Ed Meese just used the phrase "Criminalization of Politics"

[Lochloosa]

Former Attorney General Ed Meese just used the phrase on Hammity.

A little info about him for the youngun's

An independent prosecutor found Meese probably violated federal conflict-of-interest laws when his family held telephone company stock worth thousands at a time when he was reviewing telecommunications policy at the Justice Department. He also concluded that "a trier of fact would probably conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Meese willfully permitted a materially false tax return to be filed for him."

The Senate Oversight of Government Management subcommittee found that Meese, as counselor to Reagan, had violated White House policy when he intervened to win a defense contract for the scandal-ridden Wedtech Corp.

During the Iran-Contra Affair, Meese conspired with Reagan Administration officials to cover up the crimes committed, possibly even including the President's. He lied to the press and instructed other members of the Cabinet to do so. When conducting a Potemkin investigation, he told Reagan officials they were "under no obligation" to answer questions truthfully.

Republican William Weld, former US assistant attorney general in charge of the criminal division, explained that he was frequently instructed to base his prosecutions on political and ideological criteria. As he understood it, investigations were dropped if "the political affiliation of was likely to be Republican." But they were more likely to be approved, Weld said, if the person under investigation was a liberal.


Hammity sounds like he is ready to cry.

[bryant69]

1. You know if they are so upset about the criminalization of politics

Maybe they shouldn't have let a bunch of criminals get in charge?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com
Big Contest at blog - To potentially win a subscription to Salon Magazine, visit this post --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com/2005/10/contest.html

[dbonds]

2. But it is the Politicization of Crime.

Bringing the crime right into the political structure. Mob meet politics.

[Demobrat]

3. This meme won't last long

once the indictments come down. Hard to position treason as politics as usual.

[Leopolds Ghost]

20. No, it's a huge mistake of them, I hope they keep using it

It's the sort of ass-ended meme the Democrats used to specialize in -- confusing and all too easy to turn against the user.

In fact, I think the Dems should pick up on it. "Karl Rove, Delay, and all these other people are guilty of criminalizing politics!! I agree with my Republican colleagues -- politics in Washington has been criminalized by their actions, across the board! We're looking at a culture of corruption here! Not to mention possible espionage to undermine our WMD experts and get us into a war with Iraq!"

[jedr]

4. When criminals become politicians;

You then have " The criminalization of politics"

[OzarkDem]

17. I like that one

[girl gone mad]

5. I really don't get this talking point.

It's too easy to counter.

If politicians would stop behaving like criminals, we wouldn't need these kinds of investigations. The problem is politicians who commit crimes, not the criminalization of politics as usual. etc.

[damntexdem]

6. I liked the Daily Show's take:

the bad thing is the politicization of crime. Money laundering used to be innocent when only drug lords were doing it, before the politicians started making it dirty.

And why isn't Ed Meese still in prison for his criminalization of politics?

[spanone]

7. If you are a criminal in politics......If the shoe fits....

[papau]

8. I like the ED Meese/Wedtech/Kashoggi/Lepore cost Gore the Election idea

Ed Meese (good buddy of Reagan although no friend of the Bushs) and Wedtech, and bob wallach, the crony of Ed Meese who as adviser to Wedtech Corp. (a now-defunct Bronx-based "minority" contractor to the Pentagon), tried to get Khashoggi onto Wedtech's board (Khashoggi never joined Wedtech's board), and who (wallach) was eventually convicted of defrauding Wedtech

I like the tin foil hat idea that Khashoggi (in tight with the GOP post Meese in Iran-Contra) was the mastermind of the plot to deny Al Gore the presidency as a favor to the GOP if not a favor to daddy Bush (Bush was a a phone call buddy in 85 and 86 per the 1990 court case). Our friend LePore worked for Khashoggi during the 1980s, when, according to her official biography, she was chief deputy supervisor of elections in Palm Beach County, a job she held until 1996, when she was elected supervisor of elections. So the GOP "asset" LePore has been working as a Khashoggi asset to elect the son of Khashoggi's old comrade-in-arms, George Bush!

[Skidmore]

9. Well, Ed Mees would know about criminality.

[MN ChimpH8R]

10. It was Meese that said that you're not innocent

if you're a suspect. I guess he's an expert on criminality in politics.

[emulatorloo]

11. destroying Joe Wilson and outing his wife was "just politics"

too bad for repug spinners that it was also a crime.

[Neil Lisst]

12. Ed Meese, Richard Nixon's pal and Attorney General

And as if he didn't screw the public enough there, he led a pornography commission later, the purpose of which was to make sure there were not too many dildos in public hands, among other things.

Will someone beat him senseless, please?

[Loonman]

13. King Crook, himself

Go get stuffed, Meese.

[melody]

14. Meese called the Bill of Rights "Marxist propaganda"

His opinion is moot.

Anyway, he's a political criminal from way back.

[quispquake]

15. Experts Agree: Meese Is a Pig

Back in the 80's, someone FLOODED DC with these posters...'twas mighty cool :)

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

21. Like this?

I didn't see that one in my town, but I remember this one:

[OzarkDem]

16. Is he still alive?

Ironic coming from the man who practiced criminalization of politics so fervently himself.

Repubs only defense mechanism is projection.

[Leopolds Ghost]

18. Good. (cackle) GOO-OOOD!

Everything Is Going as I Have Foreseen It. Ha Ha Ha Haaaa...

Soon your president, like his father before him, will be... MINE!

--The Ghost of History

Listen to the yell of Leopold's ghost / Burning in Hell for his
hand-maimed host / Hear how the demons chuckle and yell /
Cutting his hands off, down in Hell.

[markus]

19. Funny, who was the liberal NYT columnist saying the same thing

on MTP two weeks ago?

I think this scares the shit out of the entire establishment in Washington, not just the bad guys.

Ultimately, that genie is out of the metaphorical bottle with the Clinton Administration.