Is The SPITZER Scandal The Result Of Another BUSHCO. DOJ HITJOB Like Gov. Siegelman?

[Beetwasher]

Was Spitzer targeted by the Bushco. DOJ? Did they get the goods via their illegal wiretapping? :shrug:

Are these legit questions these days?

I'm not saying Spitzer isn't guilty, by all accounts including his own he is guilty of hiring prostitutes. But if he was a high profile Repub Governor, would Bushco's DOJ have busted him?

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

1. Good questions raised at firedoglake

here:

http://firedoglake.com/2008/03/10/some-questions-about-the-spitzer-incident/

[natrat]

2. maybe they were watching him real close but he fucked up

[SoCalDem]

17. EXACTLY.. No one MADE him get hookers.. Some high-power guys get careless

and think that they are above the law.. and of course, if you are high-profile, people DO watch what you do..

There's always extra glee when an opponent messes up though..can't blame them for that..Can you imagine the looks on their faces when the investigators came across his name/messages during their investigation? Talk about a Grand Slam Homer..

I's guessing that some of those investigators were probably well known by him.

[trthnd4jstc]

40. Funny thing you have about the Democratic Party

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory since 1968.

[defendandprotect]

27. Was Spitzer truly this naive --- My first thought would be that the GOP needed this NOW . . .

They're losing governors --- the Democrats have taken the high ground --
we have Clinton's penis shadowing Hillary's campaign ---

Can an ex DA really be this naive --- ???

Unbelievable!!!

[bdamomma]

3. seems like they are targeting Dems, this needs to be investigated.

sure it will be,:sarcasm:

[defendandprotect]

28. Well, isn't that pretty much what the AG firing thing about . . . netting Dems . ..

covering for Repugs --- ???

[malaise]

44. Indeed

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2988204

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. All I am saying is that Spitzer was okay with wiretapping and increasing

what they could and could not do back in 2004...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E4DA163BF937A25757C0A9629C8B63

snip-

Mr. Spitzer wants the commission to compel communications companies to build surveillance capabilities into cellphones that use new technology, and into the new Internet-based telephone services. That puts Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat who is said to be considering a run for governor, in step with the Bush administration's Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, which have similarly asked the commission for the change.

-snip


But I guess he should be "okay" because he is a Dem.


***Disclaimer---I am a supporter of neither Obama or Clinton.

[misanthrope]

6. How sweet! LOL! Hoisted on his own petard!**nm

**

[hisownpetard]

25. Exactly.

[defendandprotect]

30. Making Spitzer pretty much of a jerk --- maybe this was a bit of luck?

[BurtWorm]

38. Makes you think he was setting himself up for this fall.

A death wish, my wife called it. (And she hadn't heard of this twist.)

[antigop]

5. Wasn't Spitzer going after the insurance companies in NY? n/t

[antigop]

10. Spitzer's controversial insurance lawsuit...

http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/11/01/sebok.spitzer/index.html

After taking on the mutual fund industry, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is now setting his sights on the insurance industry. Two weeks ago, at a news conference, he announced he had found wide-spread wrongdoing.

Since then, the stocks of various insurance brokers and companies have dropped. The major CEO of one insurance broker has resigned. The Wall Street Journal has denounced Spitzer on its editorial pages, alleging that he's overreaching, and turning his office into a regulatory agency.

The article is from 2004, but I don't know the status of the suit.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

26. Spitzer has been a warrior against corporate abuse. This is a political assault, not a legal one.

I can't believe how many buy into their LYING EYES being controlled by the usual manipulators.

How can ANY DECENT PERSON have ANY QUESTION about what the fuck is going on here? :shrug:

Nothing will change as long as the corporacrats can manipulate moral priorities.

This shit is just getting worse rather than better, huh.

The hole is being dug by people at the behest of the scummiest oppressors,...and the people just keep digging their own graves for the benefit of the scummiest oppressors.

It's aweful.

[ScreamingMeemie]

32. Because he helped dig the freaking hole...that's what's awful.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E4DA163BF937A25757C0A9629C8B63

snip-

Mr. Spitzer wants the commission to compel communications companies to build surveillance capabilities into cellphones that use new technology, and into the new Internet-based telephone services. That puts Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat who is said to be considering a run for governor, in step with the Bush administration's Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, which have similarly asked the commission for the change.

-snip


Mr. Innocence and unfairly accused he is not.

[saracat]

7. I am sure it was. notice they don't target GOP Govs?

[Warpy]

8. Siegleman doesn't appear to have been guilty of anything

while Spitzer hung his head and admitted he was a john.

If the FBI didn't bother to get a warrant, though, this case could take an unexpected turn.

[Beetwasher]

12. That Is True

It does seem that Spitzer is guilty of hiring a prostitute, however, it's very unusual for the DOJ to get involved in such a case AND for the investigation to produce this result so quickly.

[jmowreader]

45. Here's why the feds are involved

According to http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/03/11/ap4756128.html, Spitzer paid her to travel from New York to Washington, DC. Last I checked, the Mann Act is still in effect.

[Beetwasher]

47. Nope, Read This

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/11/51123/3435/851/474082

[jpak]

9. Yup - Spitzer fucked up...by pissing off the Bush Base (GOP hedge fund managers)...

and has paid the price...

[antigop]

11. he was also going after the insurance industry. Read my post above. n/t

[jpak]

13. Them too...

n/t

[defendandprotect]

33. Spitzer is now OUT --- any future career, IMO, is over --- and we're all paying the price for this -

a strong opponent of business corruption is gone ---

They got what they wanted ---

We've lost a lot here --- !!!

[Patsy Stone]

14. Maybe

At this point, I don't know who's doing what anymore.

[sanjiadem]

15. IMO better question ... why does anyone (ex. his family) care so much?

Unless it is proven that he did something fraudulent or criminal, who cares?

Most folks act one way in their professional lives and totally different in their private lives.

I, for one, don't care as long as whatever act was between two consenting adult parties and no one else is harmed or damaged by their actions, my response is a BIG So What? - and, that goes for politicians, teachers, athletes, celebrities, etc.

It's been my experience that only the most manipulative, powerful, underhanded, creepy, and deceitful don't (or, rarely) get caught. Those are the folks I worry about the most.

[defendandprotect]

31. While I agree with what you are saying....it obviously hurts the Democratic cause; loss of NY

governorship perhaps in next cycle --- ???

It's not the sex -- they rarely involve Johns ---
Dems are still being shadowed --- especially in the Hillary Clinton campaign -- by Bill's penis.
You know how many people are blinded by sex?
A woman told me yesterday that she didn't want Bill in the WH because he's up every woman's skirt!
I asked her if she wasn't bothered by war on two fronts, lies about Iraq, 2 million Iraqis dead,
the bankrupting of our Treasury and another fall of capitalism?
She looked shocked as if she had never heard of such things before --- she was insulted!!!

[sanjiadem]

34. And, in a rather round about way that proves my point ...

In general terms, I do not believe until there is a major evolution of Americans and our society, as a whole, we will ever do anything truly in the best interest of the majority of us.

We allow ourselves to be repeatedly swayed, distracted, and manipulated by celebrities, politicians, the M$M, trends, exaggerated race/gender/sexual orientation 'divisions' (aka 'cultural/moral issues'), and whatever else comes along. Which, in fact, are not our major concerns/focuses, at least not in our daily lives --- and, are often quite contrary to how we actually live/believe in our daily lives. But, still, we allow it to distract us from focusing on/supporting what is in our own (the majority's) best interest and make some suppress their true beliefs/principles as individuals.

[defendandprotect]

50. I think you're not seeing the restraints already imposed upon Americans ...

by political violence which has been overt over the past 45+ years . . . and perhaps longer.

Fascists don't rise to power by any other means than violence.

"The myth of a free press died with the assassination of JFK" ---

the press has LONG been controlled --

the internet is a way to get info --- but it comes so late to most Americans that they are still

under the influence of the American myths they've been taught --- !!!

The right has not permitted any citizen leadership to arise ---

especially not another "Black Messiah" . . .

And, as we saw with the Edwards campaign --- open threats by the corporations via the Chamber of

Commerce to wage war on his populist/anti-corporate message!!!


The likelihood that our elections have been stolen going back to the mid-1960's is also strong
--- see: http://www.constitution.org/vote/votescam__.htm

The computers came in at that point in various places ---
In Florida, two journalists --- Jim & Ken Collier were looking to write a story on elections
and decided that one of them should run for office.
Watching their vote totals come in on election night, they noticed a big jump in their vote
totals and then a computer breakdown --- and then events which caused them to begin an investigation
of what had happened.

Finally, they had exposed a great deal and signed a book deal with a major publisher ---
when the books were published they were suppressed on hitting the book stores ---

You can read or scan their book at this website which their family keeps going to try to get
the story out ---

[Generic Brad]

16. I suppose it's possible

But I think it is more the direct result of Spitzer's own actions.

[notadmblnd]

18. if it is not... why haven't they released numbers 1 through 8's names?

With such a high highfalutin Escort Service... surely, in the category of prestige, all are social equals?

[robinlynne]

24. exactly.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

19. Yes.

Are you kidding? :shrug:

:rofl:

[Thepricebreaker]

20. He admits to it... what are you talking about? n/t

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

21. TARGETING,...for political purposes. Utilizing ILLEGAL means to target political dangers.

Make sense,...to you?

[ScreamingMeemie]

29. Utilizing means that were championed by the political danger at one point.

I think we need to discuss that.


http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E4DA163BF937A25757C0A9629C8B63

snip-


Mr. Spitzer wants the commission to compel communications companies to build surveillance capabilities into cellphones that use new technology, and into the new Internet-based telephone services. That puts Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat who is said to be considering a run for governor, in step with the Bush administration's Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation, which have similarly asked the commission for the change.

-snip


It's almost sad in its hypocrisy and karmic qualities.

[robinlynne]

22. of course. They taped 5000 conversations of clients hiring girls. Spitzer was ONE of those.

Where are the other 4999 johns? or 2000 johns, or whatever?
at 5000 an hour, there are some pretty fancy clients....

[union_maid]

23. If so, it was stupid

It wasn't yet at all clear that Spitzer was going to recover from the bad first year he's had. At the moment, Spitzer was more a worry for NY State Dems than otherwise. Having him gone, if he goes, clears the way to keep the Governor's mansion past his term. Or not, of course. It I were the GOP, I would have left him alone for a while, to see what was going to happen on its own.

[Ghost in the Machine]

35. No, it's the result of another hypocrite being unable to keep his dick in his pants..

it's just that pure and simple. He vigorously prosecuted prostitution rings while at the same time enjoying their services. He got caught living his double life. Time to pay the piper....

Anyone who thinks otherwise is obviously not thinking clearly, imho.

[eilen]

46. Spitzer was also widely disliked for his tactics as AG (and as Guv)

he was practically an artist at "personal destruction" when he went at his targets, forcing confessional statements whether they were guilty or not. I guess he felt his means justified the end results.

[defendandprotect]

51. That's probably what corporate interests/WSJ would say . . .

which many of us could cheer for in this corporate war on democracy ---

However, IMO, if he did exceed his authority or made personal attacks, then I'd say it was unjust.

[madrchsod]

36. no

[Marie26]

37. Maybe

But it was so colossally stupid that it's hard to care.

[Stephanie]

39. No.

It looks like they stumbled on him by accident. It began with an IRS investigation into money laundering by the prostitution ring.

[mojowork_n]

41. Don't be so sure.

If you go back up to the top of this thread, the second reply (linking to firedoglake), it doesn't seem quite so cut and dried.

Some very good points are made there, but no one who posted afterward seems to have bothered taking a look.

[Beetwasher]

49. Nope

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/11/51123/3435/851/474082

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

42. Bushco made him be a dumbass?

No, I think he did that himself.

[Beetwasher]

48. Did I Say That? Read My Post

And try to comprehend it.

"I'm not saying Spitzer isn't guilty, by all accounts including his own he is guilty of hiring prostitutes. But if he was a high profile Repub Governor, would Bushco's DOJ have busted him?"

My question is why were the Feds involved? Their involvement is fishy to say the least.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/11/51123/3435/851/474082

[Perry Logan]

43. It was probably done to kill the abortion rights bill Spitzer has been promoting.

Whenever you see a Democrat destroyed, you must look for the Republicans who caused it.