Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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Howdy, Pardoner

Friday, March 2, 2001

From Portland, Oregon
Just East of the Juan de Fuca Plate

Michael Isikoff reports for Newsweek that there was e-mail traffic way back in February, 2000 which shows that the pardon card being played by Marc Rich's lawyers and supporters. This is important because Denise Rich's donations increased dramatically over the next nine months - totaling over a half million dollars.

We had been told that the Rich donations to the Clinton library and other Democratic entities occurred well BEFORE the time that a pardon became the central tactic by the Marc Rich team, so there was no quid pro quo. This, according to Isikoff's piece, is apparently not so.

So the quidding and the proing and the quoing is now somewhat more recognizable than it was previously.

James V. Grimaldi's Washington Post reporting on the testimony of former White House chief of staff John Podesta, White House counsel Beth Nolan, and Clinton's closest aide, Bruce Lindsay testifying yesterday before the Burton committee: "The former White House officials said they had expressed their opposition to the Rich pardon - and other applications - in sometimes heated terms."

If that is so, then who WAS Bill Clinton listening to? He wasn't listening to his closest aides. Beth and Denise insist they weren't at the White House on that last night. Neither Hugh, Tony, nor Roger were on the Marc Rich payroll - that we know of yet. So who was driving this thing?

It's too bad Bill and Hillary don't come from really large families. The prison over-crowding problem would now be solved.

The other night David Gergen, was asked why there has been no "Lieberman-type" speech yet from a Democrat in the Congress. "Because nobody knows where the bottom is," Gergen said. Ahm. In. Us.

The Dems on the House committee investigating the pardons worked very hard to try and get Dick Cheney's chief of staff - Scooter Libby - to admit he thought the pardon was a pretty good idea. Libby was, at one time, an attorney for Marc Rich.

Libby wouldn't give them what they wanted. He said he only had the defense information, he had never seen what the government's case was and so couldn't - and to the chagrin of Henry Waxman - wouldn't say whether the pardon was a good idea.

Here's a serious new irritant. I checked into the Westin Hotel here in Portland last night and was told there is a $2.50 per night surcharge for - electricity!
Why?
Because California has to pay so much.
Aren't we in Oregon?
It's gone up here too.
Ok, ok. Where's the elevator � and will I need quarters to
operate it?

As I sit here every light is on, the hair dryer is running, the iron is heating, I've got the thermostat turned up as high as it will go (90), and the television AND radio are on despite the fact the noise of both makes either unintelligible. And I keep running out in the hall, call the elevator and, when it comes, I press all the buttons then jump off.

True life airplane humor: A passenger got on in Baltimore, and told the flight attendant she didn't speak English very well. The flight attendant asked her colleagues if any of them spoke Spanish. "Muy pepito Espa�ol," one said. "Cervesa' and 'Felice Navidad' are about it."

This is why George W. left the rough and tumble of Major League Baseball for the relative gentility and courtesy of Big Time Politics. An article in the Washington Post on the pitching woes of the Baltimore Orioles pointed out that a pitcher they got from the New York Mets "was not 21 as had been represented." When I was reading this I thought, "What's the problem? Was he 19? He couldn't drive the team bus?" It turns out this guy is 27.

I can imagine the conversation at Shea Stadium in Queens: "Bawltimore? Those putzes. It'll be fine. Waddaya think they're gonna ask him for his draft card? Tell him to shave close and maybe he don't need to bring his eight-year-old kid to spring training.
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Copyright © 2001 Richard A. Galen

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