Here's a guide to some of our favorite shape-shifters scheduled to speak at the Republican Convention this week. Watching them masquerade as decent human beings will be the best show around!

Monday August 30th, 2004

Michael Bloomberg - World's greatest switch hitter

John McCain - Kick him hard enough and he'll kiss your butt

Rudy Giuliani - True Republican family values - harlot girlfriend and all

Tuesday August 31th, 2004

Laura Bush - Don't be shocked!

Rod Paige - Driving terrorists from America's classrooms

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Getting a swirly or a grab-ass from Arnold is an honor

Wednesday September 1st, 2004

Mitt Romney - Just another grand ole' hypocrite

Zell Miller - Zig Zag Zell, the biggest hypocrite of all

Lynne Cheney - Swooning lesbians crusade for artistic decency against the NEA

Dick Cheney - No "time out" for him - wash his mouth out with soap

Thursday September 2nd, 2004

George Pataki - Suffering from an identity crisis

Michael Bloomberg

Bloomberg’s Masquerade Costume Of Choice: Republican

Bloomberg Switched Parties At Last Moment. Sensing the existence of many qualified Democrats, Bloomberg switched his party registration from Democrat to Republican at virtually the last possible moment. According the New Yorker, he made the change with little “fanfare or pretense about having experienced a change of heart.” Later, when running for Mayor as a Republican, Bloomberg downplayed his party label and distanced himself from Republican legislatures around the country. [New Yorker, 9/3/01]

Bloomberg Hedges On Party Affiliation. “At one point during the interview, Bloomberg hedged about whether he is really a Republican at all, even though he changed his registration from Democrat late last year to run for mayor. Asked whether it felt odd to be a Republican after being active in the Democratic Party for many years, Bloomberg interrupted. "Wait a second," he said. "I'm registered in the Republican Party." Asked if there is a distinction, he paused and laughed. "I didn't say that," he said…” [AP, 6/30/01]

Bloomberg Contributed To Opponent Campaigns. Though he criticized them as a Republican candidate for Mayor, Bloomberg believed in his Democratic rivals enough to donate to their campaigns during his formative years. Bloomberg gave $2000 to Giuliani’s opponent for governor in 1997. [AP, 6/30/01]

Bloomberg Uses Democratic Policy Advisors. During his campaign for Mayor, Bloomberg’s team was comprised largely of Democrats. Not surprisingly, his policy positions tended to reflect existing Democratic priorities such as improving policy-community relations, procuring more resources for NYC public schools, and protecting the city’s parks. [New Yorker, 9/3/01]

Bloomberg Staffed Government With Democrats. “Bloomberg didn't hire Republican revolutionaries; he hired career civil servants and government mechanics who are, for the most part, Democrats. ‘Republicans worked hard to get him elected, but he doesn't understand that he owes anybody anything,’ said one GOP activist.” [New Republic, 3/10/03]

Bloomberg Closer To Kerry Than Bush. “Bloomberg is a liberal who agrees far more with John Kerry than with George W. Bush.” [New Republic, 8/2/04]

Bloomberg Courted Leftist Party. According to the New York Sun, Bloomberg quietly worked behind the scenes to secure the endorsement of the left-leaning Working Families Party. Expecting a hard challenge from the right in the 2005 Republican Primary, Bloomberg has been meeting and dining with high-ranking members of the party and has openly discussed obtaining their support.“ [New York Sun, 1/14/04]

Bloomberg Incensed At Bush Administration Over Lack Of Homeland Security Funding

Bloomberg Questions Bush Administration’s ‘Political Courage.’ “With New York spending millions a week on anti-terror efforts, city officials made a new plea to Congress and the White House: Show us the money! The city's stepped-up security, which includes posting cops outside major financial firms and checking trucks for possible explosives, is costing New York an estimated $5 million a week, NYPD sources said… New York currently ranks 49th out of 50 states in the amount of homeland security aid it receives per capita - a situation Mayor Bloomberg has blasted as ‘pork-barrel politics at its worst. I don't think we need more evidence’ that New York is a prime terror target, Bloomberg said yesterday on CNN. ‘What you need to do is have the political courage to stand up and say enough with the pork barrel.’” [Daily News, 8/4/04]

Bloomberg And Congressional Republicans Fighting During the Lead Up to GOP Convention. A fund-raiser in Mayor Bloomberg's home for the National Republican Congressional Committee was abruptly dropped in a growing feud over the allocation of federal funds to fight terrorism. Sources told The Associated Press that the luncheon event was canceled after the mayor objected to the attendance of Bob Ney, co-chair of the NRCC's incumbent retention committee. Ney voted last week against an amendment sponsored by Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) that would have shifted nearly $450 million into a fund for cities at high risk of attacks. [New York Post, 6/22/04]

Bloomberg And Clinton Demand Funding From Bush. “The latest alert also resurrected the issue of terror funding. Mr. Bloomberg has been saying for months that Washington needed to change its funding formula so monies were distributed according to threat instead of population. Senator Clinton lent her voice to that fight outside the stock exchange yesterday, calling on President Bush to use his executive authority to increase funding for the cities most at risk: New York and Washington, D.C.” [The New York Sun, 8/4/04]

Bloomberg At Odds With Republican Social Agenda

Bloomberg: “I Don’t Agree” With Republicans. On the Sunday morning talk shows Bloomberg voices his desire to change the ideology of the Republican Party. Mayor Elect-Bloomberg boasted: “I am prochoice. I am pro-gay rights. I am in favor of gun control and against the death penalty…And I will try to convince others the error of their ways if they disagree.” [Meet the Press, 11/11/01]

Bloomberg To Throw Parties Celebrating Gays, Abortion Rights, and Latinos. The New York Times reported that during the Republican Convention the Mayor will welcome: a gay Republican group that doesn’t endorse Bush, Republicans who oppose the President’s staunchly Pro-Life stance and the Latino Congressional Caucus. Bloomberg’s press secretary merely said, “He's proud to be hosting these events during the convention.’” [New York Times, 7/9/04]

Bloomberg Thinks Government Should Not Dictate Who A Person Can Marry. According to the New York Times, Mayor Bloomberg opposes amending the U.S. Constitution to outlaw marriages between same-sex couples. Indeed, Bloomberg is on the record stating “Regarding gay marriage, he [Bloomberg] said, ‘I don’t think it’s the government’s business to tell anybody who they should be married to or who they can marry, period.’” [New York Times, 3/04/04, 6/25/01]

Bloomberg Working Behind-The-Scenes To Allow Same-Sex Marriages. “At a news conference… the mayor hinted, as he has before, that he is sympathetic to efforts in Albany to change state law to allow same-sex couples to marry. He said he has worked quietly with legislative leaders and Gov. George E. Pataki in the past on other civil rights issues benefiting gays and lesbians, and suggested similar behind-the-scenes efforts might be underway on gay marriage.” [New York Times, 6/28/04]

Bloomberg Against The Death Penalty. Texas: Most Executions In Past 30 Years; Bloomberg: Death Penalty Is Wrong. The New York Times reported that Bloomberg’s reiteration of his opposition to the death penalty when discussing the proper punishment for a man accused of killing two cops. [New York Times, 7/31/04]

Bloomberg Critical of Giuliani’s Approach to Race Relations. "The great sin with Amadou Diallo was the mayor's response," he said, referring to Giuliani's unsympathetic comments after the unarmed African immigrant was shot by police in a hail of 41 bullets.” [AP, 6/30/01]

Bloomberg Favors Gun Control. Appearing on the radio, the Mayor upset many Republicans going against their large backer, the NRA. Bloomberg boasted about the suit he is leading the city bring against gun manufacturers. [Newsday, 7/26/04]

Bloomberg Marches In Gay Pride Parade. Action Speaks Louder Than Words. While conservatives want to make homosexuality illegal, the Mayor makes his annual appearance at the Gay Pride Parade. [New York Times, 6/28/04]

Bloomberg At Odds With Republican Economic Agenda

Bloomberg Skeptical Of Bush Economy. While Bush boasts about the economy, Bloomberg voices disappointment with lack of improvements. “The economy? Yes, it is getting better, but not dramatically." [New York Sun, 12/11/03]

Bloomberg’s Economics Anger Conservatives. “It's not hard to pinpoint the day New York conservatives turned on the new Republican mayor, Michael Bloomberg. It was last November 14, the day he made the case for a 25 percent property tax hike. The Wall Street Journal rewarded him with the labels "vapid dilettante" and "classic tax-and-spend NYC liberal." The National Review followed up by calling his mayoralty an "accelerating catastrophe… The overwhelmingly liberal council gave him 18.5 percent, a $1.7 billion hike and the largest in memory. And scholars at Giuliani's pet think tank, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, reacted with horror…"He doesn't understand the relationship between government and the private sector," fumes Steven Malanga, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and the author of the Wall Street Journal opinion piece that served as conservatives' opening shot at the mayor. "He thinks his main job is protecting the role of the public sector." [New Republic, 3/10/03]

John McCain

McCain Defends Kerry From Republican Sleaze

McCain: “It’s the same kind of deal that was pulled on me.” In defending John Kerry against the attacks of a fringe veterans group, McCain, a former POW, recalled the attacks he faced while running against President Bush in 2000. According to McCain, the attacks, which were financed by a prominent Republican donor, were, “dishonest and dishonorable.” [AP, 8/5/04]

Déjà Vu: Bush Waged Nasty Smear Campaign Against McCain

Bush Supporters Called McCain “The Fag Candidate.” In South Carolina, Bush supporters circulated church fliers that labeled McCain “the fag candidate.” Columnist Frank Rich noted that the fliers were distributed “even as Bush subtly reinforced that message by indicating he wouldn’t hire openly gay people for his administration.” [Washington Post, 2/18/00; Rich op-ed, Austin American-Statesman, 2/29/00]

McCain Slurs Included Illegitimate Children, Homosexuality And A Drug-Addict Wife. Among the rumors circulated against McCain in 2000 in South Carolina was that his adopted Bangladeshi daughter was actually black, that McCain was both gay and cheated on his wife, and that his wife Cindy was a drug addict.” [Ivins column, The Nation, 6/18/01]

Bush Campaign Used Code Words to Question McCain’s Temper. “A smear campaign of the ugliest sort is now coursing through the contest for the presidency in 2000. Using the code word “temper,” a group of Senate Republicans, and at least some outriders of the George W. Bush campaign, are spreading the word that John McCain is unstable. The subtext, also suggested in this whispering campaign, is that he returned from 5 1/2 years as a POW in North Vietnam with a loose screw. And it is bruited about that he shouldn’t be entrusted with nuclear weapons.” [Drew op-ed, Washington Post, 11/19/99]

Bush Supporters Questioned McCain’s Sanity. “Some of George W. Bush’s supporters have questioned Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s fitness for the White House, suggesting that his five years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam drove him insane at the time.” [Lansing State Journal, 11/23/99]

Bush Supporters Spread Racist Rumors About McCain’s Daughter. Bush supporters in South Carolina made race-baiting phone calls saying that McCain had a “black child.” The McCains’ daughter, Bridget, was adopted from Mother Teresa’s orphanage in Bangladesh. In August 2000, columnist Maureen Dowd wrote that the McCain’s “are still seething about Bush supporters in South Carolina spreading word of their dark-skinned adopted daughter.” [Time, 3/6/00; Boston Globe, 3/4/00; Dowd column, New York Times, 8/9/00]

Rove Suggests Former POW McCain Committed Treason and Fathered Child With Black Prostitute. In 2000, McCain operatives in SC accused Rove of spreading rumors against McCain, such as “suggestions that McCain had committed treason while a prisoner of war, and had fathered a child by a black prostitute,” according to the New Yorker. [New Yorker, 5/12/03]

• But, After Rove Denied Role In McCain Whisper Campaign, Reporters Concluded He Was Behind It. A December 1999 Dallas Morning News linked Rove to a series of campaign dirty tricks, including his College Republican efforts, allegedly starting a whisper campaign about Ann Richard being too gay-friendly, spreading stories about Jim Hightower’s involvement in a kickback scheme and leaking the educational history of Lena Guerrero. The article also outlined current dirty tricks and whisper campaigns against McCain in South Carolina, including that “McCain may be unstable as a result of being tortured while a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.” (DMN, 12/2/99) After the article was published, Rove blasted Slater in the Manchester, NH airport, “nose to nose” according to one witness, with Rove claiming Slater had “harmed his reputation,” Slater later noted. But according to one witness, “What was interesting then is that everyone on the campaign charter concluded that Rove was responsible for rumors about McCain.” [The Nation, 3/5/01]
• And, Rove Was In Close Touch With McConnell, McCain-Feingold’s Chief Opponent. Senior White House adviser Karl Rove was in close contact with Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during McConnell’s effort to fight the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Bill in the U.S. Senate. According to Newsweek, though Rove and Bush have publicly kept their distance from McConnell on the issue, “sources tell Newsweek that Rove is, in fact, in close touch with McConnell as GOP experts study the bill for hidden land mines.” [Newsweek, 2/25/02]

Bush Campaign Accused of Using Push Polls Against McCain. College of Charleston student Suzette Latsko said she received a telephone call from a woman who identified herself as an employee of Voter/Consumer Research, and that the caller misrepresented McCain’s positions and asked if Latsko knew McCain had been reprimanded for interfering with federal regulators in the savings and loan scandal. Voter/Consumer Research is listed as a polling contractor on Bush’s Federal Election Commission filings; the Bush campaign has paid Voter/Consumer Research $93,000 through December 31, 1999. Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer denied the call was a push poll, but said it was important that the Republican Party remember McCain’s role in the S&L crisis. [Houston Chronicle, 2/8/00]

• But, Bush Campaign Acknowledged Making Phone Calls. Tucker Eskew, Bush’s South Carolina spokesman, acknowledged the Bush campaign made such calls, but claimed they were not “push polls.” Eskew added, “Show me a baseless comment in those questions.” [Post and Courier, 2/8/00]

Bush Used Fringe Veterans Group to Attack McCain as “Manchurian Candidate.” “In the case of Ted Sampley, the same guy who did Bush’s dirty work in going after Sen. John McCain in the 2000 Republican primaries is doing the job against Kerry this year. Sampley dared compare McCain, who spent five years as a Vietnam POW, with ‘the Manchurian Candidate.’” [Dionne op-ed, Washington Post, 4/27/04]

• And, Sampley Called McCain a “Coward” and a Traitor. “Sampley… accused McCain of being a weak-minded coward who had escaped death by collaborating with the enemy. Sampley claimed that McCain had first been compromised by the Vietnamese, then recruited by the Soviets.” [Salon.com]

Bush Accuses McCain Of Flip-Flopping

“Conservative South Carolina will be critical, and the Bush campaign is expected to work overtime to convince voters that McCain is a closet liberal who flip-flops on abortion. ‘‘Bush is going to go hard negative in South Carolina,’ says McCain campaign coordinator John Weaver. ‘They’ll throw everything they have at us.’’” [Business Week, 2/14/00, emphasis added]

“The underlying theme of every Bush campaign is that he is a man of honor, while his opponent is a liar or a hypocrite. Of course, Bush doesn’t use those exact words. But make no mistake, that’s what he meant when in the 2000 Republican primary he described Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) as a politician who ‘says one thing and does another’” [Washington Post, 4/1/04]

• George W. Bush: “In the GOP primaries this year, Bush suggested Arizona Sen. John McCain was a hypocrite without ever using that word, with his repeated assertion that McCain ‘says one thing and does another.’ When rival Steve Forbes accused Bush of pursuing a tax increase in his first term as governor, Bush displayed the flip side of his campaign personality, expressing astonishment that an opponent would break Ronald Reagan’s ‘11th Commandment’ not to attack another Republican.” [Washington Post, 7/9/00]
• George W. Bush: “The day Bush showed up to campaign for the South Carolina primary, after a week of wound-licking and strategizing back in Austin, he brought with him a new anti-McCain slogan -- one that he and every campaign subordinate and surrogate would repeat in every interview: ‘John McCain says one thing and does another.’” [Washington Post, 3/12/04]
• George W. Bush: “Bush, for his part, continued waving a McCain campaign flyer he said was an attack that violated McCain’s positive campaign pledge, arguing McCain was riding his ‘‘high horse’’ down a ‘‘low road.’’ ‘‘I’m saying this is a man who says one thing and does another,’’ the Texas governor said, drawing a frosty retort from McCain. [Associated Press, 2/18/00]

Bush Calls McCain A Washington Insider During Republican Presidential Primary

• George W. Bush: “He made a good job of making himself look like an outsider. I need to make clear that he’s the Washington insider.” [George W. Bush, Boston Globe, 2/3/00]
• George W. Bush: “He’s the Washington, D.C., person.” [Time, 2/14/00]

During Bitter Primary, Bush Ads Attacked McCain On Multiple Fronts

Bush Ad Accused McCain of Opposing Breast Cancer Research. In 2000, the Bush campaign sponsored the following 30 second radio ad in New York just before the Republican primary: “[Geri Barish]: Hi. My name is Geri Barish, and I’m a breast cancer survivor. For the last 20 years, I have worked hard to find a cure for breast cancer and to make sure those of us with this deadly disease are treated with dignity and respect. Like many, I had thought of supporting John McCain in next week’s presidential primary. So I looked into his record. What I discovered was shocking. John McCain opposes many projects dedicated to women’s health issues. It’s true. McCain opposes funding for vital breast cancer programs right here in New York. He opposes funding for the North Shore Long Island Jewish breast cancer program and wants to cut funding for NYU’s program in women’s cancer. McCain is even against funding for breast cancer mapping. That’s right, John McCain even opposes funding for breast cancer mapping, essential to breast cancer research. John McCain calls these projects, just “garden-variety pork.” That’s shocking. America deserves better. Next Tuesday, John McCain won’t have my vote. We deserve a candidate with a record on women’s issues we can trust.” [Gov. Bush]: Paid for by Bush for President.” [George W. Bush Ad, http://www.gwu.edu/~action/ads2/bushadlist.html]

• But, McCain’s Sister Was Is a Breast Cancer Survivor. According to Mary McGrory of the Washington Post, Bush’s personal belief that John McCain, whose sister is a breast cancer survivor, is in favor of breast cancer research, did not deter his campaign from running an ad that wrongly asserted (on the basis of one negative vote on an omnibus bill) that McCain is opposed to funding for such research. [Washington Post, 3/19/00]

Bush Ad Called McCain Hypocritical on Campaign Finance. In 2000, Bush campaign television advertisement said: “John McCain promised a clean campaign, then attacked Governor Bush with misleading ads. McCain says he’s the only candidate who can beat Gore on campaign finance. But news investigations reveal McCain solicits money from lobbyists with interests before his committee and pressures agencies on behalf of contributors. He attacks special interests. But, the Wall Street Journal reports: ‘McCain’s campaign is crawling with lobbyists.’ His conservative hometown paper warns: ‘Its time the rest of the nation learns about the McCain we know.’” [George W. Bush Ad, “Promised”]

Bush Ad Slammed McCain on False Charges. In 2000, the Bush campaign ran the following 30 second television ad: “Announcer: It’s disappointing. Friday, John McCain promised to stop running a negative campaign. Then Sunday, he attacked Governor Bush on national television with false charges on campaign finance. Governor Bush supports comprehensive reform that would outlaw foreign, corporate, and union money to political parties. Senator McCain? Five times he voted to use your taxes to pay for political campaigns. That’s not real reform. Governor Bush will devote the surplus to priorities: a strong military, education, social security and tax cuts.” [George W. Bush Ad, “Comprehensive”]

Bush Team Planned Negative Strategy for South Carolina. Bush: “Y’all Have Done This Before. Let’s Do It Again.” After losing the New Hampshire primary to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Bush and his advisors convened a strategy meeting to plan the South Carolina campaign and settled on a negative theme. According to a Newsweek account of the meeting, “Bush went for a jog and, still dressed in running shorts, stuck his head into the meeting. ‘We getting everything straightened out?’ he asked with a grin. ‘Y’all have done this before. Let’s do it again.” The room filled with knowing laughs. Bush knew the drill: in 1988, after his father had lost in Iowa and barely survived in New Hampshire, his campaign had been rescued by going negative and driving hard right in South Carolina.” [Newsweek, 11/20/00, emphasis added]

Bush Advisor Outlined Groups Needed to Coordinate Negative Campaign. At the meeting, Bush advisor Warren “Tompkins stood up in the motel room and ticked off the groups they needed to win: the Christian Coalition, the right-to-lifers, the evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention. ‘We aren’t going to pussyfoot around,’ said Tompkins in his whispery voice. ‘We play it different down here. We’re not dainty, if you get my drift. We’re used to playing rough.’ McCain was coming up in the polls. ‘We’ve got to take this guy out,’ said Tompkins.” [Newsweek, 11/20/00, emphasis added]

Bush Caught Bragging About Negative Attacks Against McCain. During a campaign event in South Carolina, Bush was caught on overhead boom microphones discussing negative attacks on McCain with GOP State Senator Mike Fairs. Fair said Bush “hasn’t even hit [McCain’s] soft spots.” Bush replied, “I’m going to… But I’m not going to do it on TV.” [Associated Press, 2/12/03]

• But, Bush Denied Negative Campaign Attacks; Promised To Find Real Push Pollsters. Asked specifically about the exchange with Fairs on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Bush denied the negative attacks. “[L]et me talk about this negative phoning. It’s just ridiculous. It is unbelievable. This whole kind of thing, you know, Bush is ‘push polling’ and we’re not. We’re the one campaign, Tim, that has said, ‘You’re welcome to look at any phone script that we pay for.’” Bush also said of negative push polling telephone calls, “I don’t accept that. I don’t know who is doing it, and we’re going to find out.” [NBC, “Meet the Press,” 2/13/00, emphasis added]

Bush Snubs McCain At Bill Signing

Bush Refused to Invite McCain To Bill Signing For McCain’s Own Campaign Finance Reform Law. “Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who built his 2000 presidential challenge against Bush around the issue of campaign finance reform, was not asked to join the president for the signing--as is customary. Relations between the two men have frequently been strained, associates say, and the bill signing provided another example.” [Chicago Tribune, 3/28/02]

Rudy Giuliani

Giuliani: A Masquerading Republican

Giuliani: Registered Democrat For Much Of His Life. [USA Today, 12/20/99]

But, Giuliani's morals seem to have been flushed down the toilet, like one of Arnold's swirlies, with his Democratic Party credentials. Isn't it amazing how switching to the Republican Party rots one's moral fiber?

Trying To Play The Role Of A Republican? The Associated Press reported that Giuliani’s liberal ideologies and record would tarnish his chances of seeking national office, touting him as a victim of an identity crisis. “The mayor’s [Giuliani’s] New York identity problem would be compounded by his rainbow political stripes. A Kennedy Democrat-turned-Republican, Giuliani leans to liberal on immigration, abortion, gay rights and gun control.” [AP, 5/9/98]

Giuliani: Don’t Vote For Pataki. A New York Times article Giuliani’s endorsement of incumbent Democrat Governor Cuomo over Pataki was painful enough to the Republicans, but it wasn’t enough for Giuliani as he denounced his own party’s ethics. “Giuliani loudly predicted that ethics "would be trashed" if Pataki won.” [New York Times, 8/1/99]

Mayor’s Closest Adviser Is Liberal Party Boss. The New York Times reported that Giuliani’s closest political adviser, Raymond Harding was best known for his role as leader of the Liberal Party. [New York Times, 2/23/97]

GOP Consultant: Giuliani Is A Democrat. "To become and remain a Republican mayor of America's most Democratic city, Rudy Giuliani in any other place would be called a conservative Democrat," GOP political commentator Jay Severin says. [USA Today, 12/20/99]

Giuliani Proudly Agrees With Clinton. The Mayor was quick to jump to Hillary Clinton’s side of the aisle on social and economic issues. “Which likely candidate for next year's Senate race favors a hike in the minimum wage, supports gay rights, opposes clemency for Puerto Rican terrorists and wants to march in the St. Patrick's Day parade? Answer: Both Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani.” USA Today continues by reporting of the Mayor’s opposing stance to Bush’s ban of late term abortion. During the same time period Giuliani broke with the ranks again by agreeing with the Clintons’ on the importance of not merely cutting the welfare rolls. [USA Today, 12/20/99; AP, 2/7/00]

Giuliani’s Politics Are Anti-Bush

Giuliani Looks To Change Republican Party. Shortly after Giuliani’s 1993 election, Tim Russert asked Giuliani, “Will you press your party to change its platform to allow abortion rights and gay rights?” Giuliani’s response, “Sure. I have already. I’d like to see the Republican party have a broad base, reach out to everyone on the basis of equal rights.” [Meet the Press, 11/28/93]

Giuliani: The Same Pro-Choice, Pro-Gay Rights Liberal Bush’s Camp Condemns

Rudy Giuliani is pro-choice, pro-gay rights and against a ban on partial-birth abortions. When asked to respond to social issues on CNN’s Inside Politics, Giuliani replied, “I’m pro-choice. I’m pro-gay rights.” He was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions. “No, I have not supported that, and I don’t see my position on that changing,’ he responded.” [CNN, 12/2/99]

Giuliani Supports Gun Control, Abortion Rights, And Gay Rights. As Mayor, Giuliani frequently voiced support for the progressive causes of gun control, abortion rights, and gay rights. According to conservative Paul Weyrich, Giuliani’s pro-abortion and pro-gay rights positions, “were two things, which the conservative movement really couldn’t swallow.” [New York Times, 2/04/00, 9/05/02]

Giuliani is a strong advocate of same-sex marriage. The mayor's [Giuliani] progressive record on gay civil rights notwithstanding, he has not endorsed same-sex marriage. But, says Mr. Koeppel, "He did tell us that if they ever legalized gay marriages, we would be the first one he would do." [New York Times, 8/04/01]

Giuliani stayed with a gay couple when he had marriage woes…for the second time. “In just over a year, Mr. Bush will come to New York to appear arm-in-arm with Rudy Giuliani, who famously bunked for months with a male couple of 10 years' standing during the raucous breakup of his own second (of three) marriages.” [New York Times, 8/10/03]

Giuliani Agrees With Kerry on Woman’s Right To Choose. Like John Kerry, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and Gov. George E. Pataki support abortion rights. [New York Times, 6/17/04]

Republicans Skeptical of Giuliani’s Views. "He [Giuliani] had a couple of obstacles -- his pro-abortion positions and being for gay rights," Mr. Weyrich continued. "Those were two things which the conservative movement really couldn't swallow. Now all of a sudden I'm hearing, 'Well, if he'll be fair to us, perhaps we could swallow it.' I'm very surprised." [New York Times, 9/05/02]

Giuliani Criticizes Bush on Taxes. “Although Mr. Giuliani is running as pro-gun control, pro-abortion rights Republican who likes tax cuts, he did shy away yesterday from the large tax cut proposal of his political benefactor, George W. Bush, which has been criticized as too large and favorable toward the rich.” [New York Times, 2/04/00]

Soaring Gas Costs Anger Giuliani. While Bush is a hawk over oil reserves, Giuliani is in favor of alleviating the burden high gas costs place on citizens. In a speech on oil consumption and rising energy prices, Rudy Giuliani said, “One of the purposes of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is to protect Americans from market manipulations and artificial shortages created by OPEC. The current crisis in the Northeast presents a compelling justification for the release of a portion of the reserves.” [Giuliani Speech, 2/15/00, New York Times, 2/17/00]

Giuliani Vs. Bush: In Their Own Words

Patients’ Bill of Rights:

Giuliani: Giuliani strongly supports Patients’ Bill of Rights and right to sue… “No question about it. I think there should be the ability of a patient to recover if they are hurt, if they are harmed. I think we also have to have tort reform, so that the recovery actually goes to patients who are truly harmed and truly hurt and isn't abused.” [CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, 2/6/00]

Bush: Governor Bush vetoes patient’s right to sue... "Despite his campaign rhetoric in favor of a patients' bill of rights, Bush fought such a bill tooth and nail as Texas governor, vetoing a bill coauthored by Republican state Rep. John Smithee in 1995. He... constantly opposed a patient's right to sue an HMO over coverage denied that resulted in adverse health effects." [Salon, 2/7/01]

Campaign Finance Reform:

Giuliani: Voluntarily voices his adamant support of McCain-Feingold and boasted of his push to provide an alternative to Bush in the primaries by advocating for McCain’s inclusion on the ballot. [CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, 2/6/00]

Bush: Strongly opposed the bill during the campaign, then for purely political reasons was forced into signing it. "George W. Bush opposes McCain-Feingold...as an infringement on free expression." [Washington Post, 3/28/00]

Increased Minimum Wage:

Giuliani: “I favor increasing the minimum wage.” [CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, 2/6/00]

Bush: “The bill to increase the minimum wage will be detrimental.” [PR Newswire, 10/8/00]

Gun Control:

Giuliani: In an interview with Wolf Blitzer, Giuliani is adamant about his support of licenses for handguns. [CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, 2/6/00]

Bush: The Los Angles Times reported of many people’s dismay that Bush does not favor licenses for handguns. [Los Angeles Times, 5/15/01]

Partial-Birth Abortions:

Giuliani: When Blitzer asked Giuliani “If you were in the Senate and he [President Clinton] vetoed the so-called partial-birth abortion procedure…you would support the president on that.” Giuliani replied: “Yes. I said I then that I support him, so I have no reason to change my mind about it.” [CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, 2/6/00]

Bush: In the 2000 election Bush made known his support of banning partial-birth abortions and signed it into law on November 11, 2003.

Crime Bill:

Giuliani: “Giuliani helped lobby for President Clinton's Omnibus Crime Bill in 1994 aimed at putting an extra 100,000 police officers on the streets. The mayor's support for the president had been criticized at the time by some Republican leaders.” “Giuliani: “I’m one of the people that helped get the crime bill passed by arguing in favor it and because I felt it was helpful to my and state.” [AP, 2/10/00; CNN Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, 2/6/00]

Bush: “The administration wants to end new spending for the COPS program, a Clinton-era initiative that has provided $7 billion in grants to local police department for deploying 117,000 police officers since 1994.” [The Baltimore Sun, 2/4/03]

Laura Bush

She Killed Her Boyfriend!

And, some think it was murder! That's all you need to know. But, if you insist, here's some more!

Rod Paige

Master Of Hyperbole?

Rod Paige, the only African American to appear in prime time of the GOP Convention, was appointed by Bush to be Secretary of Education because of his perceived success as Superintendent of the Houston Independent School System (HISD). In fact, President Bush’s signature education reform, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is based upon Paige’s Houston model. Paige’s real record, however, has been tarnished by audits showing rampant abuses under his leadership in Houston. Under Paige, principals and administrators pushed students with low test scores to drop out of school and then doctored statistics to receive performance bonuses for high test scores. As Superintendent, Paige received tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses largely based on these rising scores.

Paige Known For Flippant Remarks

• “The NEA is a terrorist organization.’” [2/23/04]
• “The chorus of the 'unfunded mandate’ has now been exposed for exactly what it is--a red herring--trying to take focus off the true subject at hand…” [5/25/04]
• “The NEA wants to assemble a coalition of the whining to hold kids back.” [7/24/03]
• “Whiners” (on critics of NCLB) [6/3/04]
• “The fact that they [unions] are on the wrong side of history is what concerns me.” [1/8/04]
• “A deliberate and highly financed effort to distort information [about NCLB]” [2/19/04]

Paige Described Teachers Unions as “Terrorists.”

“Education Secretary Rod Paige called the nation's largest teachers union a 'terrorist organization' during a private White House meeting with governors. Democratic and Republican governors confirmed the Education's Secretary's remarks about the National Education Association. 'These were the words, 'The NEA is a terrorist organization,' said Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin.” In response to the subsequent uproar over his remarks, Paige later rescinded his comments stating that he made a “very poor word choice’ to describe the leadership of the nation's largest teachers union.” [Associated Press, 2/23/04; Washington Post, 2/27/04]

• NEA President Calls for Paige’s Resignation. After referring to the NEA as a “terrorist organization” in a closed-doors meeting, NEA President Reg Weaver called upon President Bush to fire Paige. Weaver accused Paige of using “obstructionist scare tactics.” [Plain Dealer, 2/26/04]

Paige Called Federal Education Funding Issues a “Red Herring.” “The chorus of the 'unfunded mandate' has now been exposed for exactly what it is--a red herring--trying to take focus off the true subject at hand: changing the way we do things so that every child in America is provided a quality education, regardless of her or his skin color, spoken accent or street address.” [Secretary Rod Paige, 5/25/04, Education Department Press Release, ed.gov]

Paige Called NEA “Coalition of the Whining to Hold Kids Back.” “We've assembled a coalition of the willing to help the kids who need it most; the NEA wants to assemble a coalition of the whining to hold kids back," [Paige] said. [UPI, 7/24/03]

Paige Labeled Critics of No Child Left Behind Funding “Whiners.” U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige staunchly defended the No Child Left Behind Act against complaints of too little funding and flexibility, labeling the critics “whiners.”[Associated Press, 6/3/04]

Paige Compared Critics of No Child Left Behind to Segregationists, Driven by “Ideology” and on “Wrong Side of History.” “Asked how critics' opposition to the law warrants them being likened to racial segregationists, Mr. Paige said, ‘Whether their motive comes from some compliance to political ideology that might be elevated above the interests of children, or whether it is just a misunderstanding of the law or the intent, I'm not at all certain. The fact that they are on the wrong side of history is what concerns me.’” [Washington Times, 1/8/04]

Paige Accuses Unions of “Deliberate” “Highly Financed” Campaign to “Distort” NCLB. “In an interview Friday, Education Secretary Roderick R. Paige said many of the protests against the No Child Left Behind law. . . is coming from a Washington-based ‘union establishment’ that has mounted ‘a deliberate and highly financed effort to distort information’ about the law. [Washington Post, 2/19/04]

Paige’s Tarnished Record: Enron Accounting In Houston

Audit Found Fraud in Houston Schools’ Reporting of Student Attendance and Achievement Under Paige. A Texas Education Agency probe into 12 Houston Independent School District high schools and 4 other district schools found that thousands of students were not counted as dropouts when they should have been. The misreporting of dropout data artificially inflated the schools’ retention rates, and allowed staff and administrators to qualify for performance-based bonuses. [New York Times, 7/11/03]

• But, Paige’s HISD Won a Major Education Award Based in Part on the Fraudulent Data. Houston ISD won the Broad Prize and was named “America’s Top Performing School District” in 2002 based in part on the fraudulent data uncovered during the state audit. The Broad Foundation, a Los Angeles based private organization whose mission is “to dramatically improve K-12 urban public education through better governance, management and labor relations,” awarded a one million dollar prize to the Houston school district for being the “Best Urban District in the Country.” [New York Times, 7/11/03; Press Release, Broad Foundation, 10/29/02, www.broadfoundation.org]
• And, Houston Employees Earned Bonuses Because of Forged Data. Texas schools are ranked based on test scores, attendance rates and dropout rates, and school administrators and staff can earn bonuses for high performing schools. The entire staff at Sharpstown, the Houston school whose dropout rates sparked the initial controversy and investigation, earned cash bonuses for the 2000-2001 school year. This is the same year for which the fraudulent numbers were uncovered. [New York Times, 7/11/03; Houston Chronicle, 8/28/99; 2/19/99; 2/8/98; 3/21/97]

Paige Received Cabinent Post Based On Houston Record

Education Secretary Rod Paige Was Nominated for his Record as HISD Chief. Rod Paige served as the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, the top Houston school official, from 1994 through 2001, when he joined the Bush administration as the Secretary of Education. The New York Times reported that Paige was nominated for the cabinet position “largely on the strength of his success here [with the Houston schools.]” [New York Times, 7-11-03]

Bush Praised Paige Because He Doesn’t “Shuffle Children Through Our System” or “Give Up on Any Child.” When Bush nominated Rod Paige for Secretary of Education in December of 2000, Bush said, Paige “understands that we have the need to make sure we don't shuffle children through our system, we don't give up on any child, regardless of their background.” Bush also said that Paige had “a record of results,” and “set the highest of high standards,” while not accepting “any excuse for failure.” Bush called Paige “an educator who [has] proven that urban schools can be excellent schools.” [New York Times, 12/30/00]

Bush: “Houston is…Proud of its Schools” Because of Paige. Also at Paige’s swearing in ceremony, Bush exclaimed, “Houston is now a city proud of its schools, and a city more hopeful for its children,” because of Paige’s tenure as HISD chief. [George W. Bush, Remarks by the President at Swearing-In Ceremony for Dr. Roderick Paige as Secretary of Education, 1/24/01, www.whitehouse.gov]

Bush Said the US Needs to Bring Paige’s Results “To All our Schools and… Districts In Every State.” Bush noted at Paige’s swearing in as Secretary of Education, “Dr. Paige answered those challenges [facing Houston schools] with the spirit we must now bring to all our schools and all our districts in every state.” Bush said that Paige did “not tolerate indifference or mediocrity. He demanded the highest standards of students in schools, and people rose to the challenge. He proved that poverty does not need to be a barrier to achievement. He stressed reading as the key to all learning, and he measured progress, holding schools accountable for results.” [George W. Bush, Remarks by the President at Swearing-In Ceremony for Dr. Roderick Paige as Secretary of Education, 1/24/01, www.whitehouse.gov]

Bush: Paige “Knows How to Get the Job Done.” At Paige’s swearing in as Secretary of Education, Bush noted, “I picked a really good man to run this department, a man of integrity, a man of common sense, a down-to-earth man who knows how to get the job done.” [George W. Bush, Remarks by the President at Swearing-In Ceremony for Dr. Roderick Paige as Secretary of Education, 1/24/01, www.whitehouse.gov]

A Few Facts That Must Make Bush Proud

• Paige Earned $275,000 a year to Oversee Houston Schools. Paige earned a base salary of $275,000 during his last year at the Houston school district. His contract also included provisions for an annual bonus of up to $25,000 based on district performance. Paige’s base salary increased by 42 percent during his final year in Houston. [Houston Chronicle, 2/19/99, Dallas Morning News, 11/2/00]
• Paige’s Salary Increased by $128,000 During HISD Tenure. Paige’s salary increased during his time as superintendent of the Houston Independent School District from $147,000 in 1995 to $275,000 during his final year, an 87 percent increase in under 7 years. [Houston Chronicle, 2/17/95, Dallas Morning News, 11/2/00]
• Paige Earned Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Bonuses, Possibly Based on Fraudulent Numbers. Rod Paige, during his time as HISD superintendent, earned several bonuses of $20,000 to $25,000, in addition to his base salary, for school performance. The school performance bonuses were based on such factors as standardized test scores, school attendance and dropout rates. [Houston Chronicle, 5/3/03]
• Paige Admitted Potential for Abuse in Accountability System. In response to a question from The Hill newspaper as to whether people were “gaming” the Texas system-based accountability program in the No Child Left Behind Act, Paige replied, “Any time you got as many human beings as we have in the system, there can always be that opportunity.” [The Hill, 7/16/03]
• Paige’s Former District Used “Educational Equivalent of Enron’s Accounting.” A New York Times criticized the Houston school district, calling its accountability data “literally unbelievable,” and “he educational equivalent of Enron's accounting results.” [New York Times, 7/21/03]
• Paige Called His Houston Tenure “Effective.” “…Dr. Paige declined to address questions about Houston, saying he was no longer responsible for Houston schools and could not answer for them. But in a lengthy interview recently, Dr. Paige defended his record in Houston and as secretary of education, saying he was part of ‘a very effective team that has good things to get done.’” [New York Times, 1/28/04]

Paige: The Houston Schools Controversy

Controversy Was Sparked When a Local TV Station Found One School Forging Numbers. KHOU, a Houston TV station, reported in February 2003 that a Houston district high school was forging dropout numbers. The station discovered that of 463 students that left school in the ’01-’02 school year, out of a student body of 1700 students, not a single one had been reported as a “dropout” in state statistics. The station also discovered that 30 students who had dropped out of school as of February had their status changed from ‘dropout’ to ‘transfer.’ [KHOU, Is HISD doctoring its dropout rate?, 2/10/03, www.khou.com]

Under Paige, 3,000 New Dropouts Were Never Reported. The state audit found that more than half of the 5,500 students that stopped attending school during the 2000-2001 school year were not counted as dropouts, even though they should have been. The Houston schools reported a 1.5 percent dropout rate that year. 3,000 of the cases did not contain sufficient evidence to prove that students were continuing their educations elsewhere, according to the audit. [New York Times, 7/11/03]

HISD Record Keeping Under Paige Termed “Enron Accounting.” A former HISD employee, Joseph Rodriguez, said of the fraud, “It was Enron accounting. Who are our dropouts? We haven't identified them.” [New York Times, 7/11/03]

14 of the 16 Schools Had Their Rankings Drop From Best to Worst. The state audit of 16 middle and high schools recommended that their official rankings be dropped from best to worst, dealing what the New York Times describes as a “stunning blow to the Houston school system.” The ranking change would be a drop of four places for the 14 schools, from a ranking of “exemplary” to a ranking of “low performing.” [New York Times, 7/11/03; Washington Post, 4/21/00]

Paige and Officials Fabricated the Intent of Students to go to Alternative Schools in Order to Keep Them off Dropout Rolls. According to Texas rules, if a student leaves to attend an alternative school or high school equivalency program, they are not considered dropouts. One former HISD teacher anonymously told KHOU that school counselors would coerce students into saying they were transferring schools. The students were brought a form that “they'd have to sign off at the bottom. And they were persuaded to sign off saying they were transferring to another district,” the teacher stated. [KHOU, Is HISD doctoring its dropout rate?, 2/10/03, www.khou.com]

Audit Also Found That Officials Were Often Only Source of Where a Student Went. The audit found that many students had been classified as attending the alternative programs based only the word of a school official. One auditor noted, “If it was permissible for school officials to declare intent for a student, they could state anything they please and we would be obliged to accept their word as verification. A school official may witness, record or `document' the expressed intent of the parent, guardian, adult student, but they cannot supplant that choice.” [New York Times, 7/11/03]

State Recommended That Paige’s District’s Rating Be Lowered. The Texas Education Agency recommended that HISD’s rating be lowered from “acceptable” to “unacceptable” because of the discoveries made during the audit. Some Students Were Pushed to Drop Out to Raise Schools’ Test Scores. The New York Times reported, “In a third of Houston's 30 high schools, scores on the standardized exams have risen as enrollment has shrunk.” Some school and oversight officials have stated that the schools may be pushing students to drop out as a way to boost the schools’ scores on statewide tests. [New York Times, 7/11/03]

Houston Asst. Principal asserted that Schools Bounce Poor Students. The New York Times reported, “[HISD Assistant Principal] Dr. [Robert] Kimball…said that many schools had assistant principals who act as ‘bouncers,’ pushing students who show up late to school or are frequently absent to quit.” Kimball also stated that some Houston schools hold back 9th graders who perform poorly on the math section of state pre-tests, “an artificial ‘9th grade bulge’ in student enrollment. [New York Times, 7/11/03]

Former Dropout Prevention Administrator: HISD is “Driving Kids Out That Will Skew the Test Scores.” Rick Noriega, who ran a dropout prevention program and is now a state representative, requested the state audit. He stated, “My whole concern about this is that we are in denial about the severity of the problem. You're driving kids out that will skew your test scores.” [New York Times, 7/11/03] PAIGE OPPOSSES AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Paige Called Affirmative Action “Flawed.” Rod Paige called the practice of affirmative action “fundamentally flawed.” [AP, 3/24/03]

Paige Opposes Powell on Affirmative Action. “Only Secretary of State Colin Powell has voiced unequivocal support for affirmative action. Secretary of Education Rod Paige has expressed strong opposition to affirmative action…” [Capitol Outlook, 2/12/04]

• But, Colin Powell on Affirmative Action. “I wish it was possible for everything to be race-neutral in this country, but I'm afraid we're not yet at that point where things are race-neutral. I believe race should be a factor among many other factors in determining the makeup of a student body of a university.” [cnn.com, 1/20/03]

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Schwarzenegger’s Un-Republican Views

Schwarzenegger’s Presence: Calculated Not Complimentary. “The Republicans seem to know well the need to stay in the centre. Their list of prospective speakers includes certified moderates such as the California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose pro-choice and socially liberal views make him anathema to the far Right.” [The Times, 7/27/04]

But, it is rather amazing that the Republicans in Democratic clothing seem to be moral neanderthals.

Schwarzenegger Enemy to Right-Wing Republicans. Daniel Weintraub on Republicans gravitating to Schwarzenegger: “Certainly Arnold is going to be closed off to a certain segment of the Republican Party. He's pro-choice on abortion, he's completely comfortable with the gay culture and some gay rights issues. He's dabbled with supporting gun control. Those things make him essentially a public enemy number one or two to the right wing of the Republican Party" ["BeltwayBoys," 8/9/03]

Simon Says Schwarzenegger Worse Than Davis. 2002 gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon’s radio ads explicitly called Republicans that Schwarzenegger a liberal. "Arnold Schwarzenegger's team wants to triple our property taxes...Which just goes to show you, don't send a liberal to do a tax-fighter's job." [AP, 8/18/03]

Schwarzenegger Divided Republicans. During the 2003 recall of Governor Gray Davis, many conservatives were wary of Schwarzenegger. According to the Pittsburg-Post Gazette, “Many Republicans have gravitated toward [state Sen. Tom] McClintock, finding themselves uncomfortable with Schwarzenegger's liberal stances on abortion, gun control and gay rights, and the movie action hero's lack of specifics about how he would tackle the state's fiscal mess.” [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 9/6/03]

Schwarzenegger Terminally Liberal

Schwarzenegger For Choice. “I disagree with George Bush about that,” he said. “I’m for choice. The women should have the choice. The women should decide what they want to do with their bodies. I’m all for that.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/12/03]

Schwarzenegger Supports Gay Rights. Schwarzenegger has been outspoken against Republicans on the issue of gay rights: “I have no sexual standards in my head that say ‘this is good’ or ‘this is bad…Homosexual—that only means to me that he enjoys sex with a man and I enjoy sex with a woman. It’s all legitimate to me.’” [Los Angeles Times, 8/12/03]

Schwarzenegger Is Against School-Vouchers. In questioning the choice of Schwarzenegger as the Republican’s golden boy, the National Review, posited: Was it because of his “pro-choice stance, or also because he repudiated school vouchers?” [National Review, 8/9/04]

Schwarzenegger For After School Programs. Bush Said “Cut;” Arnold Said “Add”. Not holding back in promoting how he differs from President Bush, Schwarzenegger’s campaign website boasted of his efforts to increase funding for after-school programs. “Arnold authored and backed an after-school initiative, which was recently passed in the 2002 California election…the initiative's sponsor, author and Chairman, Arnold designed the program to make state grants available to every public middle school in California to create quality after school programs.” [Ed., Wall Street Journal, 8/8/03; joinarnold.com]

But, Bush’s After-School Program Cuts Would Deprive 1.3 Million Children Of After School Programs. Bush also would freeze funding on after-school programs, forcing a cut in students served. Delivering only half of the funding he had promised, Bush will deprive 1.3 million children of after school programs. [Campaign for America’s Future, 2/04; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. “Fact Sheet: Irresponsible Bush Budget Reflects Distorted GOP Priorities,” 2/2/04]

Schwarzenegger For Gun Control. While Bush is about to let the assault-weapons ban lapse, Schwarzenegger, famous for touting guns on screen, condemned them, implying that Bush is pro-war. “I don't run around every day with a gun in my hand…I'm for gun control. I'm a peace-loving guy.”" [San Francisco Chronicle, 8/14/03]

Schwarzenegger For Legalization Of Marijuana. In breaking from conservatives yet again, the Associated Press reported that Schwarzenegger favors legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. On the television show Hannity and Colmes, Schwarzenegger said, “I would not -- as long as it is done for medical use, I would not, you know, think of them as criminal.” [AP, 9/1/03; Fox News, Hannity & Colmes, 8/27/03]

Schwarzenegger Supports Stem Cell Research. For fear of alienating a key part of constituency Schwarzenegger has yet to take a stance on the hot button issue of stem cell research, known in California as Proposition 71. Yet he took a small step to an unofficial stance on Good Morning America earlier this summer: “Well, I support stem cell research,” Schwarzenegger said. “And I think it is very, very important that the whole nation pulls together - on the federal level and the state level.” [AP, 8/4/04]

Schwarzenegger an Enemy of the Religious Right. In backing McClintock key members of the Religious Right criticized Schwarzenegger for being, as the Americans United for Separation of Church and State wrote in an article, "Little more than a Republican version of former President Bill Clinton." Randall Terry a figure for the Religious Right said many in the group were supporting Schwarzenegger even though they, "Know he believes in killing babies; that he will trash the Second Amendment; he supports 'homosexual marriage' under the euphemism of 'domestic partnerships.' In many ways, he is a Bill Clinton with an (R) after his name instead of a (D). And yet they support him, because they are not people of conviction." A California minister, Louis Sheldon, also attacked Schwarzenegger running an advertisement with, "The ultimate message is there's no difference between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis, so what's the purpose of the recall?" [Church & State, 1/1/03]

Schwarzenegger’s Past: A Stain On Republican Family Values

Schwarzenegger Gives Raunchy Interview to French Adult Magazine. In a 1977 interview with a now defunct French adult magazine, Schwarzenegger brags about sex and drugs. [New York Daily News, 8/29/03] Topics Covered Include Group Sex, Degradation of Women, “Grass and Hash,” and His Sexual Appetite. [Salon.com, 9/24/03]

Schwarzenegger Seen Smoking Grass and Promoting Alcohol in Documentary. In the documentary, “Pumping Iron,” the Governor comes, “across as a bully,” who lights up, smoking pot and promoting alcohol. “Milk [is] for babies -- when you get older you drink beer.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/30/03]

Schwarzenegger: An Immigrant Against Immigrant’s Rights

Voted To Deny Immigrant’s Rights. Though it was eventually declared unconstitutional by a California court, Schwarzenegger voted for Proposition 187 which sought to deny social services, including health care and public education, to illegal immigrants.. [AP, 8/11/03]

Schwarzenegger Appoints Proposition 187 Creator Campaign Chair. Schwarzenegger appointed the anti-immigrant former Governor Pete Wilson as his campaign chair. [ABC’s This Week, 8/10/03]

Zell Miller

Conservative Zellout

“We can’t all be born handsome, rich, and lucky. That’s why we have a Democratic Party.” -- Zell Miller [Atlanta Journal Constitution, 7/12/04]

Zell Miller will give the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention. Miller was given the nickname “ZigZag Zell” for his ideological fluctuations and for his uncanny ability to sabotage his own friends. In 1992, Miller slammed George H.W. Bush at the Democratic Convention, saying, “For 12 dark years the Republicans have dealt in cynicism and skepticism. They've mastered the art of division and diversion, and they have robbed us of our hope.” Now, a dozen zig-zagging years late, he will give the keynote address to help elect George W. Bush.

ZigZag Zell Praised Kerry On Numerous Ocassions

Miller Lauded Kerry as an Authentic American Hero. U.S. Senator Zell Miller: "My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders -- and a good friend. He was once a lieutenant governor -- but he didn't stay in that office 16 years, like someone else I know. It just took two years before the people of Massachusetts moved him into the United States Senate in 1984.” [Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001]

Miller Said Kerry Worked to Strengthen Our Military; Fought for Balanced Budgets. U.S. Senator Zell Miller: “In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington. Early in his Senate career in 1986, John signed on to the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Bill, and he fought for balanced budgets before it was considered politically correct for Democrats to do so. John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment.” [Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001]

Miller Joined Kerry To Increase Military Funding. Kerry and Miller are strong supporters of the U.S. Armed Services and have consistently worked to ensure the military has the best equipment and training possible. In 2002, John Kerry & Zell Miller voted for “the largest increase in the defense spending since the early 1980’s.” [2002, Senate Roll Call Vote # 239; Websites of U.S. Senators Warner, Daschle, Dodd accessed 7/25/03, emphasis added]

Now: ZigZag Zell Criticizes Kerry

Miller Takes Cheapshots at Kerry. In his address to the Georgia GOP Convention, Miller spent considerable time taking political jabs at John Kerry, calling him “an out-of-touch ultraliberal from Taxachusetts.” [AP, 5/15/04]

• But, Miller Uses Fuzzy Math in Kerry Cheapshot. Unlike Georgia, Massachusetts is BELOW Average in Overall Tax Burden—Ranking 36th to Georgia’s Much Higher tax ranking of 18th. [Taxpayers Foundation; The Hill, 5/20/04]

ZigZag Zell Has Knack For Turning Friends Into Enemies

Miller Prone to Turn His Back on Friends. “‘His approach has always been to suck a group in,’ says one longtime Miller watcher, ‘and then turn on them at an appropriate time, when there's the widest possible advantage to him.’” [American Prospect, 5/7/01]

Savannah Democrats Divorce Zell. In a decree which was adopted unanimously, the Chatham County (Savannah) Democratic Party divorced themselves from Zell Miller. At a July meeting of Chatham County Democratic Committee, the following “Decree of Divorce” was adopted by the members of the Committee: “DECREE OF DIVORCE Be it resolved: The Democratic Party of Chatham County, Georgia does hereby DIVORCE former Democratic Governor Zell Miller. Statements and Actions of the formerly-Democratic U.S. Senator have irretrievably broken the bonds that formerly existed between us and we view any previous ties to Miller as null and void.” [Atlanta Journal Constitution, 7/19/04; http://www.chathamdems.com]

Carter Says Zell Betrayed People Who Elected Him. “Former President Jimmy Carter says the appointment of Georgia's Zell Miller to the Senate was a mistake because his fellow ex-governor ‘betrayed all the basic principles that I thought he and I and others shared.’ the former president first said, ‘I would rather not even comment about Zell Miller on the radio,’ then proceeded to call the appointment ‘one of the worst mistakes’ then-Democratic Gov. Roy Barnes made in his four years in office.” [Atlanta Journal Constitution, 12/11/03]

Democratic Party Chairman Says Zell Betrayed Principles. According to Chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party Bobby Kahn, “Miller claims Democratic presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy wouldn't recognize the party today. In fact, all of those great Democrats would be proud that our party is still fighting for the same bedrock principles they championed… When Miller stood up at the Democratic National Convention in 1992 to support Bill Clinton for president against George Bush the First, he said: ‘We can't all be born handsome, rich and lucky. That's why we have a Democratic Party . . . I am a Democrat because we are the party of hope.’ Real Democrats haven't given up hope, and we haven't abandoned our principles.” [Atlanta Journal Constitution, 7/12/04]

ZigZag Zell: A Senate Republican?

Miller Caucuses with Republicans. Miller generally caucuses with Republicans in the Senate. He did so for the 2003 Budget Resolution, as well as the Senate confirmation hearings of Miguel Estrada. [The Hill, 7/15/04; CQ Quarterly Today, 3/18/03; Atlanta Journal Constitution, 5/2/03]

Miller Generally Votes with Republicans.

• “The quirky Democratic senator who backs President Bush and often votes with Republicans is retiring after a decades-long political career that made him a near permanent fixture on the Georgia ballot.” [AP, 7/18/04]
• “Miller, a former governor, is a Democrat, but often votes with Republicans in the Senate and is openly supportive of President Bush.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee), 7/2/04]

ZigZag Zell Voted Against Overtime For Workers And Childcare

Zell Miller Voted Against Protecting Overtime Pay For American Workers. Even as the Republican controlled Senate voted 52-to-47 on May 4, 2004 to block new Labor Department rules that critics said would deny overtime pay to millions of white-collar workers, Zell Miller was the only Democrat to vote against protecting overtime pay. [Washington Post, 5/5/04]

Zell Miller Was Only Democrat To Vote Against Child Care Spending. The Senate voted by an overwhelming 78 to 20 on March 30, 2004 to add $6 billion to proposed spending for child care over the next five years as part of legislation to extend and tighten the 1996 welfare law. Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and a majority of 31 Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in supporting the increase, which was opposed by the Bush administration. According to the Washington Post, “all Democrats except Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) voted for the proposal.” [Washington Post, 3/31/04]

ZigZag Zell Lobbied For Tobacco Industry

Miller Profited From Tobacco Industry. “Miller made about $152,000 working on behalf of the tobacco division of Philip Morris, the nation's leading cigarette manufacturer. He served as a liaison between Philip Morris and the nation's governors, said Miller spokesman Rick Dent.” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/26/00]

Party Chairman Questioned Miller's Role At Philip Morris. “Chuck Clay, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, said it sounds like Miller was a lobbyist and called for him to explain further the exact nature of his duties. ‘I think it does raise questions when you have become a lobbyist. Legitimate questions should be asked about the nature of those relationships. What were you doing for your pay?’ Clay said.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 8/26/00]

Miller Always Stood to Profit From Tobacco. “Georgia told two of the nation's leading tobacco companies yesterday that it wants in on any settlement of health claim suits filed by 25 states, even though it hasn't joined in the litigation. Letters signed by Gov. Zell Miller and Attorney General Mike Bowers were sent to the chairmen of cigarette giants Philip Morris and RJR Nabisco seeking equal treatment for the state in any settlement of the health claim cases filed by other states.” [The Daily Record, 5/2/97]

ZigZag Zell’s Questionable Record On Civil Rights

Miller In His Own Words. Zell Miller on Lyndon Johnson’s support for the Civil Rights Act: “Johnson is a southerner who has sold his birthright for a mess of dark porridge.” [Kilgore book review, Blueprint Magazine, 11/20/03]

Miller Opposed the Civil Rights Act; Supported Jim Crow Laws. Although ashamed of his position, in his failed attempt to run for Congress, Miller ran on a platform of opposing the landmark Civil Rights bill which struck down the Jim Crow laws prevalent in his state. [Worley column, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 10/31/03]

Civil Rights Groups Demanded Apology from Miller. Civil rights leaders demanded an apology from Miller after he equated Democratic opposition to a conservative African American candidate to a “lynching.” According to Wade Henderson, Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, “Either Senator Miller has conveniently forgotten a frightening period of American history, or he is willfully demeaning all those African-Americans who were hung from trees throughout the period of racial segregation in the South.” [CNN.com, 11/14/03]

Miller Was the Top Advisor to Segregationist Lester Maddox. Zig-Zag Zell Miller owes his political fortunes to former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox--whose first claim to fame was chasing off African American customers from his restaurant with an axe handle. “[A governor’s] appointees will be positioned to lead the state for a generation, the way Miller got started as executive secretary to Gov. Lester Maddox 30 years ago.” After the death of Atlanta native Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Maddox greatly overreacted with a heavy-handed police presence, and he refused to order flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-mast. As the leader of the state's delegation to the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago, Maddox fought against the civil rights aims of the party.” [Augusta Chronicle, Editorial, 9/13/98; GeorgiaEncyclopedia.com - Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press]

Civil Rights Hero Slammed Miller. Congressman John Lewis, a hero of the Civil Rights movement and a longtime Georgia public servant recently issued the following statement regarding Zell Miller: “It is unbelievable. It is unreal. It is a shame and a disgrace. This is the same Zell Miller who said 40 years ago that President Lyndon Johnson had sold his soul when he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is the same Zell Miller who was elected by the working people of Georgia-the teachers, the union members, the farmers, and both black and white voters in the state. And this is the same Zell Miller who was a keynoter at the Democratic Convention in 1992. I do not understand what he is so angry about, but apparently he has lost his way. He could be simply reverting back to his roots.” [Office of Congressman John Lewis, 6/25/04]

Miller Compared Civil Rights to Communism. “In the 1960s, Miller once declared that money spent on the Civil Rights Act could better be spent investigating the ‘Communist infiltration of the civil rights movement.’” [Washington Post, 3/27/04]

ZigZag Zell On Homeland Security Smears

Then: Miller Blasted Chambliss Over Anti-Cleland Ads. “Zell Miller, Georgia's other Democratic Party senator, was also furious about Chambliss’ ad. “My friend Max deserves better than to be slandered like this.” [Gainesville Sun (Georgia), 10/16/02]

• Chambliss Used Image of Bin Laden to Brand Triple-Amputee Cleland as Unpatriotic. “Rep. C. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) used an ad featuring videotape of Osama bin Laden in his successful campaign to unseat Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.), who lost both legs and his right arm in a grenade explosion while serving as an Army captain in Vietnam.” [Washington Post, 11/8/04]
• Chambliss Strategy Engineered by Karl Rove. According to Time Magazine, then-Representative Saxby Chambliss was picked to run against Cleland by Karl Rove. Bush visited Georgia six times, twice just before election day, to stump for Chambliss. [Time, 11/18/02]

Now: Miller Attacks Kerry On Same Vote. Zell Miller hosted a Bush/Cheney conference call with reporters to slam John Kerry on Homeland Security. Kerry voted the same way as Max Cleland on the creation of the Homeland Security Department. [Bush/Cheney Conference Call, 4/29/04]

• Miller and Kerry Both Voted FOR the Creation of the Homeland Security Department. [Senate Roll Call Vote # 249, 11/19/02]

George Pataki:

A George W. Bush Republican?

New York Governor George Pataki perfectly represents the masquerade ball that is the Republican National Convention. Pataki disagrees with much of the Republican platform, including taxes, gay rights, and gun control, yet is one of the featured speakers at the Republican convention.

Pataki’s Troubled Partisan Identity

Pataki: Increased Spending And Debt. “Politician Wanted: Must increase spending at twice the rate of inflation, massively increase government debt, support rent control, lead a government takeover of health care, lavish funds on the environment, throw indiscriminate billions at failing public schools, while remaining silent about school vouchers. Must not propose any new income tax cuts, since this could curb spending increases. If you saw such an ad, you’d think: liberal Democrat--right? Yet, curiously, the description exactly fits New York governor George Pataki, once labeled a “conservative” Republican.” [Chattanooga Times Free Press, 2000]

Pataki Labeled as “Too Liberal.” According to the New York Post, “Leading New York Republicans… have been touting Pataki as a potential presidential prospect, although many privately say his pro-abortion and pro-gay-rights stands probably make him too liberal for the national GOP.” [New York Post, 6/23/98]

Conservative Group Attacks Pataki for Liberal Stances. The Times Union reported Change-NY’s, a conservative group, released, “A full point-by-point broadside against the Republican governor.” [The Times Union, 4/20/00]

Pataki Is The Same Liberal Northeasterner The Bush-Cheney Campaign Criticizes

Pataki Passed Gay Rights Legislation. Governor George Pataki signed a 31 year old bill into law that outlaws discrimination against homosexuals in New York. He is also an advocate for civil unions for gays. [New York Times, 12/18/04, New York Sun, 5/12/04]

Pataki Is A Pro Choice Catholic. According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, George Pataki is a pro-choice Catholic Republican who is a supporter of civil unions for the gay community. In 1996, Pataki told CNN that he was “ready to lead a fight to change their party’s anti-abortion plank.” [Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 6/6/04, New York Sun, 5/12/04, cnn.com, 6/7/96]

Pataki Favored Strict Gun Control Laws

Breaking From The Republican Agenda Pataki Signed Gun Control Laws. Pataki signed gun control reforms that include background checks by the FBI, trigger locks for all guns sold in the state and a requirement that gun buyers be at least 21. Pataki has long pushed for determinate sentencing (ending parole), and succeeded in limiting parole for violent felons with Jenna’s Law. He also wants to increase penalties for some kinds of crime, including drug dealers who carry guns or use minors to sell drugs. [Times Union, 10/20/02]

Pataki Seeking Even Tighter Gun Control Laws. The New York Times reported, George Pataki urged the New York State Legislature to close the loopholes that keep sellers of illegal guns from receiving felony convictions. Pataki also credited Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R-NYC) for lobbying the NY House and Senate to pass this strict form of gun control. [New York Times, 3/19/04]

Pataki Stumps for the Environment.

Pataki Ditches Conservative Values of Tax Cuts And Looks for Funds to Protect the Environment. Shortly after taking office Pataki worked closely with Democratic unions and environmentalists to raise hundred of thousands of dollars to promote environmental preservation. The City Journal was quick to label his efforts, “anti-conservative,” placing him at odds with his Republican base. [City Journal, Spring 2001]

Pataki: Governor With A Green Thumb. “Has protected 350,000 acres of open space since 1995, wants to preserve 1 million acres over the next decade…Plans to implement new clean-air standards that will require lower emissions for motor vehicles starting in 2004.” [Times Union, 10/20/02]

Pataki At Odds With Bush Administration On Key Issues

Pataki Attacks Bush Over Lack of Anti-Terrorism Funding:

• “Billions of dollars in Department of Homeland Security money remains in Washington undistributed, and some money that has been distributed has gone to communities that don’t need it…”The system has provided small counties across the country with relatively large awards of terrorism preparedness money while major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Washington and Chicago struggle to address their needs,” said the report, released last week. That certainly supports Gov. George Pataki and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in their joint complaint that New York is not getting enough homeland security money fast enough.” [Journal News, 5/3/04]
• “Under the Stafford Act, the disaster recovery law, President George W. Bush could bypass Congress with the stroke of a pen, and get New York City $840 million in security aid. Instead, the president chose to cut the “hazardous mitigation” aid New York received after 9/11 - even over Gov. George Pataki’s objections - to 5 percent from the standard 15 percent for any declared disaster.” [Newsday, 7/23/04]
• “New York politicians, including Republican Gov. George Pataki, have argued the distribution of federal anti-terror aid is unfair because small states, on a per capita basis, get far more than New York does.” [AP, 7/23/04]

Pataki Tap-Dances Around Blaming Administration For Failing Air Quality. According to the New York Times, Pataki was critical of Washington calling them to enable necessary measure to better the air quality and reduce pollution. [New York Times, 4/16/04]

Pataki Refuses To Rule Out Tax Raise To Reduce Deficit. “Governor Pataki’s refusal to rule out tax hikes to close the state’s massive looming deficit may mark the start of the final stage of his remarkable transformation into a carbon copy of his longtime political archenemy, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. [New York Post, 12/20/02]

Hitting Bush Where It Hurts: Critical Of Oil Policy. The Associated Press reported Pataki declared the need for America to become energy self-sufficient by turning away from dependence on oil. [AP, 4/21/04]

Pataki: Not Focused On Test Scores And Says NO To School Vouchers. While the Administration in Washington wants to see improvements in test score, Pataki takes a different approach by focusing on teacher training and after-school programs. The Times Union continues by reporting that the Governor denounced vouchers as part of the answer. [The Times Union, 10/20/02]

Pataki Hid His Collaboration With Unions To Expand Health Care. “[Pataki] expanded state-funded health care programs for low-income adults and children.” The Times Union reported Pataki worked quietly with the SEIU to grow health care coverage to infertility and force employers to offer insurance that covers preventative health measures including contraceptives. [The Times Union, 10/20/02]

Pataki Has Worked To Continue Democratic Economic Initiatives. “Expanded Empire Zones (initially a Democratic program) where businesses receive incentives like tax breaks in exchange for locating in certain areas. Also expanded the Centers for Excellence program (another Democratic initiative), which funds collaborative efforts between higher education and business.” [The Times Union, 10/20/02]

Pataki Disagrees With Bush On Stem-Cell Research. New York Governor George Pataki will make a prime-time speech at the convention. According to Variety, “The governor puts great stock in being ‘inclusive,’ and he believes the Republican Party can be inclusive as well. He disagrees with President Bush’s policy on a number of key issues, such as stem-cell research. But he plans to deliver a speech at the Republican National Convention in August.” [Variety, 6/14/04; Agence France Presse, 6/27/04]

Mitt Romney

Asked which issues he disagrees with Bush on, Romney quipped, "I've got a full list here," holding up a binder, "but that would not be good for him nor good for me, so I won't go down that course.” [Boston Globe, 4/29/04]

Romney: ‘Bush Buys Votes’. Romney Excoriated Bush Administration for Wasteful Spending. According to the Associated Press, Romney criticized the Bush Administration over wasteful spending. Romney said that government distributes money “based on who will vote for us or for our party: in effect, we buy votes. We fund programs that don't work. We tolerate abuse and cheating in the multiples of billions of dollars.’” [AP, 7/14/04]

Bush Senior Staff Dismissed Romney. Card and Rove Brushed Off Romney. Romney called the White House, just weeks after the Olympics, to alert Karl Rove and Andrew Card that he wanted to challenge Jane Swift for the nomination for Governor. Both senior Bush advisors did not offer Romney any support citing their “friendship” with Swift. [Boston Globe, 3/20/02]

Romney Pro-Choice?

• Romney Did Not Want Pro-Life Label. According to the Boston Herald, Romney took pains to shed the pro-life label. “‘I’m not seeking their [pro-life groups] endorsement,’ said Romney, who remains the clear favorite to win the party’s endorsement today. ‘I think it’s important that people see me not as a prolife candidate.’” [Boston Herald, 5/14/04]
• Romney Favored RU-486 Pill. While running for Senate in 1994, Romney voiced support for the RU- 486 pill, also known as the “Morning After” abortion pill. [Boston Herald, 5/19/94]
• Romney Supported Ted Kennedy’s Abortion Clinic Access Bill. Romney voiced support for the Federal Clinics Access Bill, whose prime sponsor was Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy. The bill was designed to protect women, doctors, and other staff from violence at abortion clinics. [Boston Herald, 5/19/94]
• Republican Opponent Calls Romney Liar on Abortion. “Republican US Senate hopeful John Lakian yesterday accused rival Mitt Romney of ‘a goddamned lie’ on the abortion issue, charging Romney had led abortion foes to believe he opposed abortion while leading abortion rights advocates to think he supported their cause.” [Boston Globe, 9/9/94]
• Romney Flip-Flopped on Abortion. After taking great pains to distance himself from pro-lifers, Romney wrote a letter to the Salt Lake Tribune in 2001 claiming that he did not want to be labeled as ‘pro-choice.’ However, the Boston Globe pointed out, “But roll back to 1994 and that was the label his own campaign pinned on him when he ran a tough race against Kennedy. ‘Mitt has always been consistent in his pro-choice position,’ his top strategist told the Globe at the time, describing the differences between pro-choice Kennedy and Romney on the issue as ‘tiny nuances.’” [Boston Globe, 7/22/01]

Romney Supports Gun Control. Romney Supported Assault Weapons Man and Brady Bill. According to the Boston Globe, Romney voiced support for both the Assault Weapons Ban and the Brady Bill in his 1994 campaign for the U.S. Senate. [Boston Globe, 8/19/04]

Romney Voted In Democratic Primary. Romney Voted for Democrat Tsongas. According to the Detroit Free Press, Mitt Romney claims to have voted for Paul Tsongas in the 1992 Democratic presidential primary. [Detroit Free Press, 9/7/94]

Romney: Yes To Stem Cell Research. Weeks Before RNC Romney Voices Support for Stem Cells. Earlier this month, the Governor’s communications director said, “[Romney] wants to encourage and support scientific research and the discovery of new cures. For that reason, he supports stem cell research on new and existing lines, in both private and federally funded settings." [Boston Globe, 8/13/04]

Romney Opposed Government Role In Gay Marriage. Romney: ‘Government Should Not Make Choices For Individuals.’ Romney: “As an official of the church, I did my best to represent the teachings of the church, but when you ask me what I think our society should do, I believe society should allow individuals to do whatever they choose and live by whatever beliefs they have. It is not the role of government to make choices for individuals.” [Boston Globe, 10/20/04]

Romney Against School Prayer. School Is Not The Place For Prayer. Romney said that he does not believe in schools endorsing specific religions or mandating prayer in schools. [Boston Herald, 8/1/94]

Romney’s 2002 Platform

On Gay Rights: “All citizens deserve equal rights, regardless of their sexual orientation. While he does not support gay marriage, Mitt Romney believes domestic partnership status should be recognized in a way that includes the potential for health benefits and rights of survivorship.”

On Abortion Rights: “As governor, Mitt Romney would protect the current pro-choice status quo in Massachusetts. No law would change. The choice to have an abortion is a deeply personal one. Women should be free to choose based on their own beliefs, not the government's.”

On Minimum Wage: “The minimum wage is important to our economy and Mitt Romney supports minimum wage increases, at least in line with inflation.”

On Gun Control: “Mitt Romney supports the strict enforcement of gun laws. He is a supporter of the federal assault weapons ban. Mitt also believes in the rights of those who hunt to responsibly own and use firearms.” [www.romney2002.com; Reprinted in Deseret News, 9/1/02]

Romney Profited On Lost Jobs

Romney Cashed-In on Indiana Plant Closing. According to the Boston Globe, Romney earned $103,076 from the closure of a Needham, Indiana plant. “Romney's firm, Bain Capital, and Romney himself were minority investors in Damon from 1990 through August 1993. The Belmont businessman sat on Damon's board of directors, earning nearly $ 40,000 in directors' fees, and was a member of the company's strategic planning committee when Damon was sold to Corning…The day after the merger with Corning was completed, the new company notified the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training that it was permanently closing the Needham plant and laying off about 115 people.” [Boston Globe, 10/9/94]

Lynne Cheney

“Sister” Of The Right

Throughout her career, Lynne Cheney has a record of supporting right-wing policies that would hurt American families. Cheney served as Chairwomen for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Despite her tenure there, she fought hard to eliminate the NEH, as well as its sister agency the Foundation for the Arts. While at the NEH, Cheney tried to censor material she felt was too “politically correct.” Cheney has been aligned with the Christian Right and opposes a woman’s right to choose. She founded the ultra-conservative Independent Women’s Forum and served on its Board of Directors. She supports a school voucher system and opposes affirmative action for any group within society.

She is best known for her pornographic novels, such as her lesbian romance novel "Sisters".

Lynne Cheney: Convenient Masquerader

Lynne Cheney Says States Should Decide On Gay Marriage. During an interview on CNN’s Late Edition, Lynne Cheney disagreed with Bush’s push for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and her husband’s support of Bush’s proposal. “I thought that the formulation [Vice President Cheney] used in 2000 was very good. First of all, to be clear that people should be free to enter into their relationships that they choose,” said Cheney. She also emphasized that the issue of gay marriage should be decided on a state level “And, secondly, to recognize what’s historically been the situation, that when it comes to conferring legal status on relationships, that is a matter left to the states,” she said. [AP, 7/11/04]

Lynne Cheney: The Wrong Side Of Women’s Rights

Cheney Is Director Emerita On Board of Independent Women’s Forum. Lynne Cheney has sat on the Board of Directors of the Independent Women’s Forum for over a decade, and is now a Director Emerita. IWF, founded in 1992 by a small group of politically conservative, politically connected female supporters of Clarence Thomas, including Cheney, is now a group of women who feel feminism is in decline and gender solidarity is bounded strictly by class. According to Wendy Kaminer in American Prospect, the IWF holds the view that “there is no need for affirmative action, since women have already won their rights and equality in society and it would only confer benefits on women as a group.” [Wendy Kaminer, The American Prospect, 11/96-12/96; Bismarck Tribune, 11/6/96; Washington Post, 7/27/00]

Independent Women’s Forum Was Formed in Opposition to Anita Hill. The Independent Women’s Forum was formed with the goal of calling into question sexual harassment charges brought by Anita Hill and other women. A few years later IWF supported Paula Jones’ sexual harassment case against President Clinton. [Choices Women’s Medical Center, On the Issues, Spring 1996]

IWF Funded by Ultra-Conservative Richard Mellon Scaife. The IWF has taken at least $700,000 from ultra-conservative Clinton foe Richard Mellon Scaife since 1993. [Scaife & Carthage foundation IRS form 990s, 1993-1999]

Independent Women’s Forum Lobbied Against Domestic-Violence Programs. The IWF lobbied against domestic-violence programs and the Violence Against Women Act, claiming that few women were actually injured as a result of violence in the home. The American Medical Association, however, said that 4 million women are severely assaulted by husbands and boyfriends each year. [Wendy Kaminer, The American Prospect, 11/96-12/96; Bismarck Tribune, 11/6/96]

Starr Offered To Write A Friend Of The Court Brief On Behalf Of Paula Jones For IWF. In 1994, Ken Starr considered filing a friend of the court for the conservative Independent Women’s Forum supporting Paula Jones’ case against President Clinton. Starr’s brief was to have been submitted by the IWF -- a group Starr represented for free. Starr ultimately did not file a brief because of his selection as Whitewater Independent Counsel. The IWF received $100,000 from Richard Scaife in 1994. [New York Times, 8/12/94; Carthage Foundation 990, 1994; Associated Press, 1/28/98]

IWF Called Glass Ceiling A Myth. According to Women’s Figures, “The Economic Progress of Women in America, a report by the Independent Women’s Forum, the glass ceiling is a myth. Women’s gains in the corporate world have actually been remarkable. ... During the past decade, the number of female executive vice presidents more than doubled and the number of female senior vice presidents increased by 75 percent...” However, according to an article written by Beth Corbin for the National Organization for Women in May/June 1995, “97 percent of senior managers at the Fortune 1000 corporations are white males. Two-thirds of the overall population and 57 percent of the nation’s work force are women, people of color, or both.” [Plain Dealer, 1/26/97; “Fate of Affirmative Action Takes Center Stage in High Level Debate,” Beth Corbin, May/June 1995, www.now.org]

Independent Women’s Forum Opposed Integration of VMI. The Independent Women’s Forum opposed the integration of Virginia Military Institute. IWF said women have different needs than men and, therefore, they supported the idea of establishing a separate leadership school for women. [Wendy Kaminer, The American Prospect, 11/96-12/96]

Cheney Said Women Don’t Need Affirmative Action. Cheney said she felt women did not need affirmative action to help in institutes of higher education or in the workplace. “Women don’t need affirmative action,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 11/17/96]

Cheney Opposed Feminism, Claiming it Discriminates Against Men. Cheney criticized modern day feminism, saying, “It [feminism] certainly took a turn when the goal changed from equity, from being sure that women had opportunities equal to those of men, to regarding women as a group apart and trying to define what someone who was a feminist was in terms of a whole set of beliefs.” In response to feminism’s efforts to promote opportunities to women, Cheney replied, “I think that’s perfectly fine as long as those efforts don’t devolve in to what we have seen all too often which is in fact programs that discriminate against men.” [CNN, “Crossfire,” 7/15/95]

Cheney Supported Separate Training for Men and Women. Cheney supported separate training for men and women in the military as a way to avoid future incidents of sexual harassment. “Can we reasonably expect the Army to control biology? I mean, if you put young men and women together, the time of their lives when their sexual drives are at their highest, if you put them in tents together, as happened in Desert Storm, if you put them in ships together, as happens all the time, can you reasonably expect them not to have sex?” Cheney asked. “So, when I look at this problem, like the sexual harassment on the Army bases and the training bases, it seems to me that, if the purpose is to fight and win wars, then what you ought to do is get this problem gone as quickly as possible, and the way to do that is to train men and women separately,” Cheney also said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 5/4/97; 2/16/97]

Cheney Downplayed Seriousness of Anita Hill’s Charges. Cheney downplayed the sexual harassment charges filed by Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas. “Look at the difference between what Paula Jones accuses the President of, which is asking her to perform oral sex upon him, and what Anita Hill accused Clarence Thomas of, which was talking dirty. I mean, this is the difference between night and day,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 6/30/96]

Lynne Cheney: Favorite Of The Christian Right

Cheney: A Favorite of the Right. A Washington Times article on July 26, 2000 described Cheney as a favorite of the political and religious right who is best known for her opposition to political correctness in academia. “This is more like three for the price of one. She is double good,” Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said of Lynne Cheney after Bush’s selection of Richard Cheney as his running mate. In response to her opposition to multiculturalism, essayist Jonathan Chait called her “the leading policy assassin for right-wing cultural warriors.” [Washington Times, 7/26/00]

Cheney’s Position Compared to Christian Right. According the American Prospect, “Cheney has become the leading policy assassin for the right-wing cultural warriors. She is a prime example of a Washington type, the specialty polemicist. Her stories of innocents betrayed by the academic establishment usually reflect the fears of the Christian right.” [American Prospect, 3/99-4/99]

Lynne Cheney: Wrong On Education

Cheney Supported Vouchers. In a March 24, 2000 airing of CNN’s “Crossfire,” Cheney said she supported the use of school vouchers. “Everybody ought to have the right to send his or her child to the school that that child -- the parent things is best for him or her to attend,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 3/24/00]

Vouchers Trap Some Students in Schools with Less Funding. According to columnist Peter Schrag, “Voucher advocates claim that their scholarships usually cost less than what the public schools would spend on the same children, thereby leaving more resources for the remaining pupils, but the accounting is dubious if the costs of social services and educating handicapped children are included. And however much voucher proponents argue that once there is demand, suppliers will appear to take even the most difficult students, the public schools will always be the default system for those who cannot- or will notfind another place.” [Schrag column, The American Prospect, 11/23/99]

Cheney Supported Lottery System for Vouchers. During a March 24, 2000 interview on CNN’s “Crossfire,” Cheney said she supported a lottery system for school vouchers. “There is so much demand for private schools once you give people a means for affording it that some way of choosing has to be put in place. It seems to me that the fairest way is a lottery system, and that’s what many choice plans are doing. That’s what I would certainly support,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 3/24/00]

Federal and State Judges Say Lottery System for Vouchers Were Unconstitutional. During a March 24, 2000 show of CNN’s “Crossfire,” Cheney responded to a court’s ruling that vouchers were unconstitutional by saying, “It is not the flaw in the voucher system. The judges are simply wrong. ... There should be no more prohibition against little kids attending a private school, even if it has a religious affiliation.” [CNN, “Crossfire,” 3/24/00]

Cheney Chaired National Alumni Forum, Which Tried to Push Its Conservative Agenda on Universities. In 1996, Cheney chaired the National Alumni Foundation (NAF) which launched a program to target alumni donations to specifically approved programs at universities. The group was established because many alumni refuse to support their schools because “they are concerned that the money goes for things that are harmful to higher education,” Cheney said. In particular, NAF stayed away from funding “politically correct” studies, which they said were academically weak. By donating their money to NAF’s Fund for Academic Renewal, alumni’s money would only go to programs that meet NAF criteria of academic excellence. [USA Today, 5/29/96]

Cheney Opposed the National Standards for History. Cheney opposed the National Standards for History, which were compiled in order to provide a coherent narrative of American development and establish clear expectations of the historical knowledge to be acquired by students. Other conservatives like Pat Buchanan and Rush Limbaugh immediately joined Cheney in opposing these standards. Cheney said they were too “politically correct” and presented a “warped view” of history. “From this document, you’d think we were a nation that only experienced oppression and failure. It’s a warped view of American history, with very little sense of our greatness as a nation,” Cheney said. [New York Times, 3/12/96; Chicago Tribune, 10/30/94; Monthly Review, 11/96]

Cheney Opposed School-to-Work Programs. Cheney opposed school-to-work programs designed to prepare students to meet the needs of employers. Cheney said these programs assume unwarranted authority over their children’s lives. [New York Times, 2/3/98]

Lynne Cheney: Opposed The Arts

Cheney Called for Abolition of the National Endowment for the Arts. In January 1995, Cheney, a former chairwoman for the National Endowment for the Humanities, told a congressional hearing that it was time to get rid of the National Endowment of the Arts. In part because of her efforts, the 1995 House Republican budget proposal for Fiscal Year 1996 proposed eliminating funding for NEA. During a June 29, 1997 episode of CNN’s “Crossfire,” Cheney said she did not want the organization to be federally funded because, she said it ruins the arts. “The reason I don’t want the NEA funded is because I think government funding does peculiar things to the arts. One of the things that happens is that governments have agendas and they push it onto the arts and the arts aren’t very good at dealing with that. One agenda of government has been -- how shall I say it? -- ethnic identity,” Cheney said. [Washington Post, 1/25/95; Associated Press, 5/19/95; CNN, “Crossfire,” 6/29/97; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/22/97]

Cheney Attempted to Abolish the National Endowment for the Humanities. Cheney attempted to abolish the National Endowment for the Humanities and condemned universities as subversive hotbeds of “political correctness.” In part because of her efforts, the 1995 House Republican budget proposal for Fiscal Year 1996 proposed eliminated funding for NEH. This cut would have had a significant effect on the science community, as well as the arts. Harvey Fineberg, Dean of Harvard’s School of Public Health, said these cuts would affect medical schools across the country and would hinder scientific breakthroughs in disease prevention and cure. “We will be destroying the future by turning a generation of would-be scientists away,” Dr. Fineberg said. [New York Times, 5/21/95; Chattanooga Times, 5/25/95; Newsday, 5/25/95]

Cheney Politicized Grants from National Endowment for the Humanities. Cheney was the chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities for seven years. According to the Associated Press, Cheney often clashed with .politically correct humanities scholars who criticized Western-focused history and “saw traditional scholarly values ... as tools that white males have used to manipulate and marginalize the rest of us,” according to an opinion piece she wrote in 1995.” Her critics said she politicized grants and rejected scholars who did not use traditional approaches favored by conservatives. [Associated Press, 7/26/00]

• Cheney’s Position on National Endowment for the Humanities Criticized. Playwright Tony Kushner criticized Cheney’s flip-flop position of supporting, and chairing, the NEH, then calling for its elimination. Kushner called her position an “incredibly stupid, obnoxious, right-wing kvetch.” [Providence Journal-Bulletin, 3/26/95]
• Cheney Denied Funding for a Documentary on Columbus. While at the National Endowment for the Humanities, Cheney denied a $650,000 grant for a group of scholars and filmmakers who wanted to make two films on Christopher Columbus for public television. She said the film accused Columbus of genocide against Native Americans, something Cheney said Columbus did not do. [Washington Times, 7/26/00]
• Cheney Opposed PBS Series “The Africans.” While at the National Endowment for the Humanities, Cheney criticized the series “The Africans,” speaking out against its anti-Western diatribe. According to the Associated Press, Cheney “demanded that the endowment, which had contributed $600,000 for the production, not be listed in the credits and refused to release $50,000 to publicize the series.” [Associated Press, 10/6/86]

Lynne Cheney: Opposed Welfare

Cheney Called Welfare “Extremely Damaging.” Cheney called welfare “extremely damaging.” “Welfare is extremely damaging. It is damaging to all parts of our community. It’s damaging to the African-American community. It’s damaging to the white community. It is damaging to our whole society,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 3/21/95]

Cheney Unsympathetic to Welfare Recipients. Cheney said she was unsympathetic to those “childless adults” on welfare in Boston. “6,500 childless adults will be forced to choose between hunger and lowpaying jobs. Would you tell me the problem with that?” Cheney asked. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 12/1/96]

Lynne Cheney: Anti-Immigrant

Cheney Endorsed Screening Potential Immigrants Based on Their Potential Benefit to the Economy. On a July 7, 1996 edition of “Crossfire,” Cheney said the United States should only accept immigrants who are self-reliant and would benefit the country. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with deciding that, out of all the hundreds and millions of people who want to come to this country, we want those to come who will be able to be self-reliant and who won’t become public charges,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 7/7/96]

Cheney Said All Illegal Aliens Should Be Deported. Cheney asked why the group was arguing about whether or not illegal aliens should be deported. “Why are we having this silly argument about people who are in the country illegally? Shouldn’t our goal be to deport illegal aliens?” Cheney asked. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 7/7/96]

Lynne Cheney: Right-Wing Zealot

Cheney Opposed Trigger Locks. Cheney said that she didn’t believe in trigger locks because, she said they do not help promote child safety. “I’m all for gun safety, but this idea of trigger locks, particularly if ... you don’t have to use them once you buy them, is simply not going to encourage child safety. It’s one more effort by liberals to institute controls over honest citizens,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 5/19/97]

Cheney Called Affirmative Action Unfair. Cheney said that affirmative action was unfair. She also said it was ridiculous that people be considered disadvantaged solely because of their race or gender. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of, for the four of us to be presumed disadvantaged solely because of the race and gender groups we belong to. Moreover, it’s unfair,” Cheney argued. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 6/18/95]

Cheney Opposed an Increase in the Minimum Wage. Cheney said raising the minimum wage would cause unemployment. “You raise the minimum wage, you’re going to put more people on the unemployment rolls,” Cheney said. [CNN, “Crossfire,” 3/17/96]

Dick Cheney: Shadow President

Dick Cheney’s Many Scandals Embody The Worst Of The Bush Administration

The many scandals associated with Dick Cheney embody the worst of the Bush administration. As Vice President, Cheney has put the interests of Halliburton before the interests of America. He has manipulated the intelligence process in order to sell the Iraq war to the American People. Cheney’s office has been investigated for involvement in the exposure of an undercover CIA agent. And Cheney’s secret energy task force has resulted in stunning special interest giveaways to the energy industry. “Go f— yourself.” – Dick Cheney, to Senator Patrick Leahy. [Washington Post, 6/25/04]

“I think Dick Cheney needs a time-out.” – 12 year-old Ilana Wexler. [7/28/04]

Cheney: Good For His Halliburton, Bad For Our America Cheney Made Millions As Ceo Of Halliburton; Still Receiving Compensation As Vice President

Cheney Made Millions As Halliburton CEO. Vice President Dick Cheney was CEO of Texas-based Halliburton from 1995-2000. In addition to providing a massive salary and bonus for only eight months of work in 2000, Halliburton’s board of directors voted to give Dick Cheney a $20 million retirement package when he resigned. Cheney received the severance package even though his contract stated that he would have to forfeit some of his retirement package if he retired before turning 62—Cheney retired at age 59. Cheney’s compensation for the eight months of 2000 he served as CEO of Halliburton, according to the Associated Press, was “$4.3 million in deferred compensation and bonuses, and $806,332 in salary. The summer when he began his campaign with Bush for the White House, Cheney sold stock options worth just over $40 million.” Halliburton approved the package on July 20, 2000; just five days before Cheney was announced as George W. Bush’s running mate. [New York Times, 8/12/00; Los Angeles Times, 7/24/00; Associated Press, 7/18/02]

As Vice President, Cheney Continued Receiving Compensation From Halliburton. In his retirement package from Halliburton, Cheney was granted deferred compensation, which paid out his bonus his salary from 1999 over a five year period and his bonus from that year in 2001. In 2003, Cheney received $178,437 in deferred compensation from Halliburton. As Vice President, Cheney has received nearly $2 million in compensation from Halliburton. [“Income: Type and amount,” Schedule A, Standard Form 278, Richard B. Cheney Personal Financial Disclosure, May 15, 2002; May 15, 2003; Associated Press, 6/15/04]

Congressional Research Service Said Cheney’s Deferred Compensation Is Financial Interest. Cheney told NBC’s Tim Russert that, “since I left Halliburton to become George Bush's vice president, I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interests. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had now for over three years.” But, just days later, the Congressional Research Service released a report saying that federal ethics laws consider both Cheney’s deferred compensation and his unexercised stock options as a lingering financial interest in the company. [“Meet the Press,” 9/14/03; Washington Post, 9/26/03]

Ongoing Halliburton Investigations

Halliburton Is Under Investigation By Justice Department for Overcharging in the Balkans Under Cheney. Halliburton acknowledged in its quarterly filing that it is under investigation by the Justice Department over possible over billing on government services work done in the Balkans from 1996 through 2000, when Cheney was the Halliburton’s CEO. The charges stem from a General Accounting Office report that found in 1997 that Halliburton billed the Army for questionable expenses for work in the Balkans, including charges of $85.98 per sheet of plywood that cost $14.06. A follow-up report by the GAO in 2000 found inflated costs, including charges for cleaning some offices up to four times a day. [New Yorker, 2/16/04; Associated Press, 4/9/03; New York Times, 8/6/04]

Justice Dept. Issued Subpoena Seeking Information of Halliburton’s Role In Iran Under Cheney. Halliburton received an inquiry in 2001 from the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department inquiring about operations in Iran by a Halliburton subsidiary. In January 2004, OFAC sent Halliburton a follow-up letter and are still investigating charges that Halliburton violated sanctions that prohibit U.S. corporations and business organizations from engaging in commercial, financial, or trade transactions with Iran. In July 2004, a federal grand jury issued a subpoena to Halliburton Co. seeking information about its work in Iran. Government officials told the Washington Post such cases are referred to Justice only when there is evidence “intentional or willful” violations have occurred. [Houston Chronicle, 12/15/03; Halliburton Co. 10-Q, 5/7/04; Reuters, 7/19/04; Washington Post, 7/21/04]

SEC And Justice Department Investigating Halliburton Bribery Charges During Cheney’s Tenure. A French judge is looking at whether Vice President Dick Cheney may have been responsible under French law for at least one of four bribery payments exchanged between a Halliburton subsidiary and Nigerian officials to obtain contracts for liquefied natural projects. Under French law, “the head of a company can be charged with ‘misuse of corporate assets’ for bribes paid by any employee - even if the executive didn't know about the improper payments.” Furthermore, the SEC, the Justice Department and the Nigerian government are also investigating the bribery charges against Halliburton. [Dallas Morning News, 1/25/04, 2/10/04; Associated Press, 2/4/04, 2/5/04, 2/6/04; Houston Chronicle, 2/7/04]

Pentagon Opened A Criminal Investigation into Halliburton. Pentagon auditors asked the Department of Defense to investigate Halliburton’s activity in Kuwait, and in December 2003 the military ended its contract to with Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root to import oil. On February 23, 2004 the Pentagon opened a criminal probe into Halliburton’s price-gouging. [Associated Press, 2/9/04, 11/5/03; Reuters, 12/11/03, 2/23/04; New York Times, 12/10/03; Washington Post, 1/16/04, 12/31/04; Wall Street Journal, 8/3/04]

Halliburton Agreed to Pay $7.5 Million to Settle SEC Probe into Cheney-Era Accounting Practices. Halliburton agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a SEC probe of the company's accounting during the tenure of Dick Cheney. The company, the largest U.S. contractor in Iraq, failed in 1998 to disclose a change in the way it accounted for revenue from some construction work, the SEC said in a statement. Cheney served as Halliburton's chief executive from 1995 until August 2000. The SEC said “the company misled investors and violated federal securities laws.” [Bloomberg News, 8/3/04; Complaint of SEC vs Halliburton Company and Robert Charles Muchmore Jr. 8/3/04]

Pentagon Gives Halliburton More Time To Bilk Taxpayers

First It Appeared that the Army Would Give Halliburton Its Third Extension. On August 23, 2004 Halliburton announced that the Army would give the company a third extension to provide the needed documentation, meaning it would continue to be paid in full. [Washington Post, 8/18/04; NYT, 8/17/04]

• Then It Seemed the Army Decided to Withhold Payments to Halliburton… Early the next day, August 24, 2004, it appeared that the Army had decided to withhold an estimated $60 million a month in payments to Halliburton because of questions about billing for its work in Iraq. [WP, 8/18/04; NYT, 8/17/04]
• But, Then Said They Would Give Halliburton More Time. Then later that same day, the Army said it would give Halliburton more time to justify its claims. [Washington Post, 8/18/04; New York Times, 8/17/04]

Pentagon Memo Urged Army to Withhold Halliburton Pay. In an August 16th document, Pentagon auditors “strongly” urged the U.S. Army to start withholding millions of dollars in payments to Halliburton Co. until the company justified its bills. “It is clear to us KBR will not provide an adequate proposal until there is a consequence,” said the Defense Contract Audit Agency in a memo to Army Field Support Command, which manages the contract. The memo describes systemic issues with the company's cost estimates. In the case of one $4 billion order, “each successive update continues to be significantly deficient,” the memo said. The Pentagon auditors said they tried to work with Kellogg Brown & Root staff, but have met with resistance. Halliburton said it intends to provide supporting data during negotiations, rather than earlier in the process, the memo said. “We believe this approach is unacceptable,” the memo said. [Associated Press, 8/24/04; Reuters, 8/24/04; Houston Chronicle, 8/25/04]

Memo: Unsupported Costs Are Over $1.8 Billion, 40% of Task Orders. The DCAA memo identified unsupported costs totaling $1.82 billion under seven task orders under the LOGCAP contract, over 40% of the value of these task orders. [Defense Contract Audit Agency Memo, 8/16/04, democrats.reform.house.gov]

Halliburton Hasn’t Accounted for Almost Half its Work in Iraq and Kuwait. According to a report by Pentagon auditors, Halliburton has not adequately accounted for more than $1.8 billion of work in Iraq and Kuwait, representing 43% of the $4.18 billion that Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root has billed the Pentagon so far. The Wall Street Journal reported “the latest Pentagon audit report underscores that KBR’s billing problems remain widespread and could pressure Army officials to begin withholding substantial sums from the company.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/11/04]

Pentagon Rules Halliburton’s Accounting System “Inadequate.” The Pentagon audit found that KBR's “internal control policies” are “inadequate” for providing acceptable cost estimates. Pentagon officials said that no defense contractor has had its estimating system ruled “inadequate” in years. [Wall Street Journal, 8/11/04]

Pentagon Auditors Said Halliburton Overcharged Government by $186 Million. During congressional testimony, William Reed, director of the Defense Contract Audit Agency, said Halliburton overcharged the government by $186 million for meals than were served to troops in Iraq. Four former Halliburton employees issued signed statements charging that Halliburton among other things, had paid $45 apiece for cases of soda and $100 per bag of laundry, and had abandoned nearly new, $85,000 trucks in the desert for lack of spare parts. [Houston Chronicle, 6/16/04; NYT, 6/16/04]

Halliburton Gouged The U.S. Government For Oil And Troops’ Food. The military investigated Halliburton and found that it overcharged for gas it imported into Iraq from Kuwait by as much as $61 million. In March 2003, the Pentagon announced it would withhold nearly $300 million in payments to Halliburton due to the company’s overcharging on food contracts. [AP, 2/9/04, 3/17/04; Reuters, 2/23/04]

Vice President’s Office “Coordinated” Halliburton’s No-Bid Contract in Iraq. In March 2003, the Pentagon awarded a subsidiary of Halliburton a no-bid contract worth $7 billion to help rebuild Iraqi oil fields. According to Time, an internal Pentagon e-mail said “action” on the contract was “coordinated” with the Vice President’s office. A senior political appointee in the Defense Department, Michael H. Mobbs, who works for undersecretary of defense Douglas Feith, acknowledged that he selected Halliburton for Iraq reconstruction work. Before awarding the contract, Mobbs briefed top officials, including Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Cheney's top aide, and White House staff members. [Time, 5/30/04; LA Times, 5/7/03; WP, 2/10/04, 6/14/04]

Cheney Manipulated Intelligence Process

Cheney Manipulated Intelligence Process To Sell Iraq War Cheney Pressured Intelligence Officials. Cheney Made Uncommon Visits to CIA to Pressure Analysts. “Beginning in early 2002, Cheney, sometimes accompanied by Scooter Libby, paid ‘approximately 10’ visits to the CIA, a member of the vice president’s staff says, in order to speak directly with analysts…Vice presidents do not usually drop in at Langley, and, given Cheney’s strident public posture on the need for regime change, the message could hardly have been misunderstood by the analysts…” Commenting on the Cheney visits, “That would freak people out,” said one former CIA official. “It is supposed to be an ivory tower. And that kind of pressure would be enormous on these young guys.” [Vanity Fair, 5/04, p. 242; The New Republic, 6/30/03; Wash Post, 6/5/03]

White House Pressured Analysts to Make Case for War. Richard Kerr, retired senior CIA official: “‘There was a lot of pressure, no question,’ says Kerr. ‘The White House, State, Defense, were raising questions, heavily on WMD and the issue of terrorism…There were people who felt there was too much pressure. Not that they were being asked to change their judgments, but they were being asked again and again to restate their judgments—do another paper on this, repetitive pressures. Do it again.’” [Vanity Fair, 5/04]

Cheney Fired His Personal Intel Briefer. “The President’s Daily Brief is a highly classified and tightly held CIA document that goes to the president and only a handful of close aides…What is less generally realized is that the vice president also has a PDB briefer. According to a former CIA official, ‘One briefer annoyed Cheney and he asked that she be replaced. He asked for a new briefer. That sent a chill through the whole process. It sent out the message to the analysts, ‘Be careful with some of this stuff. Be careful what you say.’” [Vanity Fair, 5/04]

Senate Report Failed To Explain Pressure Exerted on Intel Analysts From Political Leaders. “‘The committee’s report fails to fully explain the environment of intense pressure in which the intelligence community officials were asked to render judgments on matters relating to Iraq when the most senior officials in the Bush administration had already forcefully and repeatedly stated their conclusions publicly,’ said Sen. John D. ‘Jay’ Rockefeller IV (D-W. Va.), the committee’s ranking minority member.” [LATimes, 7/10/04]

Intel Committee Did Not Seek Key Document From Cheney’s Office. The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is controlled by Republicans, “did not seek access to a 40-plus-page document that was prepared by Vice President Dick Cheney’s office and submitted to State Department speechwriters detailing the case the administration wanted Powell to make [to the United Nations].” [Los Angeles Times, 7/15/04]

Questionable Intelligence Was “Stovepiped” To Highest Levels Of Bush Administration To Make The Case For War

Stovepiped Intelligence. The New Yorker reported that “Kenneth Pollack, a former National Security Council expert on Iraq…[said] that what the Bush people did was ‘dismantle the existing filtering process that for fifty years had been preventing the policymakers from getting bad information. They created stovepipes to get the information they wanted directly to the top leadership. Their position is that the professional bureaucracy is deliberately and maliciously keeping information from them. They always had information to back up their public claims, but it was often very bad information.’” [New Yorker, 10/27/03]

Cherry-Picked Intelligence. “It was an unbelievably closed and small group,” a former Cheney aide said of the intelligence gathering operation headed by Cheney Chief-of-Staff Scooter Libby on Iraq’s potential possession of WMDs. “Intelligence procedures were far more open during the Clinton Administration, he said, and professional staff members had been far more involved in assessing and evaluating the most sensitive data. ‘There’s so much intelligence out there that it’s easy to pick and choose your case,’ the former aide [said]. ‘It opens things up to cherry-picking.’” [New Yorker, 10/27/03]

Iraqi Exiles Directly Fed Cheney’s Office Raw Intelligence Doubted By CIA. Documents obtained by Newsweek suggest that in 2002 the Iraqi National Congress (INC), a group headed by Ahmed Chalabi, was “directly feeding intelligence reports about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and purported ties to terrorism to one of Cheney’s top foreign- policy aides.” Cheney staffers later pushed “INC info— including defectors’ claims about WMD and terror ties—to bolster the case that Saddam’s government posed a direct threat to America. But the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies have strongly questioned the reliability of defectors supplied by the INC.” [Newsweek, 12/15/03; Washington Post, 4/5/03]

“Stovepiping” And Cherry-Picking Led To Intel Blunders

Yellowcake Blunder. In his 2003 State of the Union, Bush claimed “Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” In March 2002, however, both the CIA and State Department learned that evidence linking Iraq to Niger was unfounded. The uranium report had been conceived in 2001 by the Italian intelligence agency, which had no definitive proof of its claim and had merely made an implication from monitoring an Iraqi diplomat’s travel. The yellowcake report “was quickly stovepiped to those officials who had an intense interest in building the case against Iraq, including Vice-President Dick Cheney.” [New Yorker, 10/27/03; Bush, State of the Union, 1/28/03; Time, 7/21/03]

Link Between Osama and Saddam Blunder. Feith’s Counter Terrorism Group accumulated questionable evidence to demonstrate a link between Saddam and Osama. “The C.I.A. and the D.I.A. believed that Feith’s team had greatly exaggerated the significance of reported contacts among extremist groups and Arab states. The C.I.A. saw little evidence, for example, that the Sunni-dominated Qaeda and the Shiite-dominated Hezbollah had worked together on terrorist attacks. And there was little proof that Mr. Hussein was working on terror plots with Mr. bin Laden, a religious extremist who viewed the Baghdad regime as a corrupt, secular enemy. ‘The divides do matter,’ a senior C.I.A. official said. ‘But if you work hard enough in this nasty world, you can link just about anybody to anybody else.’” [NY Times, 4/27/04]

Trusting Chalabi Led To Many Blunders. According to a report in the New Yorker, analysts based in the Pentagon’s Office of Special Plans “relied on… information provided by the Iraqi National Congress.” The LA Times reported, “A U.S. official confirmed that defectors from Chalabi’s organization had provided suspect information… ‘It’s safe to say he tried to game the system,’ the official said. A discredited INC defector to Germany who was code-named ‘Curveball’ was the chief source of information on Iraq’s supposed fleet of mobile germ weapons factories. Another INC defector who provided similar information was deemed a liar. So was an INC defector who said he had helped build 20 underground germ weapons laboratories, a now-discredited claim that made headlines when the INC made him available to some reporters in December 2001.” State Dept. Intelligence expert Greg Thielmann said: “There was considerable skepticism throughout the intelligence community about the reliability of Chalabi’s sources, but the defector reports were coming all the time.” [LA Times, 5/23/04; The New Yorker, 10/27/03; Newsweek, 12/15/03; Washington Post, 4/5/03]

Cheney Threatened UN Weapons Inspectors. Cheney told “the [UN weapons] inspectors that if their findings didn’t suit the administration ‘we are ready to discredit [you].’ It was brutal,’ recalls Blix, ‘and I don’t think I would have ever put it in that form.’” [Vanity Fair, 5/04]

Cheney’s Energy Task Force: Special Interest Giveaway Cheney Fought Tooth And Nail Against Disclosure

Bush Created Energy Task Force Nine Days After Inauguration. On January 29th, 2001, President Bush created an energy task force and appointed Vice President Dick Cheney as its chair. Other members include Commerce Secretary Don Evans, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Interior Secretary Gale Norton. [New York Times, 1/30/01]

• Cheney Chaired Nine Cabinet Level Meetings on Energy Task Force. Vice President Dick Cheney chaired nine meetings of the Cabinet-level Energy Task Force that he chaired between January and May 2001, eventually disbanding in September 2001. Each of the meetings lasted 90 minutes. In May 2001, Bush directed Cheney to direct a government-wide task force on managing the consequences of a domestic terrorist attack. The task force never met. [Washington Post, 1/20/02, 5/17/01]
• GAO Unsuccessfully Sued Cheney Over Energy Task Force’s Secrecy. In May 2001, the General Accounting Office contacted the Vice President’s counsel and requested a list of people who met with the Cheney energy task force, but the White House refused to comply. In February 2002, the GAO filed suit against Cheney in an effort to obtain the information they requested. The Bush administration eventually won its legal battle with the General Accounting Office. It marked the first time in its 80-year history that the GAO has filed suit against a vice president. [Editorial, Washington Post, 1/31/02; New York Times, 2/23/02]
• Two Watchdog Groups Sued Cheney for Energy Task Force Documents. Following the example of the GAO, two non-profit organizations, the environmental group Sierra Club and conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch sued Vice President Dick Cheney in July 2002 for access to energy task force documents, which the administration met immediately with a motion for dismissal. [Energy Daily, 7/16/02]
• Lower Court Ruled That Cheney Must Turn Over Documents. In 2002, the U.S. District Court ruled that Cheney must turn over the documents detailing who met with his task force. [Financial Times, 8/2/02; Los Angeles Times, 1/17/04; Star Tribune, 2/23/04]
  …But Cheney Took Case to The Supreme Court. On December 15, 2003, the Supreme Court announced it would hear his appeal. On June 25, 2004, the Supreme Court refused to order Cheney to turn over secret records from his energy task force, but ensured the case will stay alive by sending it back to a lower court. [Washington Post, 3/26/02; Los Angeles Times, 1/17/04; Star Tribune, 2/23/04]
• Cheney And Scalia Went Hunting Together AFTER Supreme Court Agreed To Hear Cheney Case. Vice President Dick Cheney and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spent part of the week of January 5, 2004 duck hunting together at a private camp in southern Louisiana, just three weeks after the court agreed to take up Cheney’s appeal in lawsuits over his handling of the administration’s energy task force. Several experts in legal ethics said it raised doubts about Scalia’s ability to judge the case impartially. The trip was sponsored by an oil services company, Diamond Services. In a 21-page memo, Scalia refused calls to recuse himself from the Cheney case. [Los Angeles Times, 1/17/04; New York Times, 2/6/04; USA Today, 4/11/04]

Energy Task Force Dominated By Special Interests

Energy Task Force Headed By Officials With Ties to Energy Industry. Bush stacked the energy task force with a number of officials with ties to the oil and energy industry. The head of the task force was Vice President Dick Cheney, who was the former chief executive officer of Halliburton, the oil services giant. Members include Commerce Secretary Don Evans, a former executive at Texas oil company Tom Brown; Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham who received almost half a million dollars in contributions from the oil and energy industry during his 2000 campaign for the U.S. Senate in Michigan; Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who received nearly $28,570 from the oil and gas companies for her 1996 run for U.S. Senate, the second largest total from any industry. [www.crp.org; New York Times, 1/30/01]

Released Records Show Heavy Industry Influence. A number of the documents initially released regarding the energy task force, though heavily redacted, show that the Bush administration relied heavily on industry input while crafting the national energy policy. According to the Washington Post, “A first review of the 11,000 pages of documents bolsters the contention of Democratic lawmakers and environmental groups that the Bush administration relied almost exclusively on the advice of executives from utilities and producers of oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy....” [Washington Post, 3/26/02]

Energy Task Force Gave Industry What They Wished. Energy Industry Lobbyists Recommended That Task Force “Reform” New Source Review. In March 2001, Joseph Kelliher, a top assistant to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, e-mailed a number of energy-industry lobbyists to ask for their input on a national energy policy. A great number of the emailed replies, obtained by the New York Times, dealt with the energy industry’s wish to reform the new source review provision of the Clean Air Act. In March 2001, a Southern Company lobbyist emailed Kelliher, suggesting "another issue" for inclusion in the energy plan: so-called reform of the Clean Air Act. The suggestion was incorporated into the energy plan. In August 2003, the Bush Administration eased the new source review provision. The changes allowed older coal fired power plants and other facilities to avoid installing pollution controls when they expand or repair. [New York Times, 8/15/01; New York Times Magazine, 4/4/04; NRDC, 3/27/02]

Nuclear Power Industry Had Meeting With Energy Task Force. In mid-March 2001, a cadre of seven nuclear power executives sought and won an hour-long White House meeting with Karl Rove and other officials to speak about the importance of nuclear power. Recalling the meeting, Christian H. Poindexter, chairman of the Constellation Energy Group said the next night, Cheney “was being interviewed on television, he began to talk about nuclear power for the first time…In my wildest dreams, when I was over at the White House in March, I couldn't imagine them getting so behind us,” Poindexter said. On July 23, 2002, Bush signed a bill which formally adopted storing nuclear waste in Yucca Mountain, a move the nuclear industry strongly lobbied for. [Time, 2/11/02; New York Times, 5/23/01; Los Angeles Times, 7/24/02]

Two Bush Executive Orders From May 2001 Resembled Energy Industry Recommendation. Two executive orders signed by Bush closely resemble written recommendations given to the administration by the energy industry during meetings of the energy task force:

• On May 18, 2001 Bush issued an executive order calling for the creation of an interagency energy task force to accelerate the time it takes for government agencies to review applications for permits for energy-related projects, like oil and gas exploration on public lands. The language in the executive order is similar to a passage in a proposed energy bill sent in March 2001 to the Energy Department by officials at the American Gas Association, the trade group that represents large natural gas companies. [New York Times, 4/4/02]
• A March 20, 2001, message from Jim Ford, lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute, a powerful oil-and-gas-industry trade group, to Joseph Kelliher, a top assistant to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, included an attachment with a “suggested executive order.” An executive order signed by Bush on May 18, 2001 was similar to an industry document. [New York Times Magazine, 4/4/04; New York Times, 4/4/02; Washington Post, 3/28/02]

Ken Lay Gave Cheney a Memo That Was Integrated Into Energy Plan. During a meeting between then-Enron CEO Kenneth Lay and Cheney in April 2001, Lay gave Cheney a memo that outlined some of Enron’s positions on energy. Included in the Enron memo were notes on price caps negative impact on energy markets. “The administration should reject any attempt to re-regulate wholesale power markets by adopting price caps or returning to archaic methods of determining the cost-base of wholesale power,” the memo said. “Events in California and in other parts of the country demonstrated that the benefits of competition have yet to be realized and have not yet reached consumers,” the memo said. Cheney’s energy plan advocated against price caps and calls for a bail out for energy consumers in California. [San Francisco Chronicle, 1/30/02]

CIA Leak Scandal Focus Turns Toward Cheney’s Office Bush Officials Exposed Identity Of Undercover Cia Agent

Senior Bush Officials Leaked Identity Of Undercover CIA Agent Whose Husband Had Exposed Bush State Of The Union Lie. In July 2003, Ambassador Joseph Wilson publicly disclosed that he had investigated and debunked intelligence linking Iraqi nuclear ambitions to the African nation of Niger. Wilson’s investigation concluded in March 2002, nearly a year before Bush made the assertion that Iraq sought uranium in Africa during his 2003 State of the Union. Days after Wilson went public, columnist Robert Novak revealed that his wife was a CIA operative. The Washington Post reported that “a senior administration official said that before Novak’s column ran, two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson’s wife.” The disclosure of a covert CIA officer's name could be a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison if it was done intentionally by an official who knew the government was trying to maintain the agent's cover. [WP, 9/28/03, 8/9/04]

Key White House Figures, Including Cheney Chief Of Staff, Have Testified Before Investigators. The Associated Press reported that White House press aides Scott McClellan and Adam Levine testified to investigators on February 6, 2004. McClellan’s deputy, Claire Buchan, testified on January 30, and Mary Matalin, a consultant to the Republican National Committee who headed Vice President Dick Cheney’s communications office until December, testified January 21. The AP reported that “a number of other current or former officials have been interviewed by the FBI, including President Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove; communications chief Dan Bartlett; former press secretary Ari Fleischer; Cheney chief of staff Lewis Libby; and Cheney spokeswoman Cathie Martin.” [Associated Press, 2/11/04, emphasis added]

Probe Into Cheney’s Involvement Underway. Cheney Retained Private Lawyer, Then Probed By Federal Prosecutors. In June 2004, Cheney’s spokesperson told NBC in a statement, “Terrence O’Donnell -- partner at Williams and Connelly -- has been the Vice President’s personal attorney for several years. He has consulted Mr. O’Donnell on many matters since coming to the White House. Were the Vice President to seek legal counsel on any issue, Mr. O’Donnell is the man he would go to. Given the fact that the Wilson case is currently under investigation, our office is not commenting further on the matter.” Shortly thereafter, Cheney was reported to have been asked whether he knew of anyone at the White House who had improperly disclosed the identity of an undercover C.I.A. officer and was also asked about conversations with senior aides, including his chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby. The New York Times reported, “In addition, those people said, Mr. Cheney was asked whether he knew of any concerted effort by White House aides to name the officer. It was not clear how Mr. Cheney responded to the prosecutors’ questions.” [NBC, “First Read,” 6/4/04; NY Times, 6/5/04]

Other Key White House Figures, Including Libby, Have Testified Before Investigators. The Associated Press reported that White House press aides Scott McClellan and Adam Levine testified to investigators on February 6, 2004. McClellan’s deputy, Claire Buchan, testified on January 30, and Mary Matalin, a consultant to the Republican National Committee who headed Vice President Dick Cheney’s communications office until December, testified January 21. The AP reported that “a number of other current or former officials have been interviewed by the FBI, including President Bush’s top political adviser, Karl Rove; communications chief Dan Bartlett; former press secretary Ari Fleischer; Cheney chief of staff Lewis Libby; and Cheney spokeswoman Cathie Martin.” [Associated Press, 2/11/04] Reporters Seek Waiver From Libby To Testify On CIA Leak Case:

High-Profile Reporters Subpoenaed. Washington Post reported, “Tim Russert, host of NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ and Time reporter Matthew Cooper were subpoenaed by special prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald. NBC originally said in a statement that it would fight the subpoena, as did a lawyer for Time.” In June, Washington Post reporter Glenn Kessler gave a tape-recorded interview for the grand jury regarding two phone calls he had with Libby, after Libby signed a confidentiality waiver. The Post’s Walter Pincus also received a subpoena in August, but the Post filed a motion to quash the subpoena. A hearing is set for September on the issue. On August 13, the New York Times revealed one of its reporters, Judith Miller, was subpoenaed by the grand jury. “It is not known whether Mr. Novak has received a subpoena or, if he did, how he responded. His lawyer, James Hamilton, declined to comment.” The Post reported Fitzgerald is waiting until the end to question Novak. [WP, 8/25/04, 6/23/04, 5/22/04; NYT, 8/10/04; AP, 8/13/04]

After Being Jailed, Reporter Answers Questions. In August, the Washington Post reported a Time magazine reporter, Matt Cooper, was being held in contempt of court and faces possible jail time, while another, NBC’s Tim Russert, was earlier threatened by a federal judge with the same fate, after they refused to answer questions from a special prosecutor investigating whether administration officials illegally disclosed the name of a covert CIA officer last year. After Libby granted Cooper’s request for a confidentiality waiver, Cooper met with Justice Department prosecutors investigating the case. The prosecutors asked Cooper “about his conversations with a single anonymous source” – Vice President Cheney’s Chief of Staff Scooter Libby. Russert also agreed to an interview with prosecutors about a telephone conversation he had in July 2003 with Libby, after Libby signed a confidentiality waiver form. [WP, 8/25/04, 8/9/04; AP, 8/10/04]

Leaking Victim’s Career Ruined, Damage To Cia Expanded. Leaking Victim’s Career Ruined; Her Covert Status Was Unquestionable. The New York Times reported that “Valerie Plame was among the small subset of Central Intelligence Agency officers who could not disguise their profession by telling friends that they worked for the United States government. That cover story, standard for American operatives who pretend to be diplomats or other federal employees, was not an option for Ms. Plame…As a covert operative who specialized in nonconventional weapons and sometimes worked abroad, she passed herself off as a private energy expert, what the agency calls nonofficial cover. But that changed over the summer, when her identity as a C.I.A. officer was reported in a syndicated column by Robert Novak.” [New York Times, 10/2/03]