Washington Post:
Brent R. Wilkes, a California defense contractor and prominent GOP campaign contributor, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison yesterday for lavishing a Republican congressman with money, prostitutes and other bribes in exchange for nearly $90 million in work from the Pentagon.
Wilkes, 53, was convicted in November of 13 felony crimes including bribery, conspiracy and fraud for giving the gifts to former representative Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), who is serving an eight-year prison term for accepting millions in bribes from Wilkes and others......
....Wilkes is a Republican Party "Pioneer" who raised more than $100,000 for President Bush's reelection in 2004 and donated -- in concert with his business colleagues -- $656,396 to 64 other Republican lawmakers and the national Republican Party committees in Washington from 1995 through the third quarter of 2005, according to campaign finance records....
How nice.
* Have you noticed the level of excitement at the various political events? People at rallies for Republican presidential candidates are not very emotional. Sure there are cheers, but those cheers are not very loud or enthusiastic. At some McCain events I've seen on TV, the people show as much emotion as someone waiting for the dentist.
However, at rallies for Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama, people are smiling, applauding, jumping up, and shouting for joy. These rallies are loud and crowded.
Why does it matter? If people are enthusiastic for someone, they will contribute time and money, and vote for the candidate. The Democratic candidates are seeing and experiencing voters' devotion and interest in their candidacies. Republican voters just seem dull, dull, dull.
