NeoCon Heroes - The Loyal Bushie

Hard to imagine that a Bush republican could be a close friend of Marion Barry, but Bush's HUD secretary Alphonso Jackson pulls off that interesting perfecta. Jackson exemplified the loyal Bushie long before Gonzo and his Liberty and Regent U grads jumped on that bandwagon. Here's how Alpho goes to the dogs: "The president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn’t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don’t tell the secretary. Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe.”

In 2006, Jackson elbowed assistant secretary for public and Indian housing Director Orlando Cabrera aside and installed his deputy as the point man for a huge contract with the Housing Authority of New Orleans. The $127 million contract eventually went to a team that included an Atlanta company, Columbia Residential, which owes Jackson between $250,000 and $500,000 'for past services,' according to the HUD secretary's public financial disclosure reports. Cabrera was questioned about Jackson's role in steering federal money to his cronies. Cabrera and Jackson are not on speaking terms. HUD insiders say that the secretary was angry with Cabrera for speaking to investigators and considers him "a snitch."