Just POlitics

The word is out

The word is out on who from the U. N. Oil-for-Food investigation delivered evidence to Congress on that failed investigation. Robert Parton, a former FBI agent and the top investigator with the United Nations' delivered at least a half-dozen boxes of documents to comply with a subpoena issued last week by the House International Relations Committee.

"It is my hope and expectation that neither the United Nations nor the [Volcker] inquiry will attempt to sanction Parton for complying with a lawful subpoena," Chairman Henrry Hyde said.

"That work requires confidentiality with respect both to sources who have entrusted the inquiry with vital information and to the [inquiry's] own deliberations," Paul Volcker said.

"Staff members who have voluntarily assumed the privileges and responsibilities associated with work with the [U.N. investigation] cannot, in my judgment, reasonably and honorably violate those pledges of confidentiality and acceptance of immunity at the expense of their former colleagues," Volcker added.

In other matters on this scandal the Washington Times "Inside the Beltway" reports that the Clinton impeachment team is finding work on various sides of the Oil-for-Food scandal:

The massive U.N. oil-for-food scandal is proving a magnet for veterans of the legal team that helped Bill Clinton beat the rap when he was impeached over the Monica Lewinsky scandal in 1998.

That was Washington superlawyer Robert S. Bennett, Mr. Clinton's attorney, furiously passing notes up to the witness table at a House committee hearing on the scandal last week.

Mr. Bennett's client, French bank BNP Paribas, held the accounts for the U.N. program and has had to fend off charges it aided and abetted Saddam Hussein's scheme to steal oil-for-food funds to bribe his way out of international sanctions.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, accused of mismanaging the program and failing to take seriously charges that his son was scamming the world body, is getting pro bono legal wisdom from Gregory B. Craig, White House legal counsel during the Clinton impeachment fight.

Mr. Craig, who says he is helping out Mr. Annan as an old friend, has mounted an aggressive campaign on the secretary-general's behalf in the face of congressional Republicans demanding that Mr. Annan step down. (Sound familiar?)

Mr. Bennett and Mr. Craig may soon be crossing swords with another impeachment alumnus.
Lanny Davis, who stoutly defended Mr. Clinton on every talk show that would book him, is representing another oil-for-food figure, Robert Parton. Mr. Parton, whom congressional investigators are keen to interview, recently quit the U.N.-appointed investigation of the oil-for-food fiasco, reportedly because the panel had gone too easy on Mr. Annan.

Hillary’s poll numbers

An interesting and conflicting message came out of a recent poll on Hillary Clinton’s prospects fro reelection to the U.S. senate: Sixty-five percent of Democrats polled by the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said she should pledge to serve a full term if she runs for re-election, but 61 percent also said they would like her to run for the White House in 2008. Overall, 41 percent of New York voters said she should run for president, including 17 percent of Republicans.

Clinton had 2-1 or better leads over several potential Senate opponents, and 67 percent of voters said she deserves to be re-elected.

Bolton vs. Democrats

The formerly modestly bipartisan Senate Foreign Relations Committee has become bitterly partisan over the confirmation of John Bolton as ambassador to the U. N.

Nothing more convincingly proves that fact than the latest flap over request for documents from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Senate Ranking Member of the committee, Joe Bidden, has threatened to delay Bolton’s nomination if he doesn’t timely receive the documents he has requested.

Meanwhile the Chairman of the committee Richard Lugar has told Rice that Bidden’s request is in essence a fishing expedition and to focus on what is pertinent. Lugar then went on to state what is pertinent.

Democrats are hopeful that the interview taking place with Larry Wilkerson, who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff, will give the Democrats ammunition to take out Bolton. However, Powell's closest friend, former deputy secretary of state Richard L. Armitage, endorsed Bolton in a statement. "John Bolton is eminently qualified," Armitage said.

The senator who caused the delay in moving Bolton to the Senate floor, George V. Voinovich (Ohio), said he needs more time to decide whether he will vote to confirm Bolton.

Russia once was

"Rice doesn't scare worth a damn," said a senior Bush administration official regarding the response that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave back to Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov. Lavrov objected to President Bush visiting former Soviet republics of Latvia and Georgia. Bush is going to Moscow for the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Hitler.

Russians continue to have growing concerns at what they see as the expansion of American influence on countries on their border. Countries who suffered under the fascist Communist regime seem to favor turning towards the West as opposed to strengthening ties with their former oppressors.

Many of the Baltic states ruled by Communist Russia are boycotting President Putin’s celebration.

America’s relationship with Russia covers a wide range of issues from nuclear security, to Russia’s sales of weapons in Latin America.