| Let me just say once again that I simply fail to see what the big deal is about alerting the IRS to the fact that Uncle Joe may owe them some money for all the travel that you and I paid for. I just don't. Hell, maybe I'll write that letter.
That said, I am intrigued by how this latest "scandal" came to be. It appears that Bruno got another chance to pout and play the victim after someone emailed a draft of the letter to Senator Carl Kruger instead of Senator Liz Krueger. Carl then passed it to Bruno himself.
What's interesting is that both Kruger and Krueger are Democrats, though not all Democrats are created equal, especially not in the New York State Senate.
Surely you remember when Bruno the Republican chose Kruger the Democrat to become chairman of the Senate's Committee on Social Services, Children and Families, right? It certainly raised some eyebrows at the time as Uncle Joe isn't particularly known for his refined sense of bipartisanship. It was good for Kruger as well as the job came with a tidy $12,500 a year bonus.
But then again, Kruger is something of a special Democrat. In fact, he appears to get member item dollars from the Republican majority, a nice $397,000 of it last year alone. in 2002, he told the Village Voice that "his member-item budget has increased as a result of his new alliance with the Republicans, but refused to say how much." Boy, do those Republicans love Carl!
It's pretty obvious that Carl loves them, too. In fact, he loves them so much he became vice chair of Democrats for Pataki, campaigned for Brooklyn Republican Marty Golden and endorsed Rudy Giuliani.
But none of this compares with Kruger's love for Bruno. In the days after Bruno had to publicly admit that he'd been under federal investigation for months without informing anyone, let alone his own constituents, Kruger was there for him.
Kruger, as you may recall, released a statement in support of Bruno after the majority leader revealed late last year that his outside business interests are the subject of an FBI probe. Kruger said questions about Bruno's integrity were "appalling and ironic," given his commitment to "openness and fairness."
I guess it makes sense that Kruger couldn't wait to "defend" Bruno from yet another investigation by a federal entity. Obviously Uncle Joe isn't crooked, he's merely misunderstood.
The again, maybe the immortal Gatemouth was correct when he said:
Don't know why Weiner yelled at Kruger and don't really care; my only objection is that he didn't slug him. Kruger should be buried up to his neck in horse dung, and beaten senseless with a baseball bat three times a day until he comes out of the closet and admits he's a Republican. If the Democrats ever gain control of the Senate, they'd better do it by more than one vote or Kruger will conference with the Republicans, but he won't ever have the cojones to actually change his party enrollment. Karl Kruger; the RuPaul of the Democratic Party. For when ugly, nasty, reactionary and completely lacking in charm aren't enough. |
