Sunday, October 01, 2006

Hastert’s Criminal Probes Should Come in Three’s

They say all things come in three’s, sometimes after a long wait. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert ordered a criminal investigation of Rep. Mark Foley for sexually suggestive e-mails sent to male teenage pages. It likely will take subpoena power to get all the information.

That power is needed to answer two more lingering questions. Speaker Hastert knew of problem e-mails a year ago so I understand the need to let things “percolate”. He has only had six months on the other two questions, so they may be working their way to the top of his agenda.

1. Did House Ways and Means Chair Bill Thomas provide a 2005 hearing on for profit hospitals’ pet issue, the tax exemption of non profit community hospitals, as payback for $30,000 in donations from two for profit healthcare groups in 2004?

2. Why did the White House omit the 24 patient deaths from the LifeCare Hospital in New Orleans? How does The Carlyle Group benefit from their affiliate’s not being mentioned once as they enter civil and criminal courts for their wrongful deaths/euthanasia cases?

I suggest Speaker Hastert get cracking on number 1 as Rep. Bill is retiring soon. He will need to subpoena his records quickly to see why he served as a shill for proprietary hospitals last summer.

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