The Times Strafes Billary

The Times has a front pager, just barely above the fold, telling us how Bill Clinton delivered a PR coup for the tin pot dictator of Kazakhstan.  Said dictator then awarded a uranium mining contract to one of Bill's corporate friend of convenience, who subsequently donated $31.3 million to the Clinton library.  The Clintonistas were coy about this donation when the Times reported on it last December:

The $31.3 million donation, which was previously undisclosed, came from the Radcliffe Foundation run by Frank Giustra, a Canadian who has made millions financing mining deals around the world. Mr. Giustra has become a member of Mr. Clinton’s inner circle, joining him on global trips and lending him the use of his private MD-87 jet.

For weeks, Clinton Foundation officials had suggested that the $31.3 million contribution listed on its tax return did not come from a single donor. They then said it came from a single source, but declined to identify it. Wednesday afternoon, a representative of Mr. Giustra contacted The Times and acknowledged the Radcliffe contribution.

This year, Mr. Giustra announced separate plans to give the Clinton Foundation $100 million, plus half of his future earnings from natural resource business ventures, for a joint project to spur economic growth in poor Latin American mining communities. Taken together, the contributions make Mr. Giustra one of the foundation’s largest benefactors, if not the single largest.

Matt Yglesias and Mark Kleiman deliver the outrage.

Now clearly, following on their co-candidacy in South Carolina it is impossible for Ms. Clinton to argue that Wild Bill will be merely a bit player in her Administration.  So how many other
special friends does he have, and when will we learn about them?

And from a different direction, there is a real policy problem here.  The role of nuclear power will be an important part of the national debate over energy policy.  At the recent Las Vegas debate Obama favored the attempt to develop nuclear power; Hillary was firmly uncommitted, as also reported here. 

Her website does not exactly shine a light on her nuclear vision either.  Her summary page for her energy plans does not mention the word "nuclear"; her fourteen page plan devotes one paragraph to hand-wringing about safety and regulatory issues.

But which way can she jump?  If she comes out in favor of more nuclear power she is helping a big contributer boosting global demand for uranium; that does not look so good.  But if she announces her firm opposition to nuclear power some critics will say that rather than deciding on the merits she is making that choice simply to avoid the appearance of impropriety - America will remain in the dark so Bill can raise money from his "friends".

There is a solution to this puzzle, and I hope Dem voters find it next Tuesday.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  OK, I really just want to see Hillary cry again.  And I am not talking about misting up a bit; I am talking huge, wracking sobs, with Chelsea leading her away by the elbow as the election returns come in.  But I'm not a hater!

MORE:  Some polls from 2005 and 2006 on nuclear power suggest Obama is in a reasonable spot politically.

Comments

[Jane]

More likely you will see the appearance of a few henchman than anymore tears. That strategy will only work once.

[MayBee]

Here is the ad currently playing in CA. It is obviously an homage to her near-tears (complete with "What I do every day....")
It isn't huge wracking sobs, but it definitely gives a hint that she's willing to go there.

[MayBee]

Just playing Mark Penn here....

As far as I know, they have not yet tried having Chelsea sob.
Could Obama say something so hurtful that Chelsea could lose it in front of a camera? Before next Tuesday, I mean.

[Brainster]

Hillary's idea is not to go nuclear. It's to slow down the economy, stupid! ;)

[Clarice]

Why not sell yourself to everyone for big bucks to build a "library" that looks like a double wide trailer in a place no one wants to go to house crap(all the good stuff's hidden) about a President so corrupt he was impeached.

[Rick Ballard]

"It's to slow down the economy, stupid! ;)"

How many in a hundred can recognize the possibility/probability of Mr. Andrea Mitchell's fine hand at work for the Clinton's? How could it ever be proven that there is a nexus between the Fed's actions and the decisions of CITI's board to appear to waste tens of billions of its assets (they'll recover 70-80% over time) by allowing underwriting standards to be tossed out the window in order to feed a speculative frenzy - in certain markets.

Generally, I'm not in favor of grand conspiracy theories and I will admit that there's a possibility that herd pyschology and stupidity drove the speculation much more than the Fed's decision to keep the discount rate low from '04-'06. The rather curious conflation of Mr. Andrea Mitchell's decisions and the decisions of the CITI may be entirely coincidental. Except for that niggling detail about the Fed's decision being out of line with its previous actions during Mr. Mitchell's tenure.

[glasater]

Except for that niggling detail about the Fed's decision being out of line with its previous actions during Mr. Mitchell's tenure
Well--he was/is a fan of Ayn Rand and a type of gold bug to boot.

[Bill Faith]

I'm all for seeing Hillary cry again too, but not till November. Enough people like that Obama kid that if he gets the nomination he'll be hard to beat. Hillary, not so much.

[rogera]

Just out of curiosity: are there any legal restrictions on foundations making contributions to political candidates? Not, of course, that the Clinton Foundation would be supporting HRC's campaign. Foundations dont fall under 501C3 or 527 restrictions, do they?

[Tom Maguire]

I'm all for seeing Hillary cry again too, but not till November. Enough people like that Obama kid that if he gets the nomination he'll be hard to beat. Hillary, not so much.

You're a braver man than I - if she is nominated she might actually win. Too scary.

[clarice]

BREAKING: Brian Ross has tapes of Clinton on the Wal Mart Board as they plan actions against unions and says nothing in objection.
Done Finitop. Toast.

[clarice]

**********Finito**********

[Rick Ballard]

Watch her claim that she was only playing piano in the parlor and didn't have a clue as to what those nasty people were doing upstairs.

[centralcal]

Don't ya just love how the media is going after the Clintons now that they have Obama, the second coming of JFK?

Lordy, I can hardly wait to see what they have in store for their very lovable "Maverick!" But, first they have to push him to the nomination.

All things in good time.

[Jane]

Perhaps some of the lefties will begin to realize the power that the media wields, and how they wield it.

Of course I won't hold my breath.

[narciso]

Of course, they'll send Joe Wilson in a year or two, to prove that they're not
supplying Iran. Kazakhstan and Azeirbaijan
were supposed to be the new oil fields, taking up the slack for the decaying Saudi
fields; but Putin rerouted the pipelines,
from their eventual port in Ceyhan, Turkey.
(Get Sibel Edmonds on that)

[Pigilito]

Wow, Bill and his connections are a series of potential conflicts of intrest for Hillary should she become prez.

I can't imagine that Bill will not lobby on behalf of his donors/client should the opportunity arise. No wonder people are flocking to donate to his causes.

We coud see Marc Rich type deals on a huge scale. Renting the Lincoln bedroom will be peanuts compared to the influence pedaling Bill will bring to the White House.