é o site John Persons para investidores e comerciantes ativos Este site evoluiu através do Anos como as demandas e as necessidades de investimento dos indivíduos mudaram, uma coisa que não mudou é a volatilidade e os mercados reflexão do comportamento humano. As mudanças de preços, afinal, são apenas um reflexo do valor percebido pelos participantes em um determinado momento. É por isso que John Pessoa olha para os principais componentes da análise técnica para ajudá-lo a descobrir certas pistas sobre o que o mercado pode fazer com um certo grau de probabilidade. Indicadores do software da pessoa de John - sistema de PPS - projetado para a troca de Forex, a troca conservada em estoque ea troca de futuros. Esses indicadores úteis ajudarão você a calcular os números de Suporte e Resistência de Pontos Pivô projetados com base em um conjunto de algoritmos proprietários que incorpora as Métricas de Ponto de Pivô relacionadas ao valor de ponto de Fecho e Pivô. Setas verdes aparecem indicando uma mudança no momento que ilustram um ponto de entrada ou saída. Esta é uma grande ferramenta que não só irá complementar outros softwares de negociação, pode ser a melhor ferramenta de negociação usada por comerciantes individuais hoje. Querido John . Ive sido um assinante do seu desde setembro de 2008. Eu me tornei um estudante TTU em novembro de 2008. Sufface dizer, VOCÊ É SURPREENDENTE, MINHA NEGOCIAÇÃO MELHOROU 1000, junto com MINHA PERSPECTIVA E ATITUDE, E MINHA PAMPA. Eu enviei muitos anos, e muito dinheiro com JERKS. Eu não troco tudo o que você faz, mas APRENDE ALGO de tudo que você faz ou diz. Espero encontrá-lo, John Jr e Mary algum dia em breve. Atenciosamente, Lisa F Eu fui e continuo a seguir o conselho nas recomendações Bottom Line. Eu estou sorrindo todo o caminho para o banco. Apenas uma nota rápida para agradecer-lhe mais uma vez para um dos melhores seminários de negociação que eu já estive Foi um grande seminário em Miami. Uma obra-prima de técnicas de negociação e metodologia. Eu estive em como muitos como dez de negociação seminários relacionados e posso dizer, sem qualquer hesitação que o seu é o melhor que eu já participei. John Pessoa, Mary, Butch amp Phyllis, eu comecei com uma conta de 15.000 e como de ontem fechar, minha conta agora tem um saldo de 66.420 (antes de comissões e compras de opção). Eu sei que pode parecer pequeno amendoim, mas para mim é verdadeiramente INCRÍVEL depois de apenas 3 semanas e meia em sua sala de bate-papo e nunca mesmo ter negociado em futuros antes. Realmente incrível para mim. Com profunda gratidão a todos que me ajudaram, K. S.K. John. Obrigado, tendo bom sucesso com os gatilhos desde que participou de seu seminário. Obrigado por compartilhar de si mesmo e seu conhecimento. Virgil S John Persons ProductsOfficial OIC Sponsors Este site discute opções negociadas em bolsa emitidas pela The Options Clearing Corporation. Nenhuma declaração neste site deve ser interpretada como uma recomendação para comprar ou vender um título, ou para fornecer conselhos de investimento. As opções envolvem risco e não são adequadas para todos os investidores. Antes de comprar ou vender uma opção, uma pessoa deve receber uma cópia de Características e Riscos de Opções Padronizadas. Cópias deste documento podem ser obtidas de seu corretor, de qualquer troca sobre quais opções são negociadas ou entrando em contato com a Clearing Corporation, One North Wacker Dr. Suite 500 Chicago, IL 60606 (investorservicestheocc). Copy 1998-2017 O Conselho de Indústria de Opções - todos os direitos reservados. Consulte nossa Política de Privacidade e nosso Contrato de Usuário. Siga-nos: O usuário reconhece a revisão do Contrato de Usuário e Política de Privacidade que regem este site. O uso contínuo constitui a aceitação dos termos e condições ali indicados. Bush Jr. s Skeleton Closet George Bush gosta de apresentar-se como um straight-talking, cara regular. Mas é um ato - os caras regulares não vão para a Prefeitura de Andover, Yale e Harvard Business School, e os caras diretos não fingem ser caras regulares depois de crescer em uma das casas mais privilegiadas da história mundial. Não só o presidente Bush era pai, seu avô era senador dos Estados Unidos e banqueiro rico de Wall Street, e sua família de mães azul-sangue possuía (entre outras coisas) a propriedade no Maine que Bush ainda está pendurada. Agora, como o ato de cara regular de Bush está desgastando, algumas de suas outras decepções estão se tornando mais óbvias. Clique na alegação de sua escolha: - Seus principais assessores expuseram um agente secreto da CIA para silenciar críticos - Mentiras, enganos e coberturas para empurrar a guerra no Iraque - Condenado por dirigir embriagado. Ele mentiu repetidamente para encobrir sua prisão. - Deitado sob juramento. Funcionários Bush parar de investigação de contribuintes empresa enorme funerária. - Evitou o Vietnã e desistiu de seu Serviço da Guarda Nacional - Corrupção do governo do Texas: Estado para patrocinadores de campanhas comerciais - Cocaína: uso de drogas criminosas, vil hipocrisia e uma prisão silenciosa - Seu comportamento jovem e irresponsável: sexo, Drogas e (gasp) rock and roll - Thin skinned: censura seus críticos com a polícia, advogados, - Caráter: garoto rico estragado vivendo fora de seu nome de família e reputação - Fez milhões em negócios de iniciados, por pouco trabalho - - Negócio 1. Lucros Pessoais de empresas petrolíferas falhando - - - - Dinheiro fácil de fontes estranhas - - - - Um negócio surpresa do Bahrein - - - - Acesso ao Presidente e Nacional Consultor de segurança para seu parceiro de negócios estrangeiro - - Deal 2. Vender ações de petróleo logo antes do Iraque invadido: sorte ou insider trading ilegal - - Deal 3. Uma grande fatia de uma equipe de beisebol - - - - - Hipocrisia: usando a coerção do governo para fazer sua fortuna privada Ive sido à guerra sic. Eu criei gêmeos. Se eu tivesse uma escolha, eu preferiria ir para a guerra. - Bush, deitado lá fora, em 2002. Uma das iniciativas interessantes que tomamos em Washington, D. C., é que temos esses dispositivos contra vampiros. Um vampiro é um negócio de celular que você pode conectar na parede para carregar seu celular. DENVER, CO. 14 de agosto de 2001 Bem, é uma honra inimaginável ser o presidente durante o quarto de julho deste país. Significa o que essas palavras dizem, para começar. Os grandes direitos inalienáveis de nosso país. Foram abençoados com esses valores na América. E eu - o seu - sou um homem orgulhoso de ser a nação baseada em valores tão maravilhosos. - Visitando o Memorial Jefferson, Washington, D. C. 2 de julho de 2001 Passamos muito tempo falando sobre a África, como deveríamos. A África é uma nação que sofre de doença incrível. Depois de se reunir com os líderes da União Européia, Gotemburgo, Suécia, 14 de junho de 2001 É muito importante para as pessoas entenderem que quando há mais comércio, há mais comércio. Cidade, Canadá, 21 de abril de 2001 Ive cunhou novas palavras, como, mal-entendido e hispânica. Radio-Television Correspondentes Associação jantar, Washington, DC 29 de março de 2001 Estou consciente não só de preservar os poderes executivos para mim, mas para predecessores também. Washington, DC 29 de janeiro de 2001 Então eu fui para uma corrida com o outro cão e só andei. E eu comecei a pensar em muitas coisas. Eu era capaz toI não pode lembrar o que era. O discurso inaugural começou a refletir sobre isso. Entrevista pré-inaugural com o US News World Report, 22 de janeiro de 2001 problema Redefinindo o papel dos Estados Unidos de capacitadores para manter a paz para capacitadores para manter a paz dos pacificadores está indo Para ser uma atribuição. Interview com o New York Times, 14 de janeiro de 2001 (Graças a Rachael Contorer.) O calcário da Califórnia é realmente o resultado de não o suficiente energia geradora de plantas e, em seguida, não o suficiente poder para o poder da geração de plantas. Interview com o New York Times, 14 de janeiro de 2001 Eles misunderestimated me. Bentonville, Ark. 6 de novembro de 2000 Eu sei o quão difícil é para você colocar comida em sua família. Greater Nashua, NH Câmara de Comércio, Jan Sagitário, Mich., 29 de setembro de 2000 A grande coisa sobre a América é que todos devem votar. - Austin, Texas, 8 de dezembro de 2000 É claramente um orçamento. Raramente é a pergunta feita: Os nossos filhos estão aprendendo - Florence, S. C. 11 de janeiro de 2000 Eu entendo o crescimento das pequenas empresas. Eu era um. - New York Daily News, 19 de fevereiro de 2000 O trabalho mais importante não é ser governador ou primeira-dama no meu caso. - Pella, Iowa, citado pelo San Antonio Express-News, 30 de janeiro , 2000 É importante para nós explicar à nossa nação que a vida é importante. Sua vida não só dos bebês, mas sua vida de crianças que vivem em, você sabe, as masmorras escuras da Internet. Arlington Heights, Illinois. 24 de outubro de 2000 Eu acho que se você sabe o que você acredita, torna muito mais fácil Para responder a perguntas. Não consigo responder à sua pergunta. Reynoldsburg, Ohio, 4 de outubro de 2000 O gás natural é hemisférico. Eu gosto de chamá-lo hemisférico na natureza, porque é um produto que podemos encontrar em nossos bairros. Austin, Texas, 20 de dezembro de 2000 O senador McCain tem que entender se ele vai ter hashe cant têm ambos os caminhos. Ele não pode tomar o cavalo alto e, em seguida, reivindicar a estrada baixa. Para os repórteres em Florença, SC 17 de fevereiro de 2000 Devemos fazer a torta higher. South Carolina Debate republicano, 15 de fevereiro de 2000 Eles querem que o governo federal controle Social Security Como seu algum tipo do programa federal. Morte em St. Charles, Mo. 2 de novembro de 2000 Seu seu dinheiro. Você pagou por isso. LaCrosse, Wis. 18 de outubro de 2000 Não é o papel dos governadores decidir quem vai para o céu. Eu acredito que Deus decide quem vai para o céu, não George W. Bush. - George W. Bush, no Houston Chronicle. Deveria haver limites à liberdade. Estávamos cientes deste Web site, e este indivíduo é apenas um homem de lixo, aquele é todo que é. - Jr. de George que discute um Web site que parodies o Im um uniter não um divisor. Isso significa que quando chega a hora de costurar sua cavidade torácica, usamos pontos em oposição à abertura. - Bush, sobre David Letterman, 2 de março de 2000. (o público abucheou) Eu não - eu juro que eu não - entrar na política para plumas meu ninho ou pena meus ninhos de amigos. - Bush Jr. no Houston Chronicle Quote Fontes Bushs Top Aides expôs um agente secreto da CIA para os críticos de silêncio Em 14 de julho de 2003, o colunista Robert Novak - um partidário republicano e aliado da administração Bush - escreveu uma coluna atacando Joseph Wilson. Um ex-embaixador que investigou as alegações de que o Iraque tentou comprar urânio no Níger (e concluiu que elas eram falsas). Novak escreveu: Wilson nunca trabalhou para a CIA, mas sua esposa, Valerie Plame, é uma agência de armas de destruição em massa. Dois altos funcionários do governo me disseram que a esposa de Wilsons sugeriu enviá-lo ao Níger para investigar o relatório italiano. Vários outros jornalistas, além de Novak, foram contatados pelos dois funcionários da administração Bush, que os encorajaram a relatar esses fatos, embora Novak fosse o único a publicar a história diretamente. Um funcionário da administração confirmou ao Washington Post que os dois funcionários haviam contactado pelo menos 6 jornalistas com as informações, num esforço para desacreditar Wilson. Os repórteres foram contatados na revista Time e 3 redes de TV, incluindo NBC-TVs Andrea Mitchell (que foi chamado depois de Novaks coluna apareceu.) CNN relata que as fontes confirmaram esses contatos para eles também. Depois que a coluna de Novaks apareceu, alguns dos outros discutiram a história, incluindo a revista Time. Long Island Newsday e do Washington Post. Por razões bastante óbvias, é um crime (punido com 10 anos de prisão) revelar a identidade de um agente disfarçado. Na verdade, o pai do presidente Bush, o primeiro presidente Bush, disse em um discurso de 1999 que aqueles que expõem os nomes de fontes de inteligência são os mais insidiosos dos traidores. A esposa de Wilsons - e mãe de seus gêmeos de 3 anos - é uma oficial de caso no serviço clandestino do CIA, trabalhando para descobrir a informação sobre armas de destruição maciça, e seu trabalho da tampa era analista de energia para uma empresa confidencial. Ao publicar seu nome de solteira, que ela trabalhou sob, Novak não só arriscou a sua segurança, mas tem avisado governos estrangeiros que qualquer uma das pessoas que se encontraram com ela são possivelmente espiões. Novak alega que a CIA me pediu para não usar seu nome, mas nunca indicou que o colocaria em perigo ou qualquer outra pessoa. (Os jornalistas estão isentos da lei contra a exposição de fontes de inteligência que só se aplica às leakers do governo.) Pouco depois que a coluna apareceu, a CIA apresentou um relatório criminal com o Departamento de Justiça. Em meados de setembro de 2003, eles enviaram informações adicionais para verificar o dano causado e confirmar que a identidade dos agentes era secreta. O Departamento de Justiça, liderado pelo candidato de Bush John Ashcroft, concluiu sua investigação preliminar, determinou que há um crime aqui e abriu uma investigação completa. Heres a coisa interessante sobre esta história: todos em Washington sabe que funcionários da Administração fez esta fuga. Mantenha isso em mente quando você lê as histórias sobre este escândalo, e você terá uma idéia de como torcida e chummy a cena de insider Washington é. Os altos funcionários do Bush sabem porque, bem, dois deles fizeram isso e Bush e Karl Rove correr um navio apertado - eles não podem fazer o trabalho sujo eles próprios, mas esta administração é famosa por não ter vazamentos não autorizados. E praticamente todos os repórteres em Washington sabem quem fez isso - pelo menos 6 foram contatados pelos leakers em primeiro lugar, e eles conversaram com vários outros repórteres (todos fora do registro sem nomear os nomes, claro.) Porque os repórteres não querem Para revelar suas fontes confidenciais (ou ser punido por Karl Rove), eles continuarão a jogar este jogo onde a Casa Branca se afasta dizendo se essas alegações são verdadeiras ea imprensa piamente finge não saber quem vazou. É claro que as alegações são verdadeiras - o nome foi impresso, não era A menos que você acredite que ROBERT NOVAK de todas as pessoas está mentindo e falsamente identificado seus aliados na Administração como a fonte do vazamento, é um caso aberto e fechado. Mesmo o impecavelmente conservador Washington Times concorda com este ponto. Agora, claro, as pessoas vão me e-mail e perguntar Quem fez isso, então eu gostaria de saber, mas estou baseado em Oregon e não pendurar nesses círculos. Sem dúvida, um dos nossos leitores sabe, porém, assim que fazer um cara um favor e nos enviar a colher. Wilson primeiro nomeou Karl Rove, os presidentes brilhante e vingativo assessor político. Karl Rove foi demitido da campanha mais antiga do presidente Bush em 1992, de acordo com a revista Esquire, depois de plantar uma história negativa com o colunista Robert Novak sobre a insatisfação com o chefe da campanha de arrecadação de fundos e o lealista Robert Mosbacher Jr. Interessante paralelo. Se você ler entre as linhas, porém, os insiders de Washington todos apontam para um nome. Tome, por exemplo, uma história no Washington Post. Que teve as fontes as mais fortes nesta história até agora. A história cita outro jornalista (sem nome) confirmando que os funcionários do governo estavam espalhando esta história, e depois descreve o artigo da revista Time: Um artigo que apareceu no site da revista Time na mesma semana coluna Novaks foi publicado disse que alguns funcionários do governo notaram Tempo em entrevistas. Que a esposa de Wilsons, Valerie Plame, é um funcionário da CIA que monitora a proliferação de armas de destruição em massa. O mesmo artigo cita de uma entrevista com I. Lewis Libby, vice-presidente Cheneys chefe de pessoal, dizendo que Cheney não sabia sobre a missão Wilsons até este ano, quando se tornou público no mês passado ou assim. Por incrível coincidência, o mesmo nome surgiu em uma história EUA Today sobre Plame. Ao descrever o trabalho de Plames, o autor saiu de sua maneira de apontar que Libby estava familiarizado com trabalho de Plames (e identidade): Em Washington, Plame foi atribuído ao Centro de Não-Proliferação de CIA, uma organização de analistas, peritos técnicos e ex Agentes de campo que trabalham na detecção e, se possível, na prevenção da proliferação de armas de destruição em massa no estrangeiro. O vice-presidente Cheney e seu chefe de gabinete, Lewis Scooter Libby, se reuniram com autoridades do Centro de Não Proliferação antes da invasão do Iraque para discutir os relatórios de que o Iraque estava buscando comprar urânio na África. Um funcionário americano com conhecimento dessas reuniões disse que Plame não compareceu. Mas a ex-oficial de inteligência dos EUA disse que estava envolvida na preparação de materiais para essas reuniões. Assim, nem a história DIZ que Lewis Libby foi um dos leakers, mas o menino não o seu nome apareceu do direito azul quando as pessoas estavam discutindo whodunnit Cheney e sua equipe têm sido a mais hawkish dos falcões que procuram atacar o Iraque e danar os torpedos. Com o passar do tempo, Libby eo escritório dos vice-presidentes continuam sendo apontados, aparentemente como não-sequitistas, nessas discussões. Por exemplo, o republicano senador republicano Chuck Hagel disse na CNBC que o presidente Bush deveria assumir um papel mais ativo e conseguir isso por trás dele. Ele prosseguiu dizendo: "Ele tem essa responsabilidade principal para ver isso e vê-lo rapidamente, e isso incluiria, se eu fosse presidente, sentar-se com o meu vice-presidente e perguntar o que ele sabe sobre isso, e durante as segundas-feiras embattled imprensa , O secretário de imprensa de Bush, McLellen, disse isso de uma forma absurda: "Não houve nada, absolutamente nada, que nos tenha sugerido sugerir qualquer envolvimento da Casa Branca, e isso inclui o escritório dos vice-presidentes também. E aqui está uma especulação interessante sobre quem o oficial de administração sênior que confirmou os vazamentos poderia ser. (O principal candidato parece ser George Tenet, chefe da CIA.) A reação das Administrações Bush deve quebrar a ilusão se alguém ainda pensa que Bush é um homem de integridade dedicado à segurança nacional. Primeiro, é claro, sua equipe expõe um agente secreto da CIA na área de defesa nacional mais importante - protegendo os EUA contra armas de destruição em massa detidas por terroristas e nações desonestas. Isso é o que Valerie Plame fez, até que ela foi exposta. Se Bush é o homem que ele afirma ser, ficaria chocado com essa ação, descobriria quem a fez e despedi-los. Em vez disso, ele ignorou completamente a questão depois que a coluna foi publicada, até que uma investigação do FBI o forçou a reagir. Embora ele tenha dito as coisas politicamente corretas para a imprensa - eu quero chegar ao fundo disso, etc. - seu secretário de imprensa admite que Bush não vai mesmo perguntar a seus principais assessores se eles fizeram isso. Ele sabe que um deles o fez, porque seu aliado Robert Novak disse isso. Mas ele não pode ser incomodado para perguntar quem, ou fazer nada sobre isso. Agora, a administração Bush tem uma estratégia dupla: atacar Joseph Wilson como um democrata partidário e certificar-se de que nenhum republicano se junte aos apelos para um promotor especial. Um assessor republicano chamou a estratégia slime e defender. A estratégia revela a verdadeira natureza de Bush - sua única preocupação é o controle de danos políticos, não a segurança nacional. Wilson é Democrata Ninguém relatou isso. Ele é um crítico vocal da maneira como Bush persegue a guerra no Iraque, mas não é tão simples como ele ser um ativista partidário. Ele e sua esposa deram dinheiro ao candidato presidencial democrata John Kerry este ano, e Wilson aconselhou o pessoal de Kerrys. Em 1999, ele deu 1.000 ao candidato democrata Al Gore, mas também deu 2.000 ao próprio George Bush. Wilson foi nomeado para seu cargo no Iraque pelo pai de George Bushs, o ex-presidente, que elogiou seu trabalho lá, onde Wilson foi dedo do pé ao pé com Saddam Hussein, e era um falcão de guerra. Desta vez, ele apoiou a ação militar contra o Iraque, mas criticou o governo Bush pela maneira como o fizeram, e as razões que deram para justificá-lo. Mais ao ponto, então o que é ainda tão errado (e tão ilegal) para expor um espião, mesmo se seu marido se opõe ao presidente. Os pedidos de um promotor especial são irônicos, já que Bush e seus aliados pediram insistentemente para promotores especiais durante os escândalos de Clintons, embora ninguém sugerisse que Janet Reno tivesse qualquer ligação direta com os escândalos e os democratas os combateram com a mesma insistência. Agora os papéis estão invertidos. Política de lado, porém, existem algumas razões reais para desconfiar da capacidade de John Ashcrofts para processar justamente os funcionários do governo Bush. Ashcroft tem laços diretos com pelo menos uma figura central na investigação, Karl Rove. Rove era um consultor pago a 3 das campanhas políticas de Ashcrofts antes que Ashcroft fosse nomeado Attorney General. E Jack Oliver, vice-presidente de finanças da campanha de reeleição do presidente Bush em 2004, foi o diretor da campanha do Senado de Ashcroft, em 1994, e mais tarde trabalhou como chefe adjunto de pessoal de Ashcroft. Dado esses laços, seria normal que Ashcroft nomeasse um promotor especial ou se recusasse do caso, como Janet Reno fez com a investigação de Waco. (Ela nomeou o senador republicano John Danforth como procurador especial). Em 2001, Ashcroft recusou-se da investigação do senador Robert G. Torricelli de New Jersey, simplesmente porque o Sr. Torricelli tinha feito campanha contra Ashcroft em Missouri. Porque Joseph Wilson (o marido dos agentes) tinha criticado publicamente os governos de Bush alegam que o Iraque tinha armas de destruição em massa, e descreveu especificamente sua missão em 2002 para investigar as alegações de que o Iraque havia tentado comprar urânio de urânio amarelo para Uma bomba nuclear. Wilson estava perfeitamente qualificado para verificar isso - ele é um especialista em África que também foi o último embaixador dos EUA no Iraque antes da (1991) Guerra do Golfo. O presidente mais velho, Bush, elogiou publicamente a coragem e a tenacidade de Wilsons e sua conduta hábil de nossos tensos negócios com o governo do Iraque. Wilson verificou para fora as reivindicações e relatou para trás que eram altamente duvidosos. Quando a atual administração Bush usou as alegações de qualquer maneira para justificar a invasão do Iraque, e mais tarde negou que soubesse que as alegações eram falsas, deu um passo à frente e provou que essas declarações eram mentiras. Um objetivo era desacreditar Wilson. Um dos jornalistas contatados, que pediu para permanecer anônimo, disse O funcionário com quem falei pensou que isso era uma parte da história de Wilsons que não era conhecida e lançava dúvidas sobre toda a sua missão. Ele também se encaixa Karl Roves distintivo marca de hardball, para punir Wilson e, mais importante, intimidar qualquer outros funcionários do governo que consideraram discordando com eles sobre as armas do Iraque. Wilson diz que no dia 21 de julho, uma semana depois que Novak tinha soprado sua capa de wifes, um repórter diferente chamou Wilson para dizer que tinha falado apenas com Rove, e que Rove tinha dito que a esposa de Wilsons era jogo justo. O alto funcionário do governo de Bush, que confirmou os telefonemas aos repórteres, disse claramente ao Washington Post que isso significava pura e simplesmente vingança. Revelando uma fonte de espionagem mentiras, fraude e decepção para promover a guerra no Iraque Não compre o giro de Bush que as mentiras sobre o Iraque são apenas 16 palavras - a administração mentiu, enganou ou cometeu uma fraude definitiva sobre cada ponto que eles usaram para justificar a invasão do Iraque Exceto para dizer que Saddam era um homem mau.) O spin de 16 palavras revela quão sem vergonha suas mentiras são. Curtas mentiras não importam Bem, Clinton foi acusado por apenas 8 palavras - Eu não fiz sexo com aquela mulher. Mesmo com esse padrão ridículo, Bush é duas vezes mais mentiroso do que Bill Clinton. A alegação de urânio (as 16 palavras) é famosa porque a fraude é tão óbvia. Essa acusação, que Bush declarou diretamente em seu discurso sobre o Estado da União, baseou-se em documentos descaradamente forjados - um pretendido ser de um funcionário do Níger, para si próprio. O governo Bush sabia que eram forjados. Eles haviam sido informados várias vezes que as acusações eram falsas, inclusive por nossa própria CIA e Departamento de Estado. O secretário de Defesa Rumsfeld argumentou que a declaração não era uma mentira porque Bush não disse que o Iraque tentou comprar urânio, ele disse que a inteligência britânica aprendeu Que eles tentaram comprar urânio. Mais uma vez, Bush imita Clinton, discutindo sobre o significado de é. Antes de considerar cada uma das dezenas de decepções individuais, mentiras e declarações enganosas que Bush e seus assessores usaram para empurrar os EUA para a guerra no Iraque, não deixa de perder a noção do quadro geral. A administração Bush justificou a guerra, a guerra imediata, porque supostamente armas de destruição em massa no Iraque. Essas armas não existem. Eles não existem há anos. A administração Bush sabia disso, porque um alto desertor iraquiano nos disse isso há mais de 4 anos, mas eles mantiveram essa informação em segredo. E as armas de destruição em massa não foram a razão pela qual o governo Bush queria invadir o Iraque. Os altos funcionários admitiram isso, dizendo que eles tinham outras razões, mas escolheram ADM porque era o argumento mais efetivo em termos políticos. Havia muitas outras acusações enganosas pelo governo Bush - sobre drones não tripulados, ordens de usar armas químicas, tubos de alumínio, ligações entre o Iraque ea Al Qaeda, etc. Mas não esqueça o quadro geral. O governo Bush sabia que não havia armas de destruição maciça no Iraque. Eles deliberadamente e consistentemente mentiu para o povo americano sobre isso, para justificar a guerra no Iraque. E 300 soldados americanos morreram como resultado. Mentiras sobre fontes do Iraque condenadas por condução bêbada, e mentiu para cobri-lo George Bush agora admite que ele foi condenado por dirigir bêbado. Em 4 de setembro de 1976, um soldado do estado viu o carro de Bush se desviar para o ombro e depois voltar para a estrada. A rotação do campo de Bush que ele estava dirigindo devagar demais é simplesmente uma mentira. Bush falhou um teste de sobriedade de estrada e soprou um álcool de sangue .10, se declarou culpado, e foi multado e teve sua licença de excitadores suspendida. Seu porta-voz diz que ele tinha bebido várias cervejas em um bar local antes da prisão. Bush tinha 30 anos na época. Ele agora diz que ele parou de beber quando ele completou 40 anos porque era um problema. Mais preocupante, Bush mentiu em negar tal prisão, e ainda não vai assumir a responsabilidade por suas ações. Sua primeira reação foi responsabilizar Democrats e Fox News - a única rede abertamente conservadora de TV - para relatar a história. Por que isso foi relatado agora, quatro dias antes da eleição eu tenho minhas suspeitas. Ele se recusou a dizer o que suas suspeitas são, no entanto. Bush admite encobrir a história, mas parece pensar que ele não tem responsabilidade pelo fracasso de sua cobertura. De fato, assim como Clinton com Monica Lewinsky, Bush tem descaradamente e repetidamente mentido para encobrir e minimizar esta prisão. 1. Bush mentiu em sua conferência de imprensa, 1132000 Bush disse que pagou uma multa no ponto e nunca foi à corte. Isso é claramente uma mentira, como você pode ver neste documento judicial mostrando sua audiência na corte um mês depois. Na verdade, foi um homem também no tribunal para DUI no mesmo dia que revelou prisão Bush. Aqui está exatamente o que Bush disse em sua conferência de imprensa: Bush: Eu disse ao cara que eu estava bebendo e o que eu preciso fazer E ele disse, Heres a multa. Eu paguei a multa e fiz o meu dever. Repórter: Governador, houve algum procedimento legal de qualquer tipo? Ou você apenas ... Bush: Não. Eu pedi - você sabe, eu disse que estava errado e eu. Repórter: No tribunal Bush: Não, não havia tribunal. Fui à delegacia. Eu disse, estou errado. 2. Bush mentiu na corte, 1978 Bush obteve uma audiência de corte para começar sua suspensão de condução levantada cedo, embora não tivesse terminado um curso exigido da reabilitação do excitador. Ele disse ao oficial de audiências que ele bebia apenas uma vez por mês, e só tinha uma cerveja ocasional. O oficial concedeu seu pedido. Mas Bush continuou bebendo por 8 anos depois daquela data e disse publicamente que bebeu demais e teve um problema bebendo durante esse tempo. Presumivelmente, Bush esteve sob juramento durante a audiência, embora não tenhamos conseguido identificar esse detalhe. A campanha de Bush se recusa a comentar essa contradição. Logo após a reeleição dos governadores em 1998, o repórter do Dallas Morning News, Wayne Slater, pressionou Bush sobre se ele já havia sido preso. Ele disse, Depois de 1968 No. Dallas Morning News. 11032000 Antes de 1968, Bush foi preso por roubo e vandalismo na faculdade. 4. Bush mentiu na reunião a imprensa, 112199 Tim Russert: Se alguém veio a você e disse, o regulador, eu sou pesaroso, eu estou indo ir público com alguma informação. O que você faz Bush: Se alguém estivesse disposto a divulgar informações que eram prejudiciais, você já ouviu falar nisso agora. Você já ouviu falar nisso agora. Meus antecedentes foram examinados por todos os tipos de repórteres. Tim, podemos conversar sobre isso a manhã toda. 5. Bush mentiu para a CBS, 1999. Bush muitas vezes reconheceu erros do passado, mas CBS News Correspondente Lee Cowan relata que em uma entrevista de 1999 com a estação CBS WBZ em Boston, ele negou havia qualquer arma chamados fumantes. CBS TV notícias Bush também evadiu inúmeras perguntas e deu Clintonesque meia-verdades. Por exemplo, enquanto lutava para responder às acusações de abuso de drogas, ele disse que teria sido capaz de passar as verificações de antecedentes do FBI durante a administração de seu pai. Mas esses cheques incluem a pergunta Você já foi preso por qualquer crime Então, ou ele estava mentindo diretamente, ou ele tem alguma explicação Slick como eu poderia ter explicado as circunstâncias da prisão e ainda passou no cheque do FBI. Em outra evasão, Bush decidiu servir como jurado em 1996, durante seu primeiro ano como governador. Em seu questionário, ele simplesmente deixou em branco as perguntas sobre prisões e julgamentos anteriores. Então ele se encontrou em um julgamento por dirigir bêbado, onde cada jurado é eventualmente perguntado sobre condenações anteriores por dirigir bêbado. Na noite anterior ao julgamento, o advogado de Bush pediu ao advogado de defesa para demiti-lo, porque seria impróprio para um governador se sentar em um caso criminal em que ele poderia ser solicitado a conceder clemência. É um argumento bobo, porque esse problema existe com qualquer julgamento criminal e Bush já decidiu servir em um júri, mas o advogado de defesa obrigou e desculpou-o antes do interrogatório direto dos jurados começou. Bush agora justifica encobrir sua prisão para ser um bom modelo para suas filhas. Como ele acha que mentir para encobrir seus crimes não é o que eu chamo de ser um bom modelo. Assumir a responsabilidade por suas ações, admitir a falha honestamente e advertir as pessoas das conseqüências que você sofreu, que seria um bom exemplo. Mas Bush prefere a rota Clinton de mentiras carecas, então culpando seus inimigos e a imprensa quando você é pego. Bush é agora a primeira pessoa a ser eleito presidente depois de ser condenado por um crime. Bush também teve vários outros incidentes bêbados. Em dezembro de 1972, Bush desafiou seu pai (o ex-presidente) para uma briga de punho, durante uma discussão sobre a condução embriagada de Bush. Ele tinha levado seu irmãozinho para beber, e passou por cima de um lixo de vizinhos no caminho de casa. O trabalho atípico do serviço público de Bush, trabalhando com as crianças de Houston, parece ter sido um período não oficial de serviço comunitário montado por Bush. Aparentemente, o governador não aprendeu a lição, porque sua condenação à condução embriagada ocorreu quase quatro anos depois. Em outro incidente, ele começou a gritar obscenidades em um repórter do Wall Street Journal, só porque esse repórter previu que o pai de Bush não seria o candidato republicano de 1988. O repórter, obviamente, estava errado, mas um bêbado Bush Jr. caminhou até ele em um restaurante e começou a gritar Você filho da puta puta. Eu não vou esquecer o que você disse e você vai pagar um preço por isso. De fato, o vice-presidente Bush, Dick Cheney, agora admite que teve duas ofensas de condução embriagadas em 1962 e 1963, dando ao bilhete Bush-Cheney um novo recorde mundial de 3 DUIs em um bilhete. Não admira que parecem tão relaxado. A convicção é ruim o suficiente, mas a verdadeira questão é: que outras revelações virão depois, sobre seu uso de drogas (o qual ele não vai negar), não aparecer por um ano de serviço da Guarda Nacional ou escapadas sexuais em seu Balançando únicos dias Há evidências de que Bush tem mais a esconder envolvendo seu registro de condução no Texas. Logo depois que ele se tornou governador, ele tinha uma nova carteira de motorista emitida com o número de identificação incomum 000000005, uma ação que destruiu os registros de sua licença anterior. Seu pessoal só poderia dizer, fracamente, que isso foi feito por razões de segurança, mas não há registro de qualquer anterior governador do Texas ter feito isso. Agora temos pelo menos um indício de porque Bush queria que seus registros fossem obscurecidos e um pressentimento escuro que mais pudesse estar espreitando, ainda coberto. Drunk Driving Sources George W. Bush, Jr. é promovido como o salvador do Partido Republicano pela imprensa nacional, porque ele puxa votos de eleitores minoritários e tem o nome de seus pais e as conexões de angariação de fundos para correr. Mas antes de o ungir como o próximo presidente, vamos olhar para o que ele fez com sua vida. Em poucas palavras, Júnior 1) cresceu como um filho muito rico de pais poderosos, 2) festejou desde o ensino médio até que ele tinha 40 anos. 3) fez milhões fora de negócios negócios doces insider de aliados políticos de seu pai, que passou a ser O presidente, e 4) foi eleito governador do Texas principalmente por causa de seu nome. Bush Junior fez um bom trabalho como governador do Texas. Ele atravessou a divisão partidária, alcançou as minorias e abordou pelo menos uma questão difícil e ingrata (financiamento escolar seu plano foi votado na legislatura.) Mas 4 anos - mesmo 4 bons - é um currículo muito curto Para o líder do mundo livre. No one doubts Bill Clintons ability to handle punishment and come back for more. But Bush Juniors stamina and attention span are very real concerns. Furthermore, Bushs term as governor has also been markedly corrupt. although possibly in legal ways. What we mean is, he has taken millions in campaign contributions from certain big businessmen -- many of whom were in on the insider business deals that made him rich -- and those same businessman have received billions in sweet deals from the Texas state government during Bushs term. Specifics: Like Al Gore, Bush Jr. attended Eastern elitist schools, in this case Andover Prep, and Yale. According to a Newsweek profile, he went to Yale but seems to have majored in drinking at the Deke House. He joined the secretive Skull and Bones club in 1968, as any good conspiracy buff can tell you. His business career was marked by mediocrity or failure which nonetheless resulted in him getting lots of money from his fathers political allies. And his political career has been handed to him on a platter by his famous name, and by his dads cronies. Bill Kristol, conservative pundit and Dan Quayles former chief of staff, says The Bush network is the only genuine network in the Republican Party. It is the establishment. Junior and Jeb Bush (elected in Florida in 1998) are the first brothers to be simultaneous governors since the Rockefellers. To give you an idea of how rarefied his upbringing was, George Junior had an argument with his mom at one point about whether non-Christians could go to Heaven. (Barbara Bush felt they could George didnt.) To settle the dispute, they phoned up Billy Graham on the spot. (He sided with Junior, but warned him not to play God.).) More recently, Bushs performance during the 2000 South Carolina primary shows that he received the worst trait common to the famous Bush family -- a vicious competitiveness that shows no compunction about dirty tricks (such as the phone calls by his surrogates calling McCain, of all people, the fag candidate) and utterly shameless flipflops (like Bush Sr. s read my lips, no new taxes, and Juniors very public refusal to meet with the gay Log Cabin Republicans group until right before the California primary, when he claimed he was fine with them all along. Not to mention him suddenly becoming a reformer after he got shellacked in the New Hampshire primary.) Not only does this trait demonstrate a lack of integrity -- which I define as having standards and things you believe in that you wont violate, even to win the presidency -- but there is an incredible arrogance in thinking that voters will accept and believe a candidate who blat antly changes his positions from week to week, saying whatever the local primary voters want to hear. Unfortunately, Bush Jr. has inherited this negative family trait without receiving any of the graciousness, diligence, and bravery of his father and grandfather (a Senator who lost his seat over a principled vote in favor of birth control, back in the 1940s.) One of the most disturbing things about Bush is that he consistently works to silence his critics using his money and power, including state police and expensive lawyers. Not since Richard Nixon has a major presidential candidate been so quick to prevent his opponents from free speech. At the very least, this shows he doesnt understand big-league politics and may not be tough enough to handle more serious opponents, such as hostile foreign countries and terrorists. At worst, it may be a sign of Nixon-like paranoia that presidents thin-skin started out with similar small potatos and grew to bring down his presidency amid enemies lists, illegal break-ins of his opponents offices, and forcing the IRS to audit his enemies. Bush cant blame this on his staff, either it comes from the top. When asked about one critical web site, he told the press There ought to be limits to freedom. Were aware of this site, and this guy is just a garbage man, thats all he is. As governor of Texas, for example, Bush Junior has sent the state police to arrest peaceful demonstrators outside the governors mansion. While previous governors allowed peaceful pickets on the public sidewalk outside the mansion, Bush has claimed that they are blocking public access, and had them arrested. Not all protestors, either -- just the ones he doesnt want the press to see. In the 2000 primaries, Bush supporters including NY Governor Pataki sued to keep John McCain and Steve Forbes off the New York primary ballot in several congressional districts. Bush denied any involvement, fooling no one, but after McCains decisive New Hampshire victory made the move look ridiculous, Bush and his top strategist Karl Rove called up his establishment minions, after which they instantly announced that they were stopping their efforts to keep McCain off the ballot. Ironically, all of the attention to ballot rules revealed that a number of Bush delegates and alternates used fraudulent signatures to qualify for the ballot. As a result, it appears that McCain and Forbes will be on the ballot statewise, but George Bush Jr. wont be in one Bronx congressional district. Bush also cant stand criticism on the Internet. His campaign quietly -- and probably illegally -- bought up over 200 anti-Bush domain names including bushsucks, bushbites, and bushblows over a year ago. (Illegally because he had refused to register as a candidate, as part of his effort to make it look like people were begging him to run, so spending money for his campaign was not allowed.) If you type in any of these URLs, you end up at Bushs official web site. His campaign refuses to say whether this means that they admit that he bites, blows and sucks. (Maybe he used to be a White House intern) If you wanted to set up one of those sites, breathe easy because many good names are still available. The Bush camp somehow neglected to purchase bushisaprick, bushisweak, or bushsucksdonkeydicks, so 70 makes them yours. Even worse, Bush and his high-priced lawyers have tried twice to shut down a web site -- gwbush -- that parodies the Bush campaign, in particular his no comment answers on drug use in his past. You will recall that Bush has said it doesnt matter what he did in his youth, because the question is have you grown up and have you learned from your mistakes. The parody site presents a new program called Amnesty 2000, in which Bush proposes pardoning all drug convicts who have grown up. The Bush campaign filed one complaint about the site in April 1999, after which the parody sites owners changed it to look less like the real Bush site. That wasnt good enough though, and Bush lawyers filed against the site again in May 1999. So far, it remains in business. Sources In a (so far successful) attempt to stop a scandal, Bush perjured himself under oath, according to the sworn testimony of two of his political allies. The situation is amazingly similar to Clintons Lewinsky problem: a potentially damaging lawuit arose (see below) that threatened to involve him. Just like Clinton, Bush swore an affidavit that he had no involvement in the case, which got him excused from testifying. And just like Clinton, the affidavit was proven false months later by new evidence. In this case, its the recent sworn testimony of Robert MacNeil, a Bush appointee, that he had discussed the case with Bush at a fundraiser. This scandal isnt as sexy as Monicas, but perjury is perjury, and this scandal actually involves the governors job, not his sex life. Texas state commission on funeral homes (the TFSC) started an investigation of SCI, the worlds largest funeral home company (with 3,442 homes, plus 433 cemeteries) after complaints that unlicensed apprenctices were embalming corpses at 2 SCI embalming centers. The commission visited a couple of these, and ended up fining SCI 450,000. But SCI pulled strings with the commission and with Bush himself. Shortly thereafter, the investigation was shut down and the agencys investigator was fired. She sought to question Bush for her lawsuit, and thats when he swore his admittedly false affidavit. In fact, that affidavit has been proven false twice now. DETAILS: SCI has long cultivated Bush and his allies. They gave governor Bush 35,000 in the last election and 10K in 1994, gave 100,000 to the George Bush, Sr. library, and hired the ex-president to give a speech last year for 70,000. They also spread money around the Texas legislature and the Texas Attorney Generals office. After the investigation got serious, SCIs boss, Robert Waltrip, called the funeral commissions chairman and told him to back off. If not, Waltrip said, Im going to take this to the governor. Still, the investigation continued. So Waltrip and his lawyerlobbyist, Johnnie B. Rogers, went to the governors office and dropped off a letter demanding a halt to the investigation. Rogers told Newsweek that he and Waltrip were ushered in to see Joe Allbaugh, Bushs chief of staff (who is now Bushs campaign manager.) Rogers goes on to say that Bush Jr. popped his head in and said to Waltrip, Hey, Bobby, are those people still messing with you Waltrip said yeah. Then the governor turned to Rogers and said, Hey, Johnnie B. Are you taking care of him Rogers said Im doing my best, Governor. The problem for Bush is that he swore under oath, in a July 20th 1999 affidavit, that he had no conversations with SCI officials, agents, or represenatives concerning the investigation or any dispute arising from it. If Rogers is telling the truth, than Bush Jr. lied directly under oath. He filed the affidavit in an attempt to avoid testifying in a whistleblower lawsuit concerning this investigation and its alleged squashing by Bushs administration. Back in August of 1999, Bush himself admitted that he spoke with Waltrip and Rogers -- in other words, that he lied under oath -- but used Clintonesque denials to claim that it was nothing substantial. Bush told the Associated Press that Its a 20-second conversation. I had no substantive conversation with the guy. Twenty seconds. Thats hardly enough time to even say hello, much less sit down and have a substantive discussion. All I know is it lasted no time. And that hardly constitutes a serious discussion. I did not have any knowledge at all of Waltrips problem with this case. Of course, nothing Bush says here contradicts what Rogers said. In fact, his careful explanation of why this is not perjury is incredibly similar to Bill Clintons weaseling about what the meaning of is is. And now MacNeils sworn statement further confirms Bushs lie. Whatever Bush said out loud, Waltrips complaints to the governor got quick results. Eliza May -- the investigator for the funeral services commission -- says that after Waltrip visited the governor, she received phone calls from three senior Bush aides asking if she could wrap up her proble quickly. She says she was also summoned to another meeting in Allbaughs office, one month after the first one, and found Waltrip already there. The governors top aide, she says, demanded that she turn over a list of all of the documents that she needed to close the SCI investigation. Since then, investigator Eliza May has been fired, 6 or 10 staff members on the commission have been fired or resigned and not been replaced, and the Texas legislature -- led by members receiving substantial contributions from SCI -- passed a bill to reorganize the agency and remove its head. On August 16, 199, Bush ordered his Comptroller to take over the agency and run it. May -- who, it should be noted, is a Democrat and was even state Democratic Treasurer at one point -- has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging she was fired because she persisted with the investigation. Bush simply didnt show up for his scheduled deposition on July 1st, 1999 in the case. (He isnt a defendant in the case, because Governors are immune from lawsuits in Texas, but is being called as a material witness.) He filed his affidavit on July 20th to indicate that he had nothing to add. Now Robert MacNeil -- who was the chairman of the Texas funeral commission at the time, a Bush appointee -- confirms that he also discussed the case with Bush, at a 1998 Texas fundraiser. In a sworn deposition. MacNeil says that Bush asked him: Have you and Mr. Waltrip got your problems worked out Replied McNeil: Were still trying to work on that, governor. Bush then said, Do your job. Bushs campaign says that MacNeils statement is false. But the language MacNeil says Bush used is almost identical to what he admits saying to Johnnie Rodgers in the governors office. Sources Bushs administration has consistenly shoveled large amounts of state controlled money to men who have either contributed large amounts to Bushs campaign, or who have made Junior personally rich through sweet insider business deals. or both. For example, the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO) invests 1.7 billion of state money. Most of this comes from profits from oil discovered on Texas state land. Bushs cronies dominate this board, and in return investment funds controlled by these very cronies or their friends have received nearly a third -- 457 million -- of that massive investment pool. There may even be more, but this obscure group -- created under Bush -- cloaks its operations in a thick veil of secrecy. UTIMCOs chairman, Tom Hicks, now owns the Texas Rangers his purchase of the team made Governor Bush a very rich man. Furthermore, Hicks and his brother gave 146,000 to the Bush campaign. In return, 252 million of the invested money went to funds run by Hicks business associates or friends, according to the Houston Chronicle. Hicks even insisted that UTIMCO increase by 10 million an investment with a fund that he had an indirect financial interest in, but UTIMCO staff halted funding after they discovered the conflict. Then theres Sam and Charles Wyly, the billionaire brothers who secretly bought 2.5 million of independent TV ads slamming McCain just before the critical Super Tuesday primaries. (They have also given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bush Jr. s governor and presidential campaigns.) They control Maverick Capital, an investment fund that received 90 million of UTIMCO money. The brothers earn nearly 1 million in fees alone from that money, along with a share of any profits. Henry Kravis of Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts -- a longtime Bush contributor -- received a 50 million investment deal in 1996. And there are many more Bush supporters who have received millions from UTIMCO, including the Bass family and Adele Hall of the Hallmark Cards family. Another key player in the Bush world is Richard Rainwater, the billionaire Texas investor who made Bush Jr. s original involvement in the Texas Rangers deal possible. Thats the deal that made Jr. rich, of course. Bush had several other personal investments in Rainwater controlled companies. But Rainwater has received much from Bush and the state of Texas treasury, too. UTIMCO invested at least 20 million in Rainwater companies. And UTIMCO is not the only Bush administration agency funneling money and favors to his supporters and cronies. T he state teacher retirement fund sold three office buildings to Rainwaters real estate company at bargain prices, and without bids in 2 of the cases. The fund invested 90 million in the Frost Bank Plaza in Austin, and sold it to Rainwaters Crescent Real Estate for 35 million. Bush signed a law that will give his former baseball team co-owners -- including Rainwater -- a 10 million bonus payment when a new Dallas arena is built. Bush also proposed a cap on business real estate taxes that would have saved Rainwater millions on his various properties (but it lost in the legislature). In another example, Bushs state Housing department has been investigated for kickbacks, and Florita Bell Griffin, who Bush appointed to the state Housing Board, was just convicted of bribery, theft, money-laundering and mail fraud for trading her influence for cash. She faces 55 years in prison. And Larry Paul Manley, Bushs director of the Department of Housing until he resigned in January 1999, is under police investigation for steering federal tax credits to cronies. Texas top auditor discovered in 1997 that 60 of department contracts went to Manleys former colleagues at local savings and loans, but refused to make the findings public until long after the criminal probes began. Bush may or may not have violated state ethics laws with all of this big money backscratching, but there is no doubt that he and these businessman are operating corruptly -- funneling large amounts of state money to the businessmens companies, and large amounts of their personal and business money into George Bush Jr. s pocket and political campaigns. Most people have heard something about George W. Bush pulling strings to get into the Texas Air Guard. But the press, while reporting lots of details, has done a poor job of communicating how consistently and shamelessly Bush Jr. sought and received favorable treatment while he avoided Vietnam. Furthermore, his story has repeatedly changed -- he has weaseled like Clinton at his worst and even flat-out lied when explaining what happened. Here are the details: 1. Pulled Strings to Get In. On May 27, 1968, George Bush Jr. was 12 days away from losing his student draft deferment, at a time when 350 Americans a week were dying in combat. The National Guard, seen by many as the most respectable way to avoid Vietnam, had a huge waiting list -- a year and a half in Texas, over 100,000 men nationwide. Yet Bush and his family friends pulled strings, and the young man was admitted the same day he applied, regardless of any waiting list. Bushs unit commander, Col. Buck Staudt, was so excited about his VIP recruit that he staged a special ceremony for the press so he could have his picture taken administering the oath (even though the official oath had been given by a captain earlier.) Bush and his allies have tried to deny this with several changing stories, but Bush himself admits lobbying commander Staudt, who approved him, and court documents confirm that close family friend and oil magnate Sid Adger called Texas Speaker of the House Ben Barnes, who called General James Rose, the head of the Texas Air National Guard, to get Bush in. Rose, who is now dead, told his friend and former legislator Jake Johnson that I got that Republican congressmans son from Houston into the Guard. Staudts unit, the 147th, was infamous as a nesting place for politically connected and celebrity draft avoiders. Democratic Senator Lloyd Bentsens son was in the unit, as were both of Sid Adgers sons and at least 7 members of the Dallas Cowboys. 2. Took a 2 month vacation in Florida after 8 weeks in the Guard. Just 8 weeks after joining, Bush was granted 2 months leave to go to Florida and work on a political campaign, the Senate race of Republican Edward Gurney. Bush took a leave every election season, in 1970 to work on his dads campaign, and in 1972 to work in Alabama. 3. Skipped Officer Candidate School and got a special commission as 2nd Lt. As soon as Bush completed basic training, his commander approved him for a direct appointment, which made him an officer without having to go through the usual (and difficult) Officer Candidate School. This special procedure also got Bush into flight school, despite his very low scores on aptitude tests -- he scored 25 on a pilot aptitude test, the absolute lowest acceptable grade, and 50 for navigator aptitude. (Bush did score 95 on the easier officer quality test, but then again the average is 88). What made Bushs appointment doubly unusual was his total lack of special qualifications. This procedure was generally reserved for applicants with exceptional experience or skills, such as ROTC training or engineering, medical or aviation skills. Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard, reviewed the Guards records on Bush for a special exhibit on his service after Bush became governor. Asked about Bushs direct appointment without special skills, Hail said Ive never heard of that. Generally they did that for doctors only, mostly because we needed extra flight surgeons. Charles Shoemake, an Air Force veteran who later joined the Texas Air National Guard and retired as a full colonel, said that direct appointments were rare and hard to get, and required extensive credentials. Asked about Bush, he said His name didnt hurt, obviously. But it was a commanders decision in those days. Despite Bush Jr. s weak qualifications, Col. Staudt was so excited about the direct appointment that he saged another special ceremony for the press, this time with Bushs father the congressman standing prominently in the background. The direct appointment process was discontinued in the 1970s. 4. Assigned to a safe plane -- the F-102 -- that was being phased out. As Bush has been quick to note, National Guard members do face the chance of being called up for active duty, though few actually did during the Vietnam war. So what a lucky break for Bush that he was assigned to fly the F-102 Delta Dagger, a plane already being phased out. In fact, the Air Force had ordered all overseas F-102 units shut down as of June 30, 1970 -- just 3 months after Bush finished his training. Since training is so airplane specific, Bush was guaranteed from the beginning to be safe from combat. Bushs campaign has even used his training on the obsolete plane to justify his early discharge, almost a year before his scheduled discharge, since other F-102 pilots were also being released early. But they cant answer the obvious question -- why spend so much money to train a National Guardsman for 2 years on a plane that was already being phased out, at a time when the Guard was letting F102 pilots leave early due to oversupply 5. Celebrity Political Date. During his flight training, Bushs celebrity showed in a couple of ways. Most famously, President Nixon sent a jet to pick up the young flight student for a date with his daughter Tricia. Alas, the potential political marriage and dynasty was not to be. Also, the commencement speaker at Bushs graduation ceremony was -- his dad, Congressman George Bush Sr. 6. Illegal, overruled transfer to a base with no work. In 1972, Bush once again wanted to work on a political campaign, this time in Alabama. He applied for a transfer to a nearly defunct base with no active training or work, the 9921st Air Reserve Squadrom at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Bushs supervisors approved, but a higher headquarters overruled them, noting that the unit had no regular drills. Lt. Col. Reese Bricken, the units commander, told the Boston Globe We met just one weeknight a month. We were only a postal unit. We had no airplanes. We had no pilots. We had no nothing. Even Albert Lloyd Jr. a retired Air Guard colonel who is helping the Bush campaign clarify the candidates service, told the Globe he was mystified why Bushs superiors at the time would approve duty at such a unit. Lloyd was personnel director of the Texas Air Guard from 1969 to 1995. Now, the officer who did that has stepped forward and very directly admitted that he tried to get the easiest possible assignment for Bush. The personnel officer in charge of Bushs 147th Fighter Group, now-retired Col. Rufus G. Martin, says he tried to give Bush a light load when he told him to apply to the 9921st Air Reserve Squadron in Montgomery, Ala. Martin said in an interview that he knew Bush wasnt eligible for the 9921st, an unpaid, general training squadron that met once a week to hear lectures on first aid and the like. However, he said, I thought it was worth a try. It was the least participation of any type of unit. 7. Just didnt show up for a year -- with no punishment. National Guard records and Bushs own supervisors and friends show no sign of him attending any drills or performing any service for nearly a year, from May 1972 until May 1973. This period began with Bush moving to Alabama for a political campaign. He later applied to transfer to a base that had no work the transfer was first approved, then cancelled. Bush did nothing for several months then in September he applied to transfer to Alabamas 187th Tactical Recon group for 3 months. This was approved, but the units commander, General William Turnipseed, and his then admnistrative officer, Kenneth Lott, have both said that Bush never showed up. Had he reported in, I would have had some recall, and I do not, said Turnipseed. I had been in Texas, done my flight training there. If we had had a first lieutenant from Texas, I would have remembered. Bush claims that he did some work in Alabama, but cant remember any details. I cant remember what I did, he said. I justI fulfilled my obligation. Despite 2 years of searching through hundreds of records, his campaign has been unable to find any record of Bushs service there, nor could they find a single fellow serviceman who remembers his presence. The best they could produce was an ex-girlfriend from Alabama -- Emily Marks --who said George told her he would have to do some Guard duty later that year (1972) in Montgomery. But all that confirms is that he knew of his obligation. In December 1972, Bush returned to Houston and was scheduled to resume duty there. But in May 1973, Bushs supervising pilots wrote in his annual efficiency report: Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of the report (i. e. through April 30, 1972). Bush described one of the supervisors, the late Col. Jerry Killian, as a personal friend, so its likely he would have noticed Bush and given him the benefit of the doubt. Later that month, two special orders commanded Bush to appear for active duty. He served 36 days of active duty during May, June and July before leaving the Guard early. Amazingly, Bush was not disciplined in any way for his absence, and received an honorable discharge. Under Air National Guard rules at that time, guardsmen who missed duty could be reported to their Selective Service Board and inducted into the Army as draftees. 8. Skipped all his medical exams after they started drug tests. In April 1972, the military started including routine drug tests in servicemens annual physical exam, including urinalysis, questions about drugs and a close examination of the nasal cavities (for cocaine). According to the regulation, the medical took place in the month after the servicemans birthday. For George W. Bush, this meant August 1972. It was May, 1972 -- one month after the drug testing was announced -- that Bush stopped attending Guard duty. In August 1972, he was suspended from flight duty for failing to take his physical. (Click here to see the document. ) A Bush campaign spokesman confirmed to the London Sunday Times that Bush knew he would be suspended. He knew the suspension would have to take place. Bush never flew again, even though he returned to his Houston base where Guard pilots flew thousands of hours in the F-102 during 1973. The only barrier to him flying again was a medical exam (and his lack of attendance). Careful readers will recall that when Bush issued his partial denial of drug use, he said (or implied) that he hadnt used them since 1974, but he pointedly refused to deny drug use before then, i. e. during his military service. Several sources have also indicated that it was in December, 1972 -- 4 months after his medical suspension -- that a drunk Bush Jr. challenged his father to a fist fight during an argument over the sons drunk driving. (He had run over a neighbors garbage cans.) Shortly thereafter, Bush Sr. arranged for his son to do community service at an inner city Houston charity. Bushs campaign aides first said he did not take the physical because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and some were assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. The staff now admits that this explanation was wrong. 9. Left service 10 months early. Even after that easy stint, Bush couldnt fulfill his obligation. He quickly made up the missed days he had to and applied for an early release, before he had to take his next annual physical exam (with drug test.) While the official discharge date was October 1, 1973, Bushs last day in uniform was actually July 31 -- a full 10 months before the end of his 6-year, part time commitment. Al Gore also requested and received an early discharge (from the Army, in his case) to go to school. Weasel words his story keeps changing. When asked about his service, Bush has lied, changed his story repeatedly, and weaseled in a manner eerily reminiscent of Bill Clinton. First of all, he has flat-out lied. In his official autobiography, A Charge to Keep, Bush said he flew with his unit for several years after finishing flight training in June 1970. His campaign biography states that he flew with the unit until he won release from the service in September 1973, nine months early, for graduate school. Both statements are lies. Bush only flew with the 111th for one year and 10 months, until April 1972 when he was suspended for failing to take his medical exam (and drug test), and never flew again. Then there is his Clintonesque weaseling and word choice. Bush and his campaign claimed that no Bush family or friends pulled strings. Under pressure, this changed to All I know is anybody named George Bush did not ask him Ben Barnes for help. By that he meant, himself or his dad. Of course, it later came out in court that a close Bush friend, Simon Adger, had asked Barnes to get Bush Jr. into the Guard, and that Barnes did so, via General Rose. Nows its not even clear that a George Bush didnt ask for help. When pressed, the former presidents spokeswoman (Jean Becker) said he is almost positive that he and Mr. Adger never discussed the Guard matter. He Bush Sr. he is fairly certain - I mean he doesnt remember everything that happened in the 1960s. In any case, Bush Sr. and Adger were very close. Ms. Becker acknowledged that President Bush knew Sid Adger well. He loved him. Adger may have needed only a hint. Furthermore, George Bush Jr. admits that he knew Adger socially at the time, and further admits that he lobbied Col. Buck Staudt, the commander of the VIP unit Bush joined. Staudt claims that he, not General Rose (who he later replaced), was the one who made the decision on admissions anyway. Bush Jr. admits that he met Staudt in late 1967, during Christmas vacation of his senior year, called him later, and -- in Bushs words -- found out what it took to apply. When asked how Bush came to call Staudt, his spokeswoman Karen Hughes said he heard from friends while he was home over the Christmas break that. Colonel Staudt was the person to contact. She says that Bush doesnt recall who those friends were. But we know that Sid Adger was also a friend of Staudts, served with him on the Houston Chamber of Commerces Aviation Committee, and in 1967 held a luncheon honoring Gen. Staudt and his unit for winning an Air Force commendation. In fact, both of Adgers sons also joined General Staudts unit, in 1966 and 1968 respectively. Bush and his staff also claim that he vaulted ahead of the Air Guard waiting list because he was willing to fly an airplane, and there were openings. There is nothing to support this claim, however. For one thing, the F-102 was being phased out at the time and F-102 pilots were being released from service early, as indeed Bush himself was. And Tom Hail, a historian for the Texas Air National Guard, says flatly that there was no pilot shortage in the Guard squadron at that time. Bushs unit had 27 pilots at the time he applied while they were authorized for 29 pilots, there were two more already in training and one awaiting a transfer. Bush also weasels on whether he was avoiding combat or not. He has stated on several occasions that he did not want to be an infantryman, and acknowledges that he came to oppose the war itself. He claims that he joined the guard to fly planes, and would have been happy to go to Vietnam, but ignores the obvious choice of the Air Force or the Navy -- which his dad, a genuine war hero, joined. Furthermore, when he signed up for the Guard, he checked a box saying Do not volunteer for overseas service. Later, he made a perfunctory application to transfer to a program called Palace Alert, which dispatched F-102 pilots to Europe or the Far East -- and just occasionally Vietnam -- for 3 or 6 month assignments. But Bush was not nearly qualified, as he must have known, and was immediately turned down, and the F-102 not used overseas after June, 1970 in any case. And, as noted above, his story also changed on why he refused to take a medical exam -- including a drug test - in 1972. (The refusal ended Bushs flying career.) His staff first claimed that he didnt take the physical because he was in Alabama and his personal physician was in Houston. But flight physicals can be administered only by certified Air Force flight surgeons, and there were surgeons assigned at the time to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, where Bush was living. His staff now admits that that explanation was wrong, without saying where it came from or what the real reason was. Draft National Guard Sources Bush Jr. has made a lot of money off of three business deals. In each one, his contribution is hard to perceive, yet he walked off with hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in deals arranged by his fathers political cronies. The deals were 1. the sale of Juniors struggling oil company . 2. Juniors sale of oil stock just before the Gulf War . and 3. getting a cheap slice of the Texas Rangers baseball team, which he sold in 1999 for a huge profit (he paid 600,000, and sold for 14 million). The general pattern here is just as important as the details. Bush did no work in his business career that can clearly be called excellent or even solid. The money he made is tangential to his efforts at best -- the oil companies lost a great deal of money during his tenure, and the Rangers cut a lot of corners -- which makes the cronyism that much more suspicious. Its not just that one or two of Bushs deals look funky every major business deal he has been involved with included wealthy supporters of his father, and many of those investors later received favorable treatment from either the federal government under Bush, Sr. or the current Texas administration of Junior. Like his dad, Junior struck out in Texas and founded an oil company, Arbusto Energy, Inc. with 20,000 of his own money. (Arbusto is the Spanish word for bush.) The company foundered in the early 1980s when oil prices dropped (and his dad was Vice President.) The 50 investors, who were mainly friends of my uncle in Juniors own words, put in 4.7 million and lost most of it. Junior claims that investors did pretty good, but Bush family friend Russell Reynolds told the Dallas Morning News: The bottom line was there were problems, and it didnt work out very well. I think we got maybe 20 cents on the dollar. As Arbusto neared collapse, Spectrum 7 Energy Corporation bought it in September 1984. Despite his poor track record, the owners made Bush, Jr. the president and gave him 13.6 of the parent companys stock. Spectrum 7 was a small oil firm owned by two staunch ReaganBush Sr. supporters -- William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds. These two were also owners of the Texas Rangers and allowed Bush Jr. to purchase a chunk of the team cheaply he later sold it for over 24 times what he paid. Within two years of purchasing Arbusto and making Bush Jr. president, Spectrum 7 was itself in trouble it lost 400,000 in its last 6 months of operation. That ended in 1986, when Harken Energy Corporation bought Spectrum 7s 180-well operation. Junior got 227,000 worth of Harken stock, and a lot more. He was named to the board of directors, made 80,000 to 100,000 a year well into the 1990s as a consultant to Harken, and was allowed to buy Harken stock at 40 below face value. He also borrowed 180,375 from Harken at very low rates the companys 1989 and 1990 SEC filings said it forgave 341,000 in loans to unspecified executives. So what did Junior do for all this money Its hard to say exactly, but things happened for Harken after Junior came on board: it got a 25 million stock offering from an unusual bank with CIA ties, it won a surprise exclusive drilling contract with Bahrain. a small Mideast country, and an Arab member of its Board of Directors was invited to White House policy meetings with President George Bush and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft. Easy Money From Odd Sources The firms 25 million stock offering was underwritten by Stephens, Inc. an Arkansas bank whose head, Jackson Stephens, was on President Bushs Team 100. (That was a group of 249 rich persons who gave at least 100,000 each to his presidential campaign committee). Stephens placed the offering with the London subsidiary of Union Bank of Switzerland, which (according to the Wall Street Journal) was not known as an investor in small American companies. Union Bank did have other connections it was a joint-venture partner with the notorious BCCI in a Geneva-based bank, and was involved in a scandal surrounding the Nugan Hand Bank, a CIA operation in Australia whose executives were advised by William Quasha, the father of Harkens chairman (Alan Quasha.) Union Bank was also involved in scandals surrounding Panamanian money laundering by BCCI, and Ferdinand Marcos movement of 325 tons of gold out of the Phillipines. That wasnt the only financing connection Junior brought after the company won its Bahrain deal (see next item), the billionaire Bass brothers of Texas offered to underwrite the drilling operation. Robert Bass is also a member of Bushs Team 100, and he and his kin gave 226,000 to Bush Senior between 1988 and 1992. The Bahrain Contract In January 1990, Harken was chosen out of the blue by the small Mideast country Bahrain for an exclusive offshore oil drilling contract. They beat out Amoco, an experienced and major international conglomerate, despite having no offshore oil drilling experience at all. As of March 1995, the most recent report we could find, they had found no oil. Junior has denied that he was involved in the deal, and even told the Wall Street Journal that he opposed it. But a company insider told Mother Jones Magazine Like any member of the board, he was thrilled. His attitude was Holy shit, what a great deal If he did oppose it, he wasnt much of a consultant. Charles Strain, an energy company analyst in Houston, told Mother Jones: Harken is not hard to understand -- its easy. The company has only one real asset -- its Bahrain contract. If that field turns out to be dry, Harkens stock is worth, at the most, 25 cents a share. If they hit it big over there, the stock could be worth 30 to 40 dollars a share. As of December 1998, Harken Energy Corp. (HEC on Amex) is trading at 2.69 a share. Access to the President For Bushs Foreign Business Partner The most troubling thing that happened to Harken after it bought George Bush Junior in, was that one of its Board of Directors members was suddenly admitted to the highest levels of United States foreign policy meetings. These were not Clintonesque meet-and-greet fundraisers, but actual working policy meetings during a critical period. After the Harken-Bahrain deal was signed, Palestinian businessman Talat Othman was added to a group of Arabs who met with George Bush and National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft three times in 1990 -- once just two days after Iraq invaded Kuwait. Othman was the representative of Sheikh Abdullah Bakhsh, who purchased 10 of Harken stock. (More on Baksh in a second.) Othman has continued a fruitful relationship with Bush. He has visited Bush in the White House, and gave an Islamic benediction at the 2000 Republican convention. More recently, several Islamic charities and businesses run by Othmans business partner Yaqub Mirza were raided on March 20, 2002 by Treasury investigators, investigating ties between them and Osama Bin Laden, al Qaeda and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Just two weeks later, Othman was able to get a luncheon meeting with President Bushs Treasury Secretary, Paul ONeill (since fired), to complain about the raids. Backsh, Othmans patron, had several ties to the infamous BCCI bank according to the Wall Street Journal. Bakhsh was a co-investor in Saudi Arabia with alleged BCCI front man Ghaith Pharaon. Bakhshs banker, Khalid bin Mahfouz, was another BCCI figure and head of the largest bank in Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Kalifah, the prime minister of Bahrain, was a BCCI shareholder and played the key role in selecting Harken for the oil contract. This is the crowd that gained entry to the President and the National Security Adviser of the United States after George Junior made his deal with Harken. Deal 2: Selling Oil Stock Just Before Iraq Invaded George Bush, Junior sold 60 of his stock in Harken Oil in June, 1990 for 848,560. That was brilliant timing in August, Iraq invaded Kuwait and Harkens stock dropped 25. Soon after, a big quarterly loss caused it to drop further. A secret State Deparment memo in May of that year had warned that Saddam was out of control, and listed options for responding to him, including an oil ban that might affect US oil prices. We cant be sure that the President or an aide mentioned these developments to his son, or that Harkens representative who was admitted to meetings with the President picked up something and reported back to Junior. But it is the simplest and most logical explanation. The Bushes acknowledge that George Senior and his sons consult on political strategy and other matters constantly. Furthermore, Harkens internal financial advisers at Smith Barney had issued a report in May warning of the companys deteriorating finances. Harken owed more than 150 million to banks and other creditors at the time. George Bush, Jr. was a member of the board and also of Harkens restructuring committee, which met in May and worked directly with the Smith Barney consultants. He must have known of these warnings. These are pretty clear-cut indications of illegal insider trading. The Securities and Exchange Commission, controlled at the time by President George Bush, investigated but chose not to press charges. Junior also violated another SEC rule explicitly. He was required to register his sale as an insider trade by July 10, 1990, but didnt until March 1991, after the Gulf War was over. He was not punished or cited. The third unusually easy deal for George Bush Junior was his involvement in the Texas Rangers baseball team. In a nutshell, he was offered a piece of this valuable franchise for only 600,000, by supporters of his dad who also bailed out his failing oil company. He sold his stake for 14 million - while Texas governor -- to a Texas millionaire with lots of businesses regulated by his administration. When all it is all said and done, I will have made more money than I ever dreamed I would make, Bush told the Forth Worth Star-Telegram. Bush was allowed to buy 1.8 of the team for 600,000 of borrowed money, and was even made one of the two general managers. His qualifications for partial ownership Several years working at failing oil companies, and his political connections through his father. Its hard to be sure, but were guessing that latter was probably more important. Junior tripled his investment, like the other owners, with the help of massive government intervention and subsidies. But his real wealth came from simply being given 10 of the team as a bonus for putting together the investment team. Even if he really had done that work, its an absurd bonus (12.2 million), but the fact is that he didnt add much. Cincinatti financier William DeWitt brought Bush in, not vice versa, shortly after George Bush Sr. was elected president. (DeWitt had also invested in Juniors oil companies.). The only investor Bush actually brought in was Roland Betts, a Yale fraternity brother, and that wasnt good enough. Under Juniors management, the deal was about to fall apart until baseball commissioner Peter Uebberoth brought in another investment group led by Fort Worth Billionaire Richard Rainwater and Dallas investor Rusty Rose. Since the deal, both men have profited greatly from business with the Texas administration of George Bush, Jr. Rose personally invested 3.2 million and became the other general manager of the team. Under the team partnership agreement, Bush Junior couldnt take any material actions wihtout Roses prior approval. There was also a method for removing Junior as a general partner, but no way to remove Rose. Yet Roses bonus for his role in setting up the deal was less than half of Juniors. What kind of owners would approve such a big payoff to Bush In addition to Rose and Rainwater, men with business pending before Texas government, the owners included William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds, major contributors to President Bush who had also purchased Juniors failing oil company through their Spectrum 7 Energy company. If this deal doesnt smell bad enough already, consider Bushs blatant hypocrisy. The main value of the team is its new stadium (ranked by Financial World as the most profitable in baseball) and 300 acres of vacant land the team owns between the stadium and 6 Flags of Texas, which is next door. Putting Tax Money into Bushs Pocket The hypocritical part is, the private owners of this very valuable land didnt want to sell. Bush and his partners gave them only a lowball offer, and when it was rejected they arranged for a new government agency (the Arlington Sports Facility Development Authority, or ASFDA) to condemn it for them. The agency foreclosed the land and paid the owners a very low price, later judged by a jury to be only 16th of its actual value. The agency also floated bonds, guaranteed and repaid by taxpayers, to finance the purchase. This amounted to a 135 million subsidy for Bush and partners, compared with the 80 million they paid for the franchise. Since they sold the entire franchise for 250 million, its easy to see whose money Bush and friends pocketed. The next time Junior talks about tax cuts, remember this: Arlinton had to impose a new 12 cent sales tax just to pay for the subsidy Bush and his partners received. To add insult to injury, Bush and his partners continue to stiff the taxpayers for 7.5 million they owe under the terms of the agreement. It held that the team would pay all expenses over 135 million. The original owners of just 13 of the acres sued the City of Arlington, saying that the ASFDA had not paid a fair price for the land. The jury awarded them 7.5 million, but even though the project exceeded the 135 million limit, the partners have refused to pay. Given their huge taxpayer subsidy and 170 million profits, it seems absurdly selfish. George Bush, Jr. has said in campaign speeches I will do everything I can to defend the power of private property and private property rights when I am the governor of this state. Apparently this deal was not covered by that statement, since he wasnt governor yet. He claims that he wasnt aware of the details of the land condemnations, even though he was the teams managing general partner and has bragged about personally getting the stadium built. But he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in October 1990 that The idea of making a land play, absolutely, to plunk the field down in the middle of a big piece of land, thats kind of always been the strategy. And the key to their land play was always the strong arm of government. A memo from Arlington real estate broker Mike Reilly to Rangers President Tom Schieffer dated October 26, 1990 - the day before Bushs comment about the land play - said In this particular situation our first offer should be our final offer. If this fails, we will probably have to initiate condemnation proceedings after the bond election passes. On the first day of the 1993 campaign, Bush said The best way to allocate resources in our society is through the marketplace. Not through a governing elite. Not through a private sports team buying in the Presidents son cheap, and then getting the government to hand them extremely valuable land. For almost half his life, Junior was distinguished mainly by his hearty appetite for partying. A Newsweek profile by Evan Thomas, describing his college years, says he seems to have majored in beer drinking at the Deke House. After he formed his first company (which failed), Thomas writes, By his own account, Bush spent a lot of time in bars, trying to sort out who he was. He had a kind of ragged nervous energy in that period, and he could be a bully. The Bush family spin is that the governor quit drinking cold turkey on his 40th birthday, straightened out by the love of a good woman (his wife, Laura.) They even pull out their secret weapon, lovable Barbara Bush, with anecdotes about what a rascal little George Junior was. But the explosive element here is not booze. Its sex, drugs and hypocrisy. Frankly, it doesnt bother us if candidates have partied, even a lot. Who wants a bunch of namby-pamby boy scouts running the country But George Bush Jr. makes a big point of travelling around the country and lecturing students on staying celibate, sober and drug free. He does not permit the option of partying hard until youre 40 and then stopping. And as governor, he attacked his predecessor for allowing leniency toward first-time drug users, and pushed a no tolerance policy that has sent casual cocaine users -- whos dads arent rich, or president -- to prison for years. He even has the gall to proclaim that such users need to know that drug use has consequences. At least if youre from the wrong neighborhood. No Handcuffs or Dwarf Orgies Junior is so worried about his past that he hired a private detective to investigate himself. (I guess he cant remember what he did at those parties, which tells you something right there.) According to an unnamed insider quoted on MSNBC, Bush isnt terribly thrilled about what they found, though no one is spilling the details (yet). No handcuffs or dwarf orgies, but he was a handsome, rich playboy and lived that life, the insider said. W is For Women: Bush volunteers to reporters that he has been faithful to his wife. However, he was married at 31 and makes no claim of virginity before that point, even as he lectures the youth of today to remain celibate. A Clinton aide who was in Bushs class at Yale has already warned him that People who live in glass houses shouldnt throw stones. We have received two credible reports from women who say they had affairs with George Bush, Jr. One alleged affair took place after Bush was married, on business trips to Los Angeles in the other case, Bush was single but the woman was married at the time. Neither woman is willing to go public with further details, including their names, which is why we arent publicizing these incidents more, but in our editorial opinion they are credible, and the details that these woman have provided check out. Furthermore, porn publisher Larry Flynt has alleged that one Bush affair led his then-girlfriend to have an abortion, and claims to have 5 affidavits from friends of the woman and others supporting the claim. Again the woman does not want to be named, which makes it hard to prove the claim, but you cant really blame a lady for not wanting to be known as the Bush abortion girl. Flynt made this allegation on CNN. The host of the program actually said Now we at CNN dont want to be accused of censoring anybody. , yet that is exactly what CNN did. They removed the shows transcript and links from their web site days after the broadcast. You can still get details on the incident at the Bush Watch web site. They have more details here. According to a new book. three independent sources close to the Bush family report that Governor Bush was arrested in 1972 for cocaine possession, and taken to Harris County Jail, but avoided jail or formal charges through an informal diversion plan involving community service with Project P. U.L. L. an inner city Houston program for troubled youths at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in Houstons dirt-poor Third Ward. (In another new book. reporter Bill Minutaglio, writes that the year of community service was arranged by the Governors father, ex-president Bush, after he caught Bush Jr. driving drunk.) That year certainly is out of character with the rest of Bush Jr. s life. Before and after 1972, he was a rich, hard drinking playboy. Suddenly, and only that one time in his life, he worked for a liberal charity in an inner city ghetto. As soon as the year was over, he resumed his previous pattern and has done no charity work since. The author of this book, J. H. Thompson, has some interesting scandals of his own. Of course, his own flaws dont disprove what Bush did or didnt do, but the way Thompson has responded certainly undercuts his credibility. First, he admitted to a reporter from Slate Magazine that he made up at least one detail, that one of his informants spat tobacco into a styrofoam cup during their (phone) interview. Then, reporters -- or perhaps Bush campaign operatives -- found that the author apparently is an ex-convict, on parole for hiring a hit man to kill a former boss. That doesnt mean he cant research, of course, but Thompsons credibility suffered greatly as he claimed it was someone else, despite incredible similarities between his resume -- including unexplained job gaps during the prison years -- and confirmation from his parole officer that indeed, the author named J. H. Thompson is the one who did time. Bush Jr. s Evasive Responses: Bush has essentially admitted that he used cocaine in his Clintonesque, carefully worded partial denials. He wont deny using cocaine or marijuana, though under persistent questioning he said that he hadnt used cocaine in the last 7 years. Most newspapers report that he denies using cocaine since 1974, but thats not exactly true. That is the most favorable interpretation of what Bush said, but since Bush and his campaign have already made Clintonesque denials on other issues, we need to look at his words carefully. What Bush actually said was I could have passed the FBI background check on the standards applied on the most stringent conditions when my dad was president of the United States - a 15-year period, Mr. Bush said. This is ambiguous because background forms ask slightly different questions, depending on the position. Drug questions can go back one year, seven years or 10 years. Bush Jr. didnt have any formal position in his fathers administration, so which one applies is unclear. And 15-years is not one of the choices. Since Bush Sr. s presidency began in January 1989, reporters assumed that Jr. was denying drug use for 15 years before that, to 1974. But that is not at all clear. His only direct statement was for seven years before today. He could easily have been denying drug use only for 15 years before today, based on 7 or 10 years dating back from the END of his dads term. 10 years before 1993, the end of Bush Sr. s term, is pretty close to 15 years before today. The Clinton administration actually has a stricter standard than Bush did -- the FBI now asks about any drug use after age 18. But Governor Bush has refused to say whether he would pass that standard, even though that is what he will be asked if he wins. Bush also has refused to answer whether he could have passed the FBI test when his father was vice president, during the 8 years from 1981-1989. As for the arrest and diversion charge, Governor Bush admits working at the center in 1972. When asked for comment, Bushs campaign spokesman reportedly said Oh shit. no comment. McLellan denies saying that. Bushs father, ex-president George Bush, denies the cocaine arrest charge, and in yet another carefully worded denial, Bush said Its totally ridiculous what he suggested and its not true. Youll recall that President Clinton made a very similar statement about Gennifer Flowers allegations of an affair, during the 1992 campaign. Later, when he had to testify under oath, it turned out that he was denying that all of the details of the story were true, not whether an affair had occurred or any specific details (many of which were accurate). Similarly, Bush himself does not deny being caught with cocaine, or having performed community service. Bushs campaign spokesman has now denied that Bush was ever arrested on any drug charge. The director of the center, Madgelean Bush (no relation), also denies the reports. However, her center is dependent on Texas state money, and the director, who grew up poor but has amassed several houses around the center while running it, allowed Governor Bush to use the center for a photo opportunity earlier this year. The Bush campaign also produced Carol Vance, who was the Democratic District Attorney in Harris County in 1972, to say that there was no diversion program in that year, nor were there any Republican judges (as Hatfields book states.) Rock and Roll: Bush keeps a picture of himself with two members of ZZ Top, but does not play the song Tube Snake Boogie during his celibacy lectures. We have found no evidence to support the the most explosive allegation so far that Bush played air guitar to a Foghat record at a party in the late 1970s. But he wont deny it, either. When pressed on the hypocrisy issue, he speaks to hypocritical baby boomer parents everywhere: If I were you, I wouldnt tell your kids that you smoked pot unless you want em to smoke pot. I think its important for leaders, and parents, not to send mixed signals. I dont want some kid saying, Well, Governor Bush tried it. Its amazing enough that he openly defends hypocrisy, but his own signals are very mixed. When allowed to imply that he is just another manly, hard-drinking rapscallion, Bush seizes the opportunity. When I was young and irresponsible, I was really young and irresponsible, he often says. He even hints at pot smoking, as in the above quote, and why not Everyone from his likely opponent Al Gore to Newt Gingrich has admitted smoking pot. But Junior wants it both ways. When the deadly rumor of cocaine use surfaces, he retreats to his high-minded rhetoric about not giving mixed messages. If he thinks he can skate to the presidency without either his right-wing foes or embittered Clintonistas pushing his past into the limelight, then he really IS on drugs. The Bush Watch (web site), an opinionated, well-researched and reasonably fair (though blatantly liberal) anti-Bush site. bushwatch The Sons Also Rise. by Evan Thomas, Newsweek, November 16, 1998 p44-8 Like Most, Im Amazed (Bush interview with Howard Fineman), Newsweek, November 16, 1998 Another Bush Contemplates Run for Presidency, by Sue Anne Pressley (Washington Post news service), San Francisco Chronicle, May 12, 1997 pA5 The Bush Brothers, by Howard Fineman, Newsweek, November 2, 1998 p30-33 Robert Novaks column -- Mission to Niger, by Robert Novak (syndicated column), July 14, 2003 Columnist Blows CIA Agents Cover by Timothy M. Phelps and Knut Royce, Long Island Newsday (newspaper), July 22, 2003 Justice Department Opens Probe Into Leak of CIA Agents Name, by David Cloud, Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2003 pA3 Justice Investigates Leak Claim, by Deb Reichmann (AP), The Oregonian, September 29, 2003 pA2 Bush Vows Action if Aides Had Role in Leak By Mike Allen and Dana Milbank, Washington Post, September 30, 2003 Page A01 White House Says Top Aide Was Not Behind CIA Leak, by David Stout, New York Times, September 29, 2003 ABC - TV News, The Note, September 30, 2003 Out the Outers, editorial, Washington Times (newspaper), OCtober 1, 2003 Attorney General Is Closely Linked to Inquiry Figures. By ELISABETH BUMILLER and ERIC LICHTBLAU, New York Times, October 2, 2003 Why Are These Men Laughing (about Karl Rove), Esquire Magazine, January 2003 No Proof Connects Iraq to 911, Bush Says, by Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times, September 18, 2003 Iraq, 911 Still Linked by Cheney, by Dana Priest and Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, September 29, 2003 pA1 George Bushs Arrest Record. The Smoking Gun Website, November 3, 20000 No arrests after 68, Bush told paper. By Wayne Slater and Pete Slover. The Dallas Morning News, 11032000 Bush lied about his arrest, a reporter says, by Jake Tapper, Salon Magazine, November 3, 2000 Court hearing: Bush downplayed drinking. by Stephen A. Kurkjian and David Armstrong, Boston Globe, 1142000 pA11 Bush Admits He Drove While Drunk, The Oregonian, November 3, 2000 pA19 Bush Still leads, but Key States Buoy Gore: Disclosure of DUI for GOP Candidate is Late Disruption, by Jackie Calmes and Jeanne Cummings, The Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2000 pA22 Interview with Thomas Connolly, (the lawyer who revealed the conviction), Fox TV News, November 3, 2000, 12:00 PST What Is George Dubya Hiding. by Linda Starr and Bev Conover, The Online Journal, June 4, 1999 Yelling at reporter -- from The Economist, July 29, 2000 p21 Two good general sources for funky Bush quotes are The Complete Bushisms. compiled by Jacob Weissberg, SLATE web site and The Bush Watch: Bushisms. by Jerry Politex (both ongoing). feather my nest: Business associates profit during Bushs term as governor by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1 More money than I ever dreamed: quoted in The Governors Sweetheart Deal, by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998 Bush Campaign Tries to Limit Internet Attacks. by Alan Elsner, Reuters News Serviec (on Yahoo web site), May 19, 1999 4 protesters arrested at Governor s Mansion by R. G. RATCLIFFE, Houston Chronicle, April 20, 1999 Section A Page 13 Metfront. 3 STAR edition Here is an excellent web site with actual photos of the military documents from Bushs career: cis 2 Democrats: Bush Let Guard Down. By George Lardner Jr. and Howard Kurtz, Washington Post, November 3, 2000 Page A22 1-Year gap in Bushs Guard duty, by Walter Robinson, Boston Globe, May 23, 2000 Ex-Lawmaker Says He Helped Bush Join the Guard in Vietnam War, by Jim Yardley, New York Times, September 27, 1999 Barnes moves to block questions about Bush, Guard, by Ken Herman, Austin American-Statesman, September 9, 1999 Records of Bushs Ala. Military Duty Cant Be Found, by Wayne Slater, Dallas Morning News, June 26, 2000 pA06 Friends: Barnes was asked to help get Bush in Guard, by George Kuempel and Pete Slover, Dallas Morning News, Sept. 8, 1999 Texas Speaker Reportedly Helped Bush Get Into Guard, by George Lardner, Jr. Washington Post, Setember 21, 1999 pA04 Bushs Air Guard career an unusually easy flight, by Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Times (reprinted in the San Francisco Chronicle), July 4, 1999 pA-6 At Height of Vietnam, Graduate Picks Guard, by George Lardner Jr. and Lois Romano, Washington Post, July 28, 1999 pA0 1 Bush flies into an air force cocaine cloud, by Tom Rhodes, The London Sunday Times, June 18, 2000 Ex-Pol at Center of Bush Flap, by Michael Holmes (AP), Washington Post, September 8, 1999 Barnes says he urged Guard slot for Bush, by Pete Slover and George Kuempel, Dallas Morning News, September 29, 1999 Adviser asked Barnes to recall Guard details before Bush joined race, by Pete Slover and George Kuempel, Dallas Morning News, September 26, 1999 Bush Worked Campaign While in Guard, by Chris Williams (AP), Washington Post, May 23, 2000 Gtech settles Littwin lawsuit, by Ken Herman, Austin American-Statesman, October 30, 1999 Gtech paid Littwin 300,000 and got a strict confidentiality agreement from him. The Funeral Home Flap: Trouble for a Texas Mortician with links to the Bush Family, by Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, August 16, 1999 Bush Affidavit Refuted, by Janet Elliot, Law News Network, August 16, 1999 Funeral company hopeful after takeover By Juan B. Elizondo Jr. Austin American-Statesman, Wednesday, August 18, 1999 Business associates profit during Bushs term as governor by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1 How Bush REALLY Made His Millions. by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Web Site, ongoing Who is David Edwards. by Micah Morrison, The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 1995 The Governors Sweetheart Deal, by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998 Bushs Big Score, by Robert Bryce, The Dallas Observer, February 9, 1998 Bushs Free Ride. by Stuart Eskenazi, Dallas Observer, October 29, 1998 Whitewashing the Bush Boys. by Stephen Pizzo, Mother Jones, March-April 1994 Family Value. by Stephen Pizzo, Mother Jones, September-October 1992 Diamond Brilliance: Bush mastered art of he deal in building his baseball fortune, by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA19 The Family that Preys Together. by Jack Colhoun, Covert Action Quarterly, 41, Summer 1992 Downloading the Bush Files. by Michael King, Texas Observer, November 1998 Othman and Mirza -- Aftermath of Terror: Funds Under Terror Probe Flowed From Offshore, by GLENN R. SIMPSON, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, March 22, 2002 In Difficult Times, Muslims count on unlikely hero, by Tom Hamburger and Glenn R. Simpson, Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2003 ONeill Met Muslim Activists Tied to Charities by Glenn R. Simpson with Roger Thurow Wall Street Journal 4182002 p. A4 Know thy enemy (syndicated column) by Frank Gaffney, December 11, 2002 Corruption Sources State agency official convicted of bribery: She peddled influence for cut of business, by ARMANDO VILLAFRANCA, Houston Chronicle, November 2, 2000 Business associates profit during Bushs term as governor by R. G. Ratcliffe, Houston Chronicle, August 16, 1998 pA1 How Bush REALLY Made His Millions. by Jerry Politex, The Bush Watch Web Site, ongoing Who is David Edwards. by Micah Morrison, The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 1995 The Governors Sweetheart Deal, by Robert Bryce, The Texas Observer, January 30, 1998 Bushs Big Score, by Robert Bryce, The Dallas Observer, February 9, 1998 Downloading the Bush Files. by Michael King, Texas Observer, November 1998 Auditor Withheld Findings on State Housing Agency, by Craig Flournoy, Dallas Morning News, February 18, 1999 Capitol Report: Housing Officials Under Fire, Austin American Statesman, February 3, 1999 Sex, Drugs and Rock N Roll Sources The smut mongers scoop, by Harley Sorenson, San Francisco Examiner, October 30, 2000 Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President, by J. H. Hatfield, St. Martins Press, 1999 (withdrawn) Busting Bushs Biographer. by Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, Oct. 19, 1999 Fortunate Son Revisited, by Jacob Weisberg, Slate Magazine, Oct. 22, 1999 George W. Bush, the dirt digger by Jeannette Walls, MSNBCs The Scoop gossip column. GOP insiders have privately confirmed to The Skeleton Closet that Bush hired the private detective, and that he was a very sexy and highly sexed bachelor. The Sons Also Rise. by Evan Thomas, Newsweek, November 16, 1998 p44-8 BACK TO SKELETON CLOSET Paid for by Real People For Real Change and not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee. Copyright 2003 Real People For Real Change
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