European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday april 162007 stars and stripes Page 17 opinion inject big Oil dollars and watch ethics slide Arianna Huffington Oney Money the talk of the political world right now who raised the most who had the most donors which party raised More the answer to the last one is the democrats who crushed the republicans in fundraising for the first Quarter of 2007 but allow me to interrupt the Victory Parade for a moment to Point out that the Rais ing of political Money int the whole Story if s what happens afterwards that should command our Atten Tion a perfect example the potential Bil lion Oil Industry wind fall made possible by an omission in the off Shore drilling leases agreed to in 1998 and 1999 the Bush administrations response to what the Interior departments inspector general has labelled a jaw dropping exam ple of bureaucratic bungling has been exactly what you would expect do nothing and let the Oil Compa Nies keep the Money inspector general Earl Devaney called the administrations inaction on the mis take shockingly Cava Lier the democrats on the other hand pledged to fix the Blun Der As part of their first 100 hours Campaign and in fact the House has already passed a Bill to that effect but Over in the Senate Jeff Bingaman of new Mexico and Dianne Feinstein of Cali fornia have suddenly gone All wobbly and Are leading an Effort to water Down the Bill both of them not coincidentally Are recipients of political donations from can you guess Oil companies in fact Bingaman pockets More Oil Money than any other Senate Democrat and Here is the quid pro quo he gave to the Oil Industry the Way i would like to proceed he said is to find something that the administration thinks will pass mus Ter really if what passes Muster with the administration is what passes Muster with the american people Bingaman would still be in the minority in the Senate Feinstein meanwhile has endorsed the version favored by the Bush Tion which is to ask the the Media often treat the Money race like a contest in which the total raised is the end of the Story nicely in renegotiate and in Exchange extend their current leases with out bids does anybody really believe that no bid contracts for Oil companies already raking in record profits were what the american people voted for in november if they wanted a Senate that opens the Treasury to big Oil and pleads helplessness when asked to exercise real oversight voters could have left the republicans in charge this Story offers us a glimpse into the other Side of political Money the one where the Oil Industry spills gobs of Cash All around Washington including million spent lobbying Congress last year and politicians return the favor with  than you notes then have the Gall to pretend that All that Money Doest make a Whit of difference when it conies to decision making time according to Bingaman the six figure contributions he receives from the Oil Industry in no Way affect my View on the drilling leases Issue einsteins spokesman offered a similar denial As did the spokesman for sen Pete Domenici who when not pressuring us attorneys is the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and natural resources committee and a major recipient of Oil Industry Cash at no time do Campaign contributions affect sen Domenicis Deci Sion making said the spokesman do they really expect us to believe that the Heads of the Oil companies donate All that Money out of the goodness of their hearts and their love of representative democracy and that Binga Man Feinstein Domenici and their co Horts Are Able to completely Cut them selves off from feeling indebted to those who fill their Campaign coffers these pols Are the political equivalents of Carmela so Prano enjoying the spoils while denying the dirty business that makes the spoils pos sible on second thought at least Carmela allows a moment of doubt to creep in now and then do our politicians the Media often treat the Money race like a contest in which the total raised is the end of the Story but its Only the begin Ning and until More Light is shone on the paybacks the real loser will continue to be the american people for now we need to turn the Searchlight on Sens Bingaman and Feinstein other Wise Well have to rubber neck at yet another wreck piled up at the intersection of Money and influence niceties eluded Imus but he want the first Ann Coulter the Only person happier than Larry Birkhead about the big announce ment that he is the fatties of Anna Nicole Smiths baby is Don Imus by the Way what s the word for a woman who gives birth to a child of Uncertain paternity English speakers in America need a Rule Book to Tell us what people can say what words when and under which set of circumstances the Rule Book will be longer than the Patriot act and will require weekly updates As new words and Circum stances Are added per haps a Nada style ticker would be More efficient depending on which to show you tune into what Imus said was wrong because 1 his show goes out on pc regulated air Waves 2 he regularly interviews people like Sens John Kerry John Mccain and Joe Biden 3 he spoke at the White House correspondents dinner afew years ago or 4 Hes not Black perhaps sensing that such constantly scrolling rules have a whiff of fascism about them the scowling miss Grundy of the world think they have hit on the perfect omnibus Rule they instruct us to be Nice theres a word for the grim miss Grundy but apparently in not allowed to use it Sarah Silverman is this will be All in the Rule Book the requirement to always be Nice would be the end of Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle two of the funniest comedians in America let me rephrase that it would be the end of All humor even Bob Hope cruelly implied that democrats didst sup port the troops when he joked to the troops in Vietnam the country is behind you 50 percent at least Well still be Able to watch the Charlie Rose show actually for All any one knows Rose is calling women Nappy headed hos on to every night since no one has Ever seen his show in addition to ending All humor Well lose All political debate for americans Over 4 years old people in the Public sphere Are engaged in serious arguments Over abortion illegal immigration How much Money the government takes from you and the preeminent Battle of our time against islamic fascists the be Nice admonition is the sort of thing stupid girls say when they cant think of anything substantive to say i for one Promise to implement the be Nice policy just As soon As the other Side surrenders prickly City by Scott Stantis say does anyone remember if Winston Churchill was Nice in his Public pronouncements about Hitler was he even Nice to his fellow countrymen with whom he disagreed no i dont think he was this is what Winston Churchill said about the labor party Ramsay Macdonald i remember when i was a child being taken to the celebrated Baums circus which contained an exhibition of freaks and monstrosities but the exhibit on the program which i most desired to the one described As the Boneless wonder my parents judged that the spectacle would be too de moralizing and revolting for my Youthful Eye and i have waited 50 years to see the Boneless wonder sitting on the Treasury Bench and guess what Public figure was con stantly accused of making outrageous re Marks trading in insults trashing and character of what Public figure was it asked who can examine this record of insults and say that Here is a Man of class that s right Ronald Reagan those particular quotes Are from Washington Post columnists Richard Cohen and Colman Mccarthy was Reagan Nice to the soviets they certainly didst think so the soviets con stantly denounced Reagan As rude and our dear friends at the bbl upbraided re Agan for his rude attacks on Fidel Castro Nicaragua and the soviet Union Post columnist Mccarthy indignantly charged that Reagan had put Down an entire nation the soviet Union by calling it the focus of evil in the nuclear world of dear Reagan want Nice no won Der he never accomplished anything one More item for the delusional miss Grundy still obtuse by citing Reagan As their Model of As governor of California Reagan gave student protesters at Berkeley the ringer remember that next time you ask yourself what would Reagan do people who Are afraid of ideas White Wash Reagan like they Whitewash Jesus sorry to break it to you but the Reagan Era did not consist of eight years of Reagan Jok ing about his naps the reason people dont like what Imus said was because the women on the rut Gers basketball team Arent engaged in pub Lic discourse there not Public figures they dont have a forum they Arent trying to influence Public policy they play Well apparently and did nothing to bring on an at tack on their looks or character its not the words Imus would be just As bad if he had simply said the Rutgers women were ugly and Loose people claim to object to the words alone but that s because everyone is trying to fit this incident into a pc worldview if s like girls who say if s not that you cheated on me if s that you lied about it no its that you cheated if Imus had called me a to headed to or Al Sharpton a Nappy headed to it would be whats known As funny and if he called Anna Nicole Smith a flax a headed to it would be absolutely a but he attacked the looks and morals of utterly innocent women who had done nothing to inject themselves into pub Lic debate Imus should apologize to the Rutgers women and those women alone Send them Flowers and Stop kissing Al Sharp tons ring this want an insult to All Mankind and certainly not an insult to Ai Sharpton now if Imus had called the basketball players fat race baiting Black men with clownish hairstyles Well then perhaps Sharpton would be owed an apology