Worth Reading

Updates Below

Over at Harper's No Comment, Scott Horton has posted two blogs recently that are worth reading. The first is a brief description of recent developments in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal. In "Bush Justice for Sarah Palin and Jack Abramoff," Horton draws parallels between the way the McCain campaign and the way the U.S. Justice Department and the Bush administration have blocked inquiries into important investigations, exposing the lack of these leaders' commitment to public integrity. Oh, and honor.

Horton also links to Michael Isikoff's article in Newsweek, describing the attempts of former District Attorney, Edward O'Callaghan, to shut down the "Troopergate" investigation and of the McCain campaign to label the investigation "political" even though it began long before Sarah Palin was named his vice-presidential running mate.

Scott Horton's second post concerns Dick Cheney. Horton puts six questions to Bart Gellman, the author of Angler, a book about Cheney that was published in June. The book was preceded by a series of articles Gellman wrote for The Washington Post. In these six questions, Gellman gives a fascinating picture of the most powerful vice-president in American history. I had already read the series in The Washington Post but am now interested in reading the full-length book, which I might get around to after I've read the other books on my list, including Jane Mayer's The Dark Side.

So many books, so many scandals, so many cover-ups, so little time.

See also: Horton's update on "justice" meted out by the Department of Justice: "Public Integrity, Redefined."

Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008,Unbelievable Update about the Justice Department: Scott Horton has a post this morning about how the Justice Department, which complains of not having enough resources to do its job, is going after a woman who spilled Diet Coke on a counter at a Veteran's Administration cafeteria. The woman is facing federal charges.