According to Newsweek http://www.newsweek.com/id/160561/output/print <begin quote>

Freddie Mac had previously paid an advocacy group run by Davis, called the Homeownership Alliance, $30,000 a month until the end of 2005, when that group was dissolved. That relationship was the subject of a New York Times story Monday, which drew angry denunciations from the McCain campaign. McCain and his aides have vehemently objected to suggestions that Davis has ties to Freddie Mac—an especially sensitive issue given that the Republican presidential candidate has blamed "the lobbyists, politicians and bureaucrats" for the mortgage crisis that recently prompted the Bush administration to take over both Freddie Mac and its companion, Fannie Mae, and put them under federal conservatorship.

But neither the Times story—nor the McCain campaign—revealed that Davis’s lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, based in Washington, D.C., continued to receive $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac until last month—long after the Homeownership Alliance had been terminated. The two sources, who requested anonymity discussing sensitive information, told NEWSWEEK that Davis himself approached Freddie Mac in 2006 and asked for a new consulting arrangement that would allow his firm to continue to be paid. The arrangement was approved by Hollis McLoughlin, Freddie Mac’s senior vice president for external relations, because "he [Davis] was John McCain’s campaign manager and it was felt you couldn’t say no," said one of the sources. [McLoughlin did not return phone calls].

. . .

It is not unusual for major corporations to enter into consulting retainers so that individuals could be available if needed. And the two sources stressed that Davis at no time made any threats or demands on Freddie Mac. But the sources indicated that Freddie Mac seldom called on Davis or the firm. On one occasion, Davis was asked to attend a meeting of the firm’s political action committee during the 2006 campaign in order to give the Republican Party’s perspective on the upcoming elections. In addition, Davis did meet with McLoughlin for breakfast on "one or two" occasions. Other than that, one source said, Davis "doesn’t do anything" for Freddie Mac. The firm "doesn’t even talk to him." In addition, Freddie Mac has had no contact with Davis Manafort other than receiving monthly invoices from the firm and paying them. But the money could be perceived as helping Freddie Mac ensure a good relationship with one of McCain’s top aides in the event that he became president. The payments, along with other lobbying and consulting contracts, are expected to be terminated by the new federal overseers, the sources said.

<end quote>

So anyway, Newsweek is not the be-all and end-all of journalism, so if anyone knows what Davis has done for all the money paid to him by Freddie Mac, can you please answer here and enlighten us?

- – - Responses to Commenters – - -
rdwain2000: I am familiar with Obama’s connections to Freddie and Fannie and I’ll happily contrast them with McCain’s. See http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/09/obamas_fannie_mae_connection.html and http://wire.factcheck.org/2008/09/19/freddie-fannie-and-barack-%E2%80%94-corrected/

Amazingkarma: I think you’re confused about the sarin and mustard gas. There are hundreds of tons we expected to find and cannot account for, but near zero found. I would love to see a link to a real news article about the finding of hundreds of tons of sarin and mustard gas. Link please?

Miss Kitty: The McCain camp isn’t disputing this. Only you are…

IT prove that McCain is no stranger to curruption shall we say deja vue keaton five .One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain’s campaign manager from the end of 2005 through last month, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement. The disclosure contradicts a statement Sunday night by Mr. McCain that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had no involvement with the company for the last several years. Mr. Davis’s firm received the payments from the company, Freddie Mac, until it was taken over by the government this month along with Fannie Mae, the other big mortgage lender whose deteriorating finances helped precipitate the cascading problems on Wall Street,

OBAMA/BIDEN 2008

…and, a synopsis of their story:

Since 2006, the federally sponsored mortgage giant Freddie Mac has paid at least $345,000 to the lobbying and consulting firm of John McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, according to two sources familiar with the arrangement.

Freddie Mac had previously paid an advocacy group run by Davis, called the Homeownership Alliance, $30,000 a month until the end of 2005, when that group was dissolved. That relationship was the subject of a New York Times story Monday, which drew angry denunciations from the McCain campaign. McCain and his aides have vehemently objected to suggestions that Davis has ties to Freddie Mac—an especially sensitive issue given that the Republican presidential candidate has blamed "the lobbyists, politicians and bureaucrats" for the mortgage crisis that recently prompted the Bush administration to take over both Freddie Mac and its companion, Fannie Mae, and put them under federal conservatorship.

But neither the Times story—nor the McCain campaign—revealed that Davis’s lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, based in Washington, D.C., continued to receive $15,000 a month from Freddie Mac until last month—long after the Homeownership Alliance had been terminated.

The two sources, who requested anonymity discussing sensitive information, told NEWSWEEK that Davis himself approached Freddie Mac in 2006 and asked for a new consulting arrangement that would allow his firm to continue to be paid. The arrangement was approved by Hollis McLoughlin, Freddie Mac’s senior vice president for external relations, because "he [Davis] was John McCain’s campaign manager and it was felt you couldn’t say no," said one of the sources. [McLoughlin did not return phone calls].

When asked about his own campaign manager’s associations with the mortgage giants, McCain, in an interview with CNBC on Sunday night, said that Davis "has had nothing to do" with the Homeownship Alliance since it disbanded and "I’ll be glad to have his record examined by anybody who wants to look at it." (The Homeownership Alliance was set up and funded by both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to promote the goal of home ownership and counter efforts to impose tighter regulations on the two federally sponsored entities.)

Davis, in a conference call arranged by the McCain campaign Monday, said, "It’s been over three years since there’s been any activity in this area and since I had any contact with those folks." Davis also said he "had a severed leave of absence" from his lobbying and consulting firm, and "I’ve taken no compensation from my firm for 18 months." (A campaign spokesman said that Davis receives no partnership distribution under his arrangement).

It is not unusual for major corporations to enter into consulting retainers so that individuals could be available if needed. And the two sources stressed that Davis at no time made any threats or demands on Freddie Mac. But the sources indicated that Freddie Mac seldom called on Davis or the firm. On one occasion, Davis was asked to attend a meeting of the firm’s political-action committee during the 2006 campaign in order to give the Republican Party’s perspective on the upcoming elections. In addition, Davis did meet with McLoughlin for breakfast on "one or two" occasions. Other than that, one source said, Davis "doesn’t do anything" for Freddie Mac. The firm "doesn’t even talk to him." In addition, Freddie Mac has had no contact with Davis Manafort other than receiving monthly invoices from the firm and paying them.

But the money could be perceived as helping Freddie Mac ensure a good relationship with one of McCain’s top aides in the event that he became president. The payments, along with other lobbying and consulting contracts, are expected to be terminated by the new federal overseers, the sources said.
Every time McCain brings up tit, Obamas people can bring up tat…

Starr’s post contradicted your post, when she said, "Obama gives back the $122,000+ he received which was only second to what Dodd received."

Apparently, someone is lying or mistaken.

If Freddie Mac gave McCain $345,000, and Obama $122,000, it’s quite impossible for Obama to be second only to Dodd. The only way for both your numbers to be accurate is for Obama to be third to Dodd (1st) and McCain (2nd) or for Obama to be third to McCain (1st) and Dodd (2nd.)

So I did some fact-checking.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/19/fact-check-did-obama-profit-from-fannie-and-freddie/

It seems to depend on what totals you’re looking at.

Obama received $126,349 (a tiny fraction of the approximately $390 million his campaign has raised) from EMPLOYEES of Fannie and Freddie. This, compared to McCain’s $21,550.

HOWEVER… looking at private donations from EMPLOYEES doesn’t give a true picture.

The New York Times has published a separate list looking at contributions from "directors, officers, and lobbyists for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac" for the 2008 campaign cycle. That list — using figures from the Federal Election Commission — shows McCain receiving $169,000, while Obama received only $16,000.

I think this is MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT…

Employees are just private people.

If Fannie and Freddie’s JANITOR donated $100 to Obama, that would be included in the first number, and frankly, who could possibly have any problem with that?

But Fannie and Freddie DIRECTORS, OFFICERS and LOBBYISTS are another matter. Something FAR MORE SERIOUS… and to the charge of having more significant contributions from that group, Obama is innocent and McCain is guilty.

The numbers don’t correlate, but that can logically be explained: The Newsweek article is including 2006 donations while the New York Times figures in the CNN Fact check focuses on 2008 election donations.

It seems that when one CHECKS ones FACTS — McCain received more shady contributions from Fannie and Freddie than Obama.

List of John McCain presidential campaign staff members, 2008

Schmidt: He specializes in political "message development and strategy".[1] Schmidt was the senior campaign strategist and advisor

Schmidt voiced his support for gay rights at meeting of the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican group.

campaign manager in the re-election campaign for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

top Dick Cheney aide

he became a partner in Mercury Public Affairs, part of Fleishman-Hillard International Communications

—————————————–
Charles R. Black, Jr. (born 1947), is a former chief lobbyist for BKSH & Associates, a lobbying firm associated with Burson-Marsteller

a senior political adviser to the 1992 re-election campaign of George H.W. Bush.

——————————–
William Kristol (born December 23, 1952 in New York City) is an American political analyst and commentator. He is the founder and editor of the political magazine The Weekly Standard, a regular commentator on the Fox News Channel, and an op-ed columnist for the New York Times.

He was chairman of the New Citizenship Project from 1997 to 2005, he cofounded the neoconservative Project for the New American Century (PNAC)

Randall J Scheunemann is an American lobbyist. He is the President of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq which was created by the Project for the New American Century

Douglas J. "Doug" Holtz-Eakin Holtz-Eakin is also the President of DHE Consulting, LLC,

——————
Nicolle Devenish Wallace is a U.S. Republican Party operative whose recent posts include White House Communications Director under George W. Bush and campaign advisor

SEVERAL McCain staffers have trashed Palin. Fox is leading the reporting of the negative stories. The GOP is in disarray. Don’t try to blame it on the Left.

Michele Bachmann- who reminds me a little bit of Chucky (crazy)
Ron Paul– I like him
Sarah Palin— Is she still running? IDK but no ****ing way
Rick Perry— Ehh
Obama– BaHahahahhahahah

Yes I know there is more but…really. What do you thinks wrong with political parties, are they corrupt, are they a******s, or something else. And why are all the women running crazy, there’re making us look bad .

And Here’s a bonus poll. If you had to pick a president out of these three people who would it be.

Candidate A – Associates with crooked politicians, and consults with astrologists. He’s had two mistresses. He also chain smokes and drinks 8 to 10 martinis a day.

Candidate B – He was kicked out of office twice, sleeps until noon, used opium in college and drinks a quart of whisky every evening.

Candidate C – He is a decorated war hero. He’s a vegetarian, doesn’t smoke, drinks an occasional beer and hasn’t had any extramarital affairs.

What would be your answer
I was about to type "Baby Killer?" like an actual killer that kills infants not abortion. I think that unless someone has been in the exact same situation, did something different, is a better person for it, and has no regrets, they can’t judge.

I wouldn’t vote for C cause thats hitler, sounds like your want a libertarian…someone fiscally conservative, yet socially moderate… I share your view. We do need someone who is CONSERVATIVE yet isn’t a religious extremist who hates gays and baby killers.

"Early last year, Senator John Ensign contacted a small circle of political and corporate supporters back home in Nevada — a casino designer, an airline executive, the head of a utility and several political consultants — seeking work for a close friend and top Washington aide, Douglas Hampton. . . .

"The job pitch left out one salient fact: the senator was having an affair with Mr. Hampton’s wife, Cynthia, a member of his campaign staff. The tumult that the liaison was causing both families prompted Mr. Ensign, a two-term Republican, to try to contain the damage and find a landing spot for Mr. Hampton," the New York Times reports.

"In the coming months, the senator arranged for Mr. Hampton to join a political consulting firm and lined up several donors as his lobbying clients, according to interviews, e-mail messages and other records. Mr. Ensign and his staff then repeatedly intervened on the companies’ behalf with federal agencies in Washington, often after urging from Mr. Hampton."

Republicans are even boring when they are being sleazy.

I keep seeing this all over yahoo, Does Barack Obama have Kenyan citizenship?, that Obama is not a Citizen. Where are you people coming up with this stuff?

Article II of the Constitution states that "no person except a natural born citizen . . . shall be eligible to the office of president." The problem is that the Founding Fathers never defined exactly what they meant by "natural born citizen," and the matter has never been fully tested in court. At least three pending cases are challenging McCain’s right to be sworn in as president.

Jurists on both sides of the political divide, consulted by the McCain campaign, insist that the issue is clear-cut. They argue that McCain is a natural-born citizen because the United States held sovereignty over the Panama Canal Zone at the time of his birth, on Aug. 29, 1936; because he was born on a U.S. military base; and because his parents were U.S. citizens.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/01/AR2008050103224.html

No. He held both U.S. and Kenyan citizenship as a child, but lost his Kenyan citizenship automatically on his 21st birthday.

http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/does_barack_obama_have_kenyan_citizenship.html

Birth Certificate:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/06/obama-birth.html

Another e-mail claims that Obama "is a Muslim," attended a "Wahabi" school in Indonesia, took his Senate oath on the Koran, refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and is part of an Islamic plot to take over the U.S. Each of these statements is false.

These false appeals to bigotry and fear remind us of the infamous whispering campaign of eight years ago, when anonymous messages just before the South Carolina primary falsely accused Republican candidate John McCain of fathering an illegitimate child by a black woman.

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_obama.html

I’ve seen links to proof that Obama is a Kenyan who is really an Indonesian who was adopted by a Muslim man, whose mother raised him a Christian, but who was really an Arab with no African in him at all, whose bloodline makes him an anti-christ and whose name means 666 because it has 18 letters in it but his name cannot be proven because there is no birth certificate to prove it has 18 letters in it, who was born in a foreign country named Hawaii that is not part of America, and who may be the pied piper but he cannot dance or play the flute.
Then I think:
Boy, those people are really really scared.

She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below.

She shouted to him, ‘Excuse me, can you help me?

I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.’

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied,

‘You’re in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level.

You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.’

She rolled her eyes and said, ‘You must be a Republican.’

‘I am,’ replied the man. ‘How did you know?’

‘Well,’ answered the balloonist,

‘everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information,

and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me.’

The man smiled and responded, ‘You must be a Democrat.’

‘I am,’ replied the balloonist. ‘How did you know?’

‘Well,’ said the man, ‘you don’t know where you are or where you are going.

You’ve risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air.

You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem.

You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow,

now it’s my fault.

Good joke.
Is Nancy Pelosi the woman?

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."
"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, " everything you told me is technically
correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I’m still
lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don’t know where you are or where you are going.
You’ve risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made
a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve
your problem. You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we
met, but, somehow, now it’s my fault."

need something to brighten up your day? hit up this web site. its cute.

http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf

first time i heard a political joke! and yes..lol.

ty for the website too!