Volume 2 Issue 55

April 18, 2003

Bad Johnny

The battle of religions, the boy wonder takes a beating, and both an Edwards photo and a Commencement Speaker? Wow!

The first scandal of the 2004 Presidential election is upon us! Circle the wagons! Release the hounds! Bring up the guns! That's right folks, miracle fundraiser John Edwards appears to have done his fundraising the old fashioned way -- illegally. Well, not all of it, but he has had to return a bit of money after it turned up that some secretaries at a law firm had given the money with the expectation that their bosses would pay them back. That's called illegal. And while that appears to only have involved one law firm, you can bet that reporters everywhere are scouring Edwards' donor lists for "low-end" professions, donations from 6 year old children, etc. Now, this in reality isn't too damaging, it happens all the time, especially when one takes in $7.4 million in 3 months. In fact, I'm sure it will happen to many other candidates as well, including President Bush. But the fact that Edwards has put up such a big number, and has gotten so much of it from lawyers, makes him vulnerable on this issue. Plus, he's the first, so it's his name that's on the front page of the Washington Post today, and even if it comes up that someone else has done the same thing, you can be sure that story won't be on A1.

By the way, the Post story (linked to below) is very well written, and it almost makes the whole thing seem very Watergateish, complete with people telling one story, putting the reporters on hold, and then telling another story 2 minutes later! Perhaps there will even be a movie one day...so, here's the latest Swamp contest, as usual for no prize whatsoever except the good feelings of your fellow readers: If a movie were to be made of the "Great John Edwards Campaign Finance Scandal", who would play our Johnny Boy? Send your suggestions along to . I look forward to the suggestions!

Publishing Note: Next week, the Government office for which I work is having a large meeting, which will keep me away from my desk most of the time, and while there, surely buried with work. Therefore, the Swamp will likely not appear on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. I will try to get something out on Monday, but that's my birthday too, so no promises! We'll be back at full strength on Thursday. Check the website (http://www.fromtheswamp.com), as if I can't do a full Swamp, I may just do small updates online. Thank you to all of those who have made the Swamp such a success, as can be seen from our growing subscription base and our increase in web hits (up 25% this month!). Please continue to spread the word to friends and family, and I'll see you on the other side of this break! Best wishes to all for a Happy Easter or Passover, or just a nice weekend if neither of those apply to you!
- Greg

Can't we just all get along? Since it's Good Friday, I'll lead with an excellent article by Bernard Lewis in this month's Atlantic about the clash of religions, both now and historically. I think it's great reading for Holy Week, with some interesting things to think about -
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2003/05/lewis.htm

Here we go: The first anti-US protest took place in Baghdad today -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2959015.stm

Those Weapons: Rumsfeld says we need to find those chemical weapons -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2933923.stm

That Man: Finding Saddam might be a good idea too, as another tape of him emerges. Hmm...guy the US wants us to think is dead, but he keeps popping up on videotape. Sound like anyone we know?
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/WIRE-Iraq-Saddam-Footage.html

Questions about the war: Fred Kaplan asks 8 questions about the war -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2081642/

And Phil Carter tries to answer them -
http://philcarter.blogspot.com//2003_04_13_philcarter_archiv e.html

The Future of the Middle East: Nicholas Kristof says that in planning the future of Iraq, we should look at what we failed to do in Kuwait -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/18/opinion/18KRIS.html

What would you do if you had to eat MRE's for 3 months? US Marines in Tikrit are hunting gazelle's on Saddam's private reserve, to get something other than MRE's to eat. While the troops can use guns now, at first they had to use rocks and spears -
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_771853.html?menu=news.l atestheadlines

Still the most popular man in Iraq: Now there's a Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf "Iraqi Dis-Information Minister" action doll! Unfortunately, the rumors are that al-Sahaf may have committed suicide as US troops took Baghdad -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/18/offbeat.iraq.dolls .reut/index.html

More Looting: One of Saddam's golden guns turned up at Heathrow Airport in London -
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/24by7panews/page.cfm?objectid=1 2863468&method=full&siteid=50143

Committed to the Cause: Tony Blair told a British Paper that he was ready to quit over the Iraq issue -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,635-651081,00.html

Look Who's Running for President: John Edwards is in a bit of campaign finance trouble, having to return some donations after a law firm paid their secretaries to donate to Edwards -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48206-2003Apr17.html

Look Who's Running for President 2: The Al Sharpton no FEC filing debate continues -
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030418-6373402.htm

It's baaaack...the Bad John Edwards Photo of the Day:

Yes, it's just a crappy town hall in some small state now...but with millions in illegal contributions, we can make it paradise!

Protecting Liberty: House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner says that the Patriot Act will be made permanent "over my dead body". Um...Jim, don't tell that to Ashcroft, he might just arrange it -
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/politics/5657664.htm

That Other Country: While North Korea will sit down with the US next week, they are also continuing their effort to get nuclear weapons -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/18/international/asia/18CND-KOREA.html

Outbreak: 140 students from Asia are being quarantined on an English island -
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-650910,00.html

And Ontario has upped its warnings, now asking people who exhibit even one symptom of SARS to stay home -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/18/science/sciencespecial/18I NFE.html

At least he kept his word: After being sentenced to 5 years in jail, a Maryland man said "I might as well throw my self out a window." So that's just what he did -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48466-2003Apr17.html

Humility among the English? The Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Anglican Church, became the first Archbishop in that church to wash congregants feet at Holy Thursday services since the reign of Henry VIII -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2933923.stm

Commencement Speaker of the Day:

Berkeley College of New Jersey, West Patterson, NJ -
Rosemary Gambardella, chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey
"Since the economy blows and you're all going to end up bankrupt anyway, we thought we'd give you a bit of practical advice.."