Does FReepers actually believe this (Lay-Clinton connection)

[KDLarsen]

I just saw this on a different forum, and I just couldn't help my self:

"Former Enron President Ken Lay, broadly implicated in charges of fraud relating to the collapse of energy-trading giant, Enron and its related companies, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Houston, Texas.

Enron collapsed after massive fraud and financial misreporting perpetrated during the watch of the Clinton administration's SEC.

Former Enron President Ken Lay was one of many guests of President Bill Clinton, enjoying Clinton's hospitality in the White House's Lincoln Bedroom several times. Nonetheless, mainstream press accounts attempt to link Lay with the Bush administration, an effort which has to date borne little fruit, while disregarding the clear breach of oversight in the Clinton SEC.

Democrat pundits vigorously assert that there is no direct evidence to link Enron's misdeeds with the exercise of undue influence from the Clinton White House, but chafe that, as the fraud occurred on their watch, they cannot credibly blame teh Bush administration."

.. My reply:
"Excuse me, but..

AAAHHHAHHAHAAHAAHAHAA...

Sorry, but is this the best they can come up with? Everyone knows just how tightly knit Dubya & Lay were, certainly tighter than Lay & Clinton, so don't be surprised if Dubya suddently signs a Presidential pardon in LAy's favor.

Oh, and it's funny, you know that Californian energy crisis that made Ken Lay a while lot of money? Grey Davis called Dubya directly and asked him to investigate whether Enron were pumping their prices or not. And guess what, Dubya refused. Not a good idea considering the tapes of Enron execs that has been airing the last few weeks."

[theivoryqueen]

1. Right, and Lay didn't attend the energy meetings with cheney either.

[gatorboy]

2. Dinosaur extinction?

Oh yeah. That was Clinton...

[Bush was AWOL]

3. I thought Lay

stayed at the white house several times when Clinton was President?

[Dookus]

4. Nope...

you fell for a lie.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/enron.htm

[Bush was AWOL]

7. Thanks..Do you...

Do you have the link from the party or something of that sort that Bush celebrated with Lay?

[Dookus]

10. sorry, need more info...

not sure what event you're talking about.

[oasis]

8. Poppy 'n Babs flew to Chimpy's innauguration on Lay's private jet. They

are/were great pals. Before Enron went bust, Chimpyboy was sucking up to Ken Lay, his biggest contributor. Was sending him little hand written notes etc.

[librechik]

5. so, if Clinton was evil to hang out with Lay once, what does that make

Shrubbie, who hung out with him for years?

[neuvocat]

6. They believe what they want to.

If you tell them anything that helps them ignore the mistakes they've made in following Bush then they'll never stop praising you or following you. That's why Rush is so loved by them.

[imax2268]

9. here...read this...

http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/story.asp?ID=5532

In a democratic society, successful propaganda generally relies on two elements: the fabrication of a useful, plausible, specific lie, and the deployment of visible professionals who are willing to repeat it until it’s believed. Like any other salesman, the resourceful propagandist must also be prepared to get lucky.

Fearful about the potential political impact of Enron, members of the Republican propaganda corps quickly realized they should argue that both parties were equally corrupted by the energy firm’s money. Simple mathematics belied this assertion, but simple minds might be persuaded anyway. (There is reportedly a videotape from the autumn of 2000 that shows Kenneth Lay dispelling such illusions, explaining patiently to his employees that Republicans deserve bigger contributions because they’re more compliant with his agenda of deregulating markets and reducing corporate taxes.)

What the G.O.P. really needed was a potent symbol of Democratic complicity with Enron; a familiar face to replace the images of the President and the Vice President and all the other administration figures compromised by Kenny Boy; a sturdy scapegoat to carry the weight of their own sins.

It wasn’t too difficult to guess who that might be.

The search for a scapegoat became a revealing exercise in experimental psychology and media manipulation. On Jan. 11, the Drudge Report ran an item purporting to demonstrate that the Clintons, not the Bushes, were the true tools of Enron. Among the highlights was a replay of past infamy: " Lay also played golf with President Bill Clinton and slept in the Clinton White House." (Proprietor Matt Drudge refuses to say where he came upon this allegation, replying only that "Lay’s direct ties to Clinton are well documented.")