Breaking: Utah’s Biggest Political Scandal Ends with Zero Convictions as Jury Clears Swallow

Sad news from the Salt Lake Tribune this morning, concerning beleaguered former Utah State Attorney General John Swallow. Here's the story in a nutshell:

"The burden of four years living under a cloud of suspicion and an intense four-week trial began to lift for former Utah Attorney General John Swallow with the sound of two words: 'Not guilty.'"

Read up the article collection from the SLTrib, Peeps:

• Utah’s biggest political scandal ends with zero convictions as jury clears Swallow
• Reactions to Swallow acquittals from the players, the politicians, the jurors and more
• A look at all the charges Swallow beat

The moral of the story, we guess?  If you're up to your eyeballs in public corruption allegations, hire Scott C. Williams to handle your seemingly hopeless criminal defense.

Salt Lake Tribune: Case Against Former Utah A.G. Mark Shurtleff Is Off; Swallow Prosecution Still On

Corruption case » Judge drops charges against ex-Utah A.G.; taxpayers off the hook for legal bills

As a followup to our coverage of the long-extended Mark Shurtleff public corruption matter, it's with considerable disappointment that we report the latest news.

Here's this morning's Salt Lake Tribune lede, Peeps:

A state judge dismissed criminal public corruption charges against Mark Shurtleff on Wednesday, ending the former Utah attorney general's two-year legal tussle.
Third District Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills signed the order, citing a state motion seeking the dismissal from the chief prosecutor, Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings.
The dismissal was granted without prejudice, meaning the case could be filed again, although that seems unlikely.
"#Hallelujah! #Justice! #gratitude," Shurtleff, a three-term attorney general, exclaimed on Twitter.

Read the full story here, Gentle Readers:

• Case against former Utah A.G. Mark Shurtleff is off; Swallow prosecution still on

Trib reader Caveat Emptor 100 nails it, wethink:

We, voters, may never find out enough information to validate the Davis County Prosecutor's decision. Certainly, the Supreme Court's decision in tossing VA Governor Mc Donald's prosecution is an important factor [citation added] ......
Remember, being a scumbag , accepting bribes, is legally acceptable, as long as no one can prove that you returned the "favor" with official action...... 

Looking at the bright side, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill assures us he remains prepared to to prosecute Shurtleff's successor, Attorney General John Swallow,on the separate charges which also remain pending; and Troy Rawlings is keeping his fingers crossed that Shurtleff's lawyers are blocked from collecting hefty court costs and attorney fees as a result of Shurtleff's fortuitous case dismissal.

KSL News: Prosecutors Ask Judge to Drop Racketeering Charge Against Shurtleff

The downside for Shurtleff? Davis County prosecuter Troy Rawlings plainly believes the nine other remaining criminal charges will "stick."

KSL news is reporting an interesting development in the Mark Shurtleff case, wherein the former Utah Attorney General had been charged with ten criminal counts of "public corruption":

SALT LAKE CITY — State prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to dismiss one of the 10 felony public corruption charges against former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.
Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings filed a motion in 3rd District Court to drop a charge for racketeering, saying the state doesn't have a "reasonable probability" of convicting Shurtleff of that charge. He asked Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills to dismiss the second-degree felony charge without prejudice, meaning prosecutors could bring it back.
Shurtleff [still] faces nine other felonies, including bribery, illegally accepting gifts, improper use of employee position and obstructing justice.

Check out the full video story here:

• Prosecutors ask judge to drop racketeering charge against Shurtleff

"Shurtleff said he was pleased with the decision to drop the racketeering charge," KSL's Dennis Romboy further reports.

The downside for Shurtleff? Davis County prosecuter Troy Rawlings plainly believes the nine other remaining criminal charges will "stick."

Weber County Forum Friday Morning News Roundup

A few notable news stories which have been languishing on our WCF back burner

In the interest of kicking off any possible Friday Weber County Forum discusssion (on an otherwise sl-o-o-o-w news day), we're reeling out for your perusal a few notable news stories which have been languishing on our WCF back burner

1) With 10 felony charges hanging over his head, we'll guess that opportunities in the legal profession are a mite thin.  Nevertheless we learn that former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff isn't letting any grass grow under his feet, as the Salt Lake Tribune reports on Shurtleff's latest legal representation venture:

Former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff attended Tuesday’s state liquor commission meeting, working as legal counsel for a new Orem-based business he owns with his brother.
Shurtleff and younger brother Kevin Shurtleff were requesting a special manufacturing permit for Now Neutraceuticals, which plans to make small aerosol inhalers that can quickly introduce different compounds — such as caffeine — into the lungs.
The inhaling solution includes a negligible amount of alcohol but still requires a special alcohol-use permit, which was unanimously approved by the five-member commission.

Read up, peeps;

• Mark Shurtleff working with brother in Orem start-up

Caffeine inhalers: Instant heart attack?

One Trib reader wryly sums it up: "Wow, from attorney general to general counsel for a 'huffing' enterprise'".

2) We've been relatively harsh critics of the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) for many years; so we're now pleased to observe that one Weber County Commissioner (Kerry Gibson) is jumping on the bandwagon, in the wake of the full Commission's unanimous decision "to bump [one] Utah Transit Authority request off the list before approving this year’s round of local transportation funding for a dozen other projects":

• Weber official rips UTA as 'a hungry, hungry beast'

Check out the above story to learn about the other twelve road-building boondoggles which the commission did unanimously approve.

Seems the Weber County Commission never stumbled upon a transportation project they didn't fall in love with... well, almost.

3) With the 2014 Utah General Election rolling out in exactly a month, we're delighted to put the spotlight on this strong Salt Lake Trib editorial, which pulls no punches concerning Northern Utah's pending 1st District Congressional race:

• Editorial: Utah’s 1st District should send McAleer to Congress

"A new poll from UtahPolicy.com shows that 81 percent of Utahns polled rated the job performance of the legislative branch as either somewhat or highly unfavorable. Nationally, 14 percent of voters approve of the job Congress is doing[...].Voters in Utah’s 1st Congressional District can do something about that in this election. They can send Donna McAleer to Washington," says the Tribune.

We'll be standing by with abated breath to find out whether strong editorials like this will aid in pulling Northern Utahns out of their paradoxical elective stupor.

4) To put a close to today's news roundup, we'll lodge, for our readers' attention, this truly remarkable Trib story, shining the spotlight on our truly remarkable Utah Lieutenant Governor,  Ya gotta admire Cox's boldness and candor:

• Utah’s Cox calls politics a ‘Dumpster fire,’ dings Romney for saying ‘stupid things’

We'll assume that Lt. Governor Cox may be unfamiliar with that oft-cited Ronald Reagan Eleventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." We'll also presume that Lt. Governor Cox won't be receiving GOP backing for any other elective office any time soon. One thing's for sure: politics-wise, LT. Governor Cox is a true breath of fresh air.

Salt Lake Tribune: Host of Swallow Fundraiser Jailed, Awaits Possible Federal Charges

"They're gonna have to build extra cells onto the not yet built new prison by the time all this is done."

There's more "collateral damage" surrounding the John Swallow scandal, according to this morning's Robert Gehrke story, as federal authorities widen the prosecutorial net:

A businessman with a checkered past and ties to former Attorney General John Swallow is in custody in the Salt Lake County Jail along with his two brothers, awaiting transfer to U.S. marshals, potentially to face unknown federal charges.
Robert Montgomery, owner of Emmediate Credit Solutions, was arrested Friday morning, along with brothers Michael Chase Montgomery and J.D. Montgomery.
Jail records do not reflect what charges the Montgomery brothers face. Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Utah, said she could not provide any information about the case. A message left with the U.S. Marshals Service was not returned Friday [...]
In April 2012, Montgomery and then-Attorney General Mark Shurtleff co-hosted a fundraiser for Swallow, Shurtleff’s chief deputy who was running for attorney general, at Mimi’s Cafe in Murray. Attendees included a number of members of the online-business opportunities, or BizOps, industry.

Read up, folks:

• Host of Swallow fundraiser jailed, awaits possible federal charges

As one Trib reader wryly comments, "They're gonna have to build extra cells onto the not yet built new prison by the time all this is done."

Comments, anyone?

Standard-Examiner Editorial: Our View: Put Limits On [Utah] Campaign Cash

Howbout you? ...are you "on the bus" with this, WCF Peeps?

Top-notch editorial in Sunday's edition of our WCF home town newspaper, (the Standard-Examiner.)

Here's the lede, WCF political wonks:

Honestly, is there any argument left against Utah setting limits on campaign donations?
Or, are we once again going to deal with the same pusillanimous arguments by our pols that Utah does not need campaign cash limits, that the idea that big dollars would influence our vote is insulting, and that everything is properly disclosed, ad nauseam, and so on?
After the several-years spectacle of the attorney general’s office being receptive to those with the biggest cash pockets, such enabling rhetoric is enough to make one clutch an air sick bag.

And here's the full editorial for your perusal:

• Our View: Put limits on campaign cash

More summary argument from the Standard-Examiner:

Utah is one of only four states that basically have no limits on money that can be stuffed in pols’ pockets for use in campaigns. Also, in the matter of disclosure, Utah falls behind most of the other states. This is a dysfunction that should have been corrected a long time ago. But it wasn’t. Pols, enjoying the access and cash of deep-pocket donors, have instead passed mostly meaningless “baby-step” reforms.
The embarrassing and sickening saga of Shurtleff and Swallow must change the mind set and break down the objections. It’s time to limit campaign cash.

Weber County Forum will be seriously (perhaps feverishly) on this bandwagon during the 2015 Legislative session, concerning the campaign finance reforms which the SE Editorial Board proposes.

Howbout you?

Are you "on the bus" with this, WCF Peeps?

Exhibit "A" for Utah Campaign Finance Reform:

Swallow/Shurtleff Booking Photos

Don't let the cat get your tongues.

Breaking: Swallow, Shurtleff Taken Into Custody - Updated

Needless to say, we'll update this page as the story develops

Via KSL News. This, folks is the news that all WCF political wonks have been ever-so-eagerly awaiting:

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Attorneys General John Swallow and Mark Shurtleff were arrested and taken into custody Tuesday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill confirmed.

The FBI planned a 9 a.m. news conference in regards to the state arrest warrants issued Tuesday morning. The arrests come after search warrants were served at both men's homes in June.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Here's the story link, folks:

• Swallow, Shurtleff taken into custody

Needless to say, we'll update this page as the story develops.

Update 7/15/14 9:42 a.m.:  The Tribune carries a very robust post- news conference story on this topic, which, among other things, details the nature of the multiple felony and misdemeanor charges so far lodged against Shurtleff and Swallow. The Trib's Robert Gehrke is doing a yeoman's job keeping this story regularly updated, btw:

• Former Utah Attorneys General John Swallow, Mark Shurtleff arrested, face 23 charges - Updated

Update 7/16/14 8:30 a.m.:  This story is grabbing national attention, of course. Here's yesterday's New York Times writeup, for example:

• Two Former Attorneys General in Utah Are Charged With Corruption

Via Utah Policy, here's the aftermath:

• Shurtleff holds a news conference accusing Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill of conducting a political witch hunt [Utah Policy, Tribune, Deseret News].
• Here's video of Shurtleff's arrest [KUTV].
• Utah political leaders react to the arrests [Tribune, Daily Herald].
• There may be more arrests tied to the Swallow/Shurtleff scandal [Tribune].
• The Department of Justice is getting a black eye for ending their probe into Swallow and Shurtleff [Tribune].
• Where does the Swallow/Shurtleff scandal rank among Utah's history of political wrongdoing? [Tribune]

Update 7/16/14 9:44 a.m.: With considerable delight, we'll highlight this poignant Paul Rolly piece, dripping with Utah politico-cultural irony:

• Rolly: As ex-AG is booked, his Dem foe rises to Mormon temple leader

Update 7/17/14 10:00 a.m.:  Added bonus... This morning's Bagley cartoon:

Salt Lake Tribune: Texts Reveal Raw Tensions Between Shurtleff, Former Aide

Torgeson: "pissed about the damn stupid things John [Swallow] did"

Thanks to yesterday's story from intrepid Salt Lake Tribune journalist Robert Gherke, check out these amazing internal email messages, recently revealed, concerning our Utah Attorney General's Office, which was obviously in the proceess of "melting down" even during the years of the Mark Shurltleff Utah Attorney General Administration, long prior to the even more didastrous John Swallow administration, a situation which  one savvy social media correspondent descibes thusly:

"It's so special when power-mad Utah politicos/alleged criminals text back and forth like snippy lovers. Dontcha think?"

Here's Mr. Gehrke's lede:

This story and accompanying graphics contain unedited text messages with sometimes-offensive language.
In a frank, pointed exchange last year, Mark Shurtleff’s former top deputy scolded his ex-boss in a series of heated text messages for his "stupid" actions that cast the entire Utah attorney general’s office in a bad light.
"I have spent the last 4 months listening to people shred our offices and [sic] integrity. It has been hell," Kirk Torgensen, Shurtleff’s former top deputy, wrote to the former attorney general in April 2013 as the scandal engulfed the office. "I am pissed about that and the damn stupid things John [Swallow] did. … Shit John made 24 grand on the side and hardly came to work for an entire year."

The sporadic and spirited text exchanges span eight months, during which time Torgensen rails against his former boss for exercising poor judgment and Shurtleff acknowledges making serious mistakes in not taking Torgensen’s advice.

Read the full Trib story here:

• Texts reveal raw tensions between Shurtleff, former aide

Good catch, Mr,. Gehrke, we say. Enightening, to say the least.

Read up, folks.

John Swallow Political Corruption Update: Episode XXX - The Plot "Sickens"

Never a dull moment in the life of our (allegedly) ethically-challenged and "alleged" Utah Attorney General, no?

Here's the latest on the ever-fascinating John Swallow topic, folks:

NOT... a Crook! Says me!

1) House Impeachment Proceedings: "Utah Attorney General John Swallow appeared before state Republican Party leaders Saturday to proclaim his innocence, thank them for hanging with him against a barrage of allegations and investigations and to ask them to be patient for two or three more months":

• A.G. Swallow asks GOP leaders for patience as he's investigated - D-News.
• Swallow says he’s innocent, asks GOP for patience - Trib
• Swallow Pleads for Patience from State GOP Leaders -  Utah Policy

"While Utah lawmakers’ decision to create a special committee to investigate Attorney General John Swallow is a major milestone, hurdles, hardships and possibly heartache lie ahead, warn those who have been through similar ordeals":

• House probe of Utah Attorney General John Swallow could hit roadblocks - Trib

2) Other Pending Investigations: Rebounding from a disappointing earlier request for "special counsel" applicants, State Elections Director Mark Thomas now reportedly has fourteen (count'em, 14) bids for a special counsel will no doubt "get rich quick" investigating alleged election-law violations against Swallow:

• State now has 14 bids for special counsel in Attorney General John Swallow probe - DNews.

"A letter and brief statement from prosecutors suggests two others in the Attorney General's Office may be key witnesses, or under investigation---in connection with the on-going probe into Attorney General John Swallow and his predecessor, Mark Shurtleff;"  and it appears that "Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill and Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings wrote the letter granting 'use immunity' to convicted "fraudster" Marc Jenson, in exchange for his cooperation in their [pending] Swallow-Shurtleff investigation(s)":

• 2News Exclusive: Others Named As Key Witnesses Or Possible Targets In Swallow-Shurleff Probe - KUTV.
• Immunity agreement names six in Swallow probe - Trib

In the above connection however, "Attorney General John Swallow [sez] [Mark Jensen] is using forged documents against him.":

• Immunity agreement names six in Swallow probeFox 13 - Fox13

Never a dull moment in the life of our (allegedly) ethically-challenged, and "alleged" Utah Attorney General, no?

Added bonus:  Be sure to click the Sutherland Institute graphic image below, for a truly remarkable (suitable for printing out, framing and hanging on your wall) breakdown of the full sea of legal troubles engulfing poor old John Swallow:


"You can't tell the players without a program."  Right, folks?

Standard-Examiner Guest Editorial: Appointment Appropriate for Attorney General Position

A tantalizingly interesting proposal, wethinks

One Smart Dude

In the wake of the steady torrent of bad news concerning our sitting Utah Attorney General John Swallow, and that of his immediate predecessor Mark Shurtleff, we'd like to shine the spotlight on a top-notch guest editorial in this morning's Standard-Examiner, in which Utah State Senator Todd Weiler marshals what we believe to be a strong argument for changing the method of choosing Utah's Attorney General.  Weiler contends that Utah should dump the current method of  "electing" our top Utah law enforcement official, and that we should convert the Utah Attorney General position to one which would be filled by means of gubernatorial appointment instead.

Read up, folks:

• Appointment appropriate for attorney general position

At risk being accused of taking "liberties" with Sen. Weiler's three main reasons to "change to appointment" of  Utah's Attorney General, here they are they are in a nutshell, boiled down as we see them, at least:

1. An appointment process would de-politicize (and professionalize) the role of  Utah Attorneys General, and remove the grubby influence of political party partisanship and favoritism from the office.
2. Such a process would eliminate the incentives for campaign fund-raising "bad behavior" which are inherent in the current Utah Attorney General "election" system.
3. An appointment process would remove the responsibility of choosing our Attorney General from Utah's relatively uninformed (read gullible) Utah electorate, and place it in the hands of a better-informed "commission," a proposed body of legal "experts" who'd have the added advantage of screening candidates and making appointment recommendations from a "greater pool of qualified candidates" (than those who emerge from Utah's current nomination and election process.)

Down below this morning's guest commentary we find this comment from one gentle S-E reader, who voices what probably amounts to the typical knee-jerk reaction which we might expect from the average politically-cynical Utah voter, one who's fearful about being taken "out of the loop" in the A.G. selection process:

Election, appointment, same-o. We get a crooked Republican who gave the Gov and UDOT a get out of jail free card. As long as the "Party" rules, there is no justice. 

We believe such an objection lacks merit, however, inasmuch as removing the current party-partisan "taint" is precisely what the good GOP Senator does propose:

In New Jersey, the attorney general serves for a fixed term in an  appointment system. This provides independence, without substituting  dependency on voters and campaign contributors. In the best judicial  appointment systems, like Utah’s, governors select judges from a group  of five nominees who are screened and proposed by a commission. This  adds an assurance of candidate quality and to limit executive  discretion, which includes avoiding purely patronage and unqualified  appointments. This process is adaptable to attorney general selection.

It's a tantalizingly interesting proposal, wethinks.

So what do our ever-savvy and gentle Weber County Forum readers have to say about all this?

Shurtleff May Have Intervened in Envision Ogden Investigation

Email documents mysterious phone call to investigator.

By Dan Schroeder

Now that we have pretty clear proof that former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff didn't always maintain the highest level of ethical integrity in carrying out his official duties, I thought it might be a good time to dredge up another little incident from the past.

It's just a tidbit, really. A hint. Not enough even to justify a newspaper article, much less hold up in a court of law. But intriguing, nonetheless.

The date was May 20, 2009. At the request of then-representative Neil Hansen, the Attorney General's office had agreed the previous month to look into possible criminal activity by Envision Ogden, a political organization that had helped Mayor Godfrey and two city council candidates (Blain Johnson and Royal Eccles) in the 2007 election, but that had concealed its political purpose from contributors. Scott Reed, head of the AG Criminal Justice Division, would be the main attorney on the case.

Reed didn't initially handle the investigation himself. He passed the job along to the State Bureau of Investigation, which assigned the case to a senior investigator named Jim Vaughn. He in turn delegated most of the work to Special Agent Scott Hansen (no relation to Neil), who interviewed several of Envision Ogden's corporate contributors between May 12 and May 26.

But on the evening of May 20, after most of these interviews had taken place, Hansen received a phone call from someone named Mark that prompted him to email Reed's boss, Deputy AG Kirk Torgensen, the next morning:

From: Scott Hansen
Subject: Envision Ogden
Date: May 21, 2009 7:15:27 AM MDT
To: Kirk Torgensen

I received a phone call from Mark last night inquiring about Envision Ogden. He had received an email or a phone call from someone regarding it. He said he was going to send the information to you. He asked that I get with you about this case.

I told him we had received it from Scott Reed. Maybe you, Scott and myself can get together and strategize on this.

I am open anytime today and next Tuesday looks good too. Just let me know.

So there you have it. Although no last name is mentioned, we can safely conclude that "Mark" refers to Torgensen's immediate boss, Attorney General Shurtleff. But we'll probably never know what Shurtleff said to Hansen during that evening phone call, or which of Envision Ogden's members or contributors contacted Shurtleff, or whether the proposed follow-up meeting between Hansen, Torgensen, and Reed ever took place.

Hansen wound up his interviews five days later, without ever attempting to interview Godfrey, Johnson, or Eccles. Reed decided to close the investigation at the end of June. He re-opened the investigation in September (at the request of Rep. Hansen and myself), but very little further investigating took place before the case was permanently closed in March 2011. By then Vaughn had retired from the SBI and Scott Hansen had also left the agency.

Utah Political Corruption Investigation Update

The Swallow-sleaze now oozes out in the direction of the former Utah Attorney General

It's been a couple of weeks since our last "John Swallow Government Corruption Update,"  so here are the latest developments since we last spoke out on that topic, which for present and soon to be obvious reasons, we've broadened and expanded that topic headline "just a mite." So here goes.  Hang in there, O Gentle Ones, as we've saved the very "best" for last, of course. 

1) John Swallow (Alleged) Corruption:

Back on May 12, we listed three basic categories of then-pending investigations of our wonderful Utah Attorney General, i.e., 1) Ongoing Federal Criminal Bribery Investigation, 2) Utah State Bar Complaint, 3) Utah Elections Office Campaign Disclosure Violation. As of this morning we can now add a fourth: 4) County Attorney State-law bribery investigations.  Read up, on the latest John Swallow developments, folks:

On May 15, Utah Political Capitol reported that "The FBI, the Utah Bar Association, and the Lieutenant Governor’s special counsel aren’t the only ones investigating Attorney General John Swallow. According to information obtained by Utah Political Capitol, a parallel investigation is being run out of the Salt Lake County District Attorney and Davis County Attorney’s offices":

• BREAKING: Attorney General John Swallow Being Investigated by Salt Lake and Davis Counties

And in this May 16 news item, the Deseret News revealed more detail about the possible state law grounds for these 'expanded" pending county prosecutors' probes:

• 2 county attorneys investigating Swallow, Utah Attorney General's office

"Neither [Sim] Gill nor [Troy] Rawlings would disclose the targets of the investigation or what specific laws they're looking at. However, it likely would involve Utah's Public Officers' and Employees' Ethics Act, which prohibits accepting gifts and compensation that would improperly influence the impartial discharge of one's duties," the D-News' Dennis Romboy reported.

Here's the full statutory text (Utah Code Title 67 Chapter 16), for those readers who'd like to take a closer look:

• Utah Public Officers' and Employees' Ethics Act

Bullcrap Redux

Meanwhile, back in the Utah A.G.'s office, we hear from Mr. Swallow the familiar refrain of hopelessly besieged elected officials (GOP officials, mind you) who are up to their eyeballs in potentially devastating "official" investigations:

• Attorney General John Swallow says he's no criminal

That "old saw" certainly has a "familiar ring" to it, doesn't it?

And there's more; oh yes, so much more:

Here's a fine Fox13 News video update, for those of you who'd like to just kick back in your easy-chairs, and just watch and listen up:


2) Pending Mark Shurtleff Investigation. And that ain't all folks.  Back on May 12, we said this: "It thus appears that even former Attorney General Mark Shurtleff might quite possibly be drawn into Swallow's mess, which might explain why Shurtleff is now scrambling to distance himself from Mr. Swallow." And lo and behold, "prophetic" as we plainly were, check out the latest news about former GOP State Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, who seems to be inexorably (and possibly for "good reason") drawn into the John Swallow investigation net, whilst now, the ever-creepy Mark Shurtleff gets "publicly hammered" (once again):

• Secret recording: Mark Shurtleff offers $2 million to silence critic - Utah businessman says 2009 meeting with ex-A.G.was “like an episode in ‘Bizarro World.’”

Thus, the Swallow sleaze now oozes out in the direction of the former Utah Attorney General.

Sadly, people, your blogmeister is old enough to remember the halcyon days when some Republican elected officials were actually world-wide respected heros.

Unfortunately however, those "heady" days are now long-gone, we guess.

Comments anyone? Especially my GOP friends?