The Bush Presidency is doomed.
DOOMED!!!
Start the impeachment proceedings.
Adan Zagorin and Matthew Cooper (Yes, the Plamegate discredited Matthew Cooper) write:
When TIME reported in January that it had viewed unpublished photographs of Abramoff with Bush, aides responded that the pictures meant nothing since the President is photographed with thousands of supporters and White House visitors every year.
Now, finally, the first such photo has come to light. It shows a bearded Abramoff in the background as Bush greets an Abramoff client, Raul Garza, who was then the chairman of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas; Bush senior advisor Karl Rove looks on. The photograph was provided to TIME by Mr. Garza. The meeting took place in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House on May 9, 2001. Told about the photograph in January, the White House said it had no record that Abramoff was present at the meeting. Shown the photograph today, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said the White House had still found no record of Abramoff's presence but confirmed that it is Abramoff in the picture. McClellan told TIME: "The president has taken countless, tens of thousands of pictures at home and abroad over the last five years. As we've said previously a photo like this has no relevance to the Justice Department's investigation (of Abramoff)."
The photos were given to TIME by Raul Garza.
Who is Raul Garza?
TIME reveals:
Garza, who is also known by his Indian name, Makateonenodua.com, meaning "black buffalo," is under federal indictment for allegedly embezzling more than $300,000 from his tribe.
Strange. I didn't know that Indian names (Shouldn't that be "Native American names"?) incorporated the ".com" suffix.
Makateonenodua proudly displays the photos on the homepage of his website.
From the "About Me" section:
Makateonenodua, a gifted man of exceptional wisdom, a visionary with unyielding perseverance, a man with profound spritual convictions, led his people from underneath the international bridge to an era with a bright, incredible future. It has been said, “Don’t measure a person by how high he has risen; but rather by how far he has come from”. In this case, he has brought his people from the deepest depths of poverty; from cardboard houses to the convenience of modern homes; from illiteracy of the children to education; from total unemployment to full employment; from a dwindling population because of lack of health care to a rapidly growing proud population; from a people with a disillusioned outlook on life to a hopeful nation with a bright, new future.
In the process, he gained the respect from presidents in both the United States and in Mexico and on global status with personalities like Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Rigoberta Menchu Tum.
Makateonenodua was honored as the Grand Marshal at the Cesar Chavez March for Justice in San Antonio, Texas that took place on March 30, 2002. Henry Cisneros, Mayor Ed Garza of San Antonio and Richard Chavez (Cesar’s brother) were among many leaders attending the march.
...Makateonenodua is a man of complete integrity and honesty, a man of God "Kisiata", who has never tasted alcohol in his life. He has established strong political relationships with both the United States and Mexico in order to secure a better future for his people and for this community.
...To this day, our world is blessed to have a man of such high moral fiber living amongst us and enriching our lives and those around us in such incredible proportions!
Makateonenodua, (I prefer Raul), thinks pretty highly of himself, doesn't he?
Is this Raul Garza the same Raul Garza that has a collection of photos of UFOs in New Mexico?
Check out iwasabducted.com.
At least Zagorin and Cooper do inform readers that Garza "is under federal indictment for allegedly embezzling more than $300,000 from his tribe."
Gee, why would Garza have an axe to grind as far as the federal government goes?
I can't imagine. He seems like a real stand-up guy.
True, a photo is photo, even if it comes from a criminal nutjob. So let's take Raul or Makateonenodua or whatever you want to call him out of the picture.
Look at the photos.
They don't look very intimate to me. I don't think they're damning in the least. It's not like Bush and Abramoff are photographed in a car or a hot tub or snuggling in a booth in the dark corner of a restaurant.
Although I won't supply details out of respect for the person's privacy, a family member of mine had a meeting with a former U.S. President. It was a small group. Photos documented the event. There is no way that this President would remember that? How could he? The President meets thousands of people and has thousands of photos taken with them.
I don't see how anyone could consider such benign photos to be an indication of any deep-rooted "Culture of Corruption."
Now, if a photo of Abramoff in the Lincoln Bedroom surfaces, I would reconsider my assessment.
I also might change my mind if Bush would grant Abramoff a pardon, like when Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, or the others on this illustrious list.
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