Slimy

Shocking to see one Republican portray the sliminess of another isn't it? Not that McCain doesn't have good reasons to dispise Jack Abramoff.

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his partner created tax-exempt groups to funnel money to themselves from Indian tribes trying to build political support for their casinos, according to documents released at a Senate hearing Wednesday...

...In a 2001 e-mail, Abramoff divvied up an expected contribution the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians planned to make to the center.

"I am going to try to get us $175 K. $100 to Ralph; $25K to contributions ($5K immediately to Conservative Caucus); rest gimme five," Abramoff wrote. Ralph referred to Ralph Reed, former Christian Coalition leader whose name also shows up in other e-mails...

...Documents released by the committee also shed light on Abramoff's relationship with Reed, currently a candidate for lieutenant governor in Georgia. The committee included Reed in its investigation after learning that Abramoff and Scanlon paid him to lobby the Texas Legislature to close the Tigua tribe's casino in El Paso. The Tigua tribe had paid Scanlon roughly $4 million to help it win back a casino license.

"On the political front, did Ralph spend all the money he was given to fight this — or does he have some left?" Scanlon asked Abramoff in an e-mail, the subject of which is blacked out on the documents released by the committee.

"That's a silly question! He `spent' it all the moment it arrived in his account. He would NEVER admit he has money left over," Abramoff e-mailed Scanlon. "Would we?"

So leaders of the religious right get caught up with bilking native americans. How typical. Baby-faced Ralph Reed, no doubt he'd be a real badass in a Federal Prison.