For Campaign $$$ McHypocrite Champions Federal Land Deals
A second story about John Sidney McHypocrite's involvement in legislation for money is reported by the Washington Post.
According to the Post, "Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers].
"Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.
"When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal.
"The Audubon Society described the exchange as the largest in Arizona history. The swap involved more than 55,000 acres of land in all, including rare expanses of desert woodland and pronghorn antelope habitat. The deal had support from many local officials and the Arizona Republic newspaper for its expansion of the Prescott National Forest. But it brought an outcry from some Arizona environmentalists when it was proposed in 2002, partly because it went through Congress rather than a process that allowed more citizen input.
" 'When the public trust intersects with private interests, basically, he has favored land development . . . in every case,' said Rob Smith, director of the Sierra Club's Arizona affiliate.
"At first, the trade appeared to have broad support, but opposition soon developed. Clarkdale Mayor Doug Von Gausig, whose house overlooks the Verde River, said he feared that development would overtax an already fragile water source.
"Other critics included a national taxpayer group that questioned the land values. 'It was just a bad deal -- a rip-off to the public,' said Janine Blaeloch, who heads the Western Lands Project, another opponent of the legislation.
"Flagstaff Mayor Joseph C. Donaldson, a supporter of the swap, said McCain's hesitation stemmed from his "insistence that the environment be protected." But opponents were baffled by the senator's seemingly contradictory positions. Said Blaeloch: 'The bizarre thing to me regarding McCain is, we spent a lot of time with his staff, and we all seemed to be on the same page about the problems with this swap. But somehow, John McCain kept pushing it forward.'
"Betts is among a string of donors who have benefited from McCain-engineered land swaps. In 1994, the senator helped a lobbyist for land developer Del Webb Corp. pursue an exchange in the Las Vegas area, according to the Center for Public Integrity. McCain sponsored two bills, in 1991 and 1994, sought by donor Donald R. Diamond that yielded the developer thousands of acres in trade for national parkland."
I wrote about the McCain-Donald R. Diamond bucks for legislation land deal in a posting in late April which included this: "The latest news in the NYTimes article about John Sidney McBush isn't the worst example of his hypocritical career as a congressman and senator but it does make the point: a rich senator using his office and influence to help a rich constituent developer (who is a big money contributer and bundler) with smelly, questionable deals.
"John Sidney McSame: the rich senator helping the rich get richer and the hell with the common good. McBush the hypocrite."
Nothing has changed. McHypocrite is still dishonest and deceitful; totally lacking in integrity.
According to the Post, "Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers].
"Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.
"When McCain's legislation passed in November 2005, the ranch owner gave the job of building as many as 12,000 homes to SunCor Development, a firm in Tempe, Ariz., run by Steven A. Betts, a longtime McCain supporter who has raised more than $100,000 for the presumptive Republican nominee. Betts said he and McCain never discussed the deal.
"The Audubon Society described the exchange as the largest in Arizona history. The swap involved more than 55,000 acres of land in all, including rare expanses of desert woodland and pronghorn antelope habitat. The deal had support from many local officials and the Arizona Republic newspaper for its expansion of the Prescott National Forest. But it brought an outcry from some Arizona environmentalists when it was proposed in 2002, partly because it went through Congress rather than a process that allowed more citizen input.
" 'When the public trust intersects with private interests, basically, he has favored land development . . . in every case,' said Rob Smith, director of the Sierra Club's Arizona affiliate.
"At first, the trade appeared to have broad support, but opposition soon developed. Clarkdale Mayor Doug Von Gausig, whose house overlooks the Verde River, said he feared that development would overtax an already fragile water source.
"Other critics included a national taxpayer group that questioned the land values. 'It was just a bad deal -- a rip-off to the public,' said Janine Blaeloch, who heads the Western Lands Project, another opponent of the legislation.
"Flagstaff Mayor Joseph C. Donaldson, a supporter of the swap, said McCain's hesitation stemmed from his "insistence that the environment be protected." But opponents were baffled by the senator's seemingly contradictory positions. Said Blaeloch: 'The bizarre thing to me regarding McCain is, we spent a lot of time with his staff, and we all seemed to be on the same page about the problems with this swap. But somehow, John McCain kept pushing it forward.'
"Betts is among a string of donors who have benefited from McCain-engineered land swaps. In 1994, the senator helped a lobbyist for land developer Del Webb Corp. pursue an exchange in the Las Vegas area, according to the Center for Public Integrity. McCain sponsored two bills, in 1991 and 1994, sought by donor Donald R. Diamond that yielded the developer thousands of acres in trade for national parkland."
I wrote about the McCain-Donald R. Diamond bucks for legislation land deal in a posting in late April which included this: "The latest news in the NYTimes article about John Sidney McBush isn't the worst example of his hypocritical career as a congressman and senator but it does make the point: a rich senator using his office and influence to help a rich constituent developer (who is a big money contributer and bundler) with smelly, questionable deals.
"John Sidney McSame: the rich senator helping the rich get richer and the hell with the common good. McBush the hypocrite."
Nothing has changed. McHypocrite is still dishonest and deceitful; totally lacking in integrity.
Posted by Kaz at 5/10/2008 1:04 PM 
Categories: McCain, Presidential Race, elections, 2008, Bushites, Repuglicans
Categories: McCain, Presidential Race, elections, 2008, Bushites, Repuglicans
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