Just POlitics

Kurtz re: Social Security

Stanley Kurtz writes at National Review Online:

·        "Once you see the Democrats' plan to save Social Security, several things become clear. First, Social Security is in serious trouble. Even the Democrats can't save it without painful changes. Second, the Democrats' own proposal shows that any realistic plan to save Social Security requires benefit cuts.

·        "The president's plan makes up 70 percent of the Social Security revenue shortfall through benefit cuts. The Democrats' plan makes up 50 percent of that shortfall through broadly similar cuts. It's tough to indict the president for callous indifference to the plight of retirees when we're talking about a 20 percent difference between two plans.

·        "Third, the Democrats' proposal shows that the real alternative to benefit cuts is a major tax increase. In short, once the public knows what the Democrats' plan actually says, it will quickly become impossible to use Social Security as a hammer against the Republicans," Stanley Kurtz writes at National Review Online.

Anti-war position pays

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs permanent subcommittee on investigations released information that former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua and British Member of Parliament George Galloway each received Oil-for-Food contracts from Saddam's Oil Ministry between 1999 and 2003. Both are staunch anti-war advocates.

Saddam Hussein used kickbacks from the U. N. Oil-for-Food program to finance the torture and murder of his countrymen.

Galloway last year won judgments against the London Daily Telegraph and the Christian Science Monitor after they ran stories relying on forged Iraqi Foreign Ministry documents that indicated that Galloway had been paid directly by Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s.

Senate investigators say they based their findings on different documents from the Iraqi Oil Ministry files and from direct testimony from Saddam aides.

Records indicate that Pasqua received oil contract for 11 million barrels. Individuals receiving the contracts would resell the oil at up to 30 cents per barrel markup. It is reported that Galloway received a 10 million barrel contract.

PBS hiring challenged

In a letter released Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.) and Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) asked CPB Inspector General Kenneth A. Konz to investigate the contracting, hiring and policies of the corporation, which distributes federal funds to public television stations. Both congressmen are ranking Democrats on committees that have oversight of public television.

They called recent actions taken by CPB Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson ``disturbing'' and ``extremely troubling.''