MSNBC: "White House knew of Kerik's 'colorful past'" (good outweighed bad)

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6705694/



WASHINGTON - Bush administration lawyers who vetted former New York City police Commissioner Bernard Kerik before President Bush named him to head the Homeland Security Department knew he had a “colorful past” but concluded that his long record of public service would outweigh questions about his conduct, a senior U.S. official told NBC News on Monday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the lawyers were aware that Kerik had been questioned in a civil lawsuit involving questions about an alleged extramarital affair with a corrections employee; the failure to properly report financial gifts on disclosure forms; and an arrest warrant issued after he failed to pay condo fees.

“The lawyers looked at all these issues,” said the official. "We believed they were not disqualifying."

When Bush set up his first Cabinet in 2001, conservative commentator Linda Chavez also stepped aside as the nominee for labor secretary after it was disclosed that she had given money and shelter to an illegal immigrant who once did chores around her house.

[Anakin Skywalker]

1. Good = Follows Orders Unquestioningly.

That's what it takes to join The Shrub's prestigious cabinet, don't ya know?

[RobertSeattle]

2. Republicans have "colorful pasts" Democrat pasts are disqualifying.

Hip Hip Hypocrisy

[Demit]

3. They have very long childhoods too. Anything bad, up to age 40, is a

"youthful indiscretion".

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

6. And sometimes, if they "slip" and fall back into those indiscretions...

It is completely overlooked, ignored, tuned out and dismissed if the individual happens to be "born again."

THIS..beyond all other reasons...beyond Iraq, beyond the economy, beyond it all...is the reason why I hope that a place in hell is being kept warm for Junior...his "fake Christianity."

[Anakin Skywalker]

8. Saccharine DVD.

Hurl! :puke:

Hard to believe that some outfit would actually spend money making that one. Does anyone think they sold enough to recoup (or better yet, actually making a fat profit as is the dream of all corporatists)???

[yankeedem]

25. I think a heir of a fortune in Pittsburgh bought 5 million copies

nt

[Gothmog]

4. He had mob ties, that is more than colorful

This is just spin to cover up the fact that Bush made a mistake. Bush hates mistakes and have never admitted to any mistakes. This fiasco must really piss him off.

[Generator]

16. There is that possiblity or

even more frightening: They think they can get away with anything now. Which they almost can. Consitution? Democracy? Truth?

Fagetabout it.

[hatrack]

5. Extramarital affairs are "not disqualifying"?

They're impeachable, I guess, but they're "not disqualifying".

Is it just me, or is the hypocrisy heaped up here higher than a pile of Hefty bags during a garbage strike? :wtf:

[xultar]

7. That means then something bigger derailed his ass. I wonder what it was

It must be huge for the immigrant and affair thing not to matter.

Then why is golden boy rudy oun the outs if BFFE already knew about the affairs.

[Zorra]

9. Probably supported him because Bu$h needs a thug to do nasty things

to innocent Americans living under the Bu$h dictatorship.

[atommom]

10. He had a hell of a lot more issues than the Administration is implying!

http://www.americanprogressaction.org/site/pp.asp?c=klLWJcP7H&b=263736

[Blue Gardener]

11. I'm betting his "colorful past" is more like his "colorful present"

I doubt he's turned over a new leaf just recently.

[rocktivity]

12. Well, sure they're saying that NOW

now that that Bush White House look like idiots for not noticing Kerik's "shortcomings"--there's only SO much they can blame on Rudy, LOL! Can we look forward to Bush firing those lawyers for being so incompetent? No wonder this official wish to remain anonymous--he or she should be the first to go!

:headbang:
rocknation

[gratuitous]

13. Gee, who would have thought the media would notice?

It's not like they've been very successful in ferreting out things like that whole weapons of mass destruction thing. Or the poor state of the military's supplies in Iraq. Or the torture at Abu Ghraib. Or the extralegal and unconstitutional detentions at Guantanamo. And so on. And so forth. And on. And on.

Suddenly the media gets all suspicious because Simpleton W. Bush wants to put the apparatus of Homeland Security into the grubby hands of a greedy, venal, petty tyrant who shouldn't be left in charge of a burnt-out match? What's the big shmeal?

[Garbo 2004]

14. The guy's a crook, bully, with an arrest warrant, bungled his job in Iraq

but it's the nanny thing that brought him down? Uh huh. OK. Sure....

[Piperay]

15. "Colorful" ????

:wtf: what a nice way of putting it, the guy is a disgusting POS so crooked that when he dies they will have to screw him into the ground. :mad:

He is also immoral, cheating on his wife with TWO women...better people than him (namely President Clinton) were impeached for less. :mad: :grr: :nuke:

[DeepModem Mom]

17. kick

[janetle]

18. Evidence of quick draw cowboy style

Twice I have heard the mainstream media refer to this white house as normally not making this kind of mistake by nominating this guy....

Excuse me! This administration is full of mistakes like this where they shoot first and ask questions later thinking nobody will care or notice. Isn't this how we got into the Iraq mess?

This whole Kerik issue is just a great big neon sign saying to the whole world----this is how we do things---but this time they got caught.

[More Than A Feeling]

19. Man, Dr. Phil has really hit the skids!

Oh, wait, this isn't a caption post. Oh, well.

[joytomme]

20. The White House knew...this is how they wanted it

The WH wanted to be rid of Kerik and Giuliani...they both had put in claimchecks for payback for their help in electing Bush. Promoting Kerik, nominating Kerik and letting it fall apart worked perfectly. No more Kerik. No more Giuliani in 2008.

Please see my Ratuck Diary posts, "Starting Premise..." and today's "Evil-geniuses...or ...Nicompoops?"

Joy Tomme
Ratfuck Diary (http://ratfuckdiary.blogspot.com)

[janetle]

21. Do we feel safer, now??

This is glaring evidence of how Bush's people only tell him what he wants to hear. He only wanted to hear postivie things about his buddy Bernard who he so admires.

And to think that this Bush person was willing to put my safety and the safety of my children and the safety of my dog in this man's hands.

I hope this story sinks in to the dense minds of the Bush lovers out there. My God.

[newyawker99]

22. Hi janetle!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[janetle]

23. Wow!

Why thank you very much!

[ivolsky]

24. Lets move on...

If the country spent a tenth of the energy dissecting Gonzales that it is wasting on the already irrelevant Kerik, we might be in a better place.

more:www.politicalthought.net

[Disturbed]

26. Kerik lied.

When asked about any skeletons in his closet he said there were none. He was specifically asked about anyone working for him being an illegal immmigrant and he said no. Did he think that his past would never surface? How stupid is this guy?

[w4rma]

28. I'll take any Bush scandals that Big media will latch onto. They don't

really pick the best ones and it's unlikely that they will.

The best scandals, which are never reported on properly, always are about things that the big corps support (and therefore big media supports) such as reduced freedoms for Americans.

[LynnTheDem]

27. So bush KNEW, bush LIED, bush thought he could SNEAK Kerik thru, and then

when CAUGHT, bush BLAMED OTHER PEOPLE.

SOP for bush.

[spanone]

29. That's ludicrous. They took Rudys word and he's a crook.

[Doctor_J]

30. they knew he's a lying, adulterous, low-life criminal?

maybe they picked him because he & smirk are soulmates.

[Bake]

31. Repuke Family Values!

These people make me ILL!! Goddamn them!!

Bake

[brook]

32. He's *'s type.

Amoral, crooked and over-reaching. I have no doubt he was properly 'vetted' and found suitable for the job.

Why do I have this image of monkeys picking vermin off of one another and chewing on it? Too many trips to the zoo ?- or a sudden acceptance of reality?