Don Siegelman, a Democrat who was governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003, was sentenced to seven years in prison and $230,000 in fines for taking bribes during his governorship.
If I were so inclined, I could take a cue from Republican defenders of Lewis Libby and Tom DeLay and decry the "political motivation" behind Siegelman's prosecution, given revelations of a potential Karl Rove connection, other Republican connections to his case, prosecution attempts to have his sentence calculated based on the charges on which he was acquitted, and the fact that a judge entirely threw out -- with prejudice -- the prosecution's first attempt to charge Siegelman in 2004. Or that when a Republican governor, Guy Hunt, was convicted of pocketing $200,000 in 1992, the state (indeed, the same prosecutor) sought probation, not jail time.
But I won't, because the motivation of the prosecution doesn't matter as much as the facts of the case and the conviction that resulted. The man took bribes; he deserves to go down. The fact that someone else in a similar situation got off lightly is irrelevant.
Partisans might take a lesson from that.
Hall of Shame has been updated.
Siegelman, politics, midtopia
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Former Alabama governor sentenced
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6 comments:
Wow. You post an article about a DEMOCRAT found guilty of conspiracy, fraud and mail fraud and taking bribes and you spend all but one short paragraph blasting Republicans!! Yeah, that's fair. So I gather you posted it to prove to us how "unbiased" you are. And yet, when I look at all the numerous Cheney articles you've posted.....I don't see any blasting of Democrats within those articles.
But having said that....there's a ton of difference between a man guilty of taking bribes, conspiracy, and fraud....and a man who simply couldn't remember exactly who he said what to and when.
So, I'm sorry----the lesson learned here is NOT the one you sought.
JP5
Wow. You post an article about a DEMOCRAT found guilty of conspiracy, fraud and mail fraud and taking bribes and you spend all but one short paragraph blasting Republicans!!
I was blasting partisans, actually. Not quite the same thing. The logic applies to Democratic partisans as well as Republicans.
I don't see any blasting of Democrats within those articles.
You must have missed the posts I've made about Kendrick Meek and Rahm Emanuel.
there's a ton of difference between a man guilty of taking bribes, conspiracy, and fraud....and a man who simply couldn't remember exactly who he said what to and when.
The actual charges are irrelevant. Both were tried and convicted of the charges facing them, with plenty of "evidence" about prosecutorial shenanigans. Yet you don't see me crying "partisan witchhunt" with regards to Siegelman.
Tbat's because it wasn't a witchhunt in Siegelman's case. Who cares about him?
JP5
Tbat's because it wasn't a witchhunt in Siegelman's case.
I'm so surprised to hear you say that. Yet if he were a Republican, I'm almost certain you'd be pointing to the inconsistencies I cited above and complaining about political prosecutions.
Who cares about him?
He was a governor. Apparently, a lot of people in Alabama cared.
Not so. I was the first on our other board to say that Duke Cunningham....a Republican Congressman.....appeared guilty to me in a tax fraud scheme. And that was when they very first started looking at him.
And what's more---that was a U.S. Congressman....not a particular state elected official.
JP5
Not so. I was the first on our other board to say that Duke Cunningham....a Republican Congressman.....appeared guilty to me in a tax fraud scheme.
Fair enough. Although the evidence there was pretty overwhelming, and there was no accusation of political motivation -- which would have been hard to make, considering it was a Republican Justice Department doing the investigating.
Just like very few Democrats defend William Jefferson. Some calls are easy to make.
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