Saturday, March 04, 2006
The Odious Rep. Katherine Harris
The former Florida Secretary of State, now congresswoman, Katherine Harris--so indispensable to the Bush brothers--is back in the news today.
Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) has acknowledged that she requested last year that $10 million in federal funds be set aside for a Navy intelligence program in her district at the request of Washington contractor Mitchell J. Wade, who pleaded guilty last week to bribing another House member.
Harris, who gained notoriety as secretary of state in Florida during the contested Bush-Gore presidential race in 2000, is running for the Senate this year. News media in her home state have been focusing on her dealings with Wade since prosecutors disclosed last week that she was the unwitting recipient of $32,000 in illegal campaign donations from Wade in 2004...
Last year, she first requested five defense projects totaling $15.8 million. A month later, she wrote another letter to Reps. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), the senior members of the (House appropriations subcommittee) panel, adding the Wade project. It was for Naval Criminal Investigative Service airborne capability, which she placed third on her list of funding priorities. She said it was "to support counterintelligence and combating terrorism missions."
No wonder the goopers are so big on the "war on terrorism", the appropriations process can be used as a huge slush fund without the taxpayers even batting an eye. Also known as the "Dukestir" business model.
And it makes the politician look "tough" on the freedom hatin' Muslims--a real vote getter in the red states.
