For the best in vacuous commentary look no further than Running. On Dec 21, 10:15 am, Running <[email protected]> wrote: > For the best in "pussyfooting around with Arabs," look no further than > the Bush clan. > > On Dec 20, 10:13 pm, Travis <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > From: Travis > > Subject: BUBBA SHEIK-ING THE MONEY TREE - NY Post > > Date: Friday, December 19, 2008, > > > [image:http://www.nypost.com/] <http://www.nypost.com/> > > > *BUBBA SHEIK-ING THE MONEY TREE* By GEOFF EARLE in Washington and CHUCK > > BENNETT in New York > > *December 19, 2008* -- > > It's time to get Bubba fitted for a burnoose. > > > Arkansas good ol' boy Bill Clinton turned the ancient lands of Arabia into > > his personal ATM over the past decade, raking in tens of millions of dollars > > worth of donations to his private foundation, records disclosed by the > > former president yesterday show. > > Desert-dwelling donors, including Gulf states, billionaire Saudis and > > Arab-focused charities, gave big to his William J. Clinton Foundation in > > what could be called the world's biggest sheik shakedown. > > **<http://www.nypost.com/seven/12192008/postopinion/editorials/bills_pal...> > > The oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia alone gave between $15 million and $35 > > million to the nonprofit. > > In all, more than 200,000 individuals and entities gave to Clinton - for a > > total of nearly $500 million. And that means 200,000 possible > > conflict-of-interest headaches for wife Hillary, President-elect Barack > > Obama's pick for secretary of state. > > For years, Clinton steadfastly kept his donors' identities more hidden than > > Ali Baba's cave, even as Hillary campaigned for president and watchdogs > > called for transparency. > > But, to help ease her upcoming Senate confirmation hearing, Clinton finally > > said "open sesame" to his foundation's books and provided the names of every > > donor plus broad range amounts of the gifts. > > The largest gifts, either to fund his presidential library or global > > poverty-fighting charity initiatives, came from the Saudis. > > Friends of Saudi Arabia, a government-sponsored agency that fosters ties > > between the kingdom and the United States, gave an additional $1 million to > > $5 million on top of the direct $10 million to $25 million from the kingdom > > itself. > > And Saudi billionaires Sheik Mohammed H. al-Amoudi and Nasser al-Rashid > > donated in the $5 million-to-$10 million range. Hamza B. al Kholi, a Saudi > > construction titan, gave between $100,000 and $250,000. > > The Persian Gulf governments of Kuwait, Qatar and Oman and the Far Eastern > > sultanate of Brunei each gave between $1 million and $5 million, and another > > $250,000 to $500,000 came from the US Islamic World Conference. > > The United Arab Emirates-based Dubai Foundation, which aims to promote > > education in the Middle East, gave between $1 million to $5 million, as did > > the Zayed family, that country's ruling family. > > "It's not conducted the way they do it in Chicago, a situation where you > > give me millions and I give you that. It's for a cultivation of good will," > > said Harvey Sicherman, president of the Foreign Policy Research Institute > > and a State Department adviser during the Reagan administration. > > "Often, people who do this have some business with a government and they are > > cultivating friends, that's the extent of it," he said. > > But it can lead to at least the appearance of friends with benefits. For > > instance, mining financier Frank Giustra gave Clinton between $10 million > > and $25 million along with a donation of $1 million to $5 million from his > > private foundation. > > In 2005, Giustra flew Clinton to Kazakhstan on his private jet, where the > > ex-prez sang the praises of the Central Asian nation's autocratic leader. > > Giustra then won a lucrative uranium mining contract. > > A similar appearance of a conflict could weigh on Hillary when Bill's donors > > have an agenda before the State Department. > > "People may say, well, even if they are not sharing the same bed at night, > > they still may talk to each other and it doesn't look right," Sicherman > > said. > > Homegrown billionaires weren't shy to open their wallets either. Stephen > > Bing, an old "Friend of Bill" and real-estate heir, handed over between $10 > > million and $25 million, as did New York's independent political power > > broker Thomas Golisano and Chicago media mogul Fred Eychaner. > > Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg and Cameron Diaz donated as well. > > Songwriter Denise Rich gave between $250,000 and $500,000 and saw her > > tax-cheating husband, Marc, pardoned in 2001. > > More modestly, US sugar baron Alfonso Fanjul Jr., the man who famously > > called Clinton in the Oval Office when Monica Lewinsky was hanging out, gave > > between $50,000 and $100,000. > > Notably absent, however, is Clinton's BFF and former business partner, Ron > > Burkle, a billionaire playboy and California supermarket king. > > Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) promised that Bill Clinton's prolific fund-raising > > would be thoroughly discussed at Hillary's confirmation hearing. > > "I don't know how, given all of our ethics standards now, anyone quite > > measures up to this - who has such cosmic ties," he said. > > In a statement, Bill Clinton thanked the donors for their support. > > Adding to the list of conflicts were substantial donations from individuals > > connected to India and Israel. > > Indian politician Amar Singh, who discussed an Indian-US agreement to share > > civilian nuclear technology this past September, donated between $1 million > > and $5 million. > > Any appearance that a Secretary of State Clinton has a close relationship > > with India could add drama to tense negotiations with the Asian > > subcontinent's nuclear-armed rival Pakistan. > > Among other big donors are TV producer Haim Saban, who splits his time > > between California and Israel and gave between $5 million and $10 million. > > And American Israel Public Affairs Committee board member and Slim-Fast > > founder S. Daniel Abraham gave in the $1 million-to-$5 million range. > > *[email protected]* > > > Home <http://www.nypost.com/> > > ------------------------------ > > NEW YORK POST is a registered trademark of NYP Holdings, Inc. > > NYPOST.COM<http://nypost.com/>, > > NYPOSTONLINE.COM <http://nypostonline.com/>, and > > NEWYORKPOST.COM<http://newyorkpost.com/> > > are trademarks of NYP Holdings, Inc. > > Copyright 2008 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. > > > -- > > *~@):~{>- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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