The Feeney factor is also interesting, but unremarkable. That is unless one considers that in 2004, Feeney was implicated in vote fraud by Clinton Curtis when Curtis testified before the House Judiciary Committee investigating vote fraud in the 2004 presidential election. (Alex Babcock, "Feeney implicated in vote fraud." (6) Note: Bradblog.com contains a full video and transcript of Clinton Curtis' testimony. ("Video Online of Clint Curtis Testimony!" Brad Friedman, Bradblog.com, 12/13/2004.)
--Fast forward to August 2007 and Dan Rather's Report and Brad Friedman "connecting the dots." Feeney served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives at the same time he served as general counsel and registered lobbyist for Yang Enterprises, Inc. It was at Yang Enterprises, Inc. that Feeney is alleged to have asked Curtis to write a vote-rigging program. (7)
--Jeb and Katherine. Governor Jeb Bush's Secretary of State Katherine Harris:
Secretary of State Katherine Harris first served as co-chair for George W. Bush's campaign. Then she stepped up to win him the presidency. Harris' single-purposed interpretation and application of Florida's gaping election laws were pivotal in winning George W. Bush the presidency. But again, Katherine Harris served Jeb Bush and many were convinced that Jeb Bush and other powerful Republicans called the shots for her. (8)
Bush and Senator Chuck Hagel:
Chuck Hagle was on George W.'s short list of contenders for the Republican Vice-Presidential nomination in 2000. (9)
--When Hagel first ran for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska in 1996, he won both the primaries and the general election in unprecedented victories and was the first Republican to win a Nebraska senatorial campaign in 24 years. Six years later Hagel was re-elected to his second term with 83% of the vote, the biggest political victory in the history of Nebraska. (10)
--
Coincidence? Hagel was part owner, Chairman and CEO of ES&S. ES&S was the only voting machine vendor whose machines counted Hagel's votes in the 1996 and 2002 elections. Hagel's campaign finance director, Michael McCarthy was also an owner and a director of ES&S. (11, 12)
--Jeb and John McCain:
A year or so ago, I would have placed the big bets on a McCain-Jeb ticket, regardless of the McCain-Bush animosity. However, after a few initial dips into international affairs, Jeb wisely hangs back in today's soured climate. So where's the McCain connection? Through Michael Connell. As mentioned previously, Connell works for McCain now. Will McCain heed Velvet Revolution's call for McCain to fire him? (14)
--Florida's Governor Jeb Bush:
Circling back to Jeb Bush. Jeb professed to remain hands off during the 2000 fiasco. Still he cast an impressive shadow. Affirming the obvious, Florida was his state, George W. his brother, and Katherine Harris his minion.
--Moreover, while Jeb publically kept his distance, those who worked for him did not. Jeb's acting general counsel Frank Jimenez took an unpaid leave of absence the day after the election and was substantially involved in shaping the Republican legal strategy in Florida. Jimenez was seen by both sides as an instrument of Jeb's political will. ''When you take a leave like that, everyone knows you're an emissary,'' according to a prominent lobbyist who worked both sides of the aisle. Four other lawyers from Jeb's office of general counsel also took unpaid leaves, advising Jeb on legal matters related to the election. ''Clearly [Jeb's] been keeping a low public profile. But obviously every move the secretary of state has made is in keeping with the Bush strategy,'' according to an aide to Vice President Al Gore.
--Katie Baur, a spokeswoman for Jeb Bush, also took a brief unpaid leave, stating, ''I was a Republican long before I came to work for the governor.'' (15)
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