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I (Duke) Do As I'm Told
If there's a burning question that's arisen from Brent Wilkes' trial, it's not whether Wilkes is guilty. It's: 'Just how stupid is Duke Cunningham?'
According to testimony, Cunningham's (alleged) bribers were in agreement: his stupidity made him an easy mark. Wilkes' former employee testified that Wilkes told her Duke was "not the brightest congressman up there. We can work with him.โ
And Mitchell Wade told jurors that Wilkes and Wade considered him to be โof below-average intelligence.โ So while the unending stream of bribes kept Cunningham willing to do whatever the defense contractors wanted, you couldn't just tell him to go harass Pentagon officials because they weren't paying the bills. Wade said that the lawmaker was so thick that they had to "spell out for Duke exactly what he had to say."
He wasn't kidding. Earlier this week, prosecutors entered into evidence a set of talking points that Wade had prepared for Cunningham in 2004 for a call to a Pentagon official. We've posted a copy here, courtesy of Seth Hettena, the author of the recent book on Cunningham, Feasting on The Spoils, who's been blogging the trial. In the talking points, Wade made sure Duke's mind wasn't upset by any ambiguity. A sample:
Certainly Wade knew what he was doing. After all, look what happens when Cunningham is left to his own devices.
Josh
Zachary
That picture -- he certainly LOOKS as dumb as a rock.
October 19, 2007 9:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I went to Seth's blog to read about the trial and wondered if Wilkes is any smarter for hiring Geragos, who was criticized for staying up late to prepare for Wilkes' defense, but appeared on the teevee on Dr.Phil's show and apparently not ready to begin the defense right after the prosecution was done Wednesday. It appears its going to be a short defense and the jury will have it by mid next week.
October 19, 2007 11:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://dukecunningham.org/
The unorthorized Randy "Duke" Cunningham page.
Everything you never wanted to know about ol' Duke.
October 19, 2007 11:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
LMFAO. We all knew he wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree but this is just pathetic.
October 20, 2007 12:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
the thing is.... if they were telling him what to say they must have been directing him to their guys inside the pentagon too.
October 20, 2007 12:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
WOW! Do you think the reason that the Repubretards blocked SCHIP is because they're all this frickin' stoopid?
I (W) veto dis health care bill for soshalists.
I (W) declair war on Iran Iraq, no Iran. Shoot did we invaed the ron wun?
I (W) goin to Kroford for vaca. Pull stumps.
I (W) iz teh stupid.
October 20, 2007 3:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
No wonder they hired Tom Cruise to play Duke in Top Gun...
October 20, 2007 10:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
steambomb wrote on October 20, 2007 12:10 AM:
"LMFAO. We all knew he wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree but this is just pathetic."
Say Mr. Steambomb, while you were LYFAO, who exactly "knew" how stupid Duke was? I'm a Californian, not in his district, but how is it you knew?
October 20, 2007 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he was stupid. He pleaded guilty. If he was smart he would have fought it. He had the whole republican machine behind him at the time that he pleaded. Thats not very smart is it? Maybe moral for a change but not smart. He apologized on camera crying like a baby. He looked pretty stupid to me. As for you californians? Well.... I dont want to put you all in the same box but you fell for the ruse on Gray Davis, you allowed the likes of Arny to screw him over. You do realize that Arny had a closed door meeting with Kenneth Lay shortly before that recall election dont you? Ah well to hell with it all. Its just water under the bridge. Right?
October 21, 2007 2:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
He was THE great fighting ace in his day - the real-life inspiration for the Top Gun movie. He had a long way to fall - all the greater tragedy.
October 21, 2007 8:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Each and every time one of these Republicans gets caught and a bright light is shown on them we see how stupid they actually are. This should disturb all of us. How the hell are these dolts getting elected? Are the American people that stupid?
Honestly I think the bulk of the blame lays at the feet of the religious right. They are predisposed to accepting things at face value and not looking too closely at facts. If they did they wouldn't be the religious right.
October 21, 2007 10:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
Lets see...
Cunninham is stupid...
"We the People" voted him into office how many times?
Cunningham is apparently much smarter than most voters...
October 21, 2007 12:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I (fencepost) would like you (cash cow) to make this worth my while.
October 21, 2007 1:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
steambomb,
Californians never thought it could happen with Grey Davis, but now they get it.
Recently the Rebuplicans tried it again, to put an out of state financed initiative on the ballot designed carve up that state's electoral votes, giving it an advantage where Republicans can't get footing. Swiftly the Democratic machine went into action to stiffle it and kill it before it even got to the signature gathering stage. Even found out it was Giulianni behnd it all. Same tactic. Outsiders trying to game the state again.
The rethugs only do well with an unsuspecting trusting voter, it has nothing to do with stupidity.
And Ahnold was almost out on his patoot after his first term, before he suddenly went from extreme right to the middle and that is how he survived re=election.
The voters were ready to give him the boot, but alas, he got it too. You can fool some of the people some of the time.......but not all the time. ;)
October 21, 2007 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
In order to have a corrupt government run by people who are both corrupt and stupid it is first necessary to have a popular culture that is also corrupt and stupid. That is what we are and that is why a macho moron like George Bush is in the White House.
Americans are people who don't like to think. It disturbs their bovine complacency.
October 22, 2007 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Alas, I tire of these scandals. What ever happened to serving the public good? All these politicians want is a public office so that they can bilk, scheme, loot, and lie. No wonder our country is circling the drain. And yes, we apathetic American citizens are partly to blame by not taking the time to read and participate in forums such as this so that we can get good backgound on the odious scoundrels we elect. But there are those of us who stay involved. I commend (nearly) everyone on this blog for taking the time to inform yourselves and comment on the political arena.
October 22, 2007 5:37 PM | Reply | Permalink