'World leader' Perry on lavish Middle East networking trip

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Houston Chronicle

June 28, 2007, 10:34PM
'World leader' Perry on lavish Middle East networking trip
$18,500 a head doesn't include airfare or cost of a DPS security detail

By PEGGY FIKAC
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN — The cost of attending this week's Middle East networking trip that featured leaders including Gov. Rick Perry was estimated at $18,500 per person, excluding airfare, by the firm footing the bill for Perry, his wife and the incoming Texas secretary of state.

The company, Global Capital Associates, was founded by Irwin Katsof, who promotes U.S. investment in Israeli startup companies, helped found a Web site to monitor media reports on Israel and co-authored a book on prayer with CNN's Larry King.
(snip)

Some have questioned a private company paying for a trip that supposedly will benefit the state.

Other leaders listed include former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft; former presidential envoy to Iraq Paul Bremer; and Andrew von Eschenbach, U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/4930703.html

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Irwin Katsof, Global Capital Associates, Texas Gov. Rick Perry

[ClintonTyree]

1. Texas politics....

the biggest cesspool in the nation. Yet time and again politicians on the national level evolve from that fetid, primordial swamp. Why? Is it the Texas money machine that keeps the swamp well saturated, wanting a solid return on the money spent insuring their swamp creature's success? Texas (and a few other States, Florida for one) should automatically be excluded when it comes time to transplant a politician to the national level. It's like the current spate of poisoned goods coming from China. Until they get their acts together neither should be able to do business in this country.

[legin]

2. Good old HonestReporting is the web-site mentioned

(snip)

Indefatigable, Katsof assisted in the organization and founding in 2001 of HonestReporting.com, a fast-action, interactive website which alerts, informs and mobilizes grassroots activists via email to respond to unbalanced reporting on Israel and the Middle East. To date, there are 140,000 subscribers, in English, Spanish, Italian and Russian.

(snip)

http://www.irwinkatsof.com/

[Javaman]

3. this is what gets me...

the texas gov't is set up in such a way that the governor is basically a figure head with very weak powers, yet in the bizarro land that we now live in, the sheeple of this nation truly believe that a texas governor actually does something, hence the smoke and mirror bullshit that was launched upon us 8 years ago when moron* first started his* run for prez.

we have a prez* now that is basically the vice prez and a vice prez that is basically prez.

[MasonJar]

4. Is that kind of gift legal in Texas?

[rainbow4321]

5. While his state is having worst flood in 100+ yrs

He's traveling to the ends of the earth.
Marble Falls official/insurance people were interviewed last night and they are calling their flooding a "500 year flood", not just a "100 year flood". And that's just the Marble Falls area..doesn't even take into account the rest of the destroyed parts of the state/residents' lives.
BUT he learned from the best...back in 2000 when deadly tornadoes went thru downtown Ft Worth and surrounding areas with wide spread devestation, lord pissypants never left the campaign trail to come back and tour the place. He sent the Lt Gov in his place...exactly what gov goodhair is doing now.
A few weeks later when a high profile Catholic Church official died in NYC and the funeral was held (every politician under the sun was scheduled to go there, live media coverage, etc..), pissy pants THEN left the campaign trail and headed to NYC.