More Scoop on Martinez "Resigned Aide" Brian Darling that MSM Overlooks

[KoKo]

where they downplay Brian Darling as "Martinez Aide" as if he's some low level staffer whose of no consequence, but then see his role in Florida in 2000 Election Recount,Coal Industry Lobbying and various other dirty deeds like the Elián González controversy.


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THIS FROM MYDD poster

by axiom on Thu Apr 7th, 2005 at 01:33:58 PM EST

Source: National Journal, Jan 18, 2003

Brian Darling, who most recently was general counsel to former Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., has joined the Alexander Strategy Group. Darling, 37, co-founded and co-chaired the Conservative Working Group, a weekly legislative strategy meeting of conservative congressional staffers. Previously, he served as a counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee and as an aide to then-Sens. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga., and Steve Symms, R-Idaho. Darling is originally from Massachusetts, but some of his most interesting political experiences occurred in Florida.

When the Elián González controversy was brewing in January 2000, Smith happened to be there for meetings about the Everglades restoration. Smith and Darling visited the home where the young Cuban refugee was staying-an experience that persuaded them to draft legislation that would have provided Elián with permanent residency.

That fall, Darling worked on the Bush-Cheney recount team in Miami-Dade County. In one incident, Darling says, he successfully demanded that nine votes sought by backers of Al Gore be denied. The Alexander Strategy Group was founded by Ed Buckham and Tony Rudy, former aides to House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. It is affiliated with the law firm Swidler Berlin Shereff Friedman and its communications and lobbying subsidiary, the Harbour Group.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/4/7/0825/82781
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THE WAY AP COVERED THE BREAKING STORY:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Mel Martinez said Wednesday an infamous unsigned memo passed around on Capitol Hill emphasizing the politics of the Terri Schiavo case originated in his office.

The memo -- first reported by ABC News on March 18 and by The Washington Post and The Associated Press two days later -- said the fight going on then over removing Schiavo's feeding tube "is a great political issue ... and a tough issue for Democrats."

"This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue," said the memo, which was described at the time as being circulated among Senate Republicans while legislation was being considered to place the Schiavo case under the jurisdiction of federal courts.

Martinez, R-Florida, said in a written statement that he discovered Wednesday that the memo had been written by an aide in his office.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/04/07/schiavo.memo.ap/index.html

[NYCGirl]

1. This "sinister twist" view of the matter from www.wonkette.com

Schiavo Memo Case Takes Sinister Twist

If you haven't heard already, the author of the Magical Mystery Memo has outed himself. Everyone, meet Brian Darling, former chief legal counsel for Senator Mel Martinez (R - FL), currently seeking exciting new employment opportunities. But while Darling has admitted authorship of the controversial memo, questions about its distribution persist. For example, Darling isn't sure how the memo escaped his computer. ("He didn't think he ever printed the memo.") And while Martinez agrees that his hands gave the memo to Senator Tom Harkin (D - Iowa), he doesn't know how his hands got ahold of it. Nor were his hands even remotely cognizant of the memo's actual content. ("Unbeknownst to me, instead of my one page on the bill, I had given him a copy of the now infamous memo that at some point along the way came into my possession.") Darling doesn't know how Martinez' hands got the memo either. ("He doesn't really know how I got it.")

Casting partisanship aside, adorable anger-bot Michelle Malkin demands to know how a memo could miraculously escape from a computer: "For me, the salient questions always centered on what exactly ABC News and the Washington Post knew or didn't know before they hyped the GOP politicization angle in the midst of the wrenching Schiavo debate." On a similar note, pious dirty-talker John Hinderaker trains his rock-hard, laser-like skepticism on Martinez' comments: "Where has Tom Harkin been for the last two and a half weeks?"

If you ask us, though, both Malkin and Hindraker are missing the real story here. Granted, it would nice to pin the blame on truly evil forces like the Democrats or the MSM, but c'mon! Dumbass memos that magically morph from word-processing files to hard copies? Zombie brain-slaves spreading the document in a trance-like fog? Obviously, this is the work of Satan!
— GREG BEATO

:spray:

[yourout]

2. I seriously doubt that he is responsible alone.

This stinks of Repub upper echalon.
Can you say CARL ROVE?

[MO_Dem]

3. I agree!

There's a lot more to this than we know so far, I'm betting.

[KoKo]

4. Kick ...........for background..n/t

[Synnical]

5. Martinez tends to blame his staff - doesn't take responsibility

As I found via DailyKos, this link to the St Pete Times that chastised Martinez immediately after the November election.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/04/Opinion/The_real_Mel_Martinez.shtml

The real Mel Martinez
A Times Editorial
Published November 4, 2004

<snip>

Long after leaving Republicans embittered by his appeals to bigotry and his vulgar attacks on former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum, Martinez used his general election campaign to tar Castor, a distinguished former legislator and education leader, as a terrorist sympathizer.

When challenged, Martinez was too eager to assign blame to his staff or to groups he said he couldn't control. As a senator, he will need an office and a staff that speaks with the measured and centrist tone he says will be his own. He can't pretend to be above it all if the people he employs are not.

"A lot of people who knew Mel are wondering if he's been taken over by Washington operatives, or if we just didn't know him in the first place," former Orange County chairman Linda Chapin told a reporter recently. "Because issues like honor and integrity were always important to the Mel that we knew."

In his victory speech, Martinez said that "bringing people together is my nature." He now has the duty as U.S. senator to prove it.

[candy331]

6. "Because issues like honor and integrity were always important

to the Mel we knew"

(Seriously is she daft when has a repug had honesty and integrity, yes they knew him in the first place but they wanted to vote for their beloved repug, well eat him now.)

"A lot of people who knew Mel are wondering if he's been taken over by Washington operatives, or if we just didn't know him in the first place," former Orange County chairman Linda Chapin told a reporter recently. "Because issues like honor and integrity were always important to the Mel that we knew."

In his victory speech, Martinez said that "bringing people together is my nature." He now has the duty as U.S. senator to prove it.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. So we have one degree of seperation

between the Schiavo Memo and Bush's 'forged' military records - Roger Stone.

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. OMG, this isn't the first time Darling has been involved

in memo scandal.

Look at this:

January 22, 2002

Harrison's defenders rise

On Friday, we reported an embarrassing e-mail colloquy between LISA HARRISON and BRIAN DARLING, U.S. Senator BOB SMITH's press secretary and legislative assistant, respectively, in which the two staffers discussed their boss' position granting fast track trade authority to President GEORGE W. BUSH. Many of our readers were quick to point out that Harrison should not be held responsible for the e-mail she sent to a news organization by accident. In fact, one prominent Democrat was quick to point out "regardless of the content of the incident, I want to rise to Lisa's defense." We agree. Harrison is one of the most talented political communications staffers in the state. She does a great job for Senator Smith. We did not intend to pick on Harrison. But when an insiders-only communication does see the light of day, it's news - and we are going to share it with our readers.

http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/bartlett_report/2002/br_1_22_02.htm


Here's a little more info:

Brian Darling (Director of Government Affairs = Virginians Over Taxed On Residences)



Brian Darling is a native of Andover, Massachusetts. Although educated in Massachusetts, he has spent a majority of his professional career in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Brian Darling is licensed to practice law in Virginia, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia.

Brian Darling is a Partner in a lobbying firm, the Alexander Strategy Group. The Alexander Strategy Group is a full-service lobbying and public affairs firm. Prior to his current position, Brian most served as General Counsel to former Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H. and was a chief Senate strategist for legislation passed last year that allowed commercial airline pilots to carry firearms in flight. In January 2000, Brian and Senator Smith visited the home where Cuban refugee Elian Gonzales was staying and later crafted legislation to grant him permanent residency. Following the 2000 presidential elections, Brian went to Florida and worked on the Bush-Cheney recount team where he was successful in challenging numerous ballots and protecting the integrity of the election process.

Brian co-chaired the Conservative Working Group, a weekly legislative strategy meeting of conservative staff members in both the House and the Senate. He has continued with another coalition the Citizens for Conservative Government (CCG) which he currently is the co-chairman. He also served as a counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee and as an aide to former Senators Paul Coverdell, R-Georgia and Steve Symms, R-Idaho.

Brian serves as Director of Government Affairs on the Board of Directors of VOTORS. In his spare time he plays hockey, softball and golf. Brian is also on the Board of Directors of the Airline Pilots' Security Alliance.

http://www.votors.org/content.aspx?ccategoryid=24&acctid=105

[grasswire]

9. he looks somewhat like Andy Card

I wonder if they're related.

[KoKo]

10. Kick.......