October 26, 2002

THE SOPRANO:

Postal plot (Washington Whispers, US News)
A Democratic executive of the U.S. Postal Service abruptly quit last Friday amid allegations that she used the federal mail budget to hurt the re-election chances of Arkansas Republican Sen. Tim Hutchinson. Sources allege that Deborah Willhite, the Postal Service's top lobbyist, pushed to have the budget for Arkansas post offices cut–and Hutchinson blamed. The money was to be transferred to Georgia's post offices, allowing supporters there to credit Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who's in his own tough re-election battle. Senate Republican leader Trent Lott caught wind of the deal making and demanded the resignation of Willhite, an Arkansan who has donated to Hutchinson's opponent and to Cleland. Willhite, however, says "it's all a plot" to discredit her and that she planned to resign anyway. "It spins a good story," she says, "but it's just not the case." Postmaster General John Potter is scouring all recent budget moves for other political hanky-panky.

Another episode in the continuing criminal conspiracy that is the Democrat Party. Posted by Orrin Judd at October 26, 2002 4:30 PM
Comments

Okay, blogged about it. Where is the criminal conspiracy, though? Isn't this just what happened when the feds demanded a uniform drinking age of 21, on pain of losing highway funds? Are MADD and the conservative right engaged in a criminal conspiracy with the Department of Transportation?

Posted by: David Ross at October 27, 2002 2:09 PM

I think you're comparing apples and oranges, David. The methods are similar, but the result is way different. The feds used highway funding in an effort to get a national drinking age of 21 (a federal law might have been unconstitutional). This could at least be described as, for lack of a better word, "bipartisan". On the other hand you have the purely political move to help one party at the expense of another. A national drinking age doesn't necessarily favor one party over another, certainly not directly.

Posted by: scott at October 27, 2002 3:51 PM

NJ--rewrote election law

SD--registering dead people

CA-Nancy Pelosi running an illegal PAC

etc., etc., etc.

Posted by: oj at October 27, 2002 4:33 PM
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