A Top Health Official Resigns Under Pressure
By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS
WASHINGTON, March 4 — Janet Rehnquist, inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department, resigned tonight in the face of Congressional opposition and a wide-ranging inquiry into her conduct.
Ms. Rehnquist, daughter of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, reluctantly bowed to pressure from Senators Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, and Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, the chairman and the ranking member of the Finance Committee.
Ms. Rehnquist, whose responsibilities included rooting out fraud and waste in Medicaid and Medicare, came under lawmakers' scrutiny shortly after President Bush appointed her in August 2001. Senators questioned numerous aspects of her conduct, including replacing a score of experienced managers, her unauthorized possession of a gun in her office and her request to delay a federal audit of the Florida state employees' pension fund, in possible deference to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida.
posted on March 5, 2003 12:51:48 AM new
>Now if they would just scrutinize Ashcroft. A little scrutiny might help shape this bunch up.
I'm suspicious. All of my senses tell me that we're being played for a sucker by the White House. I mean, c'mon and look at the real facts. If the Congress is beginning to cave into public pressure for them to take control away from the White House and to reform the country, all Bush would have to do is to declare War, protest or no protest (see Ronald Reagan and Grenada as example) America would have to support the troops and Bush would have total control.
Bush & Co. know that.
So what are they waiting for?
They already have control of all three branches of government and the Democrats are little more than an occasional nuisance. So what shoe are they waiting to drop?
At first I thought it has to do something with the fractures in the Republican Party, led by the likes of reformer John McCain. Bush could be kicking his heels waiting for Congress and the media to reach out just so far to be a real threat and then WHAM-O! - Instant War!
But what good would that really do?
The only thing that I can think of is that Bush & Co. really are trying to parallel Nazi Germany, but without the "mistakes" that Adolph Hitler made. We are at the point where Adolph Hitler was assuming a lot more power than was good for him and he talked really good and lots of German folks thought that he was peachy-keen for telling them just how wonderful that they are were. In order to take Full Dictatorial power, Hitler had to get rid of the Old Guard, namely the Von Hindenburg Constitutional crowd. With a chilling similarity to time schedule, we are mirroring that absolute take-over of authority and the abolishment of the constitutional government in Germany. Is this what Bush & Co are waiting for War?
I realize that Mid-March is better logistically and the weather will be much better for flying and attacking, and the materials will be that much more ready, etc. Certainly, if Bush just finally stopped pretending like he respected the UN for anything and went to War, that would also dig Tony Blair out of his hole, as the British people would have to also turn around and support the troops. So what is Bush really waiting for?
posted on March 5, 2003 08:58:46 AM new
War in conjunction with a severe economic depression could result in enough social unrest that it would serve as an excuse for a military coup. Add a significant terrorist incident of some sort and one could have another trifecta.
posted on March 5, 2003 09:04:37 AM new
I hope they get Sen Tom Daschle's wife next. She works for a lobbying firm in DC that has all kinds of legislation in front of him.
