I think I'm going to start an annual, or monthly, Hall of Shame for lying politicians. The latest entry can be Senator Chris Dodd. What really amazes me is when politicos like Dodd get caught red-handed,they still manage to weasel out an explanation for their actions.
Christopher Keating, of Capitol Watch website noted that...
"Amber Wilkerson, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said "Senator Dodd's reversal on this issue is both astonishing and alarming. ... Contrary to his statements and denials over the last 24 hours, Senator Dodd has now admitted that he and his staff did in fact change the language in the stimulus bill to include a loophole for AIG executive bonuses."
Dodd said flatly that his comments were not a reversal, though when asked by CNN what had changed in his understanding between Tuesday and Wednesday, Dodd replied, "Going back and reviewing it. ... I apologize if we had some confusion.''
EXCUSE ME? The only confusion was on Doddy boy's part! He simply lied. If it were you or I caught in a lie...we'd pay the consequences. Not politicians like Dodd, who live according to a different set of rules than what he expects from others. Why doesn't someone really grill his lying ass and make him pay for the consequences? He helped those AIG thieves give themselves bonus after bonus while the ship was sinking. What kind of consideration did good old Dodd get for this covert action? He knew what he was doing. If he didn't he's an idiot. But, make no mistake, he knew what he was doing. I wouldn't be surprised if some tax-free tropical isle bank is now bulging with a new deposit from Dodd.
Today's Talking Points Memo asked, WHO ASKED DODD TO DEFANG ANTI-BONUS PROVISION?
By Justin Elliot
Who in the Obama Administration pushed to weaken a key anti-bonus provision in the stimulus bill last month? Sen. Chris Dodd, who wrote the provision -- and ultimately agreed to defang it -- isn't saying.
Ever since the AIG story broke, we've heard about the company's binding contracts as a key barrier to the government blocking bonuses to AIG executives.
Read the whole article here.
There's more to read if you are so inclined.
Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake has a different take on the blame game. She thinks it's Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's fault the bonus language made it's way into law.
TREASURY ATTEMPTS TO "BLAME DODD" FOR AIG BONUSES
As Geithner tries to get out of the way of the AIG bonus train wreck, it looks like the designated sin eater is going to be Chris Dodd:
The administration official said the Treasury Department did its own legal analysis and concluded that those contracts could not be broken. The official noted that even a provision recently pushed through Congress by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, had an exemption for such bonus agreements already in place.
Read the rest of the article here.