Time: Fri Aug 22 15:28:52 1997
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Fri, 22 Aug 1997 12:26:13 -0700 (MST)
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 1997 12:24:42 -0700
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: SLS: Buying Politicians (fwd)
<snip>
>
>SICK AT HEART - ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK
>by
>Eric Margolis 21 August 1997
>
>
>NEW YORK - Presented with yet more evidence that laundered Asian
>money had bought influence with the White House and Democratic
>Party, President Clinton put on his Earnest-Concerned Look
>#2, and told the press that this news made him, `sick at
>heart.'
>
>The elegant Claude Raines played it much better as the
>French police chief in `Casablanca.' When informed gambling
>was going on in `Rick's Bar,' his eyes widened in innocent
>astonishment. `I am shocked, deeply shocked,' said Raines -
>as he pocketed his winnings.
>
>Each week brings new revelations about Asiagate. So many
>shady oriental gentlemen visited the President, the Oval
>Office must have resembled an old Charlie Chan movie set.
>Vice President Al Gore got caught accepting laundered
>Taiwanese money from a bunch of Buddhist monks. A
>mysterious Mr Woo of Macau - since vanished up the Yangtze-
>hand-carried Red Chinese money to the White House. An Asian-
>American restaurant owner pal of Clinton delivered more illegal
>Chinese money along with bo-bo balls and fried rice..
>
>Republicans are flaming with moral outrage over Asiagate.
>They accuse Democrats of taking outright Chinese bribes, and
>bending American policy to benefit of Beijing. Some hint
>darkly of espionage.
>
>The Republican-led congressional investigation of 1996
>campaign financing has uncovered a torrent of smelly,
>domestic and foreign contributions to Democrats. But, so
>far, no smoking gun. The wily Clintons have always
>obscured their iffy financial and political dealings behind
>an impenetrable legal fog created by their retinue of sharp
>lawyers.
>
>Asiagate makes highly entertaining, often comic, political
>theater. And it shows politicians always manage to surpass
>themselves in hypocrisy and selective indignation.
>
>Of course China was trying to buy influence in Washington,
>from money-hungry Democrats. So do other nations. Beijing's
>campaign got exposed because it was so ham-handed and inept.
>Taiwan has been discreetly paying of Republicans for the past 40
>years, but discreetly, and with tact. .
>
>While indignant Republicans fulminated against China, and
>investigated the role of Beijing and Asian-American groups
>in the 1996 campaign, not a single legislator made a peep
>about the foreign nation with the most potent influence over
>US politics and policy, Israel.
>
>In the same 1996 election, pro-Israel groups, coordinated by the
>American Israel Public Affairs Committee, an arm of of the
>Israeli government, made $2.7 million in direct contributions
>to senators and congressmen. , as well as large amounts of `soft'
>money and media support to candidates. As a result of these
>efforts, Israel gets US $3-5 billion in official and covert
>US aid each year - over 50% of the total US foreign aid for
>the entire world - and a virtual veto over US Mideast
>policy.
>
>Compared to the skilled Israelis, the Chinese are clumsy
>beginners when it comes to making money talk in Washington.
>Next comes the rich, powerful Greek and Armenian lobbies. They
>have exerted a strongly negative influence on US
>policy towards Turkey. But you'll never hear a single
>congressman dare complain about untoward foreign influence
>from Israel, Greece or Armenia.
>
>Nor will you hear American legislators, who are so indignant
>about Chinese meddling in US politics, ever raise the issue
>about American meddling in other nation's politics.
>
>For example: CIA's secret funding of Italy's ruling
>Christian Democrats from 1945-1994, and outright buying
>votes in southern Italy and Sicily. Or Washington's
>financing of key members of Japan's long-ruling Liberal
>Democrats, or of leaders and parties in South Korea, India,
>Pakistan and SE Asia.
>
>American money has influenced elections all over Central and
>Latin America, and West Indies. The rulers of Morocco,
>Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan all receive secret stipends from
>Washington. The same congressmen who denounce China's
>meddling in Washington recently voted money to finance the
>armed overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the government of
>Iran.
>
>Why shouldn't China join the fun? Where is it written that
>only Washington has the right to buy other country's
>politicians?
>
>copyright eric margolis 1997
>
>
>*****************************************************************
>*****************************************************************
>
<snip>
========================================================================
Paul Andrew Mitchell : Counselor at Law, federal witness
B.A., Political Science, UCLA; M.S., Public Administration, U.C. Irvine
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