John and Cindy's 2000 Vote: The Matter Of The Children
http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/2008/05/the-mccains-200.html#comment=
s
May 10, 2008
"I have always wondered about the character of both McCains that they
sup****ted Bush in 2004 despite the unspeakable things he did to their
child. How could you swallow that and embrace the man?"
On May 9, 3:37 pm, lc <lol7...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> McCain Pushed Land Swap That Benefits Backer
> Matthew Mosk Wa****ngton Post Staff Writer
> May 9, 2008
> PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will
> let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine
> forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is
> ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit
> one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers].
>
> Initially reluctant to sup****t the swap, the Arizona Republican became
> a key figure in pu****ng the deal through Congress after the rancher
> and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate
> campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom
> has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a
> major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.
>
> When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner
> gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor
> Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a
> longtime McCain sup****ter who has raised more than $100,000 for the
> presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never
> discussed the deal.
>
> The Audubon Society described the exchange as the largest in Arizona
> history. The swap involved more than 55,000 acres of land in all,
> including rare expanses of desert woodland and pronghorn antelope
> habitat. The deal had sup****t from many local officials and the
> Arizona Republic newspaper for its expansion of the Prescott National
> Forest. But it brought an outcry from some Arizona environmentalists
> when it was proposed in 2002, partly because it went through Congress
> rather than a process that allowed more citizen input.
>
> Although the bill called for the two parcels to be of equal value, a
> federal forestry official told a congressional committee that he was
> concerned that "the public would not receive fair value" for its land.
> A formal appraisal has not yet begun. A town official opposed to the
> swap said other Yavapai Ranch land sold nine years ago for about
> $2,000 per acre, while some of the prime commercial land near a parcel
> that the developers will get has brought as much as $120,000 per acre.
>
> In an interview, Betts said there is "absolutely no" connection
> between his contributions to McCain's presidential bids and the deal
> involving rancher Fred Ruskin and the Yavapai Ranch Limited
> Partner****p. While his company's possible involvement was discussed
> casually before the bill's passage, Betts said SunCor did not sign on
> to the project until afterward. "At no time during the consideration
> of this legislation was there any involvement by officials of SunCor,"
> McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said in a written response to questions
> [read the campaign's full answers].
>
> Betts is among a string of donors who have benefited from McCain-
> engineered land swaps. In 1994, the senator helped a lobbyist for land
> developer Del Webb Corp. pursue an exchange in the Las Vegas area,
> according to the Center for Public Integrity. McCain sponsored two
> bills, in 1991 and 1994, sought by donor Donald R. Diamond that
> yielded the developer thousands of acres in trade for national
> parkland.
>
> In the late 1990s, McCain promoted a deal in Arizona's Tonto National
> Forest involving property part-owned by Great American Life Insurance,
> a company run by billionaire Carl H. Lindner Jr., a prolific
> contributor to national political parties and presidential candidates.
>
> With the federal government owning vast stretches of Arizona land, and
> with pressure to meet increasing housing demands, McCain now views
> land swaps as beneficial, Rogers said. "He certainly recognizes that
> there have been well-do***ented abuses of legislative land exchanges,
> but every land exchange bill introduced by Senator McCain has been
> written with the highest regard for the public interest."
>
Mo=C2=BBhttp://www.wa****ngtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/08/AR=
200...
>
> On May 9, 11:29 am, Torpedoing The SS Nemo
>
> <gregorymor...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > ChasNUMBO blabbles:
>
> > > On May 9, 2:06=EF=BF=BDam, "Clave"
<ClaviusNoSpamDam...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > > > "lc" <lol7...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>
> > >
>news:0d630aa1-389b-47ca-96fc-0e12097bdc38@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > > > > Cindy McCain's Business Relation****p With Charles Keating and
Why =
She
> > > > > Must Disclose Her Finances
> > > >
>http://www.politicalbase.com/profile/Mark%20Nickolas/blog/&blogId=
=3D2084
> > > > > May 8, 2008
>
> > > > > On the Today Show this morning, Cindy McCain defended the McCain
> > > > > campaign's decision to withhold her tax returns, saying they
would=
> > > > > never make her tax returns public--not even if she becomes First
L=
ady.
>
> > > > > I think that's a serious problem and an untenable position for
Joh=
n
> > > > > McCain (R) to maintain. Considering that McCain fa****ons himself
a=
s a
> > > > > fighter for more public transparency, and the fact that both
Barac=
k
> > > > > Obama (D) and Hillary Clinton (D) have released their family's
tax=
> > > > > returns, this will dog McCain for the entire general election.
Ear=
lier
> > > > > today, the Democratic National Committee called on McCain to do
wh=
at
> > > > > his opponents have already done and release his wife's returns.
>
> > > > > First, as was well do***ented in a 20,000 word profile by the
Ariz=
ona
> > > > > Republic on John McCain back in 1999, it was Cindy's own money
tha=
t
> > > > > was used to get McCain elected to Congress in the first place.
>
> > > > Funny thing, but the conservative punditocracy has been rather
quick=
to
> > > > challenge this secrecy.
>
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD Trusts and income this large, even if only
partl=
y controlled
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD by a potential future First Lady, matter.
We've =
already seen
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD how (she) effectively helped finance her
husband=
's campaign,
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD at least in its bleaker moments.
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD -- Andrew Stuttaford,
Nation=
al Review
>
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD Making (her) tax returns public would confirm
th=
at she's
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD (Senator McCain's) sugar daddy (sugar mommy?).
I=
t would also
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD strike a blow against (her husband's) populist
r=
hetoric by
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD detailing the lavish lifestyle he and his wife
e=
njoy...
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD -- Matthew Continetti, The
W=
eekly Standard
>
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD "(this is) politically critical, because no
prev=
ious
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD presidential candidate relied so much on his
spo=
use's wealth"
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD and without his wife's money, "it is fair to
say=
(he) would
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD not be his party's presidential
standard-bearer =
and probably
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD would not even be a U.S. senator today."
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD -- Robert Novak
>
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD "...with her husband seeking the presidency,
her=
financial
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD dealings, as well as his, ought to be as open
as=
possible.
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD Keeping her returns private would set a bad
prec=
edent.
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD Imagine a future presidential candidate whose
sp=
ouse has
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD complicated business dealings or federal
contrac=
ts, chooses
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD to file a separate tax return, and refuses to
ma=
ke it public.
> > > > =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD -- The
Wa****ngton =
Post
>
> > > > BEG pardon -- those were all written about John Kerry's wife in
2004=
..
>
> > > > She *did* release her tax returns.
>
> > > > Jim
> > > > --
> > > >
viahttp://nitpicker.blogspot.com/2008/05/right-wing-magazines-attack=
-cin...text -
>
> > > > - Show quoted text -
>
> > > WOW! THIS IS EMERGING AS A *HUGE* SCANDAL!!!
>
> > Sure, ChuKKKles.....SURE..........
>
> > Everybody BACK to SLEEP now..........
>
> > zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...................
> > .
>
> > This "revelation" is about as "shocking" as the fact that you are
> > congenitally unemployed.................
>
> > --
> > Best
> > Greg
|
