Charlie Brown To Doolittle: Give Abramoff Money To Charity

Before I get into the story: what's up with the Sacramento Bee? "Doolittle's Foe Focuses on Cash". What kinda headline is that? Foe? Last I heard Charlie Brown was the opponent of Congressman Doolittle in a democratic election. The whole headline implies something that is just not the story. The first picture I had in my mind after reading the headline was that Charlie Brown was on a mad fundraising hunt for his campaign. So, I say to the Bee's headline writers: read the story before you make up a headline. Geez.

Now to the important stuff. Doolittle won't give back the money he received by Abramoff. So, it's a clever step by Charlie Brown to ask him to donate it to charity. It's hard to argue against charity. At least anyone in his right mind would think so.

In today's article by the Sacramento Bee Charlie Brown is quite clear that keeping Abramoff's money is just wrong:

But Brown, a retired Air Force officer, said the report leaves unanswered the question of whether Doolittle engaged in a "pay-to-play" relationship with the lobbyist in which political contributions resulted in official actions.

"With public disdain for Congress at an all-time high, it's time for John and Julie Doolittle to finally do the right thing," Brown said. "Give back the dirty money, or better yet, give it to a charity."

While there was no immediate comment by Doolittle's office the Bee still managed to insert a nice anti-Pelosi quote:

Richard Robinson, Doolittle's chief of staff and a top campaign strategist, said Brown should have learned from the last election that "adopting Nancy Pelosi's phony 'culture of corruption' campaign isn't a winning strategy."

"The voters have already rejected these smear tactics," he said, "and they will continue to reject them no matter how many times Brown tries to recycle them."

Well, I believe the voters in California's 4th Congressional District can see right through that pesky rhetoric. After all, what's worse? A corrupt congressman or a liberal Italian Grandmother from San Francisco?

You can help Charlie here.