(8/26/03)Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fraudida) persists in his remarkable quest for the truth, and he has expanded his scope beyond 9/11 and Iraq. In the last two weeks, he has blasted both Ashcroft and the VICE _resident on the arrogance of power, Consider how rare such powerful words are from a national politician:
"It comes as no surprise that under the Bush/Cheney
Administration, big oil companies have greater access
to the White House than at any point in American
history. What does come as a surprise are the lengths
to which this Administration is willing to go to hide
this cozy relationship."
http://www.buzzflash.com/alerts/03/08/26_graham.htmlAugust 26, 2003 ALERT ARCHIVES
Graham to Cheney: "Pattern of Deception Must End"
Calls on Vice President to Release Energy Task Force
Documents
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT
(Tallahassee, FL) – Democratic Presidential Candidate,
Senator Bob Graham, today issued the following
statement in response to recent news reports that the
White House – and particularly Vice President Dick
Cheney -- continues to refuse Congressional requests
for details about how much energy companies and
industry groups have influenced energy policy.
"It comes as no surprise that under the Bush/Cheney
Administration, big oil companies have greater access
to the White House than at any point in American
history. What does come as a surprise are the lengths
to which this Administration is willing to go to hide
this cozy relationship.
"Congressional investigators have found that the Vice
President’s Energy Task Force relied heavily on
‘petroleum, coal, nuclear, natural gas, electricity
industry representatives and lobbyists, while seeking
limited input from academic experts, environmentalists
and policy groups.’ But the Vice President’s office
refuses to fully cooperate with investigators seeking
to find out the extent of this influence.
"If the Bush/Cheney team has nothing to hide, then why
are they hiding documents? There can be only one
answer – they don’t want the American people to know
just how much influence the big oil companies have
over U.S. energy policy.
"This is the latest example of how the Bush
Administration is willing to hang every day citizens
like farmers, commuters, and truck drivers out to dry
in order to help their campaign donors. First, he
saddles Americans with a tax cut given to the rich
which leaves middle income people having to pay the
bills, and now he hits them again every day at the gas
pumps so his rich campaign contributors can pad their
pockets.
"The pattern of deception from this administration
must end. It’s time to come clean with the American
people. And it’s time to develop an energy policy that
looks out for the American people – not the
Halliburton’s of the world."
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT