Friday, February 10, 2006
Psychological Telltales
Back on December 18, 2005, Chris Wallace was interviewing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) about a lot of things. Near the end of the interview, there was this exchange:
WALLACE: I just have to pick up on this, because you've been mentioning corruption several times here. One of the biggest scandals in Washington right now involves Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who's under investigation, and his clients.
It turns out that you received $66,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff and his clients. Some of your colleagues...
REID: Chris, Chris...
WALLACE: May I ask the question?
REID: Don't try to say I received money from Abramoff.
REID: I've never met the man, don't know anything...
WALLACE: But you've received money from...
REID: Make sure that all your viewers understand-- not a penny from Abramoff. I've been on the Indian Affairs Committee my whole time in the Senate.
WALLACE: But you've received money from his firm. You've received money from some of his clients. The question I'm asking if I may get the question out, Senator. Some of your colleagues, both Republican and Democrats, have given back campaign contributions that had any taint of Abramoff to it. Are you going to do so?
REID: Well, first of all, Chris, make sure that -- again, I'll repeat, Abramoff gave me no money. His firm gave me no money. He may have worked a firm where people have given me money. But I have -- I feel totally at ease that I haven't done anything that is even close to being wrong.
And I'm going to continue doing what I've done for my entire tenure in Congress. My record --any money that I've received --it's a federal law. You can look who gave it to me, how much, when they gave it to me, and what their occupations are.
So don't lump me in with Jack Abramoff. This is a Republican scandal. Don't try to give any of it to me.
It's tough to see in the cold transcript, but Reid was angry and vehement in his denial (apparently in denial in more ways than one). His outburst is an example of a form or projection (first noticed, as far as I can tell, by Shakespeare in Hamlet with Queen Gertrude's line "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."Act III, Scene 2), Reid wants to blame only the Republicans because he knows he's guilty. And how.
Now we know the extent of his involvement in Abramoff related activities, which sure does look bought and paid for. Here's the lead paragraphs of today's AP story:
Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid wrote at least four letters helpful to Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, and Reid's staff had frequent contact with the disgraced lobbyist's team about legislation.
The activities -- detailed in previously unreported billing records and correspondence -- occurred over three years as Reid (D-Nev.) collected nearly $68,000 in political donations from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients.
I predicted early last month that the Abramoff story would not be the tidal wave the Democrats and MSM (same thing) were hyping several weeks ago. That a senior leader of the Democrat party is up to his neck in the scandal is part of the reason.
Reliable Howard Dean, chairman of the Democrat National Committee, has already thrown Reid to the wolves:
WALLACE: So if we find — and I just want to — we have to wrap this up. But if we find that there were some Democrats who wrote letters on behalf of some of the Indian tribes that Abramoff represented, then what do you say, sir?
DEAN: That's a big problem, and those Democrats are in trouble, and they should be in trouble.
I wish I could say that I saw today's news about the extent of Reid's involvement coming based on his inappropriate vehemence of denial, but it's only in retrospect, as usual, that the pieces fall together and show a more complete picture.
WALLACE: I just have to pick up on this, because you've been mentioning corruption several times here. One of the biggest scandals in Washington right now involves Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who's under investigation, and his clients.
It turns out that you received $66,000 in campaign contributions from Abramoff and his clients. Some of your colleagues...
REID: Chris, Chris...
WALLACE: May I ask the question?
REID: Don't try to say I received money from Abramoff.
REID: I've never met the man, don't know anything...
WALLACE: But you've received money from...
REID: Make sure that all your viewers understand-- not a penny from Abramoff. I've been on the Indian Affairs Committee my whole time in the Senate.
WALLACE: But you've received money from his firm. You've received money from some of his clients. The question I'm asking if I may get the question out, Senator. Some of your colleagues, both Republican and Democrats, have given back campaign contributions that had any taint of Abramoff to it. Are you going to do so?
REID: Well, first of all, Chris, make sure that -- again, I'll repeat, Abramoff gave me no money. His firm gave me no money. He may have worked a firm where people have given me money. But I have -- I feel totally at ease that I haven't done anything that is even close to being wrong.
And I'm going to continue doing what I've done for my entire tenure in Congress. My record --any money that I've received --it's a federal law. You can look who gave it to me, how much, when they gave it to me, and what their occupations are.
So don't lump me in with Jack Abramoff. This is a Republican scandal. Don't try to give any of it to me.
It's tough to see in the cold transcript, but Reid was angry and vehement in his denial (apparently in denial in more ways than one). His outburst is an example of a form or projection (first noticed, as far as I can tell, by Shakespeare in Hamlet with Queen Gertrude's line "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."Act III, Scene 2), Reid wants to blame only the Republicans because he knows he's guilty. And how.
Now we know the extent of his involvement in Abramoff related activities, which sure does look bought and paid for. Here's the lead paragraphs of today's AP story:
Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid wrote at least four letters helpful to Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, and Reid's staff had frequent contact with the disgraced lobbyist's team about legislation.
The activities -- detailed in previously unreported billing records and correspondence -- occurred over three years as Reid (D-Nev.) collected nearly $68,000 in political donations from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients.
I predicted early last month that the Abramoff story would not be the tidal wave the Democrats and MSM (same thing) were hyping several weeks ago. That a senior leader of the Democrat party is up to his neck in the scandal is part of the reason.
Reliable Howard Dean, chairman of the Democrat National Committee, has already thrown Reid to the wolves:
WALLACE: So if we find — and I just want to — we have to wrap this up. But if we find that there were some Democrats who wrote letters on behalf of some of the Indian tribes that Abramoff represented, then what do you say, sir?
DEAN: That's a big problem, and those Democrats are in trouble, and they should be in trouble.
I wish I could say that I saw today's news about the extent of Reid's involvement coming based on his inappropriate vehemence of denial, but it's only in retrospect, as usual, that the pieces fall together and show a more complete picture.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 7:28 AM 
