CUNNINGHAM RENEGS ON COOPERATION DEAL... IN THE EXPECTATION THAT BUSH WILL PARDON HIM ON THE WAY OUT?

Now that Cunningham has gotten off so lightly-- just 8 years and a few months instead of 30 years, for bribery and other criminal acts, he has cooperating with Federal investigators. Yesterday's North County Times has reported today that he "has not been helping federal authorities as they continue to probe the former North County congressman's web of corruption. Rick Gwin, special agent in charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service's western regional office, said he is troubled by the lack of assistance, particularly in light of Cunningham's plea agreement that calls for him to tell all that he knows. 'In my opinion, he has not been cooperative and I have not gotten any information from him to further develop other targets,' Gwin said in a telephone interview from his office in Mission Viejo. 'I was hoping that from a jail cell, he might become more cooperative, but we just don't have the cooperation that I think we should have... This is much bigger and wider than just Randy "Duke' Cunningham," he said. 'All that has just not come out yet, but it won't be much longer and then you will know just how widespread this is.'"

It was widely expected that Cunningham's testimony would at least help authorities successfully prosecute 3 other right-wing Republican congressmen who were bribed by the same defense contractors who were bribing Cunningham, Jerry Lewis, Duncan Hunter and John Doolittle. CIA chief Porter Goss and his deputy "Dusty" Foggo were fired last week for their involvement in the bribery scandals swirling around Cunningham, Brent Wilkes and other Republican defense contractors who were "losing" a great deal of money at weekly poker games to "lucky" GOP solons. Like Cunningham, Goss and Foggo were making sure the defense contractors got sweet contracts in return for millions of dollars in bribes.

And there's the little matter of Cunningham's pal Thomas Kontogiannis who had given Cunningham $400,000 to buy a pardon for himself from the one person who could grant him one, Cunningham's other pal, George W. Bush. Some people think Bush has let Cunningham know that if he just sits there quietly he'll spring him with a presidential pardon as he leaves office, a pardon that can't be challenged.

Meanwhile a brand new SUSA poll reported today that the Republicans' mirror image crooked ex-congressman/lobbyist choice to replace Cunningham, ultra sleazy Brian Bilbray, is rapidly losing support in a district gerrymandered for a Republican. "In a special election held today, 5/10/06, in California's 50th Congressional District, Republican Brian Bilbray and Democrat Francine Busby tie, each with 45%, according to a SurveyUSA poll of 442 likely voters conducted exclusively for KGTV-TV San Diego. 9% would vote for some other candidate. Bilbray gets 82% of Republican votes. Busby gets 92% of Democrat votes. Among Independents, Busby leads Bilbray 54% to 19%."