George Bush was booed for his final Opening Day trip.

While the next President of the United States was cheered wildly by a crowd of 22,000:

Obama took up Pat Buchanan's dare for him to go to the White blue-collar towns of Pennsylvania who were supposedly shafted by Affirmative Action. By contrast, Bill Clinton drew only 6,000 people to his rally recently.

Today less than two weeks after Senators Chris Dodd and Patty Murray called for Bush to fire corrupt HUD secretary Alphonso Jackson, he resigned effective April 18.

According to two government sources who work on housing issues, Jackson was called last Monday to the White House, where top Bush administration aides discussed his ability to continue to lead the agency. The sources requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

That meeting came three days after two senior Senate Democrats called on Bush to oust Jackson. Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.) and Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) advised the president that his secretary's refusal to answer lawmakers' questions made him unable to lead the $35 billion agency. A White House spokesman replied that Bush continued to have confidence in Jackson.

Jackson's statement tiptoes around the questions of why he's resigning.

There are times when one must attend more diligently to personal and family matters. Now is such a time for me.

Staying out of jail could be described as a 'personal matter' to some, I suppose. Anyway, Jackson dodged questions at his announcement, which has sort of been his specialty in his four turbulent years at HUD. So maybe we should point out some of the things this Bush crony from Texas has avoided explaining during his tenure.

In 2004, a few weeks after being confirmed as HUD secretary, Jackson assured a House committee that poverty “is a state of mind, not a condition.” In September 2005, Jackson predicted that ''New Orleans is not going to be as black as it was for a long time, if ever again."

George Bush didn't fire Jackson for the callous remarks.

In 2006 Jackson bragged to a real estate conference that he cancelled a contract because the contractor dared to criticize George Bush. Jackson later said that he had lied about canceling the contract. When the HUD Inspector General investigated the statement, it turned out that Jackson made a habit of trying to politicize HUD contracts.

An inspector general's report charges that top U.S. housing official Alphonso Jackson urged staff members to favor friends of President Bush when awarding Department of Housing and Urban Development contracts. But investigators so far have found no direct proof that Jackson's staff obeyed.

His chief of staff told investigators that Jackson, the HUD secretary, "personally intervened with contractors whom he did not like . . . these contractors had Democratic political affiliations," says the report...

Bush did not fire Jackson.

In 2006 and 2007, HUD awarded a series of contracts in which Jackson had egregious conflicts of interest. In one case, a $127 million contract to redevelop New Orleans went to a group one of whose members owed Jackson hundreds of thousands of dollars. Other large contracts went to close friends of Jackson. The Secretary also retaliated against one HUD official who refused to play along. The HUD Inspector General, the FBI, and a federal grand jury have been investigating Jackson's actions for at least half a year. However the White House said that Bush "expects that the investigation will clearly establish that he did nothing improper or unethical."

Bush did not fire Jackson.

In September 2007 HUD stripped tens of millions in funds from Philadelphia's public housing authority, evidently because it refused to hand over a $2 million property in Philly to one of Jackson's friends. As Kagro X commented when the story broke:

Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Americans, the philosophy of governance of your modern Republican Party. If someone gets between your cronies and their profits, make them miserable by punishing the poor people charged to their care.

It works, because some people actually care about doing the jobs they're supposed to do, and it does make their lives "less happy" when they can't. But not Republicans. They think people are only "less happy" when they get less dollars.

George W. Bush and his Republicans -- and most specifically in this regard, Karl Rove -- have made it an affirmative goal to convert your federal government into their own personal big stick, designed to perpetuate their power (the "permanent majority") and enrich themselves...

They did it under color of law, knowing full well that because they occupied the right offices, any courts asked to look into their schemes would have to assume they were entitled to deference designed into the system to protect people who are ordinarily and under normal circumstances are presumed to actually have the public interest at heart.

Jackson, encouraged to think he was unaccountable by the way Bush had covered for him over the years, dug in his heels.

At a congressional hearing this month, Jackson repeatedly refused to answer questions about the Philadelphia redevelopment deal.

And so at long last, when intense pressure from Senators Chris Dodd and Patty Murray forced Jackson out, it was no surprise that Bush lauded him as "a great American success story" (which is a distinction he shares, curiously, with another minority Cabinet member, Carlos Gutierrez).

As both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton noted today, Jackson's sudden disappearing act comes in the midst of a great mortgage-foreclosure crisis that falls most heavily upon the nation's poor. Shame we did not fire Bush earlier when we had the chance.

ProgressiveSouth has further thoughts on Alphonso Jackson's "sordid past".

UPDATE: Please recThanks for rec'ing this -- I think we've just been given a golden political opportunity to change the debate back onto the corruption of Bush politics, of which John McCain is a natural extension. Also, we'll be doing follow-up coverage at Facing South, where we've been tracking Jackson for his role in derailing post-Katrina plans for affordable housing.MORE UPDATE: Other outlets are confirming the news.

This is huge news. Aside from bad ideology and policy, sheer corruption has undermined the ability of this administration to address the issues facing this country, in this case the housing crisis.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

WaPo:

After Philadelphia's housing director refused a demand by President Bush's housing secretary to transfer a piece of city property to a business friend, two top political appointees at the department exchanged e-mails discussing the pain they could cause the Philadelphia director.

"Would you like me to make his life less happy? If so, how?" Orlando J. Cabrera, then-assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, wrote about Philadelphia housing director Carl R. Greene.

"Take away all of his Federal dollars?" responded Kim Kendrick, an assistant secretary who oversaw accessible housing. She typed symbols for a smiley-face, ":-D," at the end of her January 2007 note.

Cabrera wrote back a few minutes later: "Let me look into that possibility."

The e-mails, obtained by The Washington Post, came to light as a result of a lawsuit provoked by HUD's decision last September to strip the Philadelphia Housing Authority of as much as $50 million in federal funds. In December, it declared the agency in violation of rules that underpin its ability to decide precisely how it will spend federal housing funds. Kendrick was the official who formally notified the authority that she had found it in violation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Americans, the philosophy of governance of your modern Republican Party. If someone gets between your cronies and their profits, make them miserable by punishing the poor people charged to their care.

It works, because some people actually care about doing the jobs they're supposed to do, and it does make their lives "less happy" when they can't. But not Republicans. They think people are only "less happy" when they get less dollars.

George W. Bush and his Republicans -- and most specifically in this regard, Karl Rove -- have made it an affirmative goal to convert your federal government into their own personal big stick, designed to perpetuate their power (the "permanent majority") and enrich themselves. And this is how these sick fucks have destroyed our military, made the United States a pariah among nations, bankrupted the country and looted the Treasury, hopelessly corrupted our system of justice, and shredded the documents enshrining the rule of law.

And they did it all from behind mahogany desks, wearing business suits, and cynically pointing to the officious-sounding titles supposedly earned at the ballot box. They did it under color of law, knowing full well that because they occupied the right offices, any courts asked to look into their schemes would have to assume they were entitled to deference designed into the system to protect people who are ordinarily and under normal circumstances are presumed to actually have the public interest at heart.

HUD has argued publicly that this decision was not related to the demands by HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson that Greene turn over a $2 million vacant city lot to Kenny Gamble, a friend of Jackson's. HUD officials have said that Greene was not punished for his defiance.

But Greene and the Philadelphia authority have accused HUD and Jackson in a lawsuit of fabricating problems in the authority's performance as a way to retaliate against Greene.

The e-mails suggest that HUD leadership sought to punish Greene by threatening the authority's funding. What is not explicitly said in the e-mails is why.

The authority recently told a federal judge in Philadelphia that HUD's "capricious" decision would cost the authority $50 million, raise rents for most of its 84,000 low-income tenants and force the layoffs of 250 people. The judge agreed to temporarily stay HUD's finding of a violation. The judge has said the authority can question some key HUD leaders under oath but not Jackson.

Can't prove it! And even if you can, you can't prosecute! That's the George W. Bush legacy.

The failure of  the Times Picayune to seriously address the ongoing criminal investigation of  HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson provides cover for what may well be the illegal awarding of so-called redevelopment contracts tied to the demolition of  public housing in New Orleans. We will protest the lack of coverage at 4pm, Thursday, February 28, at the Times Picayune Building, 3800 Howard Ave., New Orleans, La.  

As tens of thousands of Mississippi households remain stranded in FEMA trailers or unrepaired homes or apartments, HUD Secretary Jackson today approved diversion of $600 million in federal housing recovery funds to expand a commercial port and clear space for hotel, condo, and casino construction.

Although economic development is important and the Port expansion will create jobs and serve as a significant economic regional driver, I remain concerned that this expansion does indeed divert emergency federal funding from other more pressing recovery needs, most notably, affordable housing.

These households scarcely can be reassured by HUD's "concern" over this misplaced priority. Accountability now rests with senior Congressional leaders who promise oversight hearings on how disaster recovery for the poor has run off the rails.

Cross-posted at Booman Tribune.

I was trawling a couple of New Orleans blogs, checking out what's happening down there, hoping to find some new David Vitter information that hasn't yet hit the mainstream, when I came across this interesting tidbit from one of my favorites, Your Right Hand Thief, to wit:

Visit Adrastos for all the latest on St. Bernard Parish Councilman Joey DiFatta. First he was running for State Senate, then he withdrew from the race due to chest pains, and now the T-P informs us that DiFatta was doing the Larry Craig toe-tap in public rest rooms.

Joey DiFatta is a former member of the Republican State Central Committee, the governing arm of the state GOP. In his campaign web site he pledges to "defend our conservative values from extreme liberal groups".

Uhuh.

Do you support the right of return for all New Orleanians?

Okay, so I'm shocked, just shocked to learn that influence peddling and blatant fraud is going on in Washington, DC. And I'm shocked to find out that Secretary Alfonso Jackson of HUD is handing out contracts to friends of Bush and only friends of Bush to rebuild the city of New Orleans.

We all know that influence peddling at the expense of ordinary Americans all over this country happens everyday in so many egregious ways, but now we have it on record thanks to the National Journal.

Follow me below the fold for the latest outrage in the horrendous mess that New Orleans has become.

President Bush's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Alphonso Jackson, hosted the "Ask the White House" webchat last week.  It was a unique opportunity for ordinary people like you and me got the chance to ask Mr. Jackson about the state of housing in America.

Unfortunately, as you will soon see, Secretary Jackson is just not a very good listener.  So I'm going to try to correct Secretary Jackson in a few spots and give some more responsive answers to the questioners-- after the fold...

Public Housing in New Orleans Today

On the anniversary of Katrina, I attended a public grassroots meeting of the New Orleans Survivor Council Bring Our People Back Festival in Gentilly. Public housing and access to it were the issues of the day. In attendance were grassroots activists and former residents of the projects that want to get  back to the city and into the subsidized units that they once called home, units they were promised by HUD Secretary Jackson.

US Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) showed up to hear concerns and deliver some detailed and explosive remarks to the crowd.  

Follow me below the fold for the story, all the video of Maxine and a suggestion for action that you can take to help get people back into their homes in New Orleans. All people displaced by the storm even some people that happen to be "poor people" deserve the Right to Return to the city they still call home.  

It may seem like there are too many things to investigate, but there are about 280 Democrats in Congress. It may be time for some of them to go back over some old ground, and try to get a little pulse of life back into parts of the Government that have been left for dead.

HUD is overdue for a shakeup.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve become aware of the administration’s pervasive use of "unofficial" communications channels to conduct business.  The U.S. Attorney firings, for example, were plotted over email servers maintained by the Republican National Committee ...  servers not subject to the same rules as the official White House system, which archives all communications to provide a measure of accountability in the executive branch.

Naturally, the Republicans are looking for an innocent explanation for this practice.  Rather than admit the obvious – that they hid the emails because they had something to hide – the Bushistas offered up a tasty bit of spin, claiming they used two email systems to keep separate their government work from their work in the service of the Party.  But does the record of this administration – or indeed, of the GOP in general – suggest that such concerns have any bearing whatsoever on how the Republicans conduct the business of government?  

The examples set forth below show they do not.

We all remember how HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson casually bragged in a public speech in Dallas, Texas in April of 2006 that a he yanked a potential HUD contract from a party who didn't support George Bush.

Clearly, the HUD Secretary's view is that HUD funds are to be used to funnel taxpayer money to Bush-friendly contractors who will kick-back a part of those funds to the GOP in the form of campaign contributions.  It never occurred to him this was "wrong" until his views became public and his blind uber-partisanship was exposed.  (Huh?  What? That's not how it works? That's actually illegal? Hmm.  Interesting.)

Even that paragon of moderation Joe Lieberman was outraged!  He peeled off a letter to the HUD Inspector General demanding an investigation.   The letter stated in part:

HUD secretary's blunt warning

Alphonso Jackson says deal was scuttled after contractor admits not liking Bush

Dallas Business Journal - May 5, 2006
by Christine Perez
Staff Writer
..
After discussing the huge strides the agency has made in doing business with minority-owned companies, [HUD Secretary Alphonso] Jackson closed with a cautionary tale, relaying a conversation he had with a prospective advertising contractor.

more...

Sorry, Folks. This Official White House list still has "Ol' Yeller's" name on the money.

"One can only wonder how long moderate Republicans will tolerate Larry Fine and the Howard brothers riding their elephant at the head of the circus parade. Nyuck nyuck!"
  --  JR Ford, Jul 2005.

:
JR Ford
UP (Unsubstantiated Press)
11 June 2006

What reason would a government official have for making up a story like the one Mr. Jackson told a group of businessmen in Dallas a few weeks back? His little tale of "a contract denied" was not true, so he lied about doing something that he knew was unethical and illegal. (Forgive the poor formatting skills ... relative newbie poster.)

Think Progress » Jackson Fabricated the Entire Story, Spokesperson Claims, Contradicting Prior Response
    A spokesperson for Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson has issued a second response to reports that Jackson publicly admitted cancelling a government contract with a business because the CEO was critical of President Bush. Dustee Tucker, a spokeswoman for Jackson, told the Dallas Business Journal Tuesday that Jackson's comments at his April 28 speech were purely "anecdotal."

Hat-tip to Think Progress.  I need to add them to my blogroll listing, ASAP.  But there's far more to this than meets the eye, and implications I've not seen noted elsewhere.  (More after the flip)