Backstage w/Supak: organic, progressive, environmentalist

White House Oil Slicks try to slime out of Enron

I've been reading the Bush and Enron goodies at the Nation and, even though I've been reading a lot about this, I really enjoyed hearing The Nation's writers sum it up for me. One really good one is by Robert Borosage:

It is Enron's rise that lays bare the hypocrisy of modern conservatives--call them Enron conservatives. Enron conservatives fly the flag of free markets but actually use political and financial clout to free themselves from accountability, rig the market and then use their position to ravage consumers, investors and employees. These are not the small-is-beautiful compassionate conservatives George Bush advertised in the election campaign, or the tory conservatives who protect flag, family and honor. Enron conservatives make the rules to benefit themselves. "They have clout and the ability to get the rules written their way," said Stephen Naeve, chief financial officer for Houston Industries, Inc. about Enron in 1997. "They play with sharp elbows."

Well, there's a lot of people sharpening their elbows for a fight with Enron. And if there's any question if what they did was criminal, ask the family of the man who tried to stop the company from its evil-doing, and was found dead of an "apparent" suicide this morning in Sugarland, Texas. Wonder what kind of investigation will go into that death? And I wonder if Jerry Falwell will make a tape (available to you for only $35) explaining how this President was responsible for that death?

It gets better. In Robert Scheer's article "Bush to Lay: What Was Your Name Again?", we discover that the Bush's were pushing for Enron business all over the world.

After Bush the elder's defeat in 1992, the ties between Enron and the Bush camp grew even stronger. In March 1993, Enron hired Bush's Commerce secretary, Robert A. Mosbacher, and his secretary of State, James A. Baker III, to line up contracts for Enron around the world. As Enron's representative, Baker--later George W.'s Florida election strategist--even went on a trip accompanying the ex-President to Kuwait to do big business in the nation Bush had fought the Gulf War to save.

The trip was criticized by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, who said that he had turned down millions in proffered deals to do business in Kuwait after the war.

"I represent 540,000 American men and women, not some private company," said Schwarzkopf. "They were willing to die in Kuwait. Why should I profit from their sacrifice?"

I wonder what Stormin' Norman thinks about the profit the new wave of Bushies made from the sacrifice of the average investor? I wonder what the Genreal thinks of W in general? Or, what he thinks of the at least 34 people in the Bush administration who owned stock and/or worked directly for Enron? I wonder if anyone will ask about the conflict of interest between not imposing price caps and owning Enron stock? Nah, only Republicans get upset when democrats do that, not the other way around.