NP? oil politics & Bush

[Doug Millison]

http://utne.com/webwatch/

Original Correspondence from Kenneth Lay and George W. Bush

Enron executive Kenneth Lay has been coy about the nature of his friendship
with President George W. Bush, but the Freedom of Information Act just
caught up with him. Pages of correspondence exchanged during Bush's terms
as governor of Texas were released February 15, The Smoking Gun reports,
after various news organizations requested the information.
The Smoking Gun has taken those letters, scanned them, and posted them on
their Web site. These 40 pages of handwritten memos and letters touch on
such personal topics as Christmas tree ornaments, birthdays, and knee
surgery, mixed in with concerns about business and energy legislation. In
one letter, Bush jokes about Lay's 55th birthday: "Wow! That is really old.
Thank goodness you have such a young, beautiful wife." In another, Lay
reminds Bush that Enron is negotiating a $2 billion joint venture in
Uzbekistan -- and that Bush should remember that when the ambassador to
Uzbekistan visits Texas.
The correspondence between Bush and Lay, along with the political
contributions Enron made to Bush (his biggest career political
contributor), makes it clear that Lay was more than a just a Bush
"supporter." Lay was Bush's friend, and the correspondence, says The
Smoking Gun, paints "a far cozier picture of their relationship."
--Kate Garsombke
Go there>>
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/doc_o_day/bushlay1.shtml


Also Related:
Campaign Contributions and Recipients in the Enron Scandal, Opensecrets.org
Click here>>
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/enron/index.asp

And for a chilling view of the Bush energy policy at work, check out Terry
Tempest Williams' report on oil prospecting in the delicate redrock desert
of southern Utah: Chewing Up a Fragile Land, The New York Times. FYI:
You'll have to sign in, however the article is still free.
Click here>>
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/21/opinion/21WILL.html