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SOS Senate Confirmation Hearing

post #1 of 12
1/13/09 at 8:08am
Thread Starter 
Anyone watching it? I caught some of it while getting ready for work.

That one Senator is adamant about President Clinton not taking any foreign while Hillary is SOS.

And John Kerry has to win the award as the biggest wimp ever. I have to say I would MUCH rather have Obama POTUS than that idiot Kerry, I just detest that man.
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post #2 of 12
1/13/09 at 4:44pm
I watched some of it on C-Span, and some highlights on the news.

Not surprisingly, very few objections seem to be coming out. I'd think those foreign contributions would get more attention.
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post #3 of 12
1/13/09 at 5:31pm
Thread Starter 
I just read an article that those foreign donations are getting more attention now Neet. At least according to this article. It should be very interesting.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090113/...llars_abridged
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post #4 of 12
1/28/09 at 11:08am
Wow, guess someone shoulda dug into this a little better.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

The documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press show that $4.6 million of the former president’s reported $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria came from foreign sources, including Kuwait’s national bank, other firms and groups in Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Portugal and a Hong Kong-based company that spent $100,000 on federal lobbying last year.

Do we look stupid now or what? A SOS whose spouse got almost $6 million USD from foreign speaking engagements.
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post #5 of 12
1/28/09 at 11:11am
Not too surprising. Carter, G.H.W. Bush, and Reagan all got large honoraria for foreign speeches, too.

There is some doubt as to the parsing of the agreement between Bill Clinton and the Obama administration and the Senate for annual releases of donor information.
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post #6 of 12
1/28/09 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by neetanddave View Post
Wow, guess someone shoulda dug into this a little better.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

The documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press show that $4.6 million of the former president’s reported $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria came from foreign sources, including Kuwait’s national bank, other firms and groups in Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Portugal and a Hong Kong-based company that spent $100,000 on federal lobbying last year.

Do we look stupid now or what? A SOS whose spouse got almost $6 million USD from foreign speaking engagements.
I don't understand Neet, I thought it was a well known fact that the CGI received much money from foreign donations. I don't think that is illegal is it?
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post #7 of 12
1/28/09 at 4:09pm
Oh no, this is him personally. For speaking engagements. The stuff declared as income on his taxes. Not donations to charities, or the library. Cold hard cash.

Most of them also donated to the CGi as well, but this was "earned income."

A Hong Kong automotice firm, $300,000. Cha-ching. A Mexican financial services company, $300,000. Cha-ching.

This happens in banana republics, not America. We deserve any harassment we get for this. I don't trust many politicians, particularlly the Clintons, and will never believe that some "favor" isn't granted for these "honorariums." Nice word. Almost sounds legit.
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post #8 of 12
1/29/09 at 12:08pm
It's obviously nothing new.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...202189_pf.html
Quote:
Over the past two decades, speaking for money, especially to foreign audiences, has become a common way for ex-presidents to find financial security. Ronald Reagan raised eyebrows collecting $2 million in Japan shortly after he left office in 1989. And George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter have both traveled extensively to lecture for pay.

The elder Bush, who was wealthy before he became president, had an active speaking schedule after he left the White House, and as recently as 2004 he was reported to have been paid between $125,000 and $150,000 for a series of speeches in China. He has also held seats on corporate boards. But much of his activity remains private because he is under no obligation to disclose it.
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post #9 of 12
1/29/09 at 12:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
IIRC, neither Nancy Reagan, Rosalyn (sp) Carter nor Barbara Bush ever held political office. As their husbands became private citizens, it was none of the taxpayer's business who paid for their speaking engagements.

And Jimmy Carter's activities border on treason, IMO. He's not authorizied to negoitiate on behalf of the United States, and needs to stay out of foreign affairs. He wants to be SOS or UN Ambassador, he should have bucked for an appointment. Same deal with Jesse Jackson, although his group accepting public funds makes his intereference even more grevious.
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post #10 of 12
1/29/09 at 1:02pm
Why was George H.W. Bush still getting paid for giving speeches abroad while two of his sons and heirs were governors, and while one of them was in the White House?
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post #11 of 12
1/29/09 at 2:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jcat View Post
Why was George H.W. Bush still getting paid for giving speeches abroad while two of his sons and heirs were governors, and while one of them was in the White House?
Cause he's a popular speaker????

I'd be interested to see "who" paid him. Unlike Bill Clinton, I don't think GHW Bush took payment directly from foreign governments.

And his "son and heir" Jeb was pretty much unable to do much anyway, I doubt anyone would have wanted to get favors from the state of FL.
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post #12 of 12
1/30/09 at 5:03am
If Samantha Power wasn't one of the three scariest women on the planet, I might get a kick out of this.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...iwkBAD96135M80
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