Six Degrees of Scott Bloch: A Scandal Scorecard

Photo from Raw Story

The Bush Administration scandals are convoluted, and so tangled, they look like a pile of clothes hangers left in the bottom of the closet. Trying to explain them to your conservative friends and family can be difficult--as I just found out on my family vacation. So this link is sort of invaluable. . .laying it out in nice, easy mouse-overs. Check it out.

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Six Degrees of Scott Bloch: A Scandal Scorecard

Several Bush administration officials have become ensnared in an interlocking set of investigations into allegations of Hatch Act violations, whistleblower misconduct and other prohibited personnel practices. At the center of these investigations is Scott Bloch, head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. Characters drawn into the drama include former General Services Administration chief Lurita Doan, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and top Bush adviser Karl Rove. . .

To see what it's all about, go here: GovExec.com

Blast from the Past: Lurita Doan's Memory Lapses

Earlier, I posted a story about the dismissal by the White House of Lurita Doan. The White House was told she should be fired nearly a year ago, and she was just now fired. And quickly. While we wait for the other shoe to drop, here's a refresher on her appearance before Congress. She's only one of many in the Bush Administration with memory problems. . .

White House (Finally) Cans Lurita Doan

Photo from source, The Washington Independent

Here's an unusual story that may portend, as Rachel Maddow said today on her radio show, that another shoe is going to drop. Lurita Doan, General Services Administration Administrator, was in hot water with Congress nearly a year ago, for possibly violating The Hatch Act of 1939.

So why, one must wonder, was she told yesterday to immediately resign today? What is happening today? Or tomorrow? I'll keep my eyes and ears peeled--metaphorically of course--for the answer to that question.

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Why Is Doan Out?

The White House had any number of reasons to demand that General Services Administration Administrator Lurita Doan resign, which she did yesterday evening. Top of the list was probably when the independent Office of Special Counsel found last May that she was in violation of the Hatch Act, the law that's supposed to keep partisan politics out of the federal bureaucracy.

But it would appear that Doan is finished not merely because of political maneuvering that backfired. . .

Read more at: The Washington Independent

Taxpayer Money Spent to Boost GOP

UPDATE: Here is a link to an even more thorough story on the same subject. How Rove Directed Federal Assets for GOP Gains at WashingtonPost.com.


This is just one more story about the politicization of everything, and we're paying for it. And it looks like it's kinda illegal. . .

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Commerce, Treasury funds helped boost GOP campaigns

WASHINGTON - Top Commerce and Treasury department officials appeared with Republican candidates and doled out millions in federal money in battleground congressional districts and states after receiving White House political briefings detailing GOP election strategy.

Political appointees in the Treasury Department received at least 10 political briefings from July 2001 to August 2006, officials familiar with the meetings said. Their counterparts at the Commerce Department received at least four briefings - all in the election years of 2002, 2004 and 2006.

The House Oversight Committee is investigating whether the White House's political briefings to at least 15 agencies, including to the Justice Department, the General Services Administration and the State Department, violated a ban on the use of government resources for campaign activities. . .

Read on at: AZCentral.com