From: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com (roc-digest) To: roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: roc-digest V2 #68 Reply-To: roc-digest Sender: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk roc-digest Wednesday, February 11 1998 Volume 02 : Number 068 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 08:26:46 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: CAS: FEC Declines to Probe Dem Finance Official (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 20:05:35 -0600 (CST) From: "Edward F. Immler" To: cas@majordomo.pobox.com Subject: CAS: FEC Declines to Probe Dem Finance Official CENTER FOR RESPONSIVE POLITICS Special Release Paul Hendrie 202/857-0044 FEC Declines to Probe Major Democratic Finance Official Ties to Gore Cited As Reason WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 10, 1998 - The Federal Election Commission has declined to investigate former Democratic National Committee Finance Vice Chairman Howard Glicken's possible role in soliciting illegal foreign campaign contributions, citing his "potential fund-raising involvement in support of Vice President Gore's expected presidential campaign..." documents made public this week show. The disclosure suggests that the FEC is reluctant to take on a prominent political player who might contest allegations of breaking campaign finance laws. The FEC memorandum doesn't elaborate further on why Glicken's position as a potential Gore fund-raiser would be relevant to the case. A preliminary investigation by FEC staff developed evidence that Glicken solicited contributions to the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from Florida developer Thomas Kramer, a German national who agreed last summer to pay a $323,000 penalty for making illegal political donations. The penalty was the largest the FEC has ever assessed against an individual. It is illegal for foreign nationals to contribute to U.S. political campaigns. Kramer alleged that a DSCC solicitor suggested he disguise a $20,000 contribution to the DSCC in 1993 by giving in the name of his secretary, Terri Bradley, documents released when the Kramer settlement was finalized last summer revealed. However, the solicitor was not identified. It is illegal to make a political contribution in another person's name or instruct somebody to disguise a donation. A report by the FEC general counsel's office, made public this week, says, "the available evidence obtained from the DSCC suggests that Howard Glicken, a south Florida fund-raiser, was responsible for both of Mr. Kramer's contributions to the DSCC, including the $20,000 contribution made in the name of his secretary." The report says the information is "not conclusive" and that Bradley refuses to provide further information without immunity from criminal prosecution. Although the counsel would normally recommend an investigation, it concluded that there is insufficient time within the statute of limitations to conclude a probe. However, the statute of limitations would give the FEC until March 1999 to investigate a $40,000 contribution to the DNC in March 1994, which Glicken apparently solicited from Kramer. But the general counsel recommended against further proceedings. "Because of Mr. Glicken's high profile as a prominent Democratic fund-raiser, including his potential fund-raising involvement in support of Vice President Gore's expected presidential campaign, it is unclear that this individual would agree to settle this matter short of litigation, " says the FEC counsel's memorandum. "Therefore, rather than continuing this matter for an unspecified period in pursuit of one participant and because of the low prospect for timely resolution, the age of the matter and the already successful resolution concerning all principals in this case, this Office does not recommend further proceedings concerning these two DNC contributions either," the memo added. The decision not to pursue an investigation of Glicken apparently closes the book on the Kramer case, which also resulted in a $77,000 penalty against the Miami law firm of Greenberg, Traurig, Hoffman, Lipoff, Rosen & Quentel for soliciting contributions from the developer. Former DNC Finance Chairman Marvin Rosen, a partner in the firm, accepted the money from Kramer. Glicken certainly qualifies as a big political player. He was among the overnight Lincoln Bedroom guests, listed by the White House among "long-time friends," of President Clinton, rather than the less-exclusive category of "friends and supporters." He also was on the guest list for two White House coffees hosted by Vice President Gore. Glicken was co-host at a March 1994 fund- raising dinner in Miami that raised a reported $3.4 million for the DNC. The dinner honored President Clinton, who personally thanked Glicken during his remarks. The timing suggests that Kramer's contribution may have been made in connection with the event. Glicken also was among 22 executives selected in 1994 to accompany the late Commerce Secretary Ronald Brown on a trade mission to Latin America. The FEC has the authority to refer serious cases of campaign finance violations to the Justice Department, which can pursue criminal prosecutions. Generally, the Justice Department pursues criminal prosecutions in cases where "knowing and willful" violations of the "core provisions" of the Federal Election Campaign Act come into play. Among those core provisions are the prohibitions of contributions from foreign nationals and the ban on disguised or laundered contributions, both of which have been alleged to have occurred in the Kramer case. Kramer was an equal opportunity giver, who funneled more than $400,000 to state, local, and federal campaigns in 1993 and 1994. The Florida Republican Party, the largest recipient of Kramer's donations, already has been fined $82,000. - - Latest in an occasional series of special reports by the Center for Responsive Politics. ******************************************************************* Edward F. Immler There is a time to lead, ed@globaldialog.com a time to follow, and a time to just get out of the way. Great leaders know which is appropriate. ******************************************************************* ========================================================================== This mailing list is for discussion of Clinton Administration Scandals. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send electronic mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com. In the message body put: unsubscribe cas - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:00:37 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: CAS: CLINTON LEAKS (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 17:17:55 GMT From: "softwar@us.net" To: cas@majordomo.pobox.com Subject: CAS: CLINTON LEAKS Much has been said of leaks lately. It is very clear the President and First Lady are furious over information being leaked about Clinton's sex scandal. The Clinton steamroller spin-machine is out in full force trying to pin the leaks on Ken Starr. Yet, the President is silent and unconcerned about other leaks involving secrets of national security. Leaks so dangerous that CIA and NSA agents testified under oath that full disclosure would wreak our international relations, and threaten the lives of informants (spies) around the world. The Secretary of Commerce announced new security measures recently with much fanfare. The tightening of security at the Commerce Department came on the heels of an internal report which noted the agency had a few leakers in recent months and something should be done. Commerce employee John Huang, for one, obtained access to hundreds of secret reports and briefings. Today, Huang is touring Asia with no schedule for his return. Another example, Ira Sockowitz, walked out of the Commerce Department with thousands of pages in secret documents. Both Huang and Sockowitz were former DNC fund-raisers appointed to their sensitive positions by President Clinton. One reporter asked Daley if the new measures would prevent another "John Huang"? "The only things sure in life are death and taxes," replied the Commerce Secretary. Although some efforts to reduce the number of Commerce employees with secret or better clearance has been made there are still thousands of such employees scattered around the world. Many have never been briefed on handling secrets and many, like Huang and Sockowitz, were cleared without a background check. Secretary Daley also noted a new big increase in security spending by the Commerce Department. However, he did have trouble explaining where the money for such an increase is coming from. He explained there would be no request for more budget nor a change of how the current budget is spent. How that results in a 27% increase in security spending is beyond me. Perhaps, more financial magic from an administration famous for smoke and mirror economics. Another new feature is the first Undersecretary of Security at Commerce. The holder of this new job is a former Secret Service Agent named Holms. The promising start of the new Commerce security director, however, has a down side. Agent Holms was in charge of Vice President Gore's security detail at the now infamous Buddhist temple fund-raiser. Furthermore, Holms has his job cut out for him. Sure Huang and Sockowitz are gone. However, there are other, uncleared/appointed/political employees who have Top Secret with Codeword clearance who remain. The first place I would start, if I were Holms, would be in the Bureau of Export Administration. I would sit down with Hoyt Zia, the top legal counsel at BXA, and start asking a few questions. How often did Zia go to the DNC headquarters with John Huang with Ira Sockowitz? Why did Zia call John Huang when Huang was avoiding US Marshals to escape a subpoena? How did Zia get Huang's home, DNC office and girlfriend's phone numbers? (Mrs. Huang * Please note * call Hoyt Zia and get that special phone number in Maryland.) What did Zia do when he worked at Motorola before joining the Commerce Department? How often did Zia meet with former friends, turned lobbyists, from Motorola? How often did Zia date a lobbyist for Iridium (a Motorola satellite company)? What sensitive export projects for China did Zia oversee at the same time? Who showed Zia John Huang's testimony from Huang's closed deposition? When did Zia meet Communist Chinese representatives and what did they discuss? Yet, these are questions the White House should be asking. Sure the Monica crisis may embarrass the President, perhaps even force his resignation but the data leaked from the Commerce Department damaged our nation and our collective security. Instead of acting swiftly to protect our national security all the President's men are engaged in zipping up a crisis between Bill Clinton and a 21 year old intern. All the frequent and outspoken White House complaints are directed toward a scandal measured in inches and not one that spans the globe. The lack of concern over our national security is reflected by Bill Clinton's super-concern over his political security as President. 1 if by land, 2 if by sea. Paul Revere - encryption 1775 Charles R. Smith SOFTWAR http://www.us.net/softwar Pcyphered SIGNATURE: AF18DE416118661C73A0ECBC112121B312B5A0D2D5901DCD84B78EFC7321A496 C08DB418E368A458EE21BD6A1E0B1B0A303955233EF0FF3591EC1A2D71FE4035 549E25C2AAF8FC50 ========================================================================== This mailing list is for discussion of Clinton Administration Scandals. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send electronic mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com. In the message body put: unsubscribe cas - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:04:30 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: Re: CAS: METCALF: The Quigley Factor (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 01:29:32 EST From: Rdlipscomb@aol.com To: CBasher@worldnet.ATT.NET, cas@majordomo.pobox.com Subject: Re: CAS: METCALF: The Quigley Factor In a message dated 98-02-10 20:48:04 EST, CBasher@worldnet.att.net writes: << The anti-communist (Quigley called them "Radical Right") factions within the U.S. were elated to find Quigley stating: "There does exist, and has existed for a generation, an international Anglophile network which operates, to some extent, in the way the radical Right believes Communists act." (To find this you have to last up to page 950). >> I was a student of Quigley's at Georgetown in 1973-75. He was a very charismatic professor whose lectures were punctuated with vastly entertaining asides about virtually every conceivable topic in modern history. Certain people on the right, and maybe on the left as well, assume that because Quigley researched and wrote about the Round Table groups etc he was totally in sympathy with their aims. Whatever he may have earlier believed, when I observed him it would be fair to say Quigley admired many of the individuals who were involved in such groups as individuals, but only partially subscribed to their ideals. In his politics as expressed in the classroom, Quigley was in many ways like so many Boston Irish in his sympathies for and loyalty to the Democratic party. I believe he provided assistance of sorts (in the form of some writing and ideas) for that noted radical John McCormack, the Boston congressman who ended his career as Speaker, for many years. Quigley always heaped scorn on Marxism as an intellectual dead end and often listed as a point in favor of the Democrats, as opposed to the Republicans, in the 1940s and 1950s was that the policies of the Democrats were more pro-defense than those of the GOP. It is a gross canard to imply that he in any way favored the policies or goals of the various Communist states that existed at the time. As for being a one-worlder, Quigley in 1974 said, in one of those asides I mentioned, that "the United Nations is a disaster. It should have been abolished years ago." I remember this quite vividly because he said this with even more vehemence than was usual for him -- he was not exactly a shy or softspoken man. This at a time when the principal function of the UN seemed to be a sounding board for tinpot anti-Americanism -- Quigley's critique was similar to that expressed by many Americans then (and since). Although Tragedy and Hope is an immensely detailed and significant work, I believe Quigley's greatest intellectual contribution can be found in a much slimmer volume entitled "Evolution of Civilizations." This book constructs an analytical framework for study of the various civilizations that have existed since the Sumerians. I recently received a catalogue from a conservative publisher which listed this book -- a bargain at $7 or so if you can't find it in the library. Perhaps the reason the conservative publisher featured this book is its chapters on Western Civilization, where Quigley admiringly explains the radical methods of thought that Christianity brought to our civilization and which formed its core. This can be best summed up by the answer that Christian thought provided to many of the most burning questions of the early days, i.e., was Jesus God or man, is man saved by faith or works, was "both." His point -- I think valid although surely debatable -- is that the mainstream Christian outlook has never accepted a final answer but has always supported a neverending quest for truth, with no one group possessing a monopoly of same. It is no accident that the scientific method, while perhaps not invented in the west, has recorded its greatest triumphs in Western countries. I think Quigley would have been revolted by the more recent caricature of some of his ideas masquerading under the guise of "diversity." All told, I think many of Clinton's policy failings stem not from having been a student of Quigley but from not having learned the lessons very well. Sorry for this long more or less OT post, but I get tired of seeing Quigley's views misrepresented by people who never knew him. Bob Lipscomb ========================================================================== This mailing list is for discussion of Clinton Administration Scandals. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send electronic mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com. In the message body put: unsubscribe cas - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:46:30 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: CAS: Inquiring Minds Want to Know (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:39:24 -0600 From: Ann Khan To: cas@majordomo.pobox.com Subject: CAS: Inquiring Minds Want to Know NATIONAL INQUIRER Other Women In Bill's Secret Life WE MADE WHOOPPEE, CLAIMS GROUPIE Connie Hamzy was lolling by the pool at a North Little Rock hotel, wearing a skimpy string bikini, when she took a tawdry plunge into presidential sexual history. "A former neighbor came over and said Gov. Clinton wanted to meet me in the lobby," Connie, a famed rock and roll "groupie," told The ENQUIRER about her meeting with Bill 13 years ago. "We ended up in an alcove, making out like crazy! He was kissing me, and his hands were all over me. Finally, he asked for my phone number." But Connie never saw Clinton again. On January 27, 1997, the American Spectator magazine gave Hamzy three lie-detector tests on her story about meeting Clinton -- and she passed! Connie added: "I may be a slut, but I'm not a lying slut!" SHARON STONE BRINGS OUT BILL'S BASIC INSTINCTS When you say the name Bill Clinton to Sharon Stone, her eyes sparkle. And when the President ponders his fantasy dates, Sharon Stone is quick to pop into his mind. Barbara Pfafflin, long-time mistress of ex-Clinton strategist Dick Morris, says Dick told her, "Bill is really, really hot for Sharon Stone. "I'm sure they had a liaison during a presidential trip." Barbara asked him, "A sexual liaison?" She says Morris laughed, "With Bill Clinton, everything is sexual." The "Basic Instinct" star appeared at a fund-raiser for the President during his bid for reelection -- and makes no secret of being a big Bill booster. She even proclaimed that if he weren't married to Hillary, she'd love to share the White House bedroom with him, according to a friend of the dazzling star. "She thinks the ultimate aphrodisiac would be to sleep with the President. And she has said that one of her all-time fantasies is to visit the White House and run from room to room 'twirling Bill Clinton's boxer shorts above my head.' " PAL GOT AMBASSADOR JOB AFTER CLINTON GOT HIS WIFE President Clinton swapped an ambassadorship for a friend's wife! That's the charge of former U.S. State Department foreign service officer Christina Marie Alexandre, who worked for stunning blonde Shelia Lawrence, 36, and her husband Larry Lawrence, the former Ambassador to Switzerland who died at age 69. "Shelia's sexual intimacy with President Clinton was an open secret among the staff at Larry Lawrence's Hotel del Coronado in San Diego -- and among his embassy staff in Switzerland," declared Alexandre in an exclusive ENQUIRER interview. Larry was a heavy contributor to the Democratic party, giving an estimated $10 million over the years. "He wanted to be an ambassador and he asked Clinton for Switzerland as his reward for political support, and he got it," said Alexandre. "The tit for tat was that Larry would allow the President to be intimate with Larry's wife Shelia and not make a fuss over it." In April 1995 Alexandre became a whistle-blower, filing charges of fraud, waste and mismanagement with the State Department against Ambassador Lawrence. She's now in private industry in San Francisco. Lawrence, who died of leukemia in January 1996, made news when his military record as a wounded war hero proved to be fictitious -- and his remains were dug up from Arlington National Cemetery a few months ago. Shelia Lawrence recently gave a deposition to Paula Jones' attorneys and afterward released a statement saying that she testified: "I have never had a sexual or romantic relationship of any type with President Clinton." And she said claims the affair won her husband the ambassadorship are "lies." But political syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington told The ENQUIRER that Larry Lawrence's close friend revealed: "Larry's greatest leverage was having turned a blind eye toward Clinton's affair with his own wife." ========================================================================== This mailing list is for discussion of Clinton Administration Scandals. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send electronic mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com. In the message body put: unsubscribe cas - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 12:56:26 -0600 (CST) From: cyrano@ix.netcom.com Subject: Good news: Waco: The Rules of Engagement I just read that "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" received a nomination for an Academy Award in the documentary category. This is an outstanding development. It means WTRE will now be viewed by the "Hollywood Elite" and get all kinds of new exposure. Perhaps now people besides those of us in the "vast right wing conspiracy" will finally learn the truth about what our government did to our fellow citizens at Waco. Steve Silver Proud member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy and Vice President The Lawyer's Second Amendment Society, Inc. 18034 Ventura Blvd., No. 329 Encino, CA 91316 (818) 734-3066 (The LSAS is a 501(c)(4) Non-Profit Corporation) Visit the LSAS's new and updated Web page at: http://www.mcs.net/~lpyleprn/lsas Send an e-mail request, including your snail mail address, to: LSAS3@aol.com for a complimentary copy of the LSAS's newsletter, The Liberty Pole. Remember: Firearms: They save lives. *** Self-defense is not a crime. - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 13:02:18 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: Turkey bombs Kurds in Iraq? - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Reuters news Wednesday February 11 11:31 AM EST Turkish Jets Bomb Kurdish Rebels By Elif Unal DIYARBAKIR (Reuters) - Turkish planes raided Kurdish rebel positions in northern Iraq for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, Turkish security officials said. "Planes bombed the Metina region this morning," a security official told Reuters. He said F-16 jets from the main southeast Turkish city of Diyarbakir had launched the attacks on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) positions in Metina, a mountainous region on the Iraqi side of the remote border. The reports conflicted with denials by Turkey that its military is active in Kurdish-held northern Iraq, which broke from Baghdad's control after the Gulf War in 1991. "The Turkish armed forces have not carried out operations in northern Iraq for any reason whatsoever," military spokesman Colonel Husnu Dag told a briefing of diplomatic correspondents on Wednesday. Security officials in southeast Turkey and witnesses said Turkish troops and jets hit PKK positions in northern Iraq on Tuesday. The rebels use bases in the area in their fight for Kurdish self-rule in southeast Turkey. Feuding Iraqi Kurdish groups have ruled northern Iraq under Western protection for almost seven years, but Ankara complains that instability there encourages Kurdish separatism in Turkey. Turkey has taken steps to cope with 100,000 Iraqi Kurdish refugees it fears could flee towards Turkey if there is a U.S. military strike on Iraq in the U.N. arms inspection crisis, a cabinet minister said in comments published on Wednesday. "Measures have been taken to welcome 100,000 people in the security belt that will be created 15 km (nine miles) inside Iraq," the Yeni Yuzyil daily quoted Yildirim as saying. "Tents, food and medical supplies have been prepared," he said. One million Kurdish refugees fled to the Iranian and Turkish borders after a failed Kurdish uprising following the Gulf War. A government crisis committee met on Tuesday to discuss responses to any wave of refugees that flees towards Turkey. Yildirim said parliament would need to approve creation of a Turkish zone inside Iraq, but witnesses reported earlier this week that 7,000 Turkish troops already crossed the border to begin preparing for a refugee influx. More than 27,000 people have been killed in the PKK's 13-year-old armed struggle for self-rule in southeast Turkey. Government officials have suggested Iraq could lash out with chemical or biological weapons if Ankara assisted its NATO ally the United States against Baghdad. But State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel played down that danger on Wednesday. "It is just a fantasy amid the crisis to think that Iraq can hit us," he told a news conference. He said the Health Ministry had nevertheless taken measures near the border with Iraq against any possible biological or chemical weapons attack from Baghdad. It was not clear what those measures were. - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 13:00:33 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: Korea still gets Reactor for peace - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Reuters New Media Tuesday February 10 5:07 PM EST SKorea, Japan Seen Fulfilling NKorea Project WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Madeleine Albright expressed confidence Tuesday that South Korea and Japan would pay the major costs of a $5.1 billion nuclear project for North Korea despite the Asian financial crisis. "As far as the reactor is concerned, the South Koreans are going to be able to fulfill their responsibilities, and ... the Japanese also," she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Albright said she inquired on Monday about the status of those funding commitments "and I was assured that it would be okay." The Asian financial crisis has raised doubts about whether South Korea, which has negotiated a massive bailout from the International Monetary Fund, and Japan, whose economy remains anemic, could make good on their commitments to fund the bulk of the $5.1 billion project. Under a 1994 agreement with the United States, North Korea agreed to halt its nuclear program -- which Washington said was aimed at producing nuclear weapons -- in return for two 1,000-megawatt light-water nuclear reactors that would provide the Stalinist regime with power. Construction of the reactors began August 1997 and is scheduled for completion around 2004. The project is being handled by the Korean Energy Peninsula Development Organization which includes the United States, South Korea, Japan and the European Union as board members. Albright said the United States was continuing to talk to other countries to also help fund the project, which Washington views as critical to its goal of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Leading members of an international consortium helping isolationist North Korea build two nuclear power reactors met for two days to discuss the project, including cost sharing, the group said in a statement Friday. The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization's (KEDO) executive board of Japan, South Korea, the United States and the European Union agreed in Nov. 1997 on a cost estimate of $5.18 billion for the project. The statement said the meetings Thursday and Friday at KEDO headquarters in New York were held to "discuss several issues related to the light-water reactor project, the supply of heavy fuel oil and other issues. Among the issues discussed was the question of cost sharing for the project." The two-day discussions had not been expected to provide final agreement on cost sharing. The KEDO statement said the talks were "productive and part of an ongoing process that will continue." _________________________________________________________________ - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:00:44 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: Good news: Waco: The Rules of Engagement (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:30:45 -0500 (EST) From: cyrano@ix.netcom.com To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Good news: Waco: The Rules of Engagement I just read that "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" received a nomination for an Academy Award in the documentary category. This is an outstanding development. It means WTRE will now be viewed by the "Hollywood Elite" and get all kinds of new exposure. Perhaps now people besides those of us in the "vast right wing conspiracy" will finally learn the truth about what our government did to our fellow citizens at Waco. Steve Silver Proud member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy and Vice President The Lawyer's Second Amendment Society, Inc. 18034 Ventura Blvd., No. 329 Encino, CA 91316 (818) 734-3066 (The LSAS is a 501(c)(4) Non-Profit Corporation) Visit the LSAS's new and updated Web page at: http://www.mcs.net/~lpyleprn/lsas Send an e-mail request, including your snail mail address, to: LSAS3@aol.com for a complimentary copy of the LSAS's newsletter, The Liberty Pole. Remember: Firearms: They save lives. *** Self-defense is not a crime. - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:05:22 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: CAS: New Zogby poll casts different light (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 11:43:00 -0800 (PST) From: "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" To: CAS List , Clinton List , POLITICS , repub-d , REPUB-L , RUSHTALK Subject: CAS: New Zogby poll casts different light In the Nov. 1996 Presidential election, many polls were commissioned, which predicted the outcome as a landslide victory for Bill Clinton, winning by as much as 30 percentage points over Bob Dole. Most were proven wildly inaccurate, when the marging came out to 8 percentage points. The only poll to call the election correctly, was that done by the Zogby organization. Now, a new Zogby Poll has been taken, commissioned by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Zogby's organization took data from Feb. 8, 1998 thru Feb. 11, 1998, in a survey of 1,000 likely voters: 1. Would you like your children to look up to President Clinton as a personal role model, or would you prefer that they did not look up to him as a role model? a. Yes, look up to him 23.5% b. No, do not look up to him 63.2% c. Not sure 13% 2. Suppose you were ready to hire a candidate who was well-qualified for the job, but then you find out that they like to have consensual sex with subordinates. Would you still hire the person, or would you not hire him or her? Would hire 28% Would not hire 58% Not sure 13% 3. Would you consider it immoral for a U.S. President to have consensual sex with a 21-year-old intern, or would you consider this acceptable behavior? Immoral 66.7% Acceptable 15.4% Not sure 18% 4. If your spouse had sex with someone he or she was supervising, would you consider this immoral, or would the behavior be acceptable? Immoral 88.8% Acceptable 3.5% Not sure 7.7% 5. Suppose you were engaged to someone and you find out that they cheated on you repeatedly and continued to do so. Would you still marry that person, or would you break off the engagement? Still marry the person 2.4% Break off the engagement 89.1% Not sure 8.5% ------------ John Zogby, president of the polling organization that bears his name, evaluated the results of his poll, and commented on the seemingly odd circumstance of the President's rising popularity in the midst of various scandals plaguing his administration: "To those who suggest that Americans do not care about moral behavior and character in their leadership, this poll is a powerful antidote. Why, then, are the President's job performance ratings and favorability ratings, going up? "What we have here, are competing values. Americans care deeply about the Presidency, the results of an election, and that any person is innocent until proven guilty. These are strongly held and sacred values to Americans, but they are in competition with stories of alleged immoral behavior. "Clearly, and not surprisingly, the American people are not ready to undo an election or tinker with an institution, until evidence is strong and incontrovertible. Meanwhile, the President has built up a huge reservoir of good will, as the economy continues to do well, the budget deficit appears to be eliminated, and the United States is staring down Saddam Hussein. "But make no mistake about it. Should evidence become firm, these high numbers, especially those that suggest they're rallying to him in the midst of his State of the Union Message, and press charges, can plummet." - John Zogby, Feb. 11, 1998 ========================================================================== This mailing list is for discussion of Clinton Administration Scandals. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send electronic mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com. In the message body put: unsubscribe cas - - ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 15:35:04 -0600 (CST) From: Subject: CAS: TAS: Ellen Rometsch, Where are You? (fwd) - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 16:23:37 -0400 From: jim hofmann To: cas@majordomo.pobox.com Subject: CAS: TAS: Ellen Rometsch, Where are You? Excerpted from Wayne Mann's "The Political Digest Light" - contact Mann at tpd@callamerica.net to get on his mailing list. - --- Jim Online Update February 10 - 16, 1998 Ellen Rometsch, Where Are You? by Byron York TAS Just think of the phrases you hadn't heard until the newest White House scandal broke wide open. Clintern. Tailgate. Starr I Are. And think of the legal education you've gotten from the TV commentariat. Rule 6-E. Use immunity. Transactional immunity. And what about the fascinating philosophical quandaries that have arisen since January 21st? Is oral sex sex? Are sexual relations and a sexual relationship the same thing? No doubt Monica Lewinsky has taught us all a lot. But on Sunday, students of White House gamesmanship witnessed perhaps the most astonishing lesson yet. Its title: "The Ellen Rometsch Strategy." Former Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos let it out on ABC's "This Week With Sam & Cokie." Discussing the White House plan to attack Kenneth Starr, Stephanopoulos suddenly -- and without provocation -- revealed the Clintons' extraordinary endgame scenario: STEPHANOPOULOS: There's a different, long-term strategy, which I think would be far more explosive. White House allies are already starting to whisper about what I'll call the Ellen Rometsch strategy. She was a girlfriend of John F. Kennedy, who also happened to be an East German spy. And Robert Kennedy was charged with getting her out of the country and also getting John Edgar Hoover to go to the Congress and say, don't you investigate this, because if you do, we're going to open up everybody's closets. And I think that in the long run, they have a deterrent strategy on getting a lot of... DONALDSON: Are you suggesting for a moment that what they're beginning to say is that if you investigate this too much, we'll put all your dirty linen right on the table? Every member of the Senate? Every member of the press corps? STEPHANOPOULOS: Absolutely. The President said he would never resign, and I think some around him are willing to take everybody down with him. Clearly Ellen Rometsch is someone we should know more about. Fortunately, her story is told in the new book by Seymour Hersh, The Dark Side of Camelot. Rometsch was indeed a girlfriend of John F. Kennedy. And she was from East Germany. (Although Hersh presents no evidence that she was a spy, it seems that her nationality was enough for the Kennedys to worry that she might at least appear to be a spy if the story ever got out.) Rometsch was also a highly-paid prostitute who had had several dalliances with members of the Senate. Her affair with the president happened at about the same time as the Profumo scandal that crippled the Macmillan government in Britain. Determined to make sure that nothing of that sort happened in Camelot, Bobby Kennedy had Rometsch deported and paid off. According to Hersh, Clark Mollenhoff of the Des Moines Register reported in October 1963 that the Senate Rules Committee was planning to investigate the deportation. The committee was also, according to Mollenhoff's article, "in the process of examining allegations regarding the conduct of Senate employees as well as members of the Senate." That was explosive enough, but Mollenhoff added, "The evidence also is likely to include identification of several high executive branch officials as friends and associates of the part-time model and party girl." The only "high executive branch official" who mattered was, of course, the president. Hersh reports that Bobby Kennedy went to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, the man who knew the secrets, and suggested that Hoover meet with the two top members of the Senate, Democrat Mike Mansfield and Republican Everett Dirksen. Hoover's job was to tell the two senators that if the Rometsch/JFK story got out, all sorts of embarrassing stories about prominent Senators might also emerge. As always, Hoover delivered. Hersh cites an interview Robert Kennedy gave in 1964 for the archives of the Kennedy Library: Clark Mollenhoff wrote an article that [Rometsch] had been tied up with people at the White House, which was, in fact, incorrect. I looked into the files and she had been tied up with a lot of people at the Capitol! I got all the information she had...and it got to large numbers on both ways [Democrats and Republicans]. I thought it was very damaging and...I spoke to the President about it. It didn't involve anybody at the White House, but I thought it would just destroy the confidence that people in the United States had in their government....Some of the Senators had Negro girlfriends and all kinds of things which were not very helpful. According to Hersh, Kennedy went on to say that Hoover's briefing was "a shock" to Mansfield and Dirksen. "From then on," Bobby Kennedy concluded, "there was less attention" paid to the subject of Ellen Rometsch and John F. Kennedy. Given the facts of the story, it is nothing short of amazing that Stephanopoulos would volunteer it as a possible outcome of the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal. And it is even more surprising that very few reporters paid much attention. The story got only brief mentions in the New York Times, (which, alas, didn't even mention Ellen Rometsch), the New York Post, and the Boston Globe. Beyond that, nothing. Maybe the rest of the press will be more interested later, if Bill Clinton starts his scorched-earth endgame. But no one should be surprised. After all, George told us it would happen. ========================================================================== This mailing list is for discussion of Clinton Administration Scandals. If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, send electronic mail to majordomo@majordomo.pobox.com. In the message body put: unsubscribe cas - - ------------------------------ End of roc-digest V2 #68 ************************