Washington Babylon

Assuming he has one. From the Washington Post: Early in 2007, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain decided to resolve an old problem — the lack…

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I published a story last week that discussed Senator Norm Coleman’s cozy relationship with several of his campaign donors. Coleman’s office declined repeated requests for comment, but I said I…

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From the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: A draft Committee report circulated by Chairman Waxman finds that in the months before the 2006 elections, the White House Office…

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In recent days both the Washington Post and the New York Times have lionized Brooksley E. Born, who during her 1996 to 1999 tenure as head of the Commodity Futures…

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From my colleague Scott Horton: This spring, PBS’s distinguished Frontline series aired a mildly critical account of the lead-up to the Iraq War entitled “Bush’s War.” As the airing of…

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From ABC News: West Palm Beach Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL), whose predecessor resigned in the wake of a sex scandal, agreed to a $121,000 payment to a former mistress who…

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Not Bob Barr–it’s newcomer Joad Cressbeckler. This video was posted a few weeks back, but it’s especially timely now that Cressbeckler has begun threatening McCain’s core support among “grizzled and…

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Senator Norm Coleman’s office continues to hedge when asked about his relationship with donor Nasser Kazeminy. MinnPost.com provides some background: I had heard this allegation [about a businessman buying suits…

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October 8: In a stellar display of political weaselry, Cullen Sheehan, campaign manager for Senator Norm Coleman, tells reporters that he will not “respond to unnamed sources on a blog,”…

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When last spotted, Professor S. Frederick Starr was snuggling up with Washington lobbyists employed by the Kazakh government. Starr, the one-time Soviet advisor to President Reagan who currently heads the…

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Posted at iTulip.com, Eric Janszen’s web site: To: TRUSTED PERSON Subject: REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP DEAR AMERICAN: I NEED TO ASK YOU TO SUPPORT AN URGENT SECRET BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP…

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Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota seems to enjoy mutually beneficial relationships with his financial contributors and political allies. Earlier this year, National Journal reported that he had a cozy deal…

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On November 8, 1999, a few months before the NASDAQ index peaked at 5132.52, The American Banker ran several short items in its “Washington People” column. The lead piece reported…

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Rich Lowry of National Review was highly impressed, even aroused, by Sarah Palin’s debate performance last night: And her smile. By the end, when she clearly knew she was doing…

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For readers in D.C., I’ll be at Politics and Prose Bookstore this Sunday to discuss and take questions on Turkmeniscam: How Washington Lobbyists Fought to Flack for a Stalinist Dictatorship.…

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I’ve already said that I can understand why some Republicans are complaining about Gwen Ifill being the moderator for tonight’s debate, even though the charges about Ifill’s partisanship are wildly…

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The Judicial Confirmation Network (JCN), a conservative independent group, is running new anti-Obama TV ads in battleground states that feature the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. “Obama chose as his pastor a…

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“It is a blatant conflict of interest,” Bay Buchanan said on CNN last night. “There’s no question about that.” “She’s tough as nails right down the middle,” Paul Begala said…

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Kazakhstan has been heavily criticized by international observers for its human rights violations, descriptions of which run to the horrifying and lurid, for its rigged elections, and for the fact…

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From the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law: Election officials across the country are routinely striking millions of voters from the rolls through a process that is…

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A few weeks ago a former senior executive at Halliburton pleaded guilty to paying bribes to Nigerian officials to win a mammoth energy project in that country. The executive, Jack…

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From the Associated Press: A former executive director of the CIA has pleaded guilty to wire fraud as part of a plea bargain. Kyle “Dusty” Foggo was the number three…

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When even some conservatives are calling for Sarah Palin to be replaced as John McCain’s running mate, you know she’s in serious trouble. But it’s unlikely that Palin will be…

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“As a two-time chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee, Mr. McCain has done more than any other member of Congress to shape the laws governing America’s casinos,” the New York…

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Should the media be scrutinizing the record of Sarah Palin, who until a few weeks ago was the relatively unknown governor of Alaska? Yes. Does Palin’s general lack of political…

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There didn’t seem to be any clear winner in last night’s presidential debate, which presumably is good for Barack Obama since he seems to be slightly ahead at this point.…

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From the Center for Public Integrity: Las Vegas casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson upped his ante in former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s unregulated issues-advocacy group in August, with a $750,000 donation…

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“I’ve spent the last few weeks talking to [Wall Street traders], and they want this money so badly—it’s an obsession,” Adam Davidson said last night during an NPR report. “Obviously…

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