Jacob Weisberg Quotes

Lincoln was not above personal attacks on the opposition:

Harry Hopkins was the special assistant to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt through the two great American crises, the Great Depression and World War II. Although he was a social worker with not a shred of political experience, Hopkins was originally selected by the President to operate the national relief program in the midst of the Great Depression. Soon he had spent more money than any human being in history without a taint of scandal. He had never been elected nor was he even ratified by the Senate. He also paid virtually no attention to members of Congress as he became the most successful manager in American Government history. Soon he became FDR’s most important aid. Then he and his wife actually moved into the White House and lived there with the Roosevelts and was a favorite of not only FDR but Eleanor Roosevelt as well. When WWII began the leading military and diplomatic leaders advised the President not to provide military aid to England or Russia believing that these countries could not hold out and the weapons would fall into German hands and be used against American soldiers. Roosevelt sent Hopkins to Europe to assess the military situation despite the fact that he had never had a single day of military experience. When his war advice contradicted that of the leading generals and admirals, many people were scandalized, especially when FDR took Hopkin’s advice above that of the generals and diplomats. Massive assistance was sent to those countries and indeed both were able to hold out just as Hopkins had predicted. No one in American politics before or since had that much influence or power. Most historians see that particular phenomenon as a unique combination of two extraordinary men at an extraordinary time and virtually impossible to replicate.

She and her husband had been flown across the country for a campaign fundraiser by a private businessman in his corporate jet. Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert was also on the flight. Her husband was censured for an ethical violation but Hastert was not.

When his wife Benizir Bhutto was prime minister, there was a perception of many Pakistanis that he was getting 10% graft on all government construction, development and purchases. After his wife was assassinated, he was elected Prime Minister, and the notorious nickname stuck even then.

While this was a terrific statement of the problem, Armenia was one of the more corrupt counties.

The United States had just ousted the popularly elected leader Patrice Lumumba {640611}, and backed Mobuto. Lumumba was an idealist who was not corrupt at all, but were not so sure about our new protégé. Sadly he turned out to be one of the worst kleptocrats of all time, and he stole with more United States money than we gave to many nations in toto. Many believe that one of the reasons, corruption of our “allied” leaders was so bad lies in the wording of this cable. Note that to the State Department writers there was “normal” corruption as opposed to excessive corruption. Once that view is taken there is a constant battle to determine whether each new act of corruption is “normal “ or not, and corruption is simply lessened by pushing back against the most abnormal schemes. These critics advocate a zero tolerance for corruption especially with United States AID money. The State Department has been ambivalent and have often used the corruption system to bribe leaders to obtain national objectives.