Is U.S. Foreign Policy for Sale? Undercover Reporter Tapes Bush Pioneer Selling White House Access
By Deb Cupples on July 15, 2008 at 4:55 PM in Bush/Cheney, Foreign Affairs, Lobbyists
Many people around the world suspect that the Bush Administration is excessively fond of cash, but it’s strangely comforting to find real evidence supporting that suspicion. Actually, I’m more alarmed than comforted.
Britain’s Times Online has a great article and a four-minute video clip of lobbyist and Bush Pioneer Stephen Payne — who was appointed to the Homeland Security Department’s advisory council — advising a former Kyrgyzstan official to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to get meetings with Bush Administration officials and to buy positive public statements about that foreign official.
Think Progress summed it up as follows:
"In an undercover video, Payne is seen promising to arrange a meeting
for an exiled leader of Krygystan with Dick Cheney or Condoleezza Rice…. All it will take for him to arrange this high-level meeting, says Payne, is ‘a couple hundred thousand dollars, or something like that’:PAYNE: The exact budget I will come up with. But it will be somewhere between $600,000 and $750,000, with about a third of it going directly to the Bush library. […] 200, 250, something like that. That’s gonna be a show of “we’re interested, we’re your friends, we’re still friends.”…
"The Times reports, ‘The revelation confirms long-held suspicions that favours are being offered in return for donations to the libraries which outgoing presidents set up to house their archives and safeguard their political legacies.’ Bush loyalists previously said they had ‘identified wealthy heiresses, Arab nations and captains of industry as potential ‘mega’ donors’ to the Bush library." (Think Progress)
It gets worse. Eric Dos, an exiled politician from Kazakhstan who helped get the video of Stephen Payne last week, told the Times Online that Dos took part in a deal in 2005 with Mr. Payne on behalf of officials from Kazakhstan: a deal involving a $2 million payment passed through a foreign oil company to Mr. Payne’s lobbying firm in exchange for positive statements from U.S. Officials about Kazakhstan’s tyrannical government led by President Nazarbayev.
One result, according to the Times Online:
"The following May, Cheney made a brief trip to Kazakhstan. His visit was remarked upon in the media at the time, both for the lavish praise which he publicly heaped on Nazarbayev and for the stark contrast between this and a speech he had made just a day earlier at a conference in Lithuania in which he had lambasted Russia for being insufficiently democratic. Now he was lauding Nazarbayev, who has effectively made himself president for life and in whose country it is an offence to criticise him.
“’Why did Cheney castigate Russia’s imperfect democracy while saying not a word about Kazakhstan’s shameless travesty of the democratic system?’ said one newspaper following the visit.
The big question: how many nations have our public officials endorsed — without good cause — simply because of discrete money transfers from those nations to our officials?
Oddly enough, in the video clip from last week, Mr. Payne (an obviously Republican lobbyist) also mentioned that he could get positive public statements from Democratic U.S. officials like Senator Joe Biden.
This does not implicate Sen. Biden, but I find it strange that Mr. Payne represented that he might have similar access to Biden as he has to the Bush Administration.
I hope that Congressman Henry Waxman gets a hold of this story and turns loose his Oversight Committee staff. We taxpayers have a right to know whether our nation’s foreign policy has been for sale.
Memeorandum has commentary. And please read the Times Online’s full article.
(Release: November 13)
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Corruption everywhere is the real reason why our country is no longer serving the needs of the people.
We send them our taxes and they use them to line their own pockets instead of improving our lives.
Ob is a “pay to play” expert. He must be stopped before he gets anywhere near the joint.
btw – the ACLU is running an ad in the NYTimes in protest of FISA, (along with their lawsuit.)
Add your name to the “Ear” ad today – it will run on the 17th, so hurry:
https://secure.aclu.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=Are_you_angry4&s_s=sub_noaction&JServSessionIdr009=17jygb9dc2.app25a
oh God, imagine, the Combine running this show, no no no
HILLARY IS 44
Good post. Very disheartening.
Thanks. Yes, it is disheartening.
how does a nontroll post a link here? I can only do so by spelling out DOT which is getting old
Corruption and blind ignorance
How does YOUR state rate?
It just so figures about Texas
also here’s a good VIDEO of the Vulcan Project
Don’t we call this soliciting bribes?
“Don’t we call this soliciting bribes?”
Not anymore. It is now referred to as “doing business.”
Pretty ickola stuff.
This is a universal problem at the federal level of our government, the corruption and favors is not limited to just the current administration or to just the republicans. It is also an influence on ex-presidents who seek bigger and more lavish libraries than their predecessors and the prestige of international speaking arrangements.
The founding fathers put the natural born citizenship requirement for president into the Constitution for the reason that they foresaw the effect of foreign influence at the top level of government from all the international arranged marriages of the European royalty of the time. What they didn’t foresee was the effect of foreign money influence.
So when they talk about vetting Bill Clinton’s library donations, are they alluding to something like this?
One of these days we’re going to have to get around impeaching Bill Clinton for his illegal forth term.
I think the only reason why our so called party leaders haven’t done anything (other than send a sternly worded letter) is because they want to belly up to the trough when there’s a Democrat in the White House.
Quite possibly so.
Slight OT:
Do you guys realize what bad shape our hospitals are in?
In the past 2 years, three senior relatives went in for minor treatment, and did out come out alive. Different hospitals.
Another relative went in 3 weeks ago for minor gall bladder surgery, in no time, he was on a respirator, then had a trach, now he’s in the cardiac unit, and will soon get a hole punched in his belly for feeding.
Had nothing to do with the original problem. All complications developed in the hospital.
WE NEED CHANGE all through our system, and WE WILL NOT GET IT WITH WEAK COMPROMISING non-LEADERSHIP.
Because Reid and Pelosi are too busy with Obama’s coronation.
Money just rules politics – they have to fundraise, fundraise, fundraise to spend enough to get elected.
Right after the 2004 election Time Magazine interviewed four retiring Senators – two Dems, two Repubs, and they all agreed they spent so much time raising money they barely could keep up with the news or what they were voting on. They all cited the time spent fundraising as a reason for retiring, they didn’t find their jobs satisfying.
This kind of pressure will surround the next president, Repub or Democrat.
Sorry, I’m a Dem but I see McCain more prepared than Obama to anticipate and reject these kinds of pressures. McCain has fallen to this pressure in the past, but at least he recognizes it. Obama has fallen for this too (voluntary nuclear leaking reports,) on a smaller level, but does not recognize his own folly. In fact he exaggerated his own accomplishment and ran a campaign ad on it.
I am waiting for Obama to claim “HE brought peace to Ireland”!
He was also at Mission Control when the Apollo 13 astronauts were in trouble. He saved the day, you know.
I expect any day now, for him to take credit for the sun coming up in the morning.
Interesting Web Site, just posted on Fox
http://www.theobamafile.com/
Get this damn fraud stinky out of the political scene ASAP.
Terrible, but unfortunately this is not new, it has been going on for many years. The difference is, this dude just got caught.
Gee so hard to believe. Not.
How about that creep in Ubiquistan (or however you spell it) who throws his detractors in boiling water. All kinds of handshaking went on with that “coalition” member, expecially with Uncle Don
“I sold the nuclear reactors to North Korea”Rumsfeld.Off topic
Larry Elder Show – Larry reveals the additional Jesse Jackson comments about Obama … oh, my
I think that’s a distinctly AA kind of smackdown. Definitely wasn’t a set-up for Obama, huh?
ohhhh wow
I was wondering what ELSE was on that tape!!
Ha! rut rohhhhhhhhhh!
Hell I get insulted every single day so who cares?
I have the exact same sympathy and respect for Barack Obama and his sycophants as they have for me. None.
“Bush league” will take on a whole new meaning if The Illinois Combine gets to play “operation board games” on a national scale!
The Stan’s, Iran and oil money.
Anyone read Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins lately?
OT: Mr. Johnson, that would make for a interesting interview. Why am I not surprised BO has not reached out to Amb. WSilson OR Valerie Wilson, but can suround himself with a photo-op. The comment BO made is these “consultations” would be on going. You here anything about this? I mean without having to put your ear to the railroad track?
Maybe we can put a penny on the rail and come back in an hour to see if any trains have gone by.
Can I get a shout out for Rep. Jeff Flake from the Arizona 6th? Look at his testimony in the house @ 4:44 PST. The man is like the PorkPipe city town crier.
He knows what it is to be “Kicked like a rented mule”, Never mind Shotgun Dick.
get a life you bitter idiots. Obama is going to win no matter what you do. Hilary lost fair and square so get over it. if you don’t nobody really cares since you don’t represent ALL 18 million people. I voted for Hilary and I will vote for Obama in Nov. I’m a Democrat and will never sit by and watch another Republican become president because of some idiot’s (Larry C. Johnson) bruised ego.
Monsieur Andre le Petit,
Tu es un troll Republicane.
Yours,
le Grande
To me, this is some seriously big news. This is the kind of stuff that should land you behind bars, that is selling out America to the biggest foreign buyers.
Remember how upset the Repubs were with President Clinton and all of the comments they make about his library contributers? Well the Bushies are directing American foreign policy not in a way which is best for America, but in a way that is best for lining their pockets with cash. This is a crime against our nation.
I kind of see it that way, too.
I hope that Congressman Henry Waxman gets a hold of this story and turns loose his Oversight Committee staff. We taxpayers have a right to know whether our nation’s foreign policy has been for sale.
Unfortunately, the Dem Congress, led by Pelosi and Reid, immediately declared that “impeachment is off the table” when they took power in 2006. Since then, they’ve folded repeatedly (eg: the recent FISA vote), so I don’t think there’s much chance of courageous acts of integrity and examination. Most of them are bought and sold.
The Harper’s site has a piece by Ken Silverstein that gives a few more details about Payne and the activities of his company, Worldwide Strategic Partners. It seems that the company’s brochure is offered on the Times Online site and it states that WSP:
worked closely with a number of people to “boost positive U.S . public perception about Azerbaijan,” including: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison; A. Elizabeth Jones, a former State Department official and now a lobbyist at APCO Associates; and Gary Bauer, the Christian right leader. The brochure said the three had written friendly op-eds on behalf of Azerbaijan.
The piece provides short quotes from those op-eds that were printed in the Fort Worth Star Telegram (part of the McClatchy company), the Texas Conservative Review, and the Washington Times. Silverstein writes:
APCO, one of the firms I met with, told me it had one person on staff who did nothing but plant opinion pieces, and had succeeded in placing thousands of them.
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/07/hbc-90003245
http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/payne.pdf
You know. This problem would not exist if the democrats would stop blocking republican efforts to make lobbying illegal. Of course, with incredibly wealthy donors like George Soros holding their leash, that will never, ever happen.
Yeah Obama is Bushes buddy.Obama has voted on mor bills of Bush.
Obama always get caught on his flip flops.Now that many have said and blogged About it’s Obama more like Bush.The democratic party and MSNBC are trying now to say hey it’s a good thing-When the democartoc Party blamed BUSH for this and that,Well they are right on that.but,Obama tried to say McCain is Bush as well as trying to say Hillary is Bush.So the democratic party leaders were as well as msnbc were pileing it on thick.We now that Obama is and had gone back on his words and we say see he is Bush as he is the most who voted more on Bushes bills as he said that hisself and smiled about it. Now the democratic party and their pundits on MSNBC are saying it’s a good.HUH? What they are jusyt as flip flopers as Obama is. Well Obama is worst I give him credit for that.
As people would say as the democratic and Obama will say McCain and Hilalry are more like Bush.Now it’s not a bad thing even what they were saying was not true.It’s because Obama went with Bush on Bills he said he would not as well as Obama went with Bush more in the past bills.
MSNBC KNOWS OF BUSHES RATING SO THEY TRY TO TIE McCain into Bush as they tryed as well with Hillary.
So the Bush -Dick Chengy Energy Bill- um Lets see Obama stood there and said That” He WASthe only candidate that did not vote on Bush-Dick Chengy Energy Bill.And Hillary did and she is the one who did not stand up to the oil cOmpanysbecause of this Bush-Dick Chengy Energy Bill.Now let’s see Obama never said McCain yet.Well sure he was trying to knock out Hillary with his lies.
Well Obama is the only candidate there that did vote for Bush-Dick Chengy Energy Bill 2005.
Hillary or McCain did not.So Hillary and MccAIN are the ones who stood up against the oil companys. Obama did not.
Now as time went on it’s Bush this Bush that.OBAMA SAY’S Bush did this and that,Bush is not for the people in doing all wrong.And now being he showned his true self that he could not keep within hisself came out.It’s the pundit-adviceors -MSNBC- the democratic party leaders,Donna Brazile you were there at the round table ABC all trying to say hey it’s a good thing Obama is both ways.Huh? I had to laugh so hard.You can see it still on their faces in thinking let’s hope this works folks. On in 1-2-3- go get the story out.MSNBC-ABC .Hello god day people of america we are again wanting to mess with your minds.ok,but don’t worry we know that you may think we are doing this for Obama’s flip flops and not keeping his word.But,do we care what the american people think? No we sure don’t so when I count to three people-open your eyes and then you all will say oh that’s great to. 1-2-3 Oh shit it’s not working now what do we do? Ok msnbc-Donna Brazile-Nancy-oward Dean and all those who are stuffed in the tank. We know how you work now.We know how dirty yopu all are. But, you know.We are not voteing Obama never.We laught at MSNBC-DONNA BRAZILE ALL THE REST.
GET THIS! NO TICKET FOR HILLAEY WE DON’T WANT A TICKET FOR HILLARY.WE ARE GOING TO DENVER,Donna Brazile we heard what you said on abc. Now even so a ticket we still will not vote Obama.! so as you all said ” just get over it” Your words back at you.lol get lost
I remember hearing that on the news about 16 months ago saying,Is america for sale? No wonder why we now have so many asses who run with the terrorist and work for them on the side.
Anyone know one? OBAMA. Is that what the democratic aprty is trying to do is sell us a box with nothing in it?That’s right…It isn’t working so they thought the shoving Obama down our thoarts will do.
No,I say get lost.We are not buying.And you will not shove Obama down our throats.
GOD HELP US.What about our children’s future? Is that what’s been going down these last 8 years and Obama running with Bush?What about some in the democratioc party who are with Bush as well.
Are they placing their bets now.Is it why the media and the democratic party let Obama get away with it all?So cocky,has nothing to say.He is a un,un I thinkun wait a minute it will come to me.un un wait a minute,un don’t talk to me un yet.I am trying to think here.
We are in trouble.
Hillary 08
MccCain 08
The media will put out anything to get Hillary and McCain out.Who is also selling us out in the media.?
Where is Obama’s birth certificate? Let me guess,It’s still cooking.