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• Wednesday, August 20, 2008 08:42 AM

  Only one time was Russert 'true to his school'

  I have held this same unpopular opinion of Tim Russert all along...he was a tool - a well-informed tool - who was at least well-prepared to skewer the very meme out of every person who he interviewed...but he never, ever, ever went that far, except once. On that one occasion alone can I remember that Tim was a journalist. You memorialized it very well, here:

  http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/2006/01/using-christian-conservatives-for-fun.html

  Monday, January 09, 2006

  Using Christian conservatives for fun and profit

  Jane Hamsher zeros right in on an exchange of monumental importance which took place on Meet the Press yesterday, involving accusations of wrongdoing exchanged between close Bush ally Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, and top Bush campaign official Ralph Reed. In addition to sweeping some of the most prominent pro-Bush faces into the center of the Abramoff corruption net, this episode powerfully illustrates how the Republican Party has long exploited, with total cynicism and dishonesty, the Christian conservatives who constitutes [sic] such a critical and loyal part of its base. The significance of this part of the Abramoff scandal could be huge if used properly. For that reason, it’s worthwhile to review the basic facts.

  As part of the federal investigation into Jack Abramoff, e-mails from 2001 surfaced which were written to Abramoff by Ralph Reed, longtime Republican operative and the Bush ‘04 campaign’s Southeast Regional Director. Abramoff at the time was working on behalf of casinos owned by Louisiana Indian tribes, which were concerned that Texas tribes were beginning to open casinos which would compete with them and drain away their gamblers. They wanted government action taken against the Texas casinos -- in sum, they wanted the Texas Government to shut down their competition -- and so they hired Abramoff to use his unparalleled influence with Republicans, especially Texas Republicans, in order to engineer the State Government action that they wanted.

  In thinking about how to induce the Texas government to act against the Texas casinos, Abramoff realized that he could cynically exploit Christian conservatives in Texas -- who strongly oppose gambling on religious and moral grounds -- and use that religious opposition to gambling in order to help the Louisiana casinos who were paying him. The Christian conservatives both in Texas and nationally would be the dupes. They would think that they were crusading against gambling by demanding that the Texas casinos be shut down. In reality, the entire spectacle was a grand deceit which was about nothing other than working to serve the interests of the Louisiana casinos by attacking their competitors.

  This is McCain's Achilles heel: McCain's 'judgment' as chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee's Abramoff Investigation in which he sequestered over 90 per cent of the incriminating documents.

  Today, most people are completely confused about McCain's position on any issue, and this is simply because McCain drapes both sides of every issue on each side of his toothsome grin, every-ready to confuse any argument against him. He lies about Obama's tax plan with just as much brio. It is outrageous, and I can only hope that you continue to tell truth to power in your very incisive way, Glenn.

  But Jack Cafferty said it best: "...a cold chill..."

  Thank you so much for your work!

  —ezdidit Read ezdidit's other letters
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