just in time for the Saturday paper, the Washington Post weighs in on that nice lady Rep. Harris, whose unique interpretation of the relationship between the words “vote” and “Right” gifted us with all the marvellous things this administration has done for our country (and gifted her with a House seat).
Rep. Harris, who doesn’t think the House gives her enough scope for her talents, is running (with what is said to be unusual lack of support from her party) for Senate this year.
She’s running from some stuff too
Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) has acknowledged that she requested last year that $10 million in federal funds be set aside for a Navy intelligence program in her district at the request of Washington contractor Mitchell J. Wade, who pleaded guilty last week to bribing another House member.
Harris, who gained notoriety as secretary of state in Florida during the contested Bush-Gore presidential race in 2000, is running for the Senate this year. News media in her home state have been focusing on her dealings with Wade since prosecutors disclosed last week that she was the unwitting recipient of $32,000 in illegal campaign donations from Wade in 2004.
…
In court filings as part of Wade’s plea for bribing convicted former representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.), prosecutors said Wade had had dinner with Harris early last year and discussed another fundraising event and possible funding for an unnamed Navy counterintelligence program. The court filing said the project was not funded but did not address whether Harris sought funding. She did not respond to questions about such a request last week.
On Thursday, she released copies of letters she sent to appropriations subcommittee chairmen in 2004 and 2005 requesting funding for more than 80 specific projects. She said she was doing so to bring transparency to the appropriations process, and that she supports identifying the individuals and organizations making the requests.
Last year, she first requested five defense projects totaling $15.8 million. A month later, she wrote another letter to Reps. C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), the senior members of the panel, adding the Wade project. It was for Naval Criminal Investigative Service airborne capability, which she placed third on her list of funding priorities. She said it was “to support counterintelligence and combating terrorism missions.”
Mr. Wade, you may recall, is the gentleman whose remarkable generosity proved to be more persistent than Rep. Cunningham’s honor.
Something Ms. Harris has never, in public life, shown any particular signs of being unusually gifted with.
I just hope she keeps whoever made her wash her face close, because I suspect we’re going to be seeing more of her.