In the category of no-duh:
Federal auditors said on Friday that the Bush administration violated the law by buying favorable news coverage of President Bush’s education policies, by making payments to the conservative commentator Armstrong Williams and by hiring a public relations company to analyze media perceptions of the Republican Party.
In a blistering report, the investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said the administration had disseminated “covert propaganda” in the United States, in violation of a statutory ban.
So who pays the price?
The G.A.O. said the Education Department had no money or authority to “procure favorable commentary in violation of the publicity or propaganda prohibition” in federal law.
The ruling comes with no penalty, but under federal law the department is supposed to report the violations to the White House and Congress.
As far as I am concerned, nothing is against the law if there is ‘no penalty’ for doing it.
Boy, you hit it on the head. “nothing is against the law if there is ‘no penalty’ for doing it.”
Maybe that could become the GOP party slogan at Private Fund raising events.
Boo, you didn’t think a “blistering report” is punishment enough? Who is going to prosecute this crime – Abu Gonzales? I know he has several methods of punishment that I might accept for george.
Drip, drip drip, our punishment continues.
Accept it. Bush has made himself dictator.
This was my thought exactly. If a leader can commit crimes without fear of punishment, that seems to fulfill the definition of despotism it seems to me. Without fear of repercussions, we all literally live or die at the mercy / whim of the despot and his flunkies, as the people of New Orleans have found out.
You know a society is in serious trouble when the ethical transgressions of it’s leaders get a pass like this.
Democracy cannot thrive unles it overcomes these obstacles to accountability.
So who pays the price?
“We The People” pay the price twice:
But the bush regime doesn’t seem to mind…
hahahahaha…report the violations to the WH and Congress..since the WH is the violator I’m sure that will really really really work well..and they’ll all slap their foreheads and say geezzzzz how can I go about punishing myself?(and insert your own little sick joke here if you must) I know, I’ll pay some reporter(maybe get Armstrong Williams ala Brownie investigating Fema screwups) to write and article and say that the WH is looking in to these violations and will take appropriate action, yeah that’s the ticket.
As for Congress-they’re probably dumfuzzled and wondering just what is wrong with payola anyway..how else do you get things done, so the idea Congress might consider some sort of ethical slapdown, hahahahaa again.
Now back to our regularly scheduled criminal activities.
15 yards, AND loss of down? Maybe “double secret probation”? Or at least a time out?
Theoretically a crime without a punishment is still a felony or misdemeanor, and grounds for impeachment?
Along that line, I wonder if the congress could impeach the secretary of education?
But its all theoretical, anyhow. Even if the Dems were in power, its hard to believe they’d risk getting caught “playing politics” or somesuch, even if it were legally possible.