Associates: Rep. Ney hit bottle all day long

[Algorem]

http://www.cleveland.com/open/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/isope/1169123545298930.xml&coll=2

Friday, January 19, 2007
Sabrina Eaton
Plain Dealer Bureau
Washington —

...Ney has blamed alcoholism for his aberrant behavior, which included taking bribes from a lobbyist, but the extent of his drinking became clear only Thursday, when pre-sentencing letters from former aides and friends were filed in U.S. District Court in Washington...

The dozens of letters of support were solicited on behalf of Ney, who pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and making false statements on Oct. 13. But the solicitation backfired in a handful of cases.

For example, a man named Ben Alvin Walker, whose address was not listed in the correspondence to the court, wrote Huvelle to say that Ney, through a chain that includes his Baptist minister, asked him to write a sympathetic letter. But Walker wrote that he actually feels “if the punishment really fit the crime, he’d have been shot at sunrise.” ...

Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington noted that Ney’s actions were already against the rules, but Congress wasn’t enforcing them and probably won’t in the future without an independent Office of Public Integrity...

[liberalnurse]

1. I sense that Prison

will served to be a rather " sobering" experience.

[havocmom]

2. Blame 'Demon Rum'. That's REALLY the last refuge of a scoundrel

So easy to pay a posh resort err, REHAB clinic a huge sum and be pronounced all better. Look for it often as more GOP pols get kicked to the courts. It's the new Born Again routine for GOP criminals, but only the ones who get caught and punished.

[noamnety]

3. a fine GOP quote

"There’s a reason Bob Ney ran into problems,” Livingston said. “It’s because people weren’t watching him"

Brought to you by the Party of Personal Responsibility.

[LiberalFighter]

8. People shouldn't have to watch other people to make sure they don't get into trouble

People should know that when they are caught they will suffer the consequences with prison, financial, and embarrassment to their family, friends, and church.

[Qutzupalotl]

17. Yes, or to put it another way

Character is how you behave when no one is watching.

[tanyev]

9. And the party that despises regulatory agencies. Good catch.

[truth2power]

20. First they say the adults are in charge..

then they want someone to baby-sit them.

[tabasco]

27. Well said! n/t

[calimary]

23. Yeah, I liked that part, too.

"Bill Livingston, a GOP ex-congressman from Louisiana who also served on the Ethics Committee, said the compressed Tuesday through Thursday work week adopted by Republicans let congressmen operate without enough supervision by peers, and said longer hours imposed by Democrats might remedy matters."

Well, gee. How 'bout that one for all those republi-CON whiners who complain about how HORRIBLE it is to have to work a full five-day week on the job. Might have kept one of their own in line a little better. Hey, okay with me if they keep shooting themselves in the feet. One less republi-CON to have to deal with, and work around, and make progress in spite of. What's bad for them is good for the rest of us.

[tanyev]

4. IOKIYAAAR!

It's OK If You Are An Alcoholic Republican! Heck, 30 days in rehab should be more than enough punishment, right??? He didn't mean to get caught.




:sarcasm:

[lpbk2713]

5. Another rethug who will be allowed to retire in shame

and receive a pension courtesy of the US taxpayer for the rest of his life.

[Greeby]

6. Pelosi is working on that

There's a bill they're working on next week to strip convicted ex-congresscritters of their pensions

[dogfacedboy]

29. Will that be retroactive to any point in time? n/t

[hippiechick]

7. Jeez, those Pugs sure can't handle their liquor!!

Any time anyone of them gets caught with their hand (or other body part) where it's not supposed to be, they blame the booze.

:eyes:

[mod mom]

10. LOVED THIS ONE:

For example, a man named Ben Alvin Walker, whose address was not listed in the correspondence to the court, wrote Huvelle to say that Ney, through a chain that includes his Baptist minister, asked him to write a sympathetic letter. But Walker wrote that he actually feels “if the punishment really fit the crime, he’d have been shot at sunrise.” ...


:rofl:

[Cocoa]

12. that doesn't sound particularly "sympathetic"

:rofl:

[Tatiana]

26. That was priceless!

:rofl:

[Doctor_J]

11. he should run for president

[maxrandb]

13. I'm just wondering

where in the hell were all of these "associates" when Ney was getting up in front of the public and making speeches amount "integrity, honor, sacrifice, family values, etc"???

Seems to me that the time to point out that someone was a "shit-faced, hypocritical boozer" might have been BEFORE he was defeated and sentenced to prison.

Jeesh, with friends like these "associates"...who needs enemies.

Then again, it really is all about seizing and holding power, isn't it?

If only someone had held this guy accountable from the start...

[Nickster]

15. Well, this is how I see it. If you were a member of their majority, it was important for the leaders

of that party to "have something" on each member. That way, you can keep that member in line and get guaranteed votes on whatever the leadership felt was important. I feel that's been the Dubya plan from the start, get dirty people all around you so you know that they can't speak. This person might have something on me, but I got dirt on them as well, so they'll shut the heck up. Mutual Assured Destruction if you will. It seems my theory is proven time and again when you see how many Pukes get lead out of office in shackles, it's more than just a coincidence.

[tblue37]

21. I believe the whole NSA wiretapping program is designed

to get dirt on all everyone--opponents and allies alike--to hold over their heads and make them do what Bushco wants, or to prevent them from working against them.

[OnyxCollie]

22. Absolutely.

Would they not also have a complete record of every email and text message sent by Mark Foley? If maintaining absolute power is Bushco's goal, wouldn't it only be logical to obtain leverage against everyone, be they enemy or ally? (And in Bushco's eyes, "Who is an ally?" Answer: "Someone who has no choice to be otherwise."

Mark Foley's congressional district contains Palm Beach county, where the "butterfly ballots" took votes away from Al Gore in the 2000 election.

Whispers of illicit and immoral transgressions writhe under Bushco's scrutiny.

I had been thinking recently about how quickly Mark Foley dropped out of sight when the news first broke. No big protestations of the charges, he just scurried away. It appeared (to me) as if his quick departure was not without some relief. "Cat's out of the bag, not much they can force me to do now. I'll just blame a priest, go into rehab, be cleared of wrongdoing, and I'm gone!"

One of the lines from 1984 that chilled me was, "Power is fear and humiliation, for without that you cannot be sure."

(BTW, apologies for 'jacking the thread.)

[gratuitous]

14. The prisons are filled with guys

Oh man, this is how out of touch these clowns are. Do you know how many guys are sitting in a jail cell right now who were drunk out of their minds when they committed their special crime? And every one of them is just waiting to see if Bob Ney receives leniency for being a stinkin' drunk while being a corrupt bastard.

Enjoy your last days of freedom as best you can, Mr. Ney. They're going to have to last a long time.

[damntexdem]

16. Good, we need to encourage more of that ...

among GOP members of Congress.

[underpants]

18. Fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son

So he was drunk AND a crook. Neither one cancels the other one out. Big deal.

[Psephos]

24. lol n/t

[MadMaddie]

19. No sympathy here..He lied, he stole...he is ultimately responsible.

:nopity: :nopity::nopity: :nopity: :nopity::nopity:

[donheld]

25. It's lack of moral character that's to blame

Drinking may be included in that, but that sums it up quite nicely if I do say so myself.

[hatrack]

28. Ah, yes, the "Cry For Help" defense

:eyes:

[originalpckelly]

30. So not only was he an alcoholic, he was abusive to bottles.

[hollowdweller]

31. What do you bet he was a big supporter of drug testing??

I always find it humorous that these guys want somebody to lose their job for a joint they smoked 2 weeks ago or something but they are drunk on the job.