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Mar. 17, 2005 With Hillary Clinton looking like the sure Democratic nominee in 2008, one will expect the political mudslinging to reach an all-time high/low. Just like the Dems will link the GOP candidate to the so-called “culture of corruption” in that party, the GOP will be shaking several trunks in the Clinton attic in search of skeletons. One such specter might be that of former White House Counsel Vincent Foster. What better way to drag Hillary through the mud by someone who can neither confirm nor deny anything? (At the same time, this could also work in Hillary’s favor, for the “suicide” of Mr. Foster is a dubious ruling at best. During President William J. Clinton’s first term, the Whitewater issue remained front page news. It was the New York Times that broke the scandal. At the center of this controversy was Foster, but he was found dead on July 23, 1993 in Fort Marcy Park in Virginia. Foster allegedly shot himself in the mouth. However, a paramedic at the scene reported a .22 caliber bullet hole in the neck, just below the right jawline. Furthermore, the first witness on the scene claimed to have never saw a gone present. The President Clinton and Mrs. Clinton were suspected of fraud in connection with this investment. Foster’s death fueled speculation that the Clinton’s feared that Foster held a sword of Damocles over them and was likely to wield it.. Others speculated that Foster and Hillary Clinton had a short-lived affair. Stranger still was what happened next. It was discovered that Chief White House Counsel Bernard Nussbaum illegally removed documents from Foster’s office. The documents concerned the Whitewater Development Corporation. Furthermore, it was reported that a Secret Service agent named Henry O' Neill watched as Hillary's Chief of Staff, Margaret Williams, carry boxes from Foster’s office before it could be designated as a scene of a possible criminal investigation. It was alleged that other items were removed even after the room was officially sealed. Three separate Whitewater inquiries were launched and the Clintons were exonerated in all. The debacle began in 1978, when the Clintons created a business named Whitewater Development Corporation in Little Rock, Arkansas. Other investors were James and Susan McDougal. Seven years later James McDougal wanted to launch Castle Grande, a project designed to create residential construction. He needed 1.8 million dollars for the project and attempted to get funding from his own savings and loans, Madison Guaranty. However, legal statutes limited such a loan to $600,000. McDougal then had to persuade others to invest, including Bank employee Seth Ward who provided the rest of the loan money needed. Federal regulators later discovered that the entire funding for this project came from Madison S & L. The subsequent scandal forced the McDougals to resign, while Ward was under investigation by the SEC, along with Hillary Clinton, who had drawn up the paperwork. In 1994 a special prosecutor was assigned by the Department of Justice to investigate the transaction. Hillary was alleged to have pressured a Little Rock, Arkansas businessman to make a loan that would benefit him and the owners of Madison Guaranty, and that an Arkansas bank had concealed a separate transactions involving Bill’s campaign for Governor four years earlier. Attorney General Janet Reno appointed special prosecutor Robert B. Fiske to investigate the matter. He was replaced by Ken Starr, who was working under the umbrella of the Office of the Independent Counsel. Then in January fo 1996 Hillary Clinton testified before a grand jury concerning her investments in Whitewater. The Grand Jury inquired into how Vincent Foster's paper ended up in the White House. Subsequently, 15 individuals were convicted of federal charges unrelated to Whitewater. This included the McDougals, White House Counsel Webster Hubbel and Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker. Before leaving office, President Clinton pardoned four of these individuals. Many believed the GOP was out to “get” Bill Clinton. In 1998 Starr charged him with perjury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and abuse of authority in the Paula Jones case. His tryst with Monica Lewinsky was also cited, despite objections that Starr was exceeding the parameters of the initial investigation. Later that year President Clinton was also impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. In early 1999 he was tried by the Senate and was acquitted. Clinton supporters saw this tactic as a personal attack on the President by Republicans, most notably Newt Gingrich. The indictment itself had little to do with Clinton's performance as Chief Executive. Clinton opponents argued that a President's false testimony in a court of law was grounds for removal. Will any of this have any bearing on Hillary’s bid for the White House two years from now? There are still many questions raised by the findings of Dr. James Bever, who performed the Foster autopsy. There are questions about the suicide investigation itself, the exit wound, Foster’s inability to have been able to fire a gun at such a preposterous angle and the rumor of a second gunshot wound in Foster’s neck, below the jawline. With PNAC desperately trying to maintain their stranglehold on the Oval Office, Clinton might find herself the victim of virulent attacks that would make the Bush, Sr.—Dukakis Campaign look like a weekend at the Playboy mansion. I suspect that both parties will pull out all the stops and we will see the ugliest Presidential campaign in U.S. political history. ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is a 46-year old California native with a wide variety of interests-from fishing to politics, which have a lot in common: Both require you to deal with worms and most of your time is spent idling. He is a former Democrat, believing that Party represents outdated ideas. He is officially registered as an Independent, choosing to keep his options open. Timothy is also the author of more than 80 screenplays and novels, two of which have been "published": "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice Of Cain", both available through PublishAmerica. He defines his writing style as "Hip-hop fiction; a cross between Richard Pryor and Richard Wright." His UK columns is written in a hard-edged style, but he is not yet a curmudgeon or a conservative. (Is that redundant?) After all, one of his favorite movies is "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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