YAWN: Another Washington Sex Scandal

[richlevy]

From NYTimes
Federal Official Resigns in Inquiry of Escort Service

WASHINGTON, April 27 — The head of the Agency for International Development, Randall L. Tobias, resigned abruptly on Friday for what he said were “personal reasons,” but an administration official said Mr. Tobias’s name had come up in an investigation of a suspected Washington prostitution ring.

Mr. Tobias told ABC that he used the service for massages, not sex, according to the network’s Web site.

Mr. Tobias, 65, is a former chairman and chief executive of Eli Lilly & Company and of AT&T International. He served as the chairman of the board of Duke University from 1997 to 2000. He was also a major donor to various Republican campaigns.

He held two federal titles. President Bush nominated him in July 2003 to lead a $15 billion program to fight AIDS worldwide. As director of United States Foreign Assistance, he held the rank of ambassador.

At the time, some AIDS experts said Mr. Tobias did not have much experience with AIDS or Africa. In January 2006, Mr. Bush said he would nominate Mr. Tobias to be the administrator of the Agency for International Development. That position gave him the rank of deputy secretary of state.

It appears that this guy had a real job. Couldn't Bush have made him ambassador to Lichtenstein or something? Granted, being a university chairman implies the man wasn't a complete idiot.

And before everyone decides to bring up Clinton, let me make one distinction. At least Democrats don't have to pay for it.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by richlevy

And before everyone decides to bring up Clinton, let me make one distinction. At least Democrats don't have to pay for it.

Good one.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by richlevy

...And before everyone decides to bring up Clinton, let me make one distinction. At least Democrats don't have to pay for it.

And they don't profess to be the party with the morals.

Cause they're not.

But neither are the repubicans.

[xoxoxoBruce]

chief executive of Eli Lilly & Company and of AT&T International. He served as the chairman of the board of Duke University

Doesn't Eli Lilly make stuff used in abortions?
Isn't AT&T involved with that illegal wire tapping?
Isn't Duke where those Field Hockey players were accused of raping those entertainers?

He certainly left a trail of scandal behind.






Don't forget to tip your waiters.

[Beestie]

This is but the tip of the iceberg. The madam in question was basically the supplier for all of capitol hill and her book of names is in an evidence bag somewhere....

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Beestie

This is but the tip of the iceberg. The madam in question was basically the supplier for all of capitol hill and her book of names is in an evidence bag somewhere....

It's sort of a mixed blessing for the administration. Since Republicans hold their politicians to a stricter sexual standard than Democrats, even if both parties are equally represented in the book, Republicans will get hammered worse. However, if leaked the book would dominate the news for at least 3-4 weeks and take the heat off the administration's dismal domestic and foreign policies as well as their various legal troubles.

Bill Mahr would probably have to host a three hour special just to cover all of the humor potential.

And what if the book is coded?

Bill Frist ... SW/Gblo/Cbk/Dm/Shp
Jim Bunning ... Viag++/Slp
Joe Biden ... +++?

[Beestie]

She tried to sell the book/list but a judge wouldn't let her.

All the names will come out soon enough - and yes its far, far worse for republicans. I think they are all (politicians of both stripes) a bunch of losers so I'm kind of looking forward to it. I check Drudge/Fark/Smoking Gun regularly :-)

[richlevy]

Nothing really new under the sun.

Lest we forget, one of the reasons Obama is currently contending for first place as the Democratic candidate for president is that he has 2 years of experience in the Senate.

One of the reasons he got to be a Senator is that his opponent Jack Ryan's campaign self-destructed when reporters were able to get his divorce papers unsealed.

Ryan's ex-wife, Jeri Ryan, is an actress and major babe familiar to Star Trek fans as Seven of Nine. Jack allegedly was not content to merely have one of the hottest wives in Washington, and the resulting allegations sank his political career at warp speed.

Why do we give a shit who sleeps with whom?
All I care about is the job they do.

[Elspode]

I agree with Rob. On the other hand, I love to see self-righteous assholes get a comeuppance.

Moral? Keep legislation out of the bedroom, and you automatically defuse the humor potential when you get caught getting 'massaged'.

[richlevy]

The fun thing is that her defense is that she ran a massage and fantasy business with no sex involved. She turned her phone records over to ABC so that they can do the leg work and ask all of her clients if sex is involved.

So the government freezes all of her assets, forcing her to use a public defender. The judge also denies her the right to sell her lists.

So she gave them to ABC for free. The first episode airs on 20/20 May 4th.

It does seem unfair that the government can freeze assets before a person has been declared guilty so that they can't afford a lawyer to defend themselves. It sounds like she's found a way to make her point.

The monolithic 'government' doesn't care about this. The individuals all throughout D.C. who represent the movers and shakers in the government probably care a great deal. Unfortunately, the case is so public now that there is no way to make it disappear.

Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 50, was interviewed by ABC News several weeks ago, the network confirmed Monday. The network did not pay Palfrey for the interview, which is to run on "20/20" beginning May 4, according to ABC News and Palfrey's attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley.

Palfrey has hinted that well-known people in Washington were among her clients from 1993 to 2006, but has not named any. Asked whether ABC News could identify former clients, Sibley said, "Records were turned over unconditionally to them. They're going to do what they're going to do. Who knows?"

[Ibby]

I'm sorta with Elspode. I wouldn't care at all who they slept with...

...except that they want to tell ME who to sleep with.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Ibram

I'm sorta with Elspode. I wouldn't care at all who they slept with...

...except that they want to tell ME who to sleep with.

Oh, karma, how you make my world so entertaining!

PBS: But with regard to prostitutes and sex workers in developing countries, is it necessary to work with them? Do you try to get them to change behavior? And if they don't, then what?

TOBIAS: First of all, very recently I was in Haiti in a program where we are working with prostitutes, teaching them skills that will give them the economic leverage to get out of prostituting. The particular program that I visited, young women were being taught the skills of being beauticians, of doing cosmetic work and hair work and that kind of thing. Now, none of these young women were saying, "I don't want to work with this non-governmental organization because they have a policy opposing prostitution." Quite the contrary. These young women were people who wanted to get out of prostitution. So there's nothing about our policy of requiring organizations to oppose prostitution and sex trafficking that in any way gets in our way of working with people who have been traced, or people who are in prostitution, trying to get them out of it. …

PBS: But is there a moral quotient, a moral factor in your prevention work?

TOBIAS: There's a certain moral aspect to it, but the principal focus of what we're doing here is to carry out the prevention program that is at the heart of this program, which is abstinence, be faithful, and the correct and consistent use of condoms, driven by the fact that from a public health perspective, those are the components that really make the most sense.

[Beestie]

Originally Posted by richlevy

So the government freezes all of her assets, forcing her to use a public defender. The judge also denies her the right to sell her lists.

Oh, man, this is great!

I'm trying to figure out how many judges they had to talk to before they found one that wouldn't have to recuse himself. And I'm sure by the time they found one, he or she was given a littany of instructions and a crash-course in seldom-used legal maneuvers to keep the list under wraps.

I'm holding my breath to see if they impose a gag order on ABC! Guffaw!!

There are rivers of sweat running down Pennsylvania Avenue, political favors are being called in left and right, PR firms telephones are ringing off the hook.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen these are our elected representatives in all their stinkin' glory.

[Shawnee123]

All the furor over some sex; I don't get it. Heck, if I were to manage to have sex there would probably be a ticker-tape parade in town.