Foreign Diplomats briefed by Rove on the Democratic candidates

[jillan]

Wtf is going on here?????
And these meetings are being held at the Peace Corps Hqtrs.

http://www.star-telegram.com/national_news/story/178855.html


Top diplomats got briefings on political battles
By PAUL KANE
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- White House aides have conducted at least half a dozen political briefings for the Bush administration's top diplomats, including a PowerPoint presentation for ambassadors with senior adviser Karl Rove that named Democratic incumbents targeted for defeat in 2008 and a "general political briefing" at Peace Corps headquarters after the 2002 midterm elections.

The briefings, mostly run by Rove's deputies at the White House political affairs office, began in early 2001 and included detailed analyses for senior officials of the political landscape surrounding critical congressional and gubernatorial races, according to documents obtained by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Its chairman, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., has written to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to ask whether the briefings inappropriately politicized the diplomatic agencies or violated prohibitions against political work by most federal employees.

"I do not understand why ambassadors, in Washington on official duty, would be briefed by White House officials on which Democratic House members are considered top targets by the Republican Party for defeat in 2008," Biden wrote.

His aides said Biden plans to raise the matter at a confirmation hearing today for Henrietta Holsman Fore to be administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose political appointees received at least two White House briefings in the past 10 months.

The ambassadors included in the Rove briefing were Eduardo Aguirre Jr. (the ambassador to Spain), James Cain (Denmark), Alfred Hoffman Jr. (Portugal), Ronald Spogli (Italy), Craig Stapleton (France) and Robert Tuttle (Britain). Gregory Slayton, the consul general to Bermuda, also attended.

In total, the seven donated more than $1.6 million to Republican causes from 2000 through 2006, according to a Center for Responsive Politics report on Bush donors who were named as ambassadors.

The briefings struck some former ambassadors as highly unusual.

James Dobbins, who was an ambassador in the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, said that he never attended an organized meeting for political appointees.

Former Sen. James Sasser, D-Tenn., an ambassador under Clinton, said that he was, "frankly, shocked to hear it."

[emulatorloo]

1. recommending n/t

[TwilightGardener]

2. Is this just coming out now? Is this Hatch Act stuff?

[SpiralHawk]

3. Republicon evil-doers HATE America and democracy. K & R

Evil evil evil republicons, doing all they can to destroy America.

[Cosmocat]

10. This is a never ending pattern ...

from hiring Brownie, to the pimple faced conservabots they sent over to manage Iraq to the DOJ thing in general and hiring some 27 year old Ann Coulter to be a manager there to this ... There is NO interest whatsover in governance, NONE ... Simply politics and doing anything, legal or not, to keep Ds down and try to get Rs elected ...

[Yael]

4. Nothing to see here, folks. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

I am sure that everything was as "fair and balanced" as possible.

:rofl: :rofl:

[acmavm]

5. What the f**k is this rotund asshole doing in the White House. He

does absolutely NOTHING FOR THIS COUNTRY. Only the crooks, liars, murderers, and theives in this administration.

He draws a salary paid by the tax payers, doesn't he? Why?

[jillan]

6. This is a prime example of why the internets have empowered us

I googled news on Senator Biden, just to read what people were writing about his performance last nite....

and among the reviews, I found this. We would never have known.

on edit - please share on other sites you visit. People need to know.
Maybe we can stop the repugs in one of their little games.

[melody]

7. Why did the ambassadors ATTEND the briefings?

If this isn't obvious that sides are being taken to sway our own political structure from the inside, I don't
know what is. I think these "ambassadors" need to be kicked out of the country.

[Jillian]

8. This is why

'In total, the seven donated more than $1.6 million to Republican causes from 2000 through 2006, according to a Center for Responsive Politics report on Bush donors who were named as ambassadors.':puke:

[melody]

9. Yup, yet more evidence of the international nature of the neocons

Why their political colleagues abroad didn't raise hell, is another matter.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

11. This was brought up during Gonzogate hearing this AM

Not sure who was questioning him at the time since I only had audio access here at work- but it sounded like a New England accent - maybe Whitehouse from RI ???

I only heard part of that segment but he did talk about Peace Corps HQ

Check out a replay of the hearings if you can

[Jillian]

12. excellent!