The only proper way to understand Enron is to look at how it became so big on the international scene and who helped it. In a very recent interview with PBS, Kenneth Lay, CEO of Enron, when pressed by the interviewer on his relationship with Dick Cheney as to insinuate Bush and Cheney are involved or even responsible for Enron’s recent troubles, lost it on the reporter and said this:

Reporter: "You understand when people read this in the newspaper ... "

Kenneth Lay: "I think you need to keep in mind also, for better or for worse, we had a lot of access in the Clinton administration. Certainly [former Secretary of Energy Bill] Richardson called on me and Enron on a number of occasions to at least discuss different energy matters, [I] was asked a few times even by then-Chief of Staff Mack McLarty about various energy matters, and [former Treasury Secretary Robert] Rubin on other matters. As a major energy company in the country doing a lot of international business too, we have a lot of reason to, in fact, talk with different officials in our government just like they have many reasons to talk with us."

You see, all the articles coming out are picking this Enron thing up starting in 1997 so they can tie Bush to Enron. But to truly understand this, let’s back up to a 1996 article by CNN on Mack McLarty.

According to CNN in a 1996 article, "Mack McLarty , A Clinton kindergarten chum and former chairman of natural-gas giant Arkla Inc., McLarty was Clinton's first chief of staff. This Arkansas executive was the Administration's point man in reaching out to the business community and was an architect of the tycoon-friendly policies now tripping up the White House."

This is important, for in 1993 according to Corpwatch.org in Aug. 1993, "McLarty arranged an invitation for Lay to play golf with Clinton in Vail, Colorado. This date irritated Oscar White."

This meeting was most likely setup at Clinton’s request according to an article by Michael Weisskopf, "That Invisible Mack Sure Can Leave His Mark";

"On Nov. 22, 1995, for example, Clinton scrawled an FYI note to McLarty, enclosing a newspaper article on Enron Corp. and the vicissitudes of its $3 billion power-plant project in India. McLarty then reached out to Enron's chairman, KEN LAY, and over the next nine months closely monitored the project with the U.S. ambassador to New Delhi, keeping Lay informed of the Administration's efforts, according to White House documents reviewed by TIME. In June 1996, four days before India granted final approval to Enron's project, Lay's company gave $100,000 to the President's party. Enron denies that its gift was repayment for Clinton's attention, and White House special counsel LANNY DAVIS says McLarty acted out of concern for a major U.S. investment overseas. "

Between 1993 and 1995 the Clinton Administration was in full gear trying to help Enron overseas to gain this new international status they lacked.

According to Pittsburglive.com , Ron Brown, Al Gore and Bill Clinton introduced Enron to market managers in Russia, China, Indonesia and India. In India, Enron quickly became involved in one of that country's most massive corruption investigations, contracts were canceled and Enron was out.

What was in this for the Clintons? Money! According to the Observer.co.uk Enron gave democrats $532,565 in soft money.

And according to Rollcall.com;

"Rep. Ken Bentsen (D-Texas), who is seeking to replace retiring Sen. Phil Gramm (R), has received more than $42,000 from Enron officials since being elected in 1994, more than any other House Member. Bentsen will donate the $2,000 he received from Enron last cycle to charity."

That is $17,000 more than John Ashcroft received from Enron when he was a Senator. Surly Democrats did benefit monetarily, at times more than Republicans. And according to Pittsburglive.com article:

"Clinton-Gore sales team eased Enron's path to success. Enron introduced the Clinton team to Lippo Industries and then to China's People's Liberation Army (a wonderful source of political cash), to John Huang, another good provider and to nameless, numberless Arabs who never arrived with empty pockets. If we look at a list of those attending coffee klatches at the White House, we can learn why a storm of doubtful deals enabled Enron to quickly control one-quarter of the world's electricity and natural gas. But, that wasn't enough. "

The illegal campaign contributions, which flowed in from Johnny Huang, aided Clinton greatly and should be investigated still. Maybe Kenneth Lay can shed some light on this before he disappears. The Attorney General better stop the destruction of documents that is probably going on that will lead back to the Clinton White House.

The most telling of all is the fact that the Clinton White House did not investigate Enron because it knew what was going on. Clinton most likely figured if we win the election with Gore, no problem. We will hide this Enron mess again, but if not we will pin it on the Republicans and Bush. The problem is that this mess started before Bush was even a Governor.

As recently as the last election Enron was supporting the election of Gore and might have been feathering its bed by backing Bush too, in case Gore lost and he did. According to Arianna:

"Enron has also spent big bucks lobbying Congress and the White House: $4 million in the last two years (Clinton Years). The money has bought the company a bipartisan who's who of Washington insiders -- including James Baker, Mack McLarty and Gore 2000 fund-raising director Johnny Hayes -- to help push its corporate agenda."

As early as 1999 former Clinton advisor & friend Mack McLarty was listed with Kenneth Lay as speakers at the IV Hemispheric Energy Ministers Conference

Working Agenda Wednesday, July 28 th , 1999.

The Working Agenda listed:

"Ministers/Private Sector Breakfast-Hotel InterContinental, LaSalle B&C

Remarks by: *Mark McLarty, CEO, McLarty International, United States

*Kenneth Lay, CEO, ENRON, United States

8:30-8:40am Photo Opportunity with Ministers"

I wonder if Clinton has his photo with Enron Ceo Lay still.

There should be an investigation of Enron. The three people that CEO Kenneth Lay mentioned should be questioned first namely: former Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, the then-Chief of Staff Mack McLarty, and former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. Bill Clinton passed a note to McLarty to talk to Enron so he, too, should be called in for questioning as well as Al Gore.

In 1995, Mozambique's natural resources minister told the Houston Chronicle that U.S. officials made "outright threats to withhold development funds" unless he granted Enron a pipeline contract. That same year, Clinton administration officials lobbied heavily for Enron to win a $2.8 billion contract for a power plant in India.

Let’s also call in Mozambique’s natural resource minister for questioning.

According to an article by Judy Sarasohn in the Washington Post:

"In a move that is raising some partisan eyebrows, Enron Corp., whose chief executive is a major supporter of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, has hired a Democrat from the Clinton administration to head its Washington office."

"Enron announced yesterday that Linda Robertson, assistant Treasury secretary for legislative affairs and public liaison, will join the Houston energy company in early November as vice president for federal government affairs. She will replace Joe Hillings, who earlier announced his retirement."

Let us also investigate Linda Robertson.

It is important to note that Enron was consultant as Energy Advisors to the Clinton White House long before President George W. Bush got into office.

The fact that Cheney retained the services of Enron when he first came into office is because Enron was already there from the Clinton Administration.

Certainly both parties have benefited from the campaign contributions but to say the Democrats had nothing to do with Enron is a lie. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee accepted a $100,000 soft-money donation from Enron just days before the company filed for bankruptcy. DSCC Chairwoman Patty Murray (Wash.) now plans to forward the donation to a charity aiding displaced Enron workers. What about the remaining $450,000? Nice try! Bush was only in office for one year while Clinton has been working with Enron since he first got in office in 1993.

Note:

From 1984, when Enron was conceived, Brown and Leland were there snapping up unconsidered trifles of money for use in their campaigns against the free market. Mickey was able to ease a lot of Enron's early problems through the Houston City Council by playing his "equal opportunity card." He had also become an African expert who initially took the Enron message to that continent, a chore that was taken on by Ron Brown, Clinton's secretary of commerce, before the latter met his untimely death in a highly controversial plane crash in Croatia. (Untimely, because had Secretary Brown lived, he would have faced multiple criminal indictments that could have precipitated an even earlier fall for Bill Clinton and his gang.)

Enron also had business dealings in Croatia at this time too which many felt was very shady.