Quite a few Alabamians evidently are hearing from the producers of 60 Minutes as the famed CBS news program prepares a major story on the Don Siegelman case.
Tommy Stevenson, of the Tuscaloosa News, reports that he is hearing from people around the state who say they have been contacted by 60 Minutes about the story.
Sounds like the CBS folks are doing serious homework. One of Stevenson's sources said producers have conducted 15 to 16 interviews for the piece. The source says the story will be "very comprehensive in its scope, covering the questions about the direction of the investigation and including the main question, which is "was the convicted charge a crime?"
One thrust of the story evidently will be a comparison of Siegelman's conviction for giving an appointment to a state board in exchange for a campaign donation to alleged similar behavior by current Republican Gov. Bob Riley. (Could this include a look at the Huntsville biotech deal?)
Another thrust will be the highly partisan political histories of both prosecutors and the judge.
Speaking of the prosecutors, the ones who have given numerous interviews to the Alabama press, they are not talking to 60 Minutes. Hmmm, guess Sweet Lou Franklin came down with a sudden case of lockjaw.
Think 60 Minutes might have asked Sweet Lou a few questions that Brett Blackledge, The Birmingham News' "attack chihuahua," failed to raise?
Do you think it is a mere coincidence or just some wierd twist of fate that once the Bush admin got rid of the U.S. Atty in Mobile he was replaced wiht a go-along loyalist from the San Diago,Calif. U.S. atty's office where they had just trumped up charges to be able to fire one of the most universally respected U.S. Atty's in the country? (and, oh by the way, she prosecuted Republican and Democratic law breakers). It was only then that, with the assistance of the U.S. Atty's in Montgomery and the new republican kid trying to make it on the block, Troy King, the Mobile Office set up its "stalking horse" with the Russo et al. prosecution. Forget that the only witness the government could get was one they promised probation to and who was the guy who says "he" set out to bribe the mayor, but never really paid him anything except he loaned him $10k for which he paid himself back with interest from the mayors money, and never offerred to pay anyone else, no one asked him to pay them and he never told anyone he was going to bribe anyone and no one told him they wanted or even expected a bribe. "See, see we didn't just go after Siegleman we got a corrupt mayor,city atty and others." Pretty clever,pretty funny, just darn pretty.
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