In a detailed explanation of the Justice Department's decision, [Deputy US Attorney General] McNulty noted there were limits to the government's potential punishment of Boeing, given its place as one of a few large defense contractors and its role in Pentagon projects that extend through 2020.

"Contracts at issue are critical to national security; they cannot practicably be terminated," McNulty said.

I suppose I could generate a lot of sparks pointing out players in this scandal included  Richard Perle, Donald Rumsfeld, Dennis Hastert, Andrew Card and George Bush.  But no one would be surprised to learn that.  So I won't go down that path.

Instead of focusing on a bunch of people looting the treasury I want to focus on the how they get away with it even when everyone knows exactly who is doing what to whom.  

Let's look at the politics and price of enabling extortion.

Conservative political analyst Dick Morris writes that the majority senate party come 2006 might be decided in red-state Tennessee, home to Al Gore and Democratic Senate Hopeful Harold Ford. With the senate holding a 55 Republican majority, Democrats will need to pick up six seats to take over. But which six?


Top Democratic targets: (According to the latest Rasmussen polls)

Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) trails Democrat Bob Casey Jr. 56-33

Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) trails Rep. Sherrod Brown 44-41

Senator Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) trails Jon Tester by 48-44

Ahead of their Democratic challengers but well below 50 percent are:

Senator Jim Talent (R-Mo.) over Democrat Claire McCaskill 43-40

Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) over Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse 44-42

Both of these would likely fall to the Democrats in the event of a broad trend towards Democrats.