Cunningham has some explaining to do — Day 4

June 16, 2005

At this point, I think it’s safe to say we’re seeing the beginning of the end of Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s (R-Calif.) career. Considering what we’ve learned this week, the guy’s toast.

First we learn that Cunningham sold his house to a military contractor with business before his committee for an inflated price, ultimately leading to a $700,000 gift for the lawmaker. Shortly thereafter, Cunningham helped direct tens of millions of dollars in defense appropriations to the same contractor.

This morning we learn that Cunningham resides on a luxurious yacht, docked in DC, which is owned by the same military contractor.

A defense contractor whose real estate dealings with Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham have raised ethical questions has another connection to Cunningham: He owns a boat docked at a Washington yacht club — a boat on which Cunningham stays while working in the Capitol.

Cunningham, R-Escondido, sits on the House Appropriations Committee, which has awarded millions of dollars to the contractor, Washington-based MZM Inc.

The relationship between Cunningham and MZM President Mitchell J. Wade came under scrutiny earlier this week when news surfaced that another company controlled by Wade purchased Cunningham’s Del Mar home in 2003 and later sold it for a $700,000 loss.

No word on what, if any, rent Cunningham is paying on the boat. And did I mention that Wade renamed the boat after Cunningham, calling it the “Duke Stir”?

Note to Cunningham’s staff: now might be a good time to update your resumes.

OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!! Time to separate the wheat from the chaff!! But if anyone out here thinks he’s going to be replaced with a Democrat, think again. The San Diego region is currently the largest military complex area in the world. The number of retirees, DOD uniformed and silly-villian contractors is absolutely huge. And since all of us military types know you Democrats look at us with disdain (as just a bunch of poor, lower class people who couldn’t do anything better with our lives)and how you would cut us barebones and then send us to Somalia and go on patrol without ammo in our weapons, we know who are friends are, even if we need to kick the Congressman from Escondido to the curb.

  • Naw, keep the guy in there. We can’t let the Republicans remove our juiciest targets! I love this guy already, and he just promises to keep getting better at this rate!
    BTW, Force Majure, ex-military type over this side also. And I didn’t feel too well treated by the bushies. Now that I am under VA, and watching my needed future benefits under attack… well, let’s just say that I ain’t getting any more supportive. Look at the records. The Republicans pay a lot of lip-service to our troops, but they are footdraggers when it comes to providing any of that service (“You go to war with the Army you have…”). Have a look-see online for stories about Republican efforts to CUT VA funding over the past years… Military guys should be smart enough to avoid ‘friends’ who stab them in the back repeatedly.

  • Force, It’s hard to tell whether you’re joking or not. But it’s been during this Republican regime that their claim on the “support our troops” slogan has had to be countered with Democrats’ “SUPPLY our troops / SUPPORT our veterans”. Bush is failing at both. I can’t see that the Bushies are doing the military (as opposed to the arms manufacturers) any particular favors.

    And why are Democrats so willing to cede the symbols of patriotism to Republicans, to allow the military (blue collar, if you like) to regard us as hostile to them? I’ve made it clear here that I think we’ve let blue-collar people generally down. All middle-class wage earners. But I live in a state where, for years, our Senators, Warren Magnussen and Scoop Jackson, were rock solid military. Virtually all of the state still is. It’s not all Hollywood celebrities, though you’d think so from the press. For that matter, it took me the longest time to learn that our original anti-War guy, George McGovern, was a highly decorated bomber pilot over Germany in WWII. I will never understand why the Dems hid that fact from their base or the electorate.

    I remember being in grad school during the Vietnam War. The American flag was practically used as a domestic weapon against liberals. Yesterday someone asked about our obsession with the flag … maybe it began then. At any rate, as soon as we realized this we began flying the flag on every standard occasion. It was particularly fun to do so when our lawn was filled with liberal voting signs.

  • You’re sounding kind of jumpy there Majure. And rather self denigrating too if you don’t mind me saying so. Those anti military words you’re trying to stuff in my mouth have no place there and I don’t accept them. Democrats have had very little say in any aspect of going to war in Iraq or how that war has been “organized” or executed. If the military is being cut to the “barebones”, it’s not because of decisions being made by Democrats.

    Do the names Perle, Rumsfeld, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Feith and Rice ring any bells for you? Those are the folks that are defining military decision making in the early 21st Century. A rather non Democratic bunch I believe.

    Have a nice day and get out for a walk and some fresh air. It’ll do you a world of good.

  • Ed- if “Supply our Troops” is the counter-slogan of the Democratic Party, then you may want to let Sen. Byrd of West Virginia in on the little secret, seeing how he’s been the biggest roadblock of emergency funding for combat supplies to troops since the Iraq war started. There has never been a decision by the Bush Administration to deny comabt troops what they need to fight to win. Rumsfeld’s comment on “you fight with the army you have” seems cold at first glance, but in reality in a plain statement of fact. I know there has been alot of news about delays body armor and armored humvees- but the DOD never decided that it was going to refuse these supplies to soldiers- its just that theyre very, very expensive, and hard to get. (I should know, I’ve ordered them for my shipboard SWAT teams when I was on active duty, and it took forever for them to get there.
    Now let me be clear though. I recognize that Rumsfeld and Co. have made some keys strategic errors (I’ve commented on that on this site)- but I can’t think of any Democratic leader who could do any better.

  • If Cunningham does lose, it’ll be a bit ironic. He actually gained the seat because of a scandal.

    Jim Bates held the district for eight years, but got in trouble for making sexual advances towards female staffers. Cunningham barely beat him in 1990 and has held the district ever since largely because most of the Democrats were drawn into what is now Bob Filner’s district.

    Is it possible a Dem can sneak a victory here?

  • “Democrats have had very little say in any aspect of going to war in Iraq or how that war has been “organized” or executed.” (Burro)

    Are you kidding me? Seriously, are you asking me to factually bury you? For starters, why don’t you go to Meet the Press online, download the last four years of episodes, and look at all the segments where the war was the topic, and there was a Democrat onstage to comment. Sheesh. If the Bush Administration said the sky was blue in Iraq, ther was a Democrat there to howl that it was green. Then go to your own party’s web site, and download all of Terry McAuliffe’s (sp?) speeches during his tenure that deal with the war.

  • “Now let me be clear though. I recognize that Rumsfeld and Co. have made some keys strategic errors (I’ve commented on that on this site)- but I can’t think of any Democratic leader who could do any better.”

    But what makes you think another Republican could do better?

    Seems your argument has nothing to do with the political bent of the CinC, but has everything to do with the supply chain. In regards; wars are won and lost on logistics not on strategy Wh ocan get materiel and peopel to the fighting the fatsest. (Was it Clausewitz who said something to that effect) To which you reinforce that point below:

    “And since all of us military types know you Democrats look at us with disdain (as just a bunch of poor, lower class people who couldn’t do anything better with our lives)and how you would cut us barebones and then send us to Somalia and go on patrol without ammo in our weapons, we know who are friends are, even if we need to kick the Congressman from Escondido to the curb.Think about that before you rail against the perceived snobbery of Democrats. ”

    Yea thats why they will get another Gop congressman here in ‘Dido because the Dems hate the military. What an argument. Force Majure, if I had your intellectual reasoning ability I’d even get elected in Escondido. Its easy, just ignore the fact that Duke Cunningham is as crooked as a snake and blame the Democrats. (Which is funny becasue you seem to agree that he is crooked.)

    But what do I know I’m just a poor, dumb, lower class military type who just happens to be a Democrat living in Escondido.

  • Excellent comment Force Majure, I had forgotten that the organization and execution of this successful war had been done on Meet the Press and from Democratic chairman’s desk. You make a lot of sense with that comment and we now see the errors of our way.

    I’m surprised you got the “orange” question right.

  • Actually Force Majure, I now see where you screwed up, when commenting on this:

    “Democrats have had very little say in any aspect of going to war in Iraq or how that war has been “organized” or executed.” (Burro)

    You thought it said this(caps added):

    “Democrats have had very little TO say in any aspect of going to war in Iraq or how that war has been “organized” or executed.” (Burro)

    Nevermind the fact that the second doesn’t really make sense (needs a couple more words), and I’ll go out on a limb here and say that you’re a Republican, do you actually think that Democrats had much involvement in the planning and execution of this war?

    Even further, did you, again assuming the R-thing, actually want any Democratic help in planning the war?(big D, big difference, though question would still be relevant if it was little d – sorry to explain these things ad nauseum).

    It’s possible to sail the ship back to sense hardworking friend, and I know, I’ve seen some oranges that weren’t really orange too, but you’ve got to want to be an orange orange to become an orange orange. Keep reading though, you’re bound to learn some really cool stuff here.

  • I’m not sure how much “Force” knows about San Diego, but his bottom line is probably correct. The city of San Diego (military folks and all) has been steadily shifting Democractic, but with our gerrymandered congressional districts, the traditionally conservative North County areas that Cunningham represents are pretty solidly GOP.

    But get this — the story about the home sale in this morning’s LA Times includes this statement: “Republicans called the allegation absurd and a slur on a decorated Navy fighter pilot.” Course those Republicans would never do something like slur a decorated Navy officer, would they?

  • He is only toast if this is getting play (and hard hitting play at that) in his district. Talk on the blogs is good, but the only thing that really matters is if his constituents hear about it and have enough of a problem with it to kick his be-hind out (if he doesn’t resign or get kicked out – neither of which seem likely).

  • It is getting hard-hitting play here. Perhaps surprising, the San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE broke this story — Page 1 in last Sunday’s paper, with a couple of follow-ups. But REALLY surprising was the U-T’s lead editorial a couple of days later calling for an ethics investigation. Maybe this town really is changing.

  • Alex. You know, you’re right about the error in the wording. My apologies, burro. When I’m wrong, I’ll admit it. I’ll say it for the record: “Democrats have had little SAY in the prosecution of the war effort.” And now I’ll say THANK GOD. Seeing how it was JFK that got us into vietnam, LBJ who made it a hundred times worse, and it took a Republican to finally get us out of it once he realized it was too screwed up to save. I’m always happy to see the Dems (yes, that’s big “D”, Alex)stand back and let Republicans handle warfare. Dems these days (unlike FDR during WWII, when Democrats had spines) don’t have the stomach for it. The campaign into Bagdad will go down in the history books as one of the most flawlessly executed military excursions in history- although I concede that Rumsfeld doesn’t know how to conduct transitional occupying force operations too well. Ahh, I can just hear the keystrokes of rage queing up. Oh damn, now I have to type “orange.” Pink or red would be better, eh comrades?

  • “The campaign into Bagdad will go down in the history books as one of the most flawlessly executed military excursions in history”

    Can I quote you on that Comrade?

    Hitler’s drive on Stalingrad was also one of the most flawlessly executed military “inclursions” (not excursions–you use the wrong context) in history. We know how that turned out. The Iraq “Drive to Baghdad” was not flawless by any stretch of the imagination. But I’ll address that leter if necessary.

    Force Majure, don’t try and change the subject: do you agree that Duke Cunninghan did nothing wrong?

    Fact is Cunningham is corrupt, its getting alot of coverage in Escondido and North County San Diego and you are changing the subject. I’m not suprised you haven’t commented on the facts, becasue by putting party loyalty before national loyalty, you are starting to sound a little like a Communist yourself. What’s next blame the Bourgeousie for your lack of VA benefits?

  • Supernaut- read the first two sentences of my very first post on this topic.

    Folks, we all have to realize something. When you’re dealing with national politics, there are people who are pure opportunists. They exist on both sides. They are people who just want to be in a position of political power, and to get there, they will do or say whatever it takes to get elected. Frequently I’ve thrown stuff up in y’alls face about LBJ. But I’ll cut you a break. LBJ, the worst president of the 20th century as far as who he was a person, was not a Democrat with subject matter integrity. He was a blantant opportunist (read the Pulitzer prize winning three book series on him if you can stomach it after the first book) who didn’t really have a moral compass on anything. He was on both sides of the fence on just about everything. The very man who was the key to bending the backs of the southern senators to accept the Equal Rights Amendment was one of the most noxious racists you’ll ever encounter. He was no progressive democrat as were other Senators of his era. And such is the mold of Duke. I give no comfort to anyone who is a shitbag. If all this is true, and I’m willing to trust Carpettbagger on the facts here, he needs to be kicked out.

  • Ya know, Force, I can handle a debate in the “forensics” sense, but your blather is more akin to what all those at FNC practice: broad slurs, misdirection and distortion, and outright lies. That is just too typical of those dazzled by the shiny-bauble horsehit that passes for commentary on the political right, especially the wingnuts that infest talk radio and FNC.

    First. The war in Iraq was completely unnecesary and elective. There never were WMDs – and save your “the intelligence was wrong” crap. There were dozens and dozens of warnings that the intelligence was suspect; only one person — “Curveball, a known and long-discredited liar — said otherwise. The aluminum tubes that Condi Rice said everyone agreed had only one purpose, as WMD centrifuges, was exactly a lie: the consensus in the CIA, the Energy Dept., and lots of others, was that the tubes were for traditional weaponry use AND she failed to disclose that there was a serious debate on this issue. And soon all the lies will come out with the disclosures coming from across the pond on the Downing Street Memo. If Pat Roberts hadn’t first delayed past the election last fall, and then reneged on his promise to Jay Rockefeller to investigate the administration’s manipulation of intelligence — Office of Special Plans, hello? — Bush and Cheney would already be out of office. Still, Bush AND Cheney should start gathing their impeachment legal defense team.

    Second. No one questions that the war into and the fall of Iraq was well planned and executed. You completely miss the point. It was the POST-war phase that was, and continues to be, seriously fucked up — and it was ALL done by the Rethugs DESPITE the Dems best efforts to correct it. Remember Gen. Shinseki, the one who told Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz that Iraq would require at least 300,000 troops? They effectively fired him, called him ridiculous. Remember the State Department? Yeah, THAT State Department that had reams upon reams upon reams of studies, analyses, and plans for the post-war phase, which predicted the insurgency, the need to protect former WMD sites and ammo dumps, and the need to inforce and immediate martial law to maintain stability. But oh no, Cheney and Rumsfeld ordered the military planners to NOT consult with the State Department personnel, and the State people were intentionally — can you hear me? fucking INTENTIONALLY — kept out of the post-war planning sessions! Smart, huh?

    Third. For the “army that you have,” that can all be laid at Rumsfeld’s feet. They knew at least a year before the invasion that they would militarily take out Saddam. For crass political reasons, of course, BushCo couln’t announce that publicly. Then, after they had manipulated the Congress and America into the war, Bush was so impatient that he failed to make sure the supply lines were adequately prepared. Of course, thinking that we would be greeted with flowers and out of there within six months at the most might have had something to do with that. When Rumsfeld made that “cold statement”, the Defense Department was NOT doing everything it could to supply the troops with armor for the humvees and for the soldiers — the domestic suppliers of these items had begged to the Defense Dept. many months before to increase production — they were working only one shift, and could have easily doubled output — and they were ignored. Another fucking lie for crass political purposes.

    Fourth. Veterans are best cared for by Rethugs? Pul-leeze! You mean the $250 annual fees for VA care? You mean the homeless Iraq veterans? You mean the refusal to provide equal pay and medical care for National Guardsmen as for regular military? I’m sorry, you must mean that all of the improvements that Dems have forced (increased death benefits, equal pay, etc) were desired by the Rethugs? Who knew?

    Fifth. Byrd and others wouldn’t have to challenge the funding bills if the Administration and the Congress would each do one thing: Put the fucking costs of the war IN the budget and stop relying on “emergency funding” — this permits the administration to escape the normal scrutiny that all budget proposals receiv. The other is to hold oversight hearings on the use of funds that have already been provided by Congress. I’m sure Sen. Byrd would agree to that!

    Finally. I have a son in the Marines (college graduate), and he will soon be deployed to the Iraq. He isn’t poor, he’s not riff-raff, he has lots of choices. And he is a Democrat. Also, did you forget, in your diatribe about spineless Dems, that Clinton is the one who cleaned up Kosovo?

    Have a nice day.

  • Analytical liberal- dear God man, this site is for comments, not novels. I know I strayed a little off topic, but sheesh. I’ve got responses to every point you made, but I just can’t parse all this out blow by blow. But the most important point is this: I NEVER said that soldiers like your son (God Bless Him) are riffraff, poor and uneducated. What I said is that’s how many highly influential Democrats have portrayed us. I for one, think that my brothers in arms represent the finest, bravest and most praiseworthy people you will find anywhere in the world. And the vast majority of them love president Bush- because he loves them in return. Oh, I guess those Marines standing on their chairs and cheering their hearts out for the president when he came to visit them secretly one noight in Bagdad was just a Karl Rove theatre masterpiece. RIGHT. And like my brothers in arms, we vote vastly for Republicans. Guess that makes us just plain stupid huh? Next topic.

  • Everyone,

    Can I point out that Force Majeure (great name, btw, but I think the spelling is incorrect) is one of the smartest Bush-believers you’re going to meet? AND, that he is the PRECISE guy we should be talking with, not at?

    I don’t care who’s right

    (but for the record, Bush pushed for fewer VA benefits, to cut active duty pay AND, this is on the record, BOTH major suppliers of vehicle armoring released statements after Rummie’s “army we have speech” that not only did the Admin NOT order more armor than they could produce, but that the producers had been calling the Pentagon offering to sell them MORE armor–for weeks. Full capacity wasn’t reached till that story broke).

    the point is, here’s a smart guy getting f’d by the president, and all we can do is argue with him? No wonder the military leans right. And btw, Democrats right now DO lack a spine. Just because you’re right doesn’t mean you’re connecting. BushCo can lie all day long because they say the right things, they actually connect.

    Force, there’s help on the way in Democrats like Harold Ford Jr., Barrack, and the generation coming to replace the zombies that let idiots like BushCo screw hard working, patriotic vets like yourself out of your deserved benefits.

    Now if we can only get you to stop watching Fox news. . .

  • More explaining may be needed on the price Duke paid for his new house. Seems he got a GREAT deal on that one. How can one man be so lucky? (These numbers come from the San Diego County Clerk data base)

    Data on Duke’s house:
    7094 Via Del Charro – 7,628 SqFt – $2,550,000 –
    sold on 12/03/03
    Data on two other houses on same street:
    7002 Via Del Charro – 5,290 SqFt – $3,450,000 –
    sold on 10/01/03
    6849 Via Del Charro – 2,936 SqFt – $2,250,000 –
    sold on 12/22/03

    Of course in Rancho Santa Fe lot size is important but I suspect his lot is pretty big for that size house. If you check out google maps for “via del charro, San Diego” and zero in on his street via satellite you’ll see lots of big lots.

    Don’t know who sold it to him for that price – will be interesting to find out.

  • Force- Just something to think of. When you mentioned Byrd blocking supplemental funding, did you actually go out and check what that meant? In the original supplemental bill, there were so many unrelated riders that many Democrats voted against it- including Kerry. Their votes- portrayed by the Republicans as voting against the troops- were nothing of the sort. They were voting against the riders which were slipping through. There is NO reason that a military spending bill needs to include pork for some damn Senator’s home district.
    Just as a note, I will admit I am quite the Mercenary. I will follow whoever is helping my paycheck and benefits the most. As a Disabled Veteran, and now a civilian GS, it still ain’t the Republicans.

  • Force Majure, you said that “the most important point is this: I NEVER said that soldiers like your son (God Bless Him) are riffraff, poor and uneducated. What I said is that’s how many highly influential Democrats have portrayed us”. Would you care to share some names with us? Particularly as many influential Democrats (and even less influential Democrats like me) these days are themselves veterans. Sorry to have to make you come up with facts but I can’t let a statement like that pass uncritically.

  • Analytical Liberal, Don’t throw Kosovo around as a super-success of the Clinton administration. I live about 5 hours north and its no success. Its screwed in fact, and as a result of Clinton’s actions it’s not getting any better.

    We’re going to end up redrawing international borders with no precedence, strictly because we deemed Milosevic a bad guy and tried to reduce the problem to black and white. The situation is way too complex to be used in the end of an argument you’re trying to win, and I’m guessing you don’t have a good enough handle on it to do so.

    Clinton was great, but Kosovo wasn’t his greatest day and the future stability of an extremely important region in Europe hangs in the balance.

  • Hey Force, where’s my fire mission? I’m expecting a barrage of facts over here.

  • And……still no names from Force Majure of “influential Democrats” who portray service members as “riffraff, poor and uneducated”, with substantiating quotes, of course. BTW, I’m a disabled Vietnam veteran (infantry, First Cavalry Division 1970-71), and while I opposed invading Iraq (not Afghanistan, however, after all that’s where bin-Laden was) and loathe our present Chump-in-Chief I love my Army and if I thought that ANY influential Democrat was referring to our troops as “riffraff, poor and uneducated” I’d be tearing them a great big new one personally. So far, I haven’t seen the need to do that.

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