And our Vice President is catching commission checks from no-bid contracts awarded to Halliburton.

So much for the beer-drinking night-shift waitress persona she tried to project in Ohio.

Sorry to change the topic, but I really think that the more important story today is Mark Penn and his trade meeting in Colombia. He is Clinton's Chief Campaign Strategist - and this stance is directly in opposition to what Hillary says she and her campaign stands for.....please investigate and report on this very serious news.

AND WHATS YOUR POINT? DON'T FORGET THE MILLIONS GIVEN TO CHARITY!!  I KNOW YOU GUYS WILL SPIN THIS  TO MAKE THE CLINTONS LOOK BAD!!AND WHILE WE ARE AT IT WHERE ARE OBAMAS TAXES   FROM 2007?NOTHING ABOUT THAT THOUGH..WHAT DID OBAMA GIVE TO CHARITY ? WE KNOW AGREAT DEAL WENT TO HIS CHURCH...GIVE IT UP GUYS EVERYONE SEES THROUGH YOU PEOPLE.......

this is all fine and well, but when do we get to see 2007?

So what--if people are silly enough to pay those speaking fees, why shouldn't he speak.  Also, a large share of the income came from the books they wrote.  Therefore, it's not like they didn't work for the money.  Also, look at how much they paid in federal income taxes!  It looks like they paid full-freight and did not take advantage of the many loopholes available to rich people.  And, they donated quite a bit to charity.  Finally, you can say this:  with that much money, there is no chance that Hillary is doing this for the money.  She won't be bought off.

'...It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven...'

anonymous commie rabble rouser
(or an Islamic terrorist)

Hi Chuck,
Good observation from the First Read team - Thanks.
Can we know why the media did not pick up the story of Penn's meeting? ...its 5:43 so far Chris's not speaking about it. Will KO do. I know Tax Release is critical. But thinking of Ohio - and PA being similar ...shouldnt we talk about Penn - to be consistent in coverage?

I don't know which is sadder --

~ the folks who think that if their candidate isn't the nominee, then they'll vote for McCain or stay home.  How self defeating and spiteful is that?  

~ or the swift boaters who will actually run the character assassination campaigns for the betterment of the rich (and the poor get poorer)

~ or the idiots who will believe that the swift boaters have their best interests at heart (not!)

~ or the idiots who think that voting against 'gay marriage' and against 'abortion rights' will put food on the table -- once again (not!).


The dumbing down of America is stunning.  


Vote with your head, vote for the economy, vote for jobs.

Vote Democratic 2008 -- don't let the corporations and their Republican stooges win again.  

SENATOR CLINTON'S BOOK INCOME: $10,457,083 Senator Clinton's book income is comprised of earnings for Living History ($10,267,895), including an $8,000,000 advance, and It Takes a Village ($189,188). The earnings for It Takes a Village were donated to charity. Since the release of It Takes a Village in 1996, Senator Clinton has donated over $1,100,000 to charity!  
************************************
Being rich and generous is not a CRIME!
But I suspect no one here cares to ever point out ANYTHING positive!

I commend "the Clintons" for finally releasing their tax returns. See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

$109 MILLION $$$$$$$ CHA CHING MEGA RICH CLINTONS!

Wow! It sure is good to be a former president and a senator!

That is a lot of dough!

Now I can really see why she want to help the "little" guy out there. I mean, perhaps she can hire them for cleaning around one of the houses, tending the herb garden for the chef, washing the SUVs, etc.

Is it just me or is anyone else wondering how someone that has basically been rich their entire life can relate to the average American. I can barely pay my heating bills not to mention filling up the tank. I wonder how people in Pennsylvania and Indiana feel about this?

We do not need any more "Mega" rich people in the White House.... no thank you!

http://laststopmidwest.blogspot.com/

6,900%! So?

Bill Clinton was the PRESIDENT of the USA.

Clintonistas - yes csh, Jill, PA Voter, et al - I am talking to you.

I enjoy reading all of the posts from both sides but I am getting really irritated by your seemingly ignorant views.

You want me, as a college educated, Gen Xer, caucasian woman to support HRC?  OK then - tell me WHY.  Stop attacking "Obamabots" and tell me:

*How can she tell me with a straight face that she is for the working class?  When has she ever been part of the working class?

*She stayed with Bill to keep her "family together"?  When was her family together?  She obiviously had her own schedule from Bill - were they together a lot?  Her child was a teenager - old enough to understand what was being said and what was going on.  Do you think that was a good example to set?

*Why can she not keep her stories straight?

*Why does she inspire such support as to make you want to rant and rave about her?

*How can I trust her?

I am not saying that Obama is God or anything close.  They BOTH have people in their inner circles that I would question their association with, so leave Rev. Wright out of it.  You can't hold Obama responsible and you know it.

I also live in MI and I KNOW that Obama's camp was not holding up the process.  Our gov. supports Clinton - but our congress is Republican.  If you are such experts in MI politics when you don't live here, please enlighten me.

I enjoy good debates, but blind faith from either side doesn't inspire - it depresses.  I want facts - ABOUT YOUR CANDIDATE - explain WHY I SHOULD SUPPORT HER?

I remember the Clinton years.  I remember when she told 60 min that she wasn't going to go home and bake Toll House cookies.  I was there when she changed her name at least three times.  I watched the ridiculous "what is the definition of is".  I watched Clinton LIE.

It has nothing to do with loving Obama.  I need to know why I should trust Hillary.

You talk about Penn. THe president of Colombia said, Obama doesnt know what is talking about and not ready to be president.

What about the Nafta sneak move Obama pulled?
How about Susan Rice, Samantha Power, and Colin Khiel saying Obama doesn't have the play to pull out right away

Well, I must say that I am disappointed.  The question of tax returns being released through 2007 has been out there for months and then we are told that they would be released and now 2007 is not.  This looks like more dishonesty additionally... the "misspeak" that she admits on the Richardson comment is another example of her lying.  

I am fed up and will not support HRC..... thankfully I can still vote and will do so in Pittsburgh

Hi SL...I completely agree with you ...we can talk about Tax returns all the time ...and it was not supposed released at this time ...it was a clever(?) strategy to do this. So the Penn Meeting story goes away. I am hoping that KO will do the justice on this ...well ...I hoping for hope!

Mark Penn is pathetic and MSNBC needs to do more reporting on the Columbia story!!! The Clintons and Penn should not get a free ride on this. Another thing why did Hillary release her taxes on the 40th aniversary of Dr. Kings death? Makes me wonder about her thinking process on this. Low impact to her supporters?

Obama 08!!!

they gave 10 million over 7 years. we still don't know to whom. there are a lot of unanswered questions here. there is also the dubai connection and kazhakastan. too many unanswered questions. unlike some, we all have a braina dn I know the clintons would love us to focus on the 10 million. but, until we know who, what where the questions will remain out there.

I have no problem with anyone realizing the American Dream. I was happy for the Obama's to have found an increase in fortune, and am pleased for the Clinton's too.

For those of you finding fault with the percentage of charitable donations given by the Obamas, keep in mind they are giving their daughters the very best of educations. They will want to send them to the best Universities as well. Their tax bracket is also very high. Believe me, they paid a ton in taxes.

Let's make sure we meet the standards we demand of our candidates. How many of us crying out for these tax returns, though justifiable, would welcome a letter from the IRS announcing we are about to be audited?

We just went through an audit, and did just fine, but if it were'nt for Super Bowl XLII, and the distraction it gave me, I'd have grown an ulcer.

Simply for your consideration.

Pulling for Obama

C'mon Chuck, Penn traveling to Columbia should be the topic here not the Clinton Taxes.

As for the taxes, it looks like the special interest groups the Clinton's favored in the later part of Bill's Presidency paid off.  The special interest groups have alterior motives when they back a candidate: Politics 101.  

But seriously, this is stuff everyone should already know.  As for Penn, what he did is completely opposite with what Clinton has said all along about NAFTA, and should be the top story.  Like Hillary said regarding Rev. Wright "You can't choose your family, but you can choose your Pastor."  Well guess what, you can also choose your strategist.  

Poor Judgement Mrs. Clinton, poor judgement.  

The question is WHO gave money to Bill for his "speeches"

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

The funny thing is neither Obama nor Republican Sen. John McCain have made their 2007 tax returns public, though both say they will this month.

The Clintons have at least made every detail of it public.  Most of their wealth came from speeches, etc..understandably so.

You can throw mud at them for all you want, it's transparency to me. Now does Obama have anything else up his sleeve to throw at her?

Former President Bill Clinton got 3.5 Million from InfoUSA-- that is not good.  InfoUSA is the company currently under indictment for selling information re: elderly people with alzheimers to those who would steal their money (and steal their money they did).
Hmmm.

$109 million in 8 years.  It rather puts that $400 haircut of Senator Edwards in perspective doesn't it?

As for Mark Penn, his company (which he still works for while campaigning for Senator Clinton) has Blackwater as one of its premiere clients.  So, while Mr. Penn advises Senator Clinton he is also advising Blackwater.  Mr. Penn either needs to quit his lobbying firm, or resign from Senator Clinton's campaign -- but then, Senator Clinton should never have hired him in the first place.  And to all of you who give to Senator Clinton, how do you like knowing that much of your money ends up in Mr. Penn's pocket?  Hmmm.

'Karen Newtown, CT'

Power is also a motivating factor in, and of it's self.

I don't want to quarrel with you. You might argue the same point about Senator Obama. Therefore all the Dems will weigh these, and other considerations concerning our Democratic candidates, and make our individual choice. Just something to think about.

Pulling for Obama '08

And how about all the years they served the country  (and still do), lived in public housing and made next to nothing? I find it sad how suddenly it has become a terrible thing to earn a fortune. I thought that was the American promise. This weekend Clinton haters, including those in the press, will be combing the Clinton's tax returns to find every little dirty thing they can to use against them.  

Halli Casser-Jayne
http://www.thecjpoliticalreport.com

Hillary released what now Obama had been crying for.....

NOW I demand that Obama release the dates he attended Rev. Wright's racist sermons.....

We'll see what he's hiding... I'll bet it's plenty!!

There's nothing wrong with them having money, but she hid this wealth so she could pretend to be blue collar.

She is stinkin rich & I bet a lot of hard workin people will have a harder time believing her stories now.

Can we expect some good coverage about Penn's meeting at 7pmET hardball?

Hi Kim...no he just has to "sorry" and everything is fine ...

2003, Page 30... they deducted $147,440 for cleaning their 2 home offices (a combined 1029 sq feet)

GO HILLARY !!!! - Happy to see your are so very generous to charity!!!!!   What does the obama group have to complain about now??? How much did Michele OBama give to charity????????
Seems to me like the Obama's are the rich ones - for being so young - THe Clinton's have been in the US Senate, White House, etc, for Years - they have EARNED THIS!!!!!!

From the Washington Post, February 27, 2007:

Article Title: Clintons' Charity Not Listed On Senate Disclosure Forms

"Among the institutions receiving grants from the Clinton Family Foundation were Yale University, where both attended law school; groups named for deceased heads of state in Israel and Jordan; and a charity connected to the Arkansas businessman who helped Hillary Clinton make $100,000 on a commodities trade that stirred controversy a decade ago, Internal Revenue Service reports show."


By Charles R. Babcock
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 27, 1994; Page A01


Hillary Rodham Clinton was allowed to order 10 cattle futures contracts, normally a $12,000 investment, in her first commodity trade in 1978 although she had only $1,000 in her account at the time, according to trade records the White House released yesterday.

The computerized records of her trades, which the White House obtained from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, show for the first time how she was able to turn her initial investment into $6,300 overnight. In about 10 months of trading, she made nearly $100,000, relying heavily on advice from her friend James B. Blair, an experienced futures trader.

The new records also raise the possibility that some of her profits -- as much as $40,000 – came from larger trades ordered by someone else and then shifted to her account, Leo Melamed, a former chairman of the Merc who reviewed the records for the White House, said in an interview. He said the discrepancies in Clinton's records also could have been caused by human error.

Even allocated trades would not necessarily have benefited Clinton, Melamed added. "I have no reason to change my original assessment. Mrs. Clinton violated no rules in the course of her transactions," he said.

Lisa Caputo, Clinton's spokeswoman, said the documents were released yesterday "to give as complete a picture as possible" of her trades. She said Clinton had never before seen them.

Blair, who urged Clinton to enter the high-risk futures market and ordered most of her trades, said in a recent interview that he "talked her into" her first futures trade in October 1978 before paperwork on her account was completed. It was liquidated quickly, he recalled, because "it was bigger than she wanted and required more money."

A close examination of her individual trades underscores Blair's pivotal role. It also shows that Robert L. "Red" Bone, who ran the Springdale, Ark., office of Ray E. Friedman and Co. (Refco), allowed Clinton to initiate and maintain many trading positions – besides the first – when she did not have enough money in her account to cover them.

Why would Bone do so? Bone could not be reached for comment, but Blair said he thought he knew why. "I was a very good customer," he said, noting he paid Bone $800,000 in commissions over the years. "They weren't going to hassle me. If I brought them somebody, they weren't going to hassle them."

Besides, he added, Bone would not worry if he agreed with his clients' bet on which way the price of a given contract would go.

Blair, who at the time was outside counsel to Tyson Foods Inc., Arkansas' largest employer, says he was advising Clinton out of friendship, not to seek political gain for his state-regulated client. At the time of many of the trades, Bill Clinton was governor.

Hillary Clinton has said she made all the trading decisions herself and has tried to play down Blair's role. But she acknowledged in April, three weeks after her trades were first disclosed, that Blair actually placed most of the trades.

Blair advised Clinton again on July 17, 1979. He recalled that she started that trading day by losing $26,460 on 10 cattle contracts she had held for more than a month, by far her worst loss as a futures player. On his recommendation, he said, she immediately went back into the market. She acquired 50 new cattle contracts – worth $1.4 million -- and when the price moved in her favor, unloaded them around noon for a quick gain of $10,550. This recouped part of her loss.

Blair said Clinton and other friends he suggested trades for had lost money that spring on feeder cattle. Those trades "caused everyone some grief," he said. "I'm sure I was pressing to get everyone back above water" in recommending the quick and bold day trade.

The White House defense of Hillary Clinton's preferential treatment was that other customers in the same office also were allowed to trade without having enough cash in their accounts.

While Clinton's account was wildly successful to an outsider, it was small compared to what others were making in the cattle futures market in the 1978-79 period. An investigation of the cattle futures market at that time by Rep. Neal Smith (D-Iowa) found that in one 16-month period 32 traders made more than $110 million in profits from large trades -- those of 50 contracts or more. Clinton traded positions of 50 or more contracts only three times.

The records the White House released yesterday were part of an investigative file from 1979, when the exchange charged Bone and Refco with violations of its record keeping and margin requirement rules. Bone was suspended for three years; Refco paid a $250,000 fine, then the largest in the exchange's history. Internal memos from that investigation cover transactions from the same period in June in which Clinton was trading, but not the same trades. In one instance, the Merc found Bone and a fellow broker were ordering 1,000 cattle contracts at a time – far over the limit allowed at the time – and then allocating them to other customers.

One internal Merc memo said "there is reason to believe" that a majority of Bone's accounts were traded without the clients' permission. Blair said that Bone at times traded his personal account without permission.

Blair said he doubted Bone traded Clinton's account without her permission.

Melamed said it was "impossible" to determine the exact cause for the discrepancies between the Merc computer record of Clinton's trades and the trading records she received from Refco, which the White House released earlier.

She said that for six trades, her initial trading position in the Refco records were not reflected in the Merc documents. On one other trade neither her purchase nor sale was included. On that trade she netted $12,150 on 15 cattle contracts she held for four days.

Clinton reported a loss of $2,480 on one of the trades in question, Melamed noted.

One was a "day trade" on hog contracts that netted $2,553. Melamed said "day trades" are the only way to assure profit even if favorable trading positions are allocated to a customer's account. Any position held overnight would be subject to the rise and fall in prices in the volatile futures market, he added.



Just everyday normal blue-collar folk....

What does this say to me.....

They don't need money or power....
they could easily be sitting on a beach somewhere and not give 2 cents about what happens to this great country that is in such trouble....

Instead she has chosen to work for the people of this country from all walks of life - and THAT says a LOT to me. It should say a lot to ALL of you who have ever questioned her passion, her intellect, or her commitment to this country.  She doesn't NEED to be President.
She WANTS to be President so she can continue to serve this country that she loves so dearly, not just now, but her whole life.
I have researched heavily BOTH candidates, and for me there is only ONE CHOICE...HILLARY!

To Jacqueline Pittsburgh......

Obama has not released his 2007 returns either......just thru 06

this is all fine and well, but when do we get to see 2007?
********
knock, knock are you in there, Thomas?  2007 isn't even due yet.  Where are your candidates 2007?  

We need to talk about Mark Penn and his Columbia dealings.

This is what is MOST IMPORTANT.

THE PEOPLE IN PENNSYLVANIA NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS.

Come on First REad, don't try to HIDE THIS.

THIS IS REAL NEWS.

COME ON FIRST READ!!!

COME on CHUCK, YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS REAL NEWS.

heh heh, heh heh....you said 69.

HP in Boston,
I'm an Obama supporter and I heartily applaud the Clintons for their largesse.  Bravo to them.  

L - MI:  First, I like how you put in that you were a college educated woman, as if we could not possibly be in the same demographic as you.  Newsflash: I am a college educated (B.S., M.P.H., J.D. in May) woman in my late twenties.  So, we are essentially part of the same demographic.  Good...now that that's out of the way.  

I could espouse Hillary's life story so that you know that she was born to a middle class family in Chicago.  I don't know her entire financial history, but I pose the question to you: what difference does it make if she has money?  I believe that I read on this blog that the Clintons were worth about $200,000 when he was sworn into office.  Whether that's true or not is beside the point.  The point is that if you think that only the individuals who are poor or middle class care about the socioeconomic disparities, then you are in serious trouble, I believe, for none of the candidates (and no politicians) are poor.  

Here's what I'll say about the family issue...it's HER family!  I don't know anything about their personal or family relationship, except for what I've read in both her and Bill's books and what they've said.  I don't really know what business it is of yours why she stayed with her husband and/or why she opted to keep her family together.  I can tell you that it was her choice.  I could argue that she had respect for the institution of marriage (which is sorely lacking these days).  What I fail to understand is why women attack her for this...the beauty of feminism is that women have CHOICES!!!  They are no longer relegated to a particular role to play in society, and for that reason alone, women should support and respect the decisions of other women.  

She keeps her story straight just about as well as Obama.  Hello...they're politicians and they talk all day long.  Are they going to make a misstatement?  Yes, of course.  I mean, didn't Obama claim that the march in Selma, AL essentially opened the door to his conception....except that the Selma march happened four years after he was born.  Obama has made plenty of misstatements, and Hillary has too...I would venture to say that both of them will make future misstatements.  Give it a rest already!

Finally, she has profoundly inspired me.  She stood up and fought for universal health care.  All Obama supporters want to do is point out that the battle was lost, but what do you guys really even know about universal health care?  It was attempted by Truman and was defeated as well (by, I might add, powerful lobbies, just as Hillary was defeated).  She was fighting for something, and as a result of her fight, the Congress later passed the SCHIP legislation (no she didn't author the legislation, but she was a big reason why it was so successfully passed).  Her life has been spent fighting for women's rights and children.  Health care has been a passion of hers, which is something that I respect, because, having a public health degree, universal health care is something I believe in, support, and am likewise passionate about.  

Only you can decide if you can trust her or not.  I believe that she will stand up for Americans and she will do everything she can to put this country on the right track.  

And if you hold Hillary responsible for Bill's indiscretions and lies (I don't believe it was Hillary who was wrestling with the definition of "is"), then why can't I hold Obama responsible for the poor judgment he exercised by remaining in his church for 20 years?  And he lied about circumstances related to that, so I that doesn't help.    

I've personally never blamed Obama for MI not getting a revote...I blame the DNC for being really, profoundly stupid.  And I've never posted one thing about the MI situation, nor do I claim to possess knowledge of the political environment in MI.  

I think you just sound really angry.  

And I'm not sure I've ever personally attacked Obama.  I don't think he has a lot of substance, and even though he is a great orator, that's not enough to convince me to vote for him.  And I've read his memoir, so I can respect his story and the life he has made for himself.  I simply don't think he is the best person for the job, and the more I see of him, the less trusting I am of him.

MSierra: Obama is a millionaire also. Enough rhetoric please. You have nothing more to say since Hillary released here return.

Yes - and that is why many politicians leave public office to return to the private sector?  Sounds like a few MSNBC pundits and journalists....a bit hypocritical??

That is also why many wealthy people run for office...they don't need the salary...

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