1115.org

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Over the weekend, The Sunday Times brought us the delightful story of how Stephen Payne, a “lobbyist with close ties to the White House is offering access to key figures in George W Bush’s administration in return for six-figure donations to the private library being set up to commemorate Bush’s presidency.”

Yesterday, someone at the White House press briefing inevitably asked Dana Perino about this embarrassing turn of events. (As you read Perino’s response, do remember that this had to have been a question that she was fully prepared for.)

This man was telling people like “an exiled former central Asian president” that for “somewhere between $600,000 and $750,000, with about a third of it going directly to the Bush library”, he would arrange access to people high up in the Bush mal-administration:

… Cheney’s possible, definitely the national security adviser [Stephen Hadley], definitely either Dr Rice or … I think a meeting with Dr Rice or the deputy secretary [John Negroponte] is possible …

If one-third went directly to the Bush library, where did the other two-thirds go?

Payne said the balance of the $750,000 would go to his own lobbying company, Worldwide Strategic Partners (WSP).

It’s pretty damn clear that either Payne was using his proximity to the White House to scam people like exiled former central Asian presidents big time, or he was acting as a trusted agent of George W. Bush himself, not only helping to raise big bucks for the library but generating a healthy little slush fund that George could dip into whenever he liked, for whatever he liked.

There really doesn’t seem to be any realistic third possibility.

And if Payne was using Bush’s name to scam former world leaders, one would have expected a certain amount of outraged denunciation from the White House (or its certified denunciators).

So it’s interesting that Dana Perino’s response was the gentlest possible “We did not have relations with that man, Mr. Payne.”

Q Dana, on another subject, is the White House disappointed that this lobbyist, Stephen Payne, is on a video tape suggesting that he can deliver high-level White House meetings, including with the Vice President, in exchange for big contributions to the Bush library?

MS. PERINO: I’d say there’s categorically no link between any official business and the Bush library. Steve Payne was never an employee of the White House, but we do use hundreds of volunteers a year, as you know, for helping us do advance work. And of course I don’t know all of the facts about that situation, but we certainly would not advocate for such behavior.

Q How close is he to the President and has he ever brought any of his clients to the White House for meetings?

MS. PERINO: That I don’t know. I do know that he’s been a Republican fundraiser for many years, so I believe the President has probably met him on a number of occasions. But he was never an employee of the White House, and so I don’t know particularly about any contacts that they would have had or — at the White House.

Q And the last thing, just to clear it up, then, would the White House be willing to release any visitor logs to show whether or not he was here with clients, because he’s out there telling –

MS. PERINO: I’d have to have to check with Counsel’s office. And obviously we’ve been down this road before with visitor logs and there’s lawsuits and things, so I’ll have to check where that sits with —

Dana, Dana, Dana! The script doesn’t always indicate what emotions you need to employ as you hew to the agreed-upon line. Because it’s assumed you’ll be able to supply the appropriate emotions yourself. But clearly lots of outrage was called for here. “Dastardly” should have been the mildest word you used to describe this scoundrel who has so heinously betrayed the trust reposed in him.

You blew it again, dear Dana. Really quite puzzling how you keep your job. Given that you serve at the pleasure of the president, and everything.

Scott McClellan was willing to trot out every lie he was asked to trot out. And he did it with the proper emotion and everything. And even though he went back a long way with Bush, and even though Bush is so unswervingly loyal to those who are loyal to him, McClellan was still shafted.

So how come nobody’s shafting you, Dana?

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The funniest thing about La Perino’s “denial” is that she can’t even bring herself to say: “We did not have relations with that man, Mr. Payne.”

The best she could muster up with a straight face was a tepid: “I don’t know particularly about us having any relations with that man, Mr. Payne.”

Could Perino possibly be suffering from premature White House Press Secretary angst? Premature, that is, compared to Scottie.