It should be an interesting afternoon in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as hearings begin to consider Sam Fox as George W. Bush's nominee to be the new U.S. Ambassador to Belgium.
While the White House lauds Fox's qualifications for the role, it's obvious from a tiny bit of searching that Fox's primary qualification is that he is a big rainmaker for the Republican party with a healthy portfolio of donations over the years -- this is a guy who has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Bush, Dick Cheney, the Republican National Committee and every GOP candidate you can shake a stick at.
But what's especially interesting is that if you really look under the hood of where this guy's political heart is at, you find that in late 2004 he gave $50,000 to no less solid citizens than the Swift Boat Liars who made it their mission to discredit a highly-decorated Vietnam Veteran in John Kerry.
Now if that won't buy you an ambassador's post from George W. Bush, nothing will.
Here's the entry from PoliticalMoneyLine.Com:

And here's a double-check from the Center for Public Integrity:

And he made this donation after the Swift Boaters had been entirely discredited.
What should make this hearing even more profound today is that sitting on the panel questioning Fox, will be Senator Jim Webb -- who is a Vietnam Veteran -- and one.... John F. Kerry.
Stay tuned...
You can read more from Bob at BobGeiger.com.
Update: Before any of you right-wingers start with the hate mail asking how I know that the Sam Fox who donates to people like the Swift Boat Liars is the same one nominated to represent our country in Belgium, look here. He's the guy.
And here's further confirmation via IRS Form 8872 -- warning: big file -- the Boaters' Political Organization Report of Contribution and Expenditures for the period 10/14/04 to 11/22/04.

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Posted February 27, 2007 | 04:27 PM (EST)