Biggest bullshitter:

So, Don Evans has resigned. Good riddance, we say.

Why? Because of an extraordinary performance on Meet the Press on January 13, 2002. Russert had been inquiring about Bush's support from Enron, which had been in the news the previous three months due to the scandal and melt-down of the stock. Enron had been Bush's biggest financial supporter and Russert was citing the numbers - in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars - which had gone to the Bush campaign. Then Evans responded. We reproduce that portion of the interview below. (emp add)

MR. RUSSERT: The concern that people raise is the closeness of Enron and the Bush administration. And May 6, 1999, Mr. Lay wrote this letter to Texas executive: “As Texans, we have witnessed first hand the tremendous ability and tenacity of our Governor. ...I hope you will join me as a volunteer and affirm your strong support for his race by making the maximum contribution...” And this was a result in ’94, as he mentioned, $47,500 from Ken Lay and Enron executives and PACs to Governor Bush’s race: ’98, $150,000; Texas inaugural, $50,000; the president race in 2000, $113,000; the Florida recount, $10,000; the inauguration, $300,000. And Mr. Lay was appointed to the transition team.

And then we have this, the Bush administration. John Ashcroft has recused himself because he received $57,000 from Enron. Lawrence Lindsey, economic adviser, was an Enron consultant. Robert Zoellick, the trade rep., was a board advisory member for Enron. Karl Rove, an investor in Enron; Marc Rocicot, the incoming RNC chairman, a lobbyist for Enron; the secretary of Army, Thomas White, an Enron executive—the tentacles are deep.

SEC’Y EVANS: Tim, let me tell you about fund-raising and campaigns. Let me tell you about the largest contribution I remember during the 2000 campaign. You just talked about a lot of money that Enron raised. Let me tell you about the largest contribution I remember during the 2000 campaign. We flew into Portland, Oregon. We went straight to the Boys and Girls Club. And I remember the president—governor at the time—sitting on the gymnasium floor talking to the boys and girls. And he was talking to these children in the Boys and Girls Club. He said—talking about their future, talking about, “How many of you are going to go to college?” A bunch of them raised their hand. “Remember how important it is to learn to read.”

Well, I was standing there. A man walked over to me and he handed me an envelope, and on that envelope it said, “Governor George W. Bush.” Now, being the financial chairman at the time, I thought it probably had a check in it. And I said to him, “Are you supporting the governor?” And he said, “Yes, I am.” And I said, “Why?” And he said to me, “Because I want to trust America. And this man makes me feel good about America.” I took away from that conversation, from Ken Dortz, that this is a man that wanted a president that would bring trust in this country.

I walked out of the door, being the normal financial chairman, took the envelope out of my pocket. I opened it up and looked at it. Pulled out a cashier’s check for $38.39. Ken Dortz, who had two children in the Boys and Girls Club, knew what his rent was, he knew what his utility bills were and he knew how much his food was going to cost him that month. He had $38.39 left.

I’m not going to disappoint Ken Dortz and this president is not going to disappoint Ken Dortz. All through the campaign, when I talked to people about making contributions, I said, “For this contribution, you’re going to get good government, you’re going to get a president that has a great mind, a big heart and an extraordinary leader and this whole world can trust. And if you’re looking for anything else, you got the wrong candidate.” That’s a message we consistently—and it’s just—and that’s the truth.

MR. RUSSERT: In all honesty, would Ken Dortz had the same access to the Bush administration than Ken Lay?

SEC’Y EVANS: If Ken Dortz wants to call me up on the phone, I’ll be glad to take his call.

MR. RUSSERT: But could he call the secretary of treasury and meet with the vice president?

SEC’Y EVANS: Ken Dortz represents the hundreds of millions of hard-working people all across this country. It’s not just Ken Dortz; it’s the hundreds of millions of hard-working Americans that love this country.

Were you moved by Don Evans' touching story - which completely evaded the Enron issue?

We weren't.

posted by Quiddity at 11/10/2004 10:11:00 AM