-Caveat Lector-
Why Keating Didn�t Cut It
Failing Bush�s litmus tests derails a contender�s dream
By Michael Isikoff
NEWSWEEK
Jan. 15 issue � Only a few weeks ago, Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating
had every reason to believe he�d soon be moving to Washington.
TALK INSIDE THE BELTWAY had him topping the short list for
attorney general. Having campaigned his heart out for Bush,
Keating�an ex-FBI agent with a sterling law-enforcement
resume�didn�t hesitate to call Dick Cheney and volunteer for the
job. �I don�t think there�s anybody who�s better qualified to be
attorney general,� says the rarely bashful governor.
Keating, of course, eventually lost out to defeated
Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft. Just why he was passed over provides
a revealing glimpse into the way the president-elect scrutinizes
candidates for top posts. Bush demands three litmus tests of all
his would-be advisers: unswerving loyalty, tight lips and a
skeleton-free closet. As it turned out, Keating flunked all
three. Keating�s first mistake came during the campaign
when Bush was swamped with questions about possible cocaine use.
Instead of keeping mum, Keating bluntly suggested that the
candidate disclose anything �arguably criminal.� The remarks did
not go down well with the Texans, who �didn�t appreciate it,� a
Keating aide says. THE DREYFUS AFFAIR
That wasn�t Keating�s only offense. NEWSWEEK has learned
that for nearly a decade, the man who wanted to be the country�s
top cop quietly took cash gifts totaling about $250,000�largely
unreported but legal�from one of his top political fund-raisers.
Keating first met ex-Wall Street financier Jack Dreyfus, founder
of the Dreyfus mutual funds, back in 1988. At the time, Keating
was Ronald Reagan�s associate attorney general. Dreyfus met with
Keating to promote the virtues of Dilantin, a mood-altering drug
he thought could be used to control violent federal prisoners.
For decades, Dreyfus had been a tireless promoter of Dilantin, a
�wonder drug� he credits with stemming his battle with
depression. Keating set up a meeting for Dreyfus, who has no
financial interest in the drug, with top officials at the Bureau
of Prisons. Nothing came of it, but Keating and Dreyfus became
fast friends.
Two years later, when Keating was chief counsel at HUD,
Dreyfus offered to give each of Keating�s three kids a cash
Christmas gift of $10,000. Keating got approval from HUD ethics
officials, saying the gifts were unrelated to his official
duties. The payments, Keating confirms, continued annually for
nearly 10 years after he left HUD. Keating, elected governor in
1994, has never disclosed these gifts in Oklahoma; state law
doesn�t require it.
Keating sees no problem with the payments. In papers submitted to
Bush campaign officials last year, he called Dreyfus �a kind and generous
man� who has never asked for �any actions or material returns from me��a
sentiment he repeated in conversation with NEWSWEEK last week. Yet over the
years Dreyfus continued to press Keating about Dilantin. Two years ago
Keating arranged for Dreyfus to meet the state�s prison director. Nothing
came of that session either, but Dreyfus, now 87, says he remains eternally
grateful. �He�s the only public official who has ever gone out of his way to
help,� Dreyfus gushes. Unfortunately for Keating, he may have helped himself
right out of a job.
� 2001 Newsweek, Inc.
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF:
*Michael Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
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