The tally goes up

Ex-Senator Federalize Daschle is currently groveling before the Senate Finance Committee while begging for forgiveness after it was found that his delinquent tax bill is now $140,167, due to his improperly taking charitable tax deductions as well as not reporting additional consulting income, adding to his bill for not reporting the taxable benefit of a car and driver for the last three years.

I have absolutely no sympathy for this man. We're supposed to be able to figure out the labyrinthine tax code that lawmakers such as him impose on us with 100% accuracy on pain of imprisonment. Why can't he, especially since he can well afford the best tax advice money can buy? Maybe he'll throw the Turbo Tax computer program under the bus, just like Secretary Geithner did.

"A financial disclosure form Daschle filed about a week ago shows that he made more than $200,000 in the past two years speaking to members of the health care industry that Obama wants him to reform." (Emphasis mine)

How timely. By the way, I thought that Obama wasn't going to truck with lobbyists in his shiny new administration? I guess there's another campaign promise out the window.

In other slimy Senatorial news, Senator Chris Dodd is announcing that he's going to refinance his house, due to his receiving a sweetheart deal from Countrywide Mortgage, a business that he had direct oversight of due to his chairmanship of the Senate Banking Committee.

How sweet was the deal? We don't know, because Ted Kennedy's party buddy won't release the terms of the mortgage in question, which probably means that he received one hefty (and interest-conflicted) discount.

"Dodd says he never sought special treatment."

Liar. He, along with Senator Kent Conrad, personally called the CEO of Countrywide to ask for a mortgage, unlike the millions of other peasants who simply apply for one through normal channels.

Sorry. I would certainly label having a sitting Senator that oversees my industry, who calls me himself seeking a product "seeking special treatment".

It's good to be one of the kings, until you get caught with your piggy hand in the cookie jar.


UPDATE: Senator Dodd did indeed release his mortgage details today, 192 days after he originally said he would.

"I regret I did not do this sooner and I apologize to the people of Connecticut for the delay,'' said Dodd, who was joined by his wife Jackie Clegg Dodd in a sometimes tense meeting with reporters at his Hartford offices." (Emphasis mine)

Sure you regret it, Senator, sure you do. Of course we believe you.

I wonder if the negative hoopla over Daschle and Geithner finally raised the stakes enough to where Dodd felt compelled to finally get off his butt and release the documents?