Abramoff Is Gone, His Work Carries On

O'Reilly got the memo and was pushing hard today, George Bush plans to make it a centerpiece of the State of the Union!

Well maybe Newt Gingrich started it, but these legislative brokers really are interchangeable.

Gingrich used tax deductions to finance political operations run through his political action committee, Gopac, and think-tank, the Progress and Freedom Foundation. One of these operations was a lecture series he taped, titled "Renewing American Civilization." Among Gopac's biggest donors was J Patrick Rooney, chairman of the Golden Rule Insurance Co. (Rooney's daughter served as Gopac's deputy finance director.) Golden Rule sought the privatisation of Medicare and its replacement by "medical savings accounts" (MSAs). In his "college course," Gingrich even included a promotional film for MSAs produced by Golden Rule.

All nice and cozy for the next widget to step right in.