Edwards Suggests Bush Dragged
Feet on Lay
story.news.yahoo.com
By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - John Edwards , the newly
named Democratic vice presidential candidate, suggested that President
Bush 's administration dragged its feet in prosecuting
alleged "corporate crooks" like the former Enron chief executive Kenneth
Lay.
"It took three long years to see Ken Lay
handcuffed and indicted for what he did," the
North Carolina senator said Saturday in the
weekly Democratic radio address. "In
November, middle-class families will be able
to rest assured that John Kerry
will look out for their interests, restore
corporate responsibility and put our
economy back in line with our values."
He said that Kerry understands that families
are struggling to stay afloat.
"You can't save any money because it
takes every dime you make to just to pay
your bills. And if something goes wrong, a
serious illness, or a layoff, you go right off
the cliff," he said. "And to make things even
worse, millions of Americans have lost their
life's savings and pensions because of
corporate crooks like Ken Lay."
Lay, a big political contributor whose
largesse went mostly to Republicans,
surrendered to authorities in Houston on
Thursday and declared his innocence of
charges he fraudulently hid losses and debt
problems at Enron. Lawyers indicted him
Thursday after a 2 1/2-year investigation into
the energy giant's collapse.
Lay and his wife contributed more than
$790,000 to Republicans and slightly more
than $86,000 to Democrats from 1989 to
2001, according to the nonpartisan Center
for Responsive Politics. Lay, a friend and
major fund-raising "Pioneer" for Bush,
collected $100,000 for Bush in 2000. Enron
donated $100,000 to Bush's inaugural gala.
The Bush campaign said Friday that Lay attended a dinner at Kerry's
Georgetown home "10 months after Enron went under" and that Lay had
been on a board, the Heinz Foundation, overseen by Kerry's wife, Teresa
Heinz Kerry.
Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Kerry wasn't at the dinner,
the foundation was philanthropic, and Lay is no longer on the board.
Edwards, named by Kerry to the Democratic ticket on Tuesday, gave a
few more details about what transpired that morning when the
Massachusetts senator called and offered him a spot on the ticket.
"After I said yes, I asked my 6-year-old, Emma Claire, and my
4-year-old, Jack, to tell their mom," Edwards said. "My daughter got on
the phone and said, 'Mommy, Senator Kerry picked Daddy.' And then
Jack got on the phone and said something that he thought was more
important: 'Mommy, I can swim with my head above water!'"
Edwards continued: "As a father, I know that John Kerry will make this
country stronger and more secure for my children. |
