Mr. and Mrs. Gramm: The Dark and Disturbing Friends of Rick Perry 2/4

  by Nomad

To Return to Part One

In part two of this four-part series, we will continue to look at Phil Gramm, mentor to Rick Perry, presidential candidate. At this point, we shall continue with Gramm's career following his retirement from the Senate.

Gramm at UBS

When Phil Gramm announced on September 4 2001 that he would retire at the end of his term in 2003, his retirement speech was filled with self-congratulatory flatulence.

Remarkably, the things I came to Washington to do are done. Now, I know that no victory is ever final...I will leave the Senate in 15 months, being very proud that I came, and extraordinarily proud in what I've done while I've been here... But I feel comfortable with this decision. I believe I'm making the right decision for me, for the 20 million people I represent, and for the things I believe in.

Despite the fact that he spoke to reporters with “his voice cracking and his tears filling red-rimmed eye,” he had no intention of spending his autumnal years, tending his garden and painting landscapes. In fact, he was about to begin a new career, one that would surpass all his other accomplishments from the past.

Mr. and Mrs. Gramm- The Dark and Disturbing Friends of Rick Perry: 1/4

 by Nomad

The four-part saga of power couple Phil and Wendy Gramm requires both a seat belt and an airbag. Their careers span both the political and business world, generally working in tandem to maximized their personal wealth.

Bad Company

George Washington once said, “Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” 

While this might have been true in Washington’s day, as advice for the modern politician, it is hardly practical. In Texas politics, a rising star has to associate with a lot of unsavory types, with a lot of money and political clout, the right connections etc. 

Yet, Governor Rick Perry’s association with Mr. and Mrs. Gramm is much more than a casual acquaintance. If Perry’s close relationship is anything to go by, Rick must not esteem his reputation at all.

Joseph Allbaugh- The Dark and Disturbing Friends of Rick Perry

by Nomad

The career of Joseph Allbaugh is one of those journalist's treasure troves. This post is a little long but offers more thrills of discovery than any Indiana Jones film.

I saw this announcement the other day.

October 24th, 2011 - Texas Gov. Rick Perry added substantial political firepower to his presidential campaign Monday by hiring several seasoned GOP operatives. The Perry team announced Monday that Joe Allbaugh, who managed George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, would be joining the campaign. "I am honored to have these experienced professionals joining our growing campaign team," Perry said in a statement. "These experienced advisors will play an instrumental role in helping me share my vision to get America working again with the nation, and I am proud to have their support as our campaign expands."

If anybody needed any more proof that Texas Governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry is a clone (wearing a wrinkly mask and a crisp wig) of former Texas Governor and President George W. Bush, then this latest news is it.

In response to the news above, and out of a sense of patriotic duty, I decided to take a closer look at this new addition to the Perry family and see what I could learn. You probably may not be too surprised to find out that Allbaugh doesn’t pass the “smell” test.
Not one bit.

Then Along Came a Hero: The Oliver North Myth

By Nomad

A lot of years have passed since Reagan's second term. Many people who lived during those times are apt to forget the scandal that became known as Iran-Contra. And many Americans are unaware the role that Oliver North played in it. 

Yet from time to time, you still see his aging face appearing on Fox News to give his opinions. For that reason, you should really understand the mindset of the man who, banking on the ignorance of the American public, claims to be a hero to his nation.

Furthering the Version

Reagan-myth worshipers would prefer to erase from the national conscious (and conscience) the embarrassing events of the final years of his second term, especially the entire Iran-Contra affair. It was, for a lot of people, a case of a Republican administration getting caught up in another humiliating scandal. 

In many ways, the Iran-Contra affair went far beyond anything seen in the Watergate hearings. The threat of another Communist Cuba had preoccupied the Reagan administration. Those fears were stoked by the openly declared mission of the Nicaraguan Marxist regime to spread revolution throughout the region. The Reagan administration's policy was to arm and train right-wing insurgent militias called the Contras.

However, Congress wanted no part in the president's directive. All direct funding of this illegal insurgency was officially prohibited through the Boland Amendment -the name given to three U.S. legislative amendments between 1982 and 1984, all aimed at limiting US government assistance to the Contras militants. 

A Look at the UK Tabloid Smear of Obama's Father

by Nomad

In true tabloid fashion, The Daily Mail in the UK attempts to discredit the president through his biological father- a man Obama met for only a few hours. Behind the tabloid story, there really is a much more interesting tale that deserves telling. 

Time to give credit where credit is due.
The UK tabloid, The Daily Mail, deserves a round of applause from the more bigoted hateful members of American society for its smear campaign against Obama. Not the President of the United States but his estranged long-deceased father. Barak Obama, Sr.
The Mail, amid all of its exposes on Simon Cowell’s sexual preferences and other celebrity non-stories, has taken it upon themselves to print several stories about the president’s father, namely, that he was, among other things, a “playboy” and “a serial womaniser." Here's a snippet from one of the articles:

A memo from a University of Hawaii foreign student adviser said that Obama senior had 'been running around with several girls since he first arrived here and last summer she cautioned him about his playboy ways. Subject replied that he would "try" to stay away from the girls.'

Hardly what one might call unusual behavior for a male university student. It has been suggested by at least one writer, that the actual message was more like a warning to stay away from the white girls. (If true, he didn't seem to obey that directive.)