Are You Really Surprised?

The Bush Administration decided to pursue the case against the tobacco companies originally filed during the Clinton Administration. The Justice Department has spent the last 5+ years working on the case and it has been in trial for months. One of their experts said the proposed remedy would cost $130 billion dollars. So what does the Administration request from the Judge?

Ten billion dollars. To be paid over five years.

This caused the Judge to comment “Perhaps it suggests that additional influences have been brought to bear on what the government’s case is.” (Read more here.)

No – that simply isn’t possible. The Bush Administration wouldn’t take a fall to benefit any particular industry. They wouldn’t allow an industry to steer policy. In fact, I was talking to some of my friends who work for energy-related concerns, and they confirmed that the Bush Administration has strict rules about this sort of things.

Sleep well.