OVIEDO - So far, local politicians running for offices in Oviedo have done little in the way of campaign fundraising, and the national election may be crimping the fundraising.

Recently released campaign finance reports for the second quarter of 2008 reveal limited activity in the accounts of both incumbents and challengers.

One contested office thus far for this general election is the Oviedo Council Group IV, currently held by Deputy Mayor Dominic Persampiere. He is opposed by William Sheridan. ... Read more

The War Party: Unrepentant over the GOP's disastrous invasion of Iraq, Republican candidates are determined to stay the course - and change the subject

Quietly and miserably, like an anxious mother tiptoeing away from an autistic child who has fallen asleep with his helmet on, the Republican Party continues its hopeless search for a viable nominee while backpedaling from its own disaster in Iraq. The candidates, all of them -- I exclude here Congressman Ron Paul, who is an uninvited guest to this ball -- are fourth-rate buffoons, not one of them qualified to hold down the last ten minutes of a weekday open-mike night in a ... Read more

October 22, 2007; Page A6

The Justice Department received allegations in June 2006 of illegal dealings between a major army contractor in Kuwait and a U.S. food producer but ultimately declined to support the case.

The previously sealed civil lawsuit, seen by The Wall Street Journal, alleges that Public Warehousing Co. of Kuwait received kickbacks from Richmond Wholesale Meat Co. "in exchange for retaining Richmond and allowi ... Read more

The army's Tina Ballard (far left) is sworn in with five contracting executives at a hearing on Capitol Hill, February 7, 2007. Alex Wong/Getty Images.

The People vs. the Profiteers

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Deficit Hawks Defect
As Social Issues Prevail;
'The Party Left Me'

October 2, 2007; Page A1

WASHINGTON -- The Republican Party, known since the late 19th century as the party of business, is losing its lock on that title.

New evidence suggests a potentially historic shift in the Republican Party's identity -- what strategists call its "brand." The votes of many disgruntled fiscal conservatives and other lapsed Republicans are now up for grabs, which could alter U.S. politics in the 2008 elections and beyond. ... Read more

Between April 2003 and June 2004, $12 billion in U.S. currency—much of it belonging to the Iraqi people—was shipped from the Federal Reserve to Baghdad, where it was dispensed by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Some of the cash went to pay for projects and keep ministries afloat, but, incredibly, at least $9 billion has gone missing, unaccounted for, in a frenzy of mismanagement and greed. Following a trail that leads from a safe in one of Saddam's palaces to a house near San Diego, to a P.O. box in the Bahamas, the authors discover just how little anyone cared about how the money was handled.

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards angered Florida Democrats on Saturday by pledging to skip campaigning here and in other states that break party rules by holding early primaries.

The three front-running candidates still could raise money in Florida but could limit the size of groups they rally, local officials said.

Further practical implications of the pledge remained an open question, particularly given that a Democratic debate is scheduled next Sunday in Miami and candidates already have events on their schedules.

Mark Bubriski, a spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party, said officials were assessing the pledge and had no comment.
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How is it done? How do you screw the taxpayer for millions, get away with it and then ride off into the sunset with one middle finger extended, the other wrapped around a chilled martini? Ask Earnest O. Robbins -- he knows all about being a successful contractor in Iraq.

You start off as a well-connected bureaucrat: in this case, as an Air Force civil engineer, a post from which Robbins was responsible for overseeing 70,000 servicemen and contractors, with an annual budget of $8 billion. You serve with distinction for thirty-four years, becoming such a military all-star that the Air Force frequently sends you to the Hill to testify before Congress -- until ... Read more

The state party's response shouldn't require 30 days, 30 minutes or even 30 seconds. It should consist of one word: no.

Kenny Rogers wasn't thinking about politics when he wrote "The Gambler," but the Florida Democratic Party would be wise to consider that song as it decides how to stay relevant in the 2008 presidential primary process. In the debate over the primary now scheduled for Jan. 29, Florida Democrats have all the cards. It is time for state party Chair Karen Thurman to hold ‘em -- and force Democratic National Chair Howard Dean to fold ‘em.

Last Saturd ... Read more