personal virtues

September 10, 2008 11:16 PM

Teapot Dome 2008 -- "The report also detailed cozy relationships between energy companies and other officials in the royalty-in-kind program office. Some 19 officials — a third of the staff — took gifts from oil and gas executives, some with “prodigious frequency,” it said."

On one occasion in 2002, the report said, two of the officials who marketed taxpayers’ oil got so drunk at a daytime golfing event sponsored by Shell that they could not drive to their hotels and were put up in Shell-provided lodging. Two female employees “engaged in brief sexual relationships with industry contacts,” the reports’ cover memo said, adding that “sexual relationships with prohibited sources cannot, by definition, be arms’ length.”

Sex, drugs and caged oil contracts over at the Department of the Interior.

posted by vhsiv (27 comments total)

"The investigation also concluded that several of the officials “frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives."

Drill, baby, drill!
posted by the_bone at 11:36 PM on September 10, 2008 [9 favorites]

Su. . .
posted by troy at 11:39 PM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

Why I Never!
posted by From Bklyn at 11:48 PM on September 10, 2008

lipstick on a rig
posted by paul_smatatoes at 12:07 AM on September 11, 2008 [16 favorites]

Oil and sex? Kinky!
posted by chillmost at 12:10 AM on September 11, 2008

Teapot Dome 1921: Less cocaine
posted by vhsiv at 12:16 AM on September 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Oh, a sexual relationship can be at arm's length. It's just that your wrist muscles get kind of tired after a while.
posted by adipocere at 2:05 AM on September 11, 2008 [4 favorites]

Oh, a sexual relationship can be at arm's length.

"I never laid a finger on her. Unless, of course, you call this a finger."
posted by maxwelton at 3:32 AM on September 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

If Obama doesn't come out by tomorrow saying "They're in bed with Big Oil! Literally!" then I'll be really depressed.
posted by fungible at 5:53 AM on September 11, 2008 [2 favorites]

If Obama doesn't come out by tomorrow saying "They're in bed with Big Oil! Literally!" then I'll be really depressed.

Oh come on, he doesn't need to get that specific.
posted by delmoi at 6:09 AM on September 11, 2008

Big oil screws the people in many ways.
posted by stbalbach at 6:12 AM on September 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Clearly I am working in the wrong sector.
posted by Kadin2048 at 6:13 AM on September 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

Big oil screws the people in many ways.

...but not me! (bursts into tears)
posted by aramaic at 6:13 AM on September 11, 2008

MMmmmmmmmmmm...smell that? I love the smell of a pardon in the morning.
posted by spicynuts at 7:08 AM on September 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

“When you come to work for the federal government, the American people expect the best of you...”

Really? The bare minimum in order to not get caught and/or fired maybe, but the best?
posted by chillmost at 7:45 AM on September 11, 2008

Really? The bare minimum in order to not get caught and/or fired maybe, but the best?

Right..like when I call the IRS I damn well know I'm not going to get someone that is concerned with giving me his/her best.
posted by spicynuts at 7:50 AM on September 11, 2008

Heckuva job, Kempy!
posted by Danf at 8:00 AM on September 11, 2008

Imagine what tawdry stuff went on in the closed door energy meetings that they won't release details about. Cheney, rawr.
posted by inigo2 at 8:19 AM on September 11, 2008

inigo2: Cheney and Ken Lay were having a big, dirty, sweaty fuck and suck fest.
posted by Saxon Kane at 8:40 AM on September 11, 2008

So THAT'S why Cheney won't release the energy committee meeting minutes from 2001 LOL
posted by troy at 8:46 AM on September 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

er, what inigo2 said.
posted by troy at 8:47 AM on September 11, 2008

Sex, drugs, oil, abuse of power, bribery... This scandal has everything but bestiality and pedophilia going for it. We are so inured to the buzzing background level of corruption in the Bush Administration that we have forgotten how to sink our teeth into a scandal this juicy! Can you imagine the outcry if this had happened under the watch of a Democratic administration?
posted by jonp72 at 8:54 AM on September 11, 2008 [3 favorites]

We are so inured to the buzzing background level of corruption in the Bush Administration that we have forgotten how to sink our teeth into a scandal this juicy!-Jonp72

Sadly, that was my first reaction, or lack thereof. "Oh, this was expected."
posted by Atreides at 9:03 AM on September 11, 2008

"Energy committee meeting minutes?" Those were energy committee meeting hours, baby.
posted by rusty at 9:14 AM on September 11, 2008

Minerals Management Service meeting
posted by lukemeister at 9:32 AM on September 11, 2008

Can you imagine the outcry if this had happened under the watch of a Democratic administration?

It would be huge. The media would go nuts. People who were feeling a bit ashamed about supporting the GOP would throw this out as justification and sleep easy at night, then repeat this whenever questioned about anything, dragging some moderates and undecideds along for the ride.

To call this a double standard doesn't quite do it justice. There is a single standard: for Democrats. The GOP can do what it wants because their flag wavers will just incorporate any old excuse tossed out no matter how bare and repeat it as mantra. If there is one thing the past 7 years have taught me, it's that hiding your ill doings just slows down the degradation. Get it out in the open, where your supporters can defend it with the full weight of their own cognitive dissonance.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:10 AM on September 12, 2008 [3 favorites]

Two High-Ranking McCain Campaign Officials Lobbied For Companies At Center of Sex-For-Oil Scandal
posted by homunculus at 4:59 PM on September 12, 2008