DUKE CUTS AND RUNS-- BRIBE-TAKING GOP REP TO RETIRE FROM CONGRESS

Randy "Duke" Cunningham, at a hastily-called press conference at a small suburban college library, announced that he wouldn't be running for re-election. The Associated Press coverage says he's under investigation for financial improprieties with a defense contractor. Republicans are desperate to hold onto the Southern California suburban seat which has been slowly changing from deep red to kind of purple (with lots of immigrants and minority voters who usually favor progressive candidates moving in). "The time has come for me to conclude the public chapter in my life," the 8-term extreme right-winger with LOTS of favors to call in from Corporate America. "Quite simply, right now I may not be the strongest candidate." Uh... yeah. But is that why he's stepping down?

He knows he will probably be indicted, although self-righteous "victim-syndrome" fanatics like Cunningham are often self-deluded enough to be able to deny to themselves pending catastrophes-- like a nice long stay in a Federal Penitentiary. You can't discount that the Dukester considered the possibility that a House seat is a good bargaining chip in a plea bargain. But he's retiring anyway. Why? Needless to say, he didn't take any questions at his Bush-style "press conference."

But the question that should be on everyone's mind, the one that the Associated Press report didn't even hint at, has to do with Cunningham's OTHER side-job, not the no-bid-defense-contracts for cash but the presidential pardons for pay. Let me look again. Nope, AP doesn't even mention one Thomas Kontogiannis (not a name one would miss). That's the admitted, convicted Cunningham buddy/briber who gave ole "Duke" $400,000 for him to arrange a presidential pardon after he pled guilty in a bid-rigging, bribe and kickback scheme to cheat the NYC public school system out of millions of dollars. Of course, Congressman Cunningham's sleazy lawyer declared that "Duke's business dealings with Mr. Kontogiannis have been entirely proper and any suggestion to the contrary is simply false." No doubt. But the question that AP is ignoring and that no reporters even get to ask Ole "Duke" is that if he's selling presidential pardons to convicted felons... um... well he's not president and no one smart enough to get his hands on the kind of cash "Duke" demands for his favours would have ever thought there was any chance at all that he ever would be... So... that leaves one wondering who could grant the presidential pardons "Duke" was selling. Let's see... Cheney can't; Rove can't; George H.W. Bush can't (anymore). Hmmmm... wouldn't you love to know the arrangements "Duke" had made with the one person who can grant a presidential pardon? I think the American people have a right to know too.