Remember back in 1998, when Republicans, particularly Tennesee senator-turned-crime fighter Fred Thompson, CIA officer-turned-politician-turned-CIA-chief Porter J. Goss and one-time Strom Thurmond fan Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) were all up in arms over reports that President Clinton sold military technology to the Chinese in exchange for campaign contributions? It’s true. At the time, Thompson called the matter a “big, ugly mess,” and for a while, there was talk of a Justice Department investigation. For his part, Goss, then a representative from Florida, said:

Just wondering if you remembered.

Late update: Okay, so I was wrong with the headline. Apparently, President El Hadj Omar Bongo is one of the wealthiest heads of state in the world, a status acquired through the traditional means available to many a sub-Sahara African strongman: oil revenue and corruption. Apparently, I don’t spend enough time on K Street to be able to recognize a big spender when I see one.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 10th, 2005 at 7:18 am and is filed under On Writing.