Cowards of a feather… Bush sneaks Fox into the henhouse

[ProSense]

Bush, in another cowardly display, demonstrates, yet again, that political connections, not qualifications are the most important consideration for getting a position in his administration. Bush’s withdrawal of Sam Fox’s nomination minutes before he was to face the Senate and possibly more questions about his support for the disgraceful Swift Boat Veterans for Truth's despicable smear campaign, only to then turn around and announce that he plans to install Fox via a recess appointment, is the act of a coward. Let’s be clear, Fox’s nomination, withdrawal and recess appointment say more about Bush’s character than Fox’s.

Bush has had plenty of opportunities to denounce the SBVT, but for some reason he refuses to do so directly. During an August 12, 2004 interview with CNN’s Larry King he was asked specifically if he condemned their activities:

KING: In view of that, do you think that it's fair, for the record, John Kerry's service record, to be an issue at all? I know that Senator McCain...

G. BUSH: You know, I think it is an issue, because he views it as honorable service, and so do I. I mean...

KING: Oh, so it is. But, I mean, Senator McCain has asked to be condemned, the attack on his service. What do you say to that?

G. BUSH: Well, I say they ought to get rid of all those 527s, independent expenditures that have flooded the airwaves.

There have been millions of dollars spent up until this point in time. I signed a law that I thought would get rid of those, and I called on the senator to -- let's just get anybody who feels like they got to run to not do so.

KING: Do you condemn the statements made about his...

G. BUSH: Well, I haven't seen the ad, but what I do condemn is these unregulated, soft-money expenditures by very wealthy people, and they've said some bad things about me. I guess they're saying bad things about him. And what I think we ought to do is not have them on the air. I think there ought to be full disclosure. The campaign funding law I signed I thought was going to get rid of that. But evidently the Federal Election Commission had a different view.

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Almost reminds me of Fox’s pronouncement “Senator, you're a hero.” Bush tap dances around his response and never actually condemned the Swift Liars during that appearance. Why? Answer: They were operating as surrogates of the Bush campaign. Two weeks later, Bush’s own campaign lawyer would resign after it was learned that he represented the liars:

Smeared by Ginsberg
August 27, 2004

BENJAMIN L. Ginsberg is the smoking gun. As national counsel to Bush-Cheney for five years, he has operated continuously at the center of President Bush's political organization. He was James Baker's right-hand man during the 2000 Florida recount challenge.

<...>

Here we have a group of bitter veterans who detest Kerry's leadership in opposing the war 30 years ago and are willing to say almost anything -- frequently contradicting their own earlier statements -- to hurt Kerry's candidacy. They turn to Bush's top political lawyer for advice on campaign finance laws and then to one of Bush's top campaign contributors to fund their attack ads.

No memo trail needs to be found linking Bush personally to Ginsberg and the veterans' group; the connection is apparent.

For far too long this attack has worked to Bush's advantage. Even when Kerry and other veterans were defending his war service effectively…

Ginsberg resigned his Bush campaign position with unintended comedy, saying he was saddened that his role had "become a distraction from the critical issues at hand in this election." Was he suggesting this bogus smear is a critical issue?

...The members of the Federal Election Commission, appointed by Bush and Bill Clinton, have betrayed their office by not reining in groups that are too closely aligned with both campaigns.

But that is not the issue with the anti-Kerry veterans. The issue is Bush -- his refusal to condemn a patently false attack, his willingness to try to reap some political reward on the cheap, his utter lack of leadership in brushing off the role played by his close political aides.

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Two days before the above report, on August 25, 2004, Max Cleland attempted to deliver a letter to Bush, urging him to condemn the SBVT. The Bush campaign responded with a letter signed by Texas State Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson followed by Rep. Duke Cunningham and others. This was following the dismissal of Bush campaign advisor Kenneth Cordier.

None of these events registered with Bush's Belgian waffler select Sam Fox, who contributed $50,000 to the SBVT in October.

Who is Sam Fox, and why is he being considered for an ambassadorship? Fox wasn't just a donor to the SVBT, he was deeply invested in Bush and connected to his circle of cronyism, deceit and smear. Follow the money:

Sam Fox is another Ranger father of two Ranger sons. The Fox family's Harbour Group specializes in takeovers of manufacturing companies and has major investments in China. Sam Fox ironically told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he got involved in politics in the 1980s out of concern over the huge federal deficit. He was among 22 wealthy business leaders whom the president, who calls this donor "Foxie," invited to a 2001 lunch to discuss tax cuts for the rich.

The Pickens family of Dallas--which recently squabbled over its oil inheritance--had two members who raised more than $100,000 for Bush's campaigns. Three other family members took the 2000 Pioneer pledge but failed to reach their $100,000 target (John T., Michael K. and William C. Pickens). A T. Boone Pickens spokesperson says that he is not related to this Pickens family.

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Fox was among 22 wealthy business leaders whom President Bush, who calls this donor "Foxie," invited to lunch in 2001 to discuss his tax cut for the rich. Fox told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he got involved in politics in the 1980s out of concern over the huge federal deficit, which the Bush administration itself predicted would exceed half a trillion dollars in 2004. Fox chairs the national Republican Jewish Coalition. He and Pioneer coalition members Ned Siegel and Fred Zeidman accompanied House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on his 2003 trip to Israel. Harbour Group companies received $3.3 million in federal contracts in fiscal 2002. Sam Fox’s sons Jeffrey Fox and Gregory Fox are Bush Pioneers and Harbour executives.

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Brother Gregory Fox also is a Bush Pioneer and Harbour executive. Harbour Group companies received $3.3 million in federal contracts in fiscal 2002.

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What Did They Get?
Federal Appointments

President Bush has rewarded 146 elite 2000 and 2004 donors (23 percent) by appointing them or their spouses to his 2000 transition team or to one or more federal posts. Of these 146 big-donor appointees, 99 (70 percent) were 2000 Pioneers who have had more time than the newcomers to score Bush appointments. Nonetheless there are 47 appointees who first became elite donors in Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign.

* Bush appointed two elite donors as cabinet secretaries: Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao. Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson took the Pioneer pledge in 2000 but were not recognized by the campaign for raising the full $100,000.

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Thirteen other families bred multiple elite Bush donors, with three trifecta families producing three Pioneers or Rangers. Mercer Reynolds, who once bought out George W. Bush's failing oil company, is Bush's ex-Swiss ambassador and current national finance chair. The grandfathers of Mercer and Pioneer cousin James Reynolds bought the "Cracker's Neck" wood pulp plantation outside Atlanta. Along with Pioneer--and apparent family member-- Harold Reynolds, their grandsons developed the land into Reynolds Plantation, a luxury development that was the site of major fundraisers for Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns.

<…>

Sam Fox is another Ranger father of two Ranger sons. The Fox family's Harbour Group specializes in takeovers of manufacturing companies and has major investments in China. Sam Fox ironically told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he got involved in politics in the 1980s out of concern over the huge federal deficit. He was among 22 wealthy business leaders whom the president, who calls this donor "Foxie," invited to a 2001 lunch to discuss tax cuts for the rich.

The Pickens family of Dallas--which recently squabbled over its oil inheritance--had two members who raised more than $100,000 for Bush's campaigns. Three other family members took the 2000 Pioneer pledge but failed to reach their $100,000 target (John T., Michael K. and William C. Pickens). A T. Boone Pickens spokesperson says that he is not related to this Pickens family.

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Fox nominated for Belgium ambassador
St. Louis Business Journal - December 7, 2006

Sam Fox, head of Clayton-based Harbour Group, has been nominated to be ambassador to Belgium. President George W. Bush announced the appointment Dec. 4, which is subject to Senate confirmation.

Fox, a significant contributor to the Republican Party and its candidates, is Harbour's chairman and chief executive.

He joins another area resident who already serves as an ambassador. Ann Wagner, former co-chair of the Republican National Committee and the Missouri Republican Party, has been ambassador to Luxembourg since August 2005.

Stephen Brauer, chairman and chief executive of St. Louis-based Hunter Engineering, served as ambassador to Belgium from June 2001 until September 2003. George Herbert "Bert" Walker III, who also lives in the St. Louis area, was ambassador to Hungary from 2003 until last July. He is a first cousin to the first President George H. W. Bush.

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Harbour Group Ltd. Executives
Sam Fox
Chm & CEO
Greg Fox
Grp Pres
James C. Janning
Grp Pres
Jeff Fox
Pres & COO
Samuel Hamacher
Exec VP

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Obviously, Sam Fox’s claim that the he blindly donated $50,000 to the SBVT is a lie. He’s simply another Bush crony, one who willfully engaged in the politics of personal destruction, funded the despicable SBVT and shows no remorse. What about Sam Fox’s qualifications to be ambassador to Belgium? Exhibit A:

KERRY: Are you familiar with the SWIFT Consortium, the bank consortium?

FOX: Yes.

KERRY: Didn't they express concerns about privacy issues?

FOX: Yes. As you know, Senator, SWIFT is a private organization that is involved with the financial telecommunication of information and they're quite large, they're extensive. They represent some 8,000 banks in 200 countries.

And with counterintelligence, one of the most important things is to follow the money. And in trying to follow the money, there's a very thin line to follow and that is following the money without overstepping it and violating the privacy laws of European individuals or individuals anywhere.

And that has been a concern and my understanding is that there's a number of high level meetings taking place at this time in order to really tighten up those controls.

KERRY: Is it also fair to say that there's a tension between the Belgians and us with respect to that flow of information? FOX: I have no personal knowledge of that, sir.

KERRY: Do you know of any efforts that are being made to try to harmonize United States and European data protection standards?

FOX: I'm sorry?

KERRY: Do you know of any efforts that are being made to try to harmonize European and U.S. data protection standards?

FOX: None other than the information that I received concerning the SWIFT organization and the negotiations that are taking place in that respect.

KERRY: But they specifically made a judgment that -- the commission made a judgment faulting the government for, in fact, sharing information with us, correct?

FOX: I'm not sure what the allegations were. I just know what the issue is and the issue, sir, has to do with what I said before, that is, on the one hand, trying to track the money, trying to get the information that is necessary and do so without violating...

KERRY: Well, do you know what the state of relationship is between us and Belgium on this? Does the Bush administration dispute the assessment of the commission?

FOX: I don't know, sir. I'll be happy to get that information and provide it to the committee.

KERRY: Do you know when the elections are going to be held in Belgium?

FOX: Well, they must be held before October of '06 (sic) and there's speculation it may be as early as June.

That was a part of the exchange between Senator Kerry and Sam Fox relevant to his qualifications. It used to be that blatant lying and a complete disregard for the truth would be a strike against someone, but this is Bush’s show, for now.

Sam Fox knew little about the SWIFT program and its relevance to US and Belgian relations. The program is a major part of Bush’s assault on Americans' privacy and was covered extensively after being exposed by the New York Times.

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The money transfer company SWIFT has for years secretly supplied U.S. authorities with massive amounts of personal data for use in anti-terror investigations, violating EU privacy rules, a Belgian commission said Thursday.

"SWIFT finds itself in a conflicting position between American and European law," Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt said.

<…>

The SWIFT case compounds legal and political clashes between Europe and the United States about anti-terror measures and highlights divisions to what length governments should go to prevent attacks.

Washington and Brussels have already disagreed over the use of passenger data from trans-Atlantic flights, and have also faced off on the Bush administration's use of secret CIA detention centers in Europe to interrogate suspected terrorists.

The commission's report said SWIFT had breached rules on storing data and had failed to honor commitments to inform clients or Belgian authorities about what data had been transferred.

Both SWIFT and the U.S. authorities say records were subpoenaed as part of targeted investigations into suspected terrorist activity.

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From our side of the news-opinion wall, the Swift story looks like part of an alarming pattern. Ever since Sept. 11, the Bush administration has taken the necessity of heightened vigilance against terrorism and turned it into a rationale for an extraordinarily powerful executive branch, exempt from the normal checks and balances of our system of government. It has created powerful new tools of surveillance and refused, almost as a matter of principle, to use normal procedures that would acknowledge that either Congress or the courts have an oversight role.

The Swift program, like the wiretapping program, has been under way for years with no restrictions except those that the executive branch chooses to impose on itself — or, in the case of Swift, that the banks themselves are able to demand. This seems to us very much the sort of thing the other branches of government, and the public, should be nervously aware of. We would have been very happy if Congressman Peter King, the Long Island Republican who has been so vocal in citing the Espionage Act, had been as aggressive in encouraging his colleagues to do the oversight job they were elected to do.

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WASHINGTON, June 22 — Under a secret Bush administration program initiated weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, counterterrorism officials have gained access to financial records from a vast international database and examined banking transactions involving thousands of Americans and others in the United States, according to government and industry officials.

<…>

The program, run out of the Central Intelligence Agency and overseen by the Treasury Department, "has provided us with a unique and powerful window into the operations of terrorist networks and is, without doubt, a legal and proper use of our authorities," Stuart Levey, an under secretary at the Treasury Department, said in an interview on Thursday.

<…>

Data from the Brussels-based banking consortium, formally known as the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, has allowed officials from the C.I.A., the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies to examine "tens of thousands" of financial transactions, Mr. Levey said.

<…>

Treasury officials said Swift was exempt from American laws restricting government access to private financial records because the cooperative was considered a messaging service, not a bank or financial institution.

<…>

Swift's database provides a rich hunting ground for government investigators. Swift is a crucial gatekeeper, providing electronic instructions on how to transfer money among 7,800 financial institutions worldwide. The cooperative is owned by more than 2,200 organizations, and virtually every major commercial bank, as well as brokerage houses, fund managers and stock exchanges, uses its services. Swift routes more than 11 million transactions each day, most of them across borders.

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Yet like his SBVT contributions, Fox knew little to nothing about the SWIFT program. Fox is a despicable liar, but then again so is Bush.

Over at Power Line they’re applauding Bush for condoning the politics of personal destruction:

Well Done, W
<…>
So: Bravo to President Bush for standing by Sam Fox and, implicitly, by the Swift Boat Vets.

In wingnut world lying is a virtue, in a democracy, not so much. The Bush administration, supported by its cast of cronies, continues to abuse national security letters to engage in more snooping. The SWIFT story also hasn’t gone away. Evidently, the banks didn’t know the data was being passed on to the U.S. Treasury. Belgium is in the thick of privacy concern issues and the Bush admin’s abuse of power, which is why Senator Kerry questioned Fox extensively about what he brings to the table in terms of negotiations and an understanding of the country’s political culture. His responses were inadequate.

Democrats for their part are not going to let Fox’s recess appoint go unchallenged. Senators Kerry and Dodd immediately issued statements regarding Bush’s cowardly move.

Kerry on White House Recess Appointment of Sam Fox
Washington D.C. – Today Senator Kerry made the following statement on the White House recess appointment of Sam Fox to be ambassador of Belgium.

On March 28th, admitting that Sam Fox would lose a vote in the Foreign Relations Committee, the White House withdrew his nomination.


"It's sad but not surprising that this White House would abuse the power of the presidency to reward a donor over the objections of the Senate.

“This nomination was withdrawn because the Administration realized it would lose in the Foreign Relations Committee. Unfortunately, when this White House can't win the game, they just change the rules, and America loses.

“Our country would be stronger if this Administration spent more time getting body armor for our soldiers in Iraq than it did helping their powerful friends.”

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Statement of Senator Dodd on the President's Recess Appointment of Sam Fox
April 4, 2007
“It is outrageous that the President has sought to stealthily appoint Sam Fox to the position of ambassador to Belgium when the President formally requested that the Fox nomination be withdrawn from the Senate because it was facing certain defeat in the Foreign Relations Committee last week. I seriously question the legality of the President's use of the recess appointment authority in this instance. I intend to seek an opinion on the legality of this appointment from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and invite other Senators to join with me in that request. This is underhanded and an abuse of Executive authority -- sadly this behavior has become the hallmark of this administration.”
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Then came word from a Washington Post report that the Democrats plan to challenge the legality of Fox's recess appointment:

Democrats Outraged Over Fox Recess Appointment

Senate Democrats are livid over what they view as President Bush's illegal maneuver to bypass the Senate confirmation process and appoint controversial nominee Sam Fox as ambassador to Belgium while Congress is away on recess.

Democrats find the recess appointment -- a common maneuver by presidents whose nominees stand little chance of getting through the standard confirmation process -- particularly egregious since Fox's nomination wasn't even pending. The White House withdrew the nomination last week, anticipating it didn't have enough votes for approval


To fight the Fox appointment, Democrats are questioning the Bush administration's plan to have Fox serve in a voluntary capacity -- receiving no pay for his duties as ambassador. This is an important legal technicality, as federal law prohibits "payment of services" for certain recess appointments. However, if the recess appointee in question agrees that he or she will take an unpaid position and not sue the government at a later date for compensation, then the appointment can go forward, at least as the White House sees it.

So as long as Fox -- a multi-millionaire -- agreed not to sue the Bush administration later for not paying him, the White House would be comfortable with giving him an unpaid, "voluntary service" recess appointment as ambassador to Belgium.

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The U.S. Senate has already rejected this liar. The American people have seen him for what he truly is, a liar. Sam Fox is not the kind of person who should be representing America in an official capacity. Calling the WH may be futile, Bush has proven he has no interest in respecting the will of the American people or Congress. He hasn’t to this point. Call or write the Belgians, warn them, they CAN reject this appointment:

http://www.diplobel.us/Representatives/Diplomatic.asp

Diplomatic Representatives

H.E. Dominique Struye de Swielande
Ambassador
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Mrs. Machteld Fostier
Minister-Counselor (Political Affairs), Deputy Chief of Mission
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Mr. Geert Criel
Minister-Counselor (Economic Affairs)
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Mr. Piet Heirbaut
First Secretary
Tel [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Mr. Philippe De Mûelenaere
First Secretary
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]


As for Bush’s imperial power grab, the lies and illegal actions, Congress needs to consider a stronger course of action---just ask Salt Lake City’s Mayor Rocky Anderson, Elizabeth Holtzman, Joe Biden and Chuck Hagel. Make it (impeachment) happen, but Congress should remember the problem is the team: Bush and Cheney. Make it a two-fer.

Cross posted a Daily Kos

[Democrafty]

1. k & r. excellent compliation of info!

[blm]

2. EXCELLENT compilation, ProSense. And lets' not forget Kerry attacked Swifts and Bush Aug19, 2004

and challenged Bush to debate their services and stop hiding behind the swifts, and did so in front of Firefighters Convention, but no media would air that speech or repeat Kerry's challenge to Bush made there.

Even many in the left media failed to pick up the torch Kerry lit and did not repeat Kerry's challenge to Bush, though many RW publications condemned Kerry's remarks as being over the top and vitriolic.

BushInc thinks it can get away with all of this, including Fox appointment, because they control most newsmedia perception.

[walldude]

3. Fox wasn't the only appointment he snuck in

from www.crooksandliars.com

"For example, the president appointed Andrew Biggs to serve as the next deputy commissioner of Social Security, despite the fact that Biggs is an aggressive advocate of privatizing the Social Security system. His nomination in November was considered ridiculous by Senate Democrats, and with this recess appointment yesterday, Bush effectively announced that he no longer wants to even consider negotiations over reforming the system.

And then there’s Susan Dudley, who Bush appointed to oversee federal regulatory policy at the Office of Management and Budget, despite her anti-regulatory career at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs holds sway over federal regulatory agencies like the EPA and helps set regulatory policy for a wide range of issues, from workplace safety to water quality….

As the director of regulatory studies at the industry-backed Mercatus Center she has worked to oppose vital public health regulation as a “hidden tax” that hinders profits."


Great post BTW.. K&R

[ProSense]

4. The problem is that

there are so many assholes who call themselves Democratic pundits.

[ProSense]

5. Making a case for the illegality of

this recess appointment.

[mloutre]

6. Nice. But...

...didn't you just gloss over the high points while leaving out all of the details?

:0)

[ProSense]

7. Dems call for review of Bush appointment

Dems call for review of Bush appointment

By ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writer 30 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Democrats called for an investigation Thursday into whether President Bush acted illegally in appointing Sam Fox ambassador to Belgium.

A day earlier, Bush named Republican fundraiser Fox to the post as a recess appointment — a maneuver that allowed him to bypass Congress, where Democrats had derailed his nomination.

"We view the recess appointment of Mr. Fox as a clear abuse of the President's recess appointment power," three Democratic senators wrote in a letter to the Government Accountability Office, Congress' auditing agency.

The senators — Democrats Christopher Dodd (news, bio, voting record) of Connecticut, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Robert Casey (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania — also asked if Fox's appointment could be terminated if a Senate vote rejected him.

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