Published: March 09, 2009 03:07 pm      

STUMPTALK: What have we done?

Apparently, we have elected either a criminal or a buffoon to the presidency. Obama ran for election on the platform of hope and change and then proceeds to name mostly former Clinton people to his list of “must haves” in his administration, along with many more of the “inside-the-beltway-crowd.”

First, his nomination for Secretary of Commerce is so tainted with corruption that he doesn’t even make to the confirmation hearings. Something about “sweetheart” contracts to political cronies outside of his own state no less; at least he could feed his own in-state cronies. His nomination for Secretary of State is none other than Hillary Clinton who not only has no experience in negotiating with foreign leaders other than being a tourist and to gather campaign finance money, but who also was a participant of probably the most corrupt administration this country has ever seen; does Travel gate, for one, come to mind? Then she blithely tells the Senate confirmation committee that, no, the tens or hundreds of millions of dollars that foreign governments give to her husband won’t influence her in the least. And the cow jumped over the moon!

His nomination for Secretary of the Treasury is either too stupid to understand the tax system which he is nominated to manage or is so corrupt that he doesn’t pay his taxes; either way he should find another job. While being too naïve — his words — to pay his taxes while at the IMF, he was smart enough to collect the reimbursement provided by the IMF for taxes he never paid. Plus, he swindled the tax system out of his children’s summer camp fees; all this while blaming his accountant. The rest of us taxpayers know that whoever signs the tax return is directly responsible for what is on that form.

His nomination for the head of the justice department, the Attorney General, is another beauty. Among his many missteps, this guy approved the Clinton pardon of one Marc Rich who is also known as a convicted criminal and purveyor of sleazy deals, and who fled America prior to having to go to prison for being tax evader among his other crimes such as selling forbidden military equipment and other wonderful items to the Iranians while they held America’s embassy employees hostage. This was public information that the nominee stated he didn’t know and apparently didn’t care to discover because his boss, Bill Clinton, was publicly taking hundreds of thousands of dollars and whatever else from Mrs. Rich obviously in return for that pardon.

Stay tuned for the rest of Obama’s appointees. They, too, ought to be beauties! Let’s not even think about the flawed bailout plans.

Yes, I can hear the people sing and see them smile. It is truly a new day. I only hope the country can survive this.