Greg Palast: $23 million pay-off in Bush Air Guard fix

[NV1962]

Remember weepy Ben Barnes, former Texas lieutenant governor who went on-camera saying he was ashamed that he gave Dubya a cushy spot in the TANG?

Here's Greg Palast with the skinny on that one:

... In 1994, George W. Bush was elected governor of Texas by a whisker. By that time, Barnes had left office to become a big time corporate lobbyist. To an influence peddler like Barnes, having damning information on a sitting governor is worth its weight in gold – or, more precisely, there’s a value in keeping the info secret. 

Barnes appears to have made lucrative use of his knowledge of our President’s slithering out of the draft as a lever to protect a multi-billion dollar contract for a client.  That's the information in a confidential letter buried deep in the files of the US Justice Department that fell into my hands at BBC television.


Here's what happened. Just after Bush's election, Barnes' client GTech Corp., due to allegations of corruption, was about to lose its license to print money: its contract to run the Texas state lottery. Barnes, says the Justice Department document, made a call to the newly elected governor's office and saved GTech's state contract.

The letter said, "Governor Bush ... made a deal with Ben Barnes not to rebid because Barnes could confirm that Bush had lied during the '94 campaign."

...

The happy client paid Barnes, the keeper of Governor Bush’s secret, a fee of over $23 million. Barnes, not surprisingly, denies that Bush took care of his client in return for Barnes’ silence.  However, confronted with the evidence, the former Lt. Governor now admits to helping the young George stay out of Vietnam.

...

What "memogate" - here's a much bigger story!

So now we can sit back and expect the mainstream "journalists" to pick up on this, now that there's corroborated evidence (which you can check out on Greg's site - just follow the link) exposing this incredible sham, right?

Well... Here's Greg Palast again:

By the way: I first reported this story in 1999, including the evidence of payback, in The Observer of London. US media closed its eyes. Then I put the story on British television last year in the one-hour report, "Bush Family Fortunes." American networks turned down BBC's offer to run it in the USA. "Wonderful film," one executive told me, "but Time Warner is not going to let us put this on the air." However, US networks will take cash for advertisements calling Kerry a Vietnam coward.

:grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke: :grr: :nuke:

WHERE ARE THE JOURNALISTS???

[fudge stripe cookays]

1. We're showing Bush Family Fortunes here in Dallas Friday night!

PM reprehensor or I for details.

FSC

[sybylla]

2. Our journalists are all in London apparently

Go Palast. One of these days, his great works will once again appear in our media and that day, the chimp will be toast.

[Atman]

3. When we post shit like this, CC it to all the media

Come on, guys...we know he's a crook because we read this stuff every day. But Bill "Ken" Hemmer only knows what his bosses tell him to read on air. Same for most of the so-called journalists. So WAKE EM UP! This is potential dynamite. Do I expect anyone in the US to run it? Hell no. But if the talking heads have the insulation removed and actually see some of these stories before they park their fat asses in front of the Telepromptr, maybe they won't be so cowed by GOP bullies when they start calling Kerry names.

[democrat_patriot]

6. Email it here:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], 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[NV1962]

4. Kick

:kick:

[John_H]

5. Why do I not think another memo may be counterproductive at this point?

I want all attacks, all the time but this one will cost more than it earns. Plus (and I know I'm the only person at DU who thinks this) Palast has a penchant for hyperbole that troubles me, and I have a pretty healthy penchant for hyperbole my own sef.