Sunday, October 23, 2005

Cabal of Corruption

Howard Dean had some refreshingly blunt words yesterday, properly pegging the administration as record-setters when it comes to corruption. The suggestion has been offered that progressives (or even just plain folks interested in responsive government open to criticism and - gasp - alternate viewpoints) need to learn repetition to get critical bits of reality through the co-opted media firewalls. Based on some concern at allowing the word "culture" to be tainted by association, I am going on record with my variant, the Cabal of Corruption. Please repeat after me:

Cabal of Corruption

Cabal of Corruption

Cabal of Corruption!!


Dean calls for end to 'culture of corruption'

LEWISTON — The Bush White House is the most corrupt administration in U.S. history since President Warren G. Harding's, said Howard Dean during his first visit to Maine as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Dean's comments Saturday came as top White House advisers are being investigated for their roles in the outing of a CIA operative and Tom DeLay, the former second-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, faces conspiracy and money-laundering charges.

"The first thing we're going to do is we're going to have ethics come back to Washington again," said Dean, the keynote speaker at Saturday night's annual fundraising dinner for the Maine Democratic Party at the Lewiston Armory.

To deal with the "culture of corruption," Dean said, there needs to be an ethics code in Congress and stronger campaign finance laws.

Dean, a former Vermont governor who was once a front-runner in the 2004 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, alluded to criticism that Democrats have been too timid and vague in their message and have not capitalized on Republicans' weaknesses.

Dean said that if Democrats don't stand up for themselves, voters won't have any reason to believe they would be well-represented.

"We have to stand up and say who we are and why we believe what we believe," he said.


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