Politics, of course, should not play a factor in any federal investigation. But there is a mountain of evidence that points to a stream of funny money that flows from Mississippi to Alabama. The Obama DOJ merely needs to rise from its slumber long enough to take notice.
Most Americans, I suspect, have great sympathy for the plight of Native American tribes. But the Mississippi Choctaws have sullied the political environment in Alabama to an unconscionable degree. To Alabama, the Mississippi Choctaws have been the "neighbor from hell." Public documents from a U.S. Senate investigation show that Choctaw leaders jumped in bed with Abramoff, Michael Scanlon, and others out of pure greed--a desire to reduce their tax burden and protect their market share.
Many Alabamians want to know exactly how our state was dragged into a GOP mud pit--and they want someone to be held accountable. Those Alabamians, by the way, include quite a few Republicans who know that the Riley crowd was a bunch of thugs.
Is the Obama DOJ capable of providing answers? Well, the president has from now until November 2012 to show his progressive supporters that he actually has a spine--that justice issues, of supreme importance to his political base, also matter to him.
Mississippi might seem like a strange place for the Obama administration to make a stand. But the opportunity is there. A serious investigation of Choctaw finances, even if it starts with an intratribal focus, surely will eventually turn to Alabama.
If the DOJ does the right thing, it could advance the cause of justice while rousing Obama's base enough to almost ensure re-election.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
