Pelosi & Clinton Money, Morrissey & more

Interesting stuff around the ‘sphere, just for youse:

Department of Appreciation: My blogfather Ed Morrissey left behind his Captains Quarter’s Blog, but he’s hit the ground running over at Hot Air, as evidenced here, here, here and here. That last bit is a really excellent analysis of how Hillary Clinton wants to run on her White House “experience” without coming clean about a moment of her time there.

But Rich isn’t the only questionable figure in the pardons scandals, and he’s not the only family member under suspicion. Hillary’s brother Tony Rodham represented Edgar and Vonna Gregory for a pardon, which Bill granted so that Gregory’s business could get federal contracts. Edgar and his wife had convictions for bank fraud that interfered with United Shows, and the Gregorys needed connections. Not only did they hire Rodham to represent them, they donated $10,000 to Hillary Clinton — half before the pardon, and half afterwards, in 2000.

This is a curiously inaccurate headline – (oops, they changed the headline; this morning it read: Archivists block release of Clinton papers) – the Clinton papers are not being blocked by “archivists,” but by Bill Clinton, himself:

The archivists’ decision, based on guidance provided by Bill Clinton that restricts the disclosure of advice he received from aides, prevents public scrutiny of documents that would shed light on how he decided which pardons to approve from among hundreds of requests.

Of course, if the Democrats will only let Hillary be the nominee, she’ll finally show her tax-returns, too – maybe, although things might get sticky – and if only we will put her back into the White House, she might let us see those papers. Probably. If she doesn’t invoke some sort of Executive privilege. Ugh. I’m so tired of Clintonian two-stepping.

Dept. of More Two-Stepping: Remember when the Clintons tried to stop ABC from airing The Path to 9/11? There will be no release of a DVD.

Dept. of cloying double standards: President and Mrs. Clinton are not the only ones being coy about money and influence, Nancy Pelosi is, too:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dismissed any notion Thursday that her sponsorship of Medicaid legislation that would likely help her husband’s financial holdings in a pharmaceutical company presented a conflict of interest.

She also stressed there was no need to divest any stock that her husband holds in Johnson & Johnson, a company that makes and markets HIV-related drugs that could be helped by the Early Treatment of HIV Act, which Pelosi introduced last summer.

Think this would be such a non-issue if she had a different letter after her name?

I know some wags are looking for Al Gore to do something at the Democrat convention but I doubt it: he’s getting too rich off his private citizenship and has too many laurels being thrown. Now worth in excess of 100 million dollars, much of it made from the ManMade Global Warming Industry, there might be conflicts of interest, there…or something.

I was a Democrat back when I thought Gore was a strong addition to the Clinton ticket, but his campaign in 2000 turned me off and I still can’t shake the sense that the boy’s not right.

Dept of Have-some-inspiration: A Chaplain’s Chaplain (H/T Reader Donna).

Dept. of Medicine: Has a Harvard economist found
a solution to the health care issue? Let us hope.

The key fix is to shift health care decision making from today’s array of institutions to individuals and families. The result would be a new system driven by the familiar forces that power every other part of the American economy — personal choice and direct control over the expenditure of health care dollars.

Somehow I don’t think Hillary will like it; too much personal control. I might like it, though.

Dept. of Tricky Video: Kate the Great plays with Obama’s stuff.

Dept. of Dance: Lorie Byrd explains why George W Bush is doing the old-soft-shoe.

I have a feeling the President will be doing a lot more dancing between now and January 2009 because that is when he will be able to return to his ranch in Crawford. Bill Clinton was reported to have been lost and despondent upon leaving the White House. Leaving the White House made Clinton, who craves attention and approval above all else, miserable. My suspicion is that leaving the White House will agree quite nicely with George W. Bush. I can easily imagine him Texas two-stepping all the way home.

I agree with Lorie that he’ll be happy to shuffle off stage. Unlike Clinton, who never fully left the stage, Bush will likely disappear for a while and when he comes back on the scene (if he does) it will be as a humanitarian animal, not a political one.

On the blogs:

Bookworm looks at Chicago Politics and Obama

Neoneocon looks at The Audacity of Michelle Obama

Deacon Greg gets nostalgic about growing up Catholic. We boomers can never get enough looking backward, can we?

Brits at their Best look at An MEP Corruption report that seems not to be getting much coverage

Meanwhile, Tony Blair is heading to Yale and talking about faith and globalism.

Brian at Inside Catholic
links us to Jonathan Chait’s idea that Hillary is on a kamikazee mission. Interesting piece.

Betsy Newmark looks at what anti-Americanism isn’t.