Clinton Aides Being Paid By Colombian Government to Push Trade Deal

[IndianaGreen]

Clinton Aides Being Paid By Colombian Government to Push Trade Deal

Well, it's a bad week, and the hits just keep on coming. In a stunning new report from the Associated Press, we find out that the Colombian Government - the government that the Washington Post notes collaborates with paramilitary gangs to execute union leaders - is now paying top aides to Sen. Hillary Clinton hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to help get Congress to pass the U.S.-Colombian Free Trade Agreement:

"According to Justice Department filings, Colombia agreed this month to pay $300,000 to public relations firm Burson-Marsteller - whose president, Mark Penn, is a senior advisor to Sen. Clinton - to help "educate members of the U.S. Congress and other audiences" about the trade deal and secure continued U.S. funding for the $5 billion anti-narcotics program Plan Colombia.The filings also show that last month Uribe’s government put The Glover Park Group, a Washington D.C.-based lobbying firm that includes former Clinton spokesman Joe Lockhart, on a $40,000 a month retainer."

AP reports that "last month, former Vice President Al Gore backed out of an environmental conference in Miami to avoid appearing alongside Uribe, who has struggled to defend himself against charges that members of his family and government supporters collaborated with murderous right-wing militias." Yet on June 8, former President Clinton will attend a Colombian government gala in his honor. AP says that "prominent Democrats on the guest list include former Clinton strategists Dick Morris and Vernon Jordan, former Clinton Cabinet members Lawrence Summers and Madeleine Albright, and several Democratic congressmen." Morris, by the way, just penned an article referring to the scandal-plagued, paramilitary-connected Uribe as a "democratic beacon."

Again, this is a government that actively colludes with paramilitary gangs to execute union organizers, and is now pushing the United States Congress to give it a gift in the form of a free trade agreement. I really have nothing more to add other than to say again that we really do live in dark times.

http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/ap_clinton_aides_being_paid_by.html

[whistle]

1. That sounds fine to me better that we have a fair trade with Columbia

...than illegal drug smuggling

[amandabeech]

22. We've had all kinds of deals with Peru.

Nothing stops the drug trade because it is insanely lucrative. This will just put money into the pockets of Columbians who don't need it.

Stop demand here and we'll have fewer problems.

I never did cocaine, but some of my friends did back in the '80s. If I were still in touch with them, I'd ask them to stop in order to stop the violence. At least until the stuff is legal.

[Robbien]

2. Columbia, the place where Peace talks are done at table where orgies are being held

BOGOTA, Colombia: Lawmakers have called for the dismissal of the head of the Organization of American States' peace mission in Colombia, accusing him of standing by as paramilitary warlords held orgies in a government-granted safe haven set aside for peace talks.

. . .

Jose Castro Caycedo, the pro-government legislator who sponsored the nonbinding resolution, told The Associated Press that paramilitaries made a mockery of the peace talks by "holding orgies on the negotiating table," excesses which he said Caramagna should have denounced.

The resolution referred to media reports that paramilitaries held all-night, whiskey-fueled orgies with costly prostitutes and which soccer players and famous Mexican mariachi bands also attended.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/24/america/LA-GEN-Colombia-Peace-Observer.php

With Colombia being so corrupt, I can see why they are pushing lobbyist money off on Dems. Not surprised at all that Sen. Clinton's staff is grabbing up the dough.

[Tellurian]

15. Very "juicy" conclusions.. grabbing with both hands..eh?

:rofl:

[ccpup]

3. I'm confused

Either we believe what the media reports or we don't. Selective outrage has never worked for me. What's the Source for this information?

[papau]

17. The company Penn was hired into as CEO has a lobbying arm that is reported by the AP to have landed

a contract.

The information is credible.

What is incredible is the conclusions drawn from the above.

Penn is on Leave from his company for the duration of Hillary's run - and when he was full time I doubt he had much input to the lobbying arm other than asking how they were doing in getting contracts.

[William769]

4. Self delete

[HereSince1628]

5. Has this been published in any mainstream paper?

Not that I don't think Sirotablog isn't a credible source, but I did a good search on the referenced title and only got two pages hits that were only blogs.

[Rose Siding]

6. Yes, it's covered in the pieces about the fmr prez being honored by Colombia-

http://news.google.com/news?tab=wn&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1116659381

snip>
The Colombian government is trying to counter its negative image among Washington Democrats and secure congressional passage of a free trade agreement signed by Uribe and the Bush administration last year, a deal Uribe considers his biggest foreign policy achievement.

According to Justice Department filings, Colombia agreed this month to pay $300,000 to public relations firm Burson-Marsteller – whose president, Mark Penn, is a senior advisor to Sen. Clinton – to help “educate members of the U.S. Congress and other audiences” about the trade deal and secure continued U.S. funding for the $5 billion anti-narcotics program Plan Colombia.

The filings also show that last month Uribe's government put The Glover Park Group, a Washington D.C.-based lobbying firm that includes former Clinton spokesman Joe Lockhart, on a $40,000 a month retainer.

[illinoisprogressive]

7. this is very alarming.

[papau]

8. Let's see - Penn is not associated with any of this directly - and Hillary not at all - the AP is

really trying to tear Hillary done - that unbiased wire service for the GOP - I wonder why the GOP fear her so much that they have turned loose their wire service weapon this early.

For those that have forgotten - Penn is off all work except Hillary and an occasional consult to Microsoft under an old contract.

He has no knowledge of or input into new contracts.

Also PR firms are like lawyers - they are paid to frame a position - and whose position it is not important - bit like a defense attorney's attitude.

Also lobbyists are the ones that try to change minds - PR firms framing may change minds - but they are not on the Hill having lunch with those that vote.

And again - the media dump on Hillary is so obvious that one wonders why the media would risk being exposed as anti-Hillary at this early date - I did not expect this until next August.

I do note that the paper running with the story picked by workingassets is the far right Boston Herald - interesting - http://news.bostonherald.com/international/americas/view.bg?articleid=1003107

Beyond the right wing Boston Herald and their TV station WHDH there were indeed some major media that chose to show their true colors with this story - below is a list of all the major US papers showing up on google as carrying this story ( small circulation/small town/small viwership media is omitted ):

San Diego Union Tribune, CA, MLive.com, Forbes, NY, Houston Chronicle, TX , San Francisco Chronicle, CA ,Los Angeles Times, CA ,Newsday, NY , Seattle Post Intelligencer, WA , Washington Post, DC, Washington Times, DC , MyFox, Miami Herald, FL ,
Denver Post, CO , Times Picayune, LA ,

Some were expected - others I thought would hide there leanings a bit better.

[w4rma]

10. Penn is Hillary's top pollster and one of her top policy advisor's and strategists. (nt)

[papau]

12. Very true - and this story has nothing to due with either Penn's or Hllary's character n/t

n/t

[w4rma]

20. Penn is President of the company that accepted $300,000 to push an unethical agenda.

PR firms have a choice about which clients to accept and clients tend to pick PR firms that have executives which agree with their agenda.

[w4rma]

23. …

:kick:

[Tellurian]

13. Yes, Oh Horrors! Really some covert activity there! Prez Clinton Gala June 8

Looks to me the Clinton folk are snatching the Bush connections right out from under their noses. This will definitely not sit well with the Cabal. Especially, if this interference will create a position to exert control over the gorilla paramilitary groups and bring some sense to the chaos.

Sirota's a bum RW Journalist anyway- Leave it to a Far Left Wing OP to try to cast dispersions on the Hillary Camp..from a Far RW smear! What a surprise!

No wonder Gore backed away. He feared just this type of inevitable "sick" spin from the belching "haters" !

If the OP really wants to do something constructive besides non-productive instigational activity- Try This:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3287002&mesg_id=3287002

[papau]

16. LOL - at least Sirota bashes all - Obama for Rubin and Clinton for Penn-I wonder who David supports?

In any case excellent post - I enjoyed it.

In any case, perhaps a pause and a thought about how this guy has a proven track record at helping Democrats win is in order.

I was tear the system out by its roots in the 60's - and it is good to see others in that mode.

I really want that attitude to win in the long run.

But at the moment that attitude does not have a snowballs chance in H__L of winning any elections or changing policy - indeed there will be no change in policy unless a Dem is elected Pres in 08.

And bashing those we don't favor in the primary is just playing the GOP's game.

Besides few Techies like Mark get to the top - it is kind of nice to see (Gates is not a techie but the 4 guys he hired in 76 to write MCASM were excellent and that program - it could be used as an assebler and as a dis-assembler - allowed them to steal code - which along with public domain Unix v6 - and with the Gates Genius at marketing, his brillant use of lawyers, and his Mom's relationship at United Way with the head of IBM getting him the royalty deal for a CP/M clone he purchased and renamed DOS made them all rich)

[Tellurian]

19. Hmmm..

I don't think I'm as generous as you are with the likes of Sirota. When innuendo replaces good journalism, I have a problem with that. Not everyone can read between the lines and understand the motivation behind tabloid articles meant to malign and distort reality...

Yes, Gates was very fortunate. I assumed BushI had asked him to support his election bid against Clinton and he refused; thus the reason for the long and arduous MS court battle.

[Kolesar]

9. David Sirota! ... eom

[Morgana LaFey]

11. "advisor" is a little different than "aide" -- or a lot different

Not that I'm sticking up for Hillary or anyone else.

In fact, what concerns me every bit as much is WHO we're talking about:

Colombia agreed this month to pay $300,000 to public relations firm Burson-Marsteller - whose president, Mark Penn, is a senior advisor to Sen. Clinton

They're not Hill-Knowlton, but I don't think they're all that clean either.

[papau]

14. Is not Mark Penn a pollster and framer of issues - not a lobbyist. - Although his

firm has a lobbyist job work flow, and although Clinton had Penn talking to those on the Hill when he was on Clinton's staff in the 90's, would one really call Penn a lobbyist?

He does not fit the profile of those lobbyists I worked with in the 90's.

I see him as a techie on the effect of words and framing on his polls - indeed one of the best.

[Tellurian]

18. Good to know..

"I see him as a techie on the effect of words and framing on his polls - indeed one of the best."

The Republicks have really taken the gamesmanship to a new level. If you can't keep up, you end up at the bottom of the barrel. Words are my favorite past time. They can be a powerful force to soothe or excite the reader.

[Lord Helmet]

21. my poly sci prof thinks Sirota is a hack