Harriet Miers was the fixer for Bush's National Guard records purge

[liveoaktx]

http://archive.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=171

Moreover, Newsweek reported on July 9, 2000 that the Bush campaign "launched a secretive research operation designed to scour all records relating to his Vietnam-era service" during preparation for Bush's 1998 re-election campaign. They paid "hard-nosed Dallas lawyer named Harriet Miers" $19,000 to review the records. According to Newsweek, one result of her work was to deflect charges that former Texas House Speaker Ben Barnes helped Bush get into the Texas Air National Guard despite low qualifications and a long waiting list. Barnes was later forced to testify under oath that he helped Bush.

[Hobarticus]

1. No evil deed goes unrewarded with these bastards...

How anyone could still trumpet their "moral values" is incomprehensible.

[AuntiBush]

28. A-Greed!

Really! It's past incomprehensible at this point. Then again, been saying that daily for way too long now.

When will justice stop this?

[still_one]

2. dems better do their job

NO MORE JUSTICES until we know if bush and company committed treason

[Horse with no Name]

26. C'mon...be fair

we're "saving" ourselves for the big argument.
We'll get the memo when "this is the one".
;)

[demnan]

3. Yeah but

I bet you won't hear any Democrat bring this up in the confirmation hearing.

[in_cog_ni_to]

6. THAT would be too controversial.

:eyes::sarcasm:

Don't want to rock the boat, you know?

[Benhurst]

To do so would be embarrassing to the Commander in Chief in

time of perpetual war.

Jeez! It's not nice to make waves in banana republics.

:patriot:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

4. Well, you have to say that he rewards his minions well............

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. This lady is a walking bag of conflicts of interest

This nominee should be rejected just on that basis alone.

[The Traveler]

7. Ahhhh .... she's "The Cleaner"

Every gang has to have one. Remember Pulp Fiction?

[tanyev]

8. Ben Barnes, yes, that Ben Barnes,

abruptly fired from GTECH while Miers TX Lottery Commissioner.

So far, intriguing...but it gets better, and more complicated. At roughly the same time all of this was happening, Miers was also the Bush-named chair of the scandal-plagued Texas Lottery Commission. The biggest issue before Miers and the commission was whether to retain lottery operator Gtech, which had been implicated in a bribery scandal. Gtech's main lobbyist in Texas in the mid-1990s? None other than that same Ben Barnes who had the goods on how Bush got into the Guard and avoided Vietnam.

In 1997, Barnes was abruptly fired by Gtech. That's a bad thing, right? Well, on the other hand, they also gave him a $23 million severance payment. A short time later, Gtech -- despite the ongoing scandals -- got its contract renewed over two lower bidders. A former executive director thought the whole thing stunk:
http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/cat_national.html

[crispini]

10. Yes, I'm excited. We get to drag all of these old skeletons

out of the closet. I've already emailed Olbermann.

If she's going to be the nominee, we should use this and use this and use this.

[tanyev]

11. Wooo-hooo!

Are they that stupid? Or just that arrogant?

[crispini]

14. They must be crazy.

If they think we don't remember all of that? The slightest MENTION of the Texas Lottery these days and I think "corruption." It stinks like a shit sandwich!

Bush has given us a Supreme Court nominee with a big ol' target on her back. An Achilles heel a mile wide. I don't get it. I really don't get it.

I suggest we all start writing Democratic Senators immediately. We need to make sure that her association with the Texas Lottery and the G-Tech scandal is first and foremost in their minds when they look at her.

[SammyWinstonJack]

23. I vote for arrogant.

[qanda]

12. You can't make this stuff up

Can you?

[jsamuel]

9. I wonder if she had anything to do with the take down of Dan Rather

[maine_raptor]

13. Time for a Dem spine transplant...and a Big fight

This (the Barnes/Miers connection) has GOT to come out. It involves dirty money, a $23 million "payoff", and possible bid rigging while she was on the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC).

The fight over her confirmation could be about "character", Dems, not "paper trail". Bring out the problems with the TLC, and tie her and Barnes in.

Keep the Bush TANG records as a side show, concentrate on the money!!!!!

[crispini]

15. Why have they done this, though? I'm confused.

Do they WANT a big fight and then they get to call us "partisan?" This lady has "corruption" written all over her. It sticks out like a sore thumb. Why would they nominate someone with such obvious connections to these old scandals?

[maine_raptor]

16. One word ..... Hubris

[cassiepriam]

30. Maybe they want a big fight, When it is over, * puts the real nom forward

[SpiralHawk]

17. K & R

This will get Dan Rather back on the case -- and by rights should get hordes of reporters re-telling the sordid tale of AWOL Bush.

Nota Bene: the planet Mars (war, soldiers, etc) has just gone retrograde (apparent reverse motion) -- suggesting review of martian-military themes.

And today the nomination of Miers to the Supreme Court came at the time of a solar eclipse -- at 10 Libra 19 -- the sign of the scales and "justice" and all the rest.

Something MYSTERIOUS is in movement...

Come, we go cast the Mighty Mighty ORACLE BEANS and find the PATHWAY BETWEEN...

[crispini]

18. Greg Palast story on G-Tech & Lottery here

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=19&row=3

All happened in the period when she was the chair of the Texas lottery commission.

[progressoid]

20. Greg always puts the pieces together...nt

[lonestarnot]

22. Now it is making sense. Thank you Greg Palast and thank you crispini!

[Kolesar]

19. Calling Dan Rather

Care to take another swing of the bat?

[nashville_brook]

27. my thought exactly -- Fitzie too -- someone please stop them!

[lonestarnot]

21. So that was her role... The cover girl queen.

[Roland99]

24. A lot of info on Miers and Locke, Liddell & Sapp here >>>>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4956059

[rodeodance]

25. "hard-nosed Dallas lawyer named Harriet Miers"

[AirAmFan]

29. Sounds like "extraordinary circumstances" to me--and there's UNLIMITED

material to feed filibuster speeches.

Democrats should IMMEDIATELY ask Miers if she's willing to waive the statute of limitations on bn her apparent $23 million bribe to Barnes, so that Ronnie Earle can get busy on her as well as on DeLay.

Why WOULDN'T a Supreme Court nominee be willing to waive the Statute of Limitations? If she refuses, doesn't that mean Dubya has named a CRIMINAL to the USSC?

If Arlen Specter and the rest of "moderate" Republicans maintain party unity on this one, "culture of corruption and cronyism" will be the key slogan for the 2006 election. This nomination needs to be dragged out for a full year.