EVEN CHENEY'S TRIP TO COLORADO FAILS TO MOVE THE DISCUSSION OFF SCHAFFER'S MARIANNAS SCANDAL

No photos of Cheney and Schaffer together were allowed so... I'm sure Schaffer LOVES this one

A couple of days ago we talked a little about the ex-congressman Bob Schaffer's junket to the Mariannas. Since then, Schaffer and his vicious attack dog campaign manager Dick Wadhams, have been in full lockdown, peeping out just long enough to hurl epithets at the Denver Post for exposing Schaffer's ties to Abramoff and the Culture of Corruption. Not even a fundraiser by Darth Cheney for Colorado millionaires-- complete with protesters and arrests-- could move the discussion away from Schaffer's corruption. And man, is Schaffer ever traumatized!

Senate candidate Bob Schaffer brushed off questions today about his dealings with labor reform in the Northern Mariana Islands when he was a congressman and instead reveled in big-time party support he received with a fundraising visit by Vice President Dick Cheney.

...Asked during a press conference following Cheney's visit about Denver Post reports that link him to an effort by jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff to quash labor reform in the Mariana Islands in 1999, Schaffer was visibly angry.

"I am really disgusted with the tone and tenor and direction of the Denver Post stories. I have had no contact with the individuals in the story, particularly Jack Abramoff," Schaffer said. "It's a matter of fiction. That's all I'm going to say about it."

Schaffer went to the Northern Mariana Islands as part of a trip partially arranged by Abramoff's firm. He visited textile factories which were the target of a class-action lawsuit alleging abuses of workers. Abramoff had been hired by factory owners and island officials to stave off attempts at reform.

In a recent interview with the Post, Schaffer cited the island's guest-worker program as a "model" that could be followed in overhauling U.S. immigration policy.

Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams said today there is room for a legitimate discussion on that point. The U.S. Department of Labor cited the factories for more than 1,000 safety violations in the late 1990s.

After deflecting one question about his Mariana involvement, Schaffer turned back to his impressions of the Vice President's visit.

He said in a private conversation he had with Cheney, Cheney told him he was impressed with the growth and construction he saw from the window of his limousine as he traveled a short distance from the airport to a private reception for donors to Schaffer's campaign. Schaffer said he told the Vice President the energy industry is having a very positive impact on the area.

Protesters lined part of the Vice President's route waving signs and holding out hands painted red to symbolize Cheney's part in the Iraq War.

Even Democratic attacks on Cheney and Schaffer for their ties to Big Oil and rising gas prices came as kind of a respite from the non-stop barrage over Schaffer's role in the Culture of Corruption. Can you imagine when this sounds like a relief?

Both Bob Schaffer and Dick Cheney have a long history of supporting Big Oil over their constituents, and then receiving large paychecks from Big Oil in return. After six years in Congress supporting Big Oil, including voting to give them $28 million in tax cuts, Bob Schaffer cashed in his favors for a six-figure job as an oil and gas executive. So far, Schaffer’s big oil paychecks have totaled nearly $1 million. Cheney continues to receive a seven-figure Big Oil paycheck from Halliburton -- even while serving as Vice-President.

Cheney-- whose stay in Colorado was a two-hour hit and run-- was holed up in a private residence chosen for one reason: it's proximity to the airport. He charged $150 per person, $500 per couple, a kind of Republican Marriage Penalty. No one was permitted to photograph Cheney and Schaffer together.

One progressive blogger, Eli over at Multi Medium suggested the only way to get the press on to another topic would be for Cheney to shoot Schaffer in the face and just go for the sympathy vote.


UPDATE: LEADERSHIP FOR JACK ABRAMOFF, NOT COLORADO

This is a really good TV spot that puts exactly the right focus on corrupt wingnut Bob Schaffer: