Morning Newsdome: What’s so wrong with a corrupt administration accepting bags of money? October 25 2010

• [http://clatl.com/atlanta/ImageArchives?by=1942446|Wikimedia]
• Afghan President Hamid Karzai

>> Afghan President Hamid Karzai admitted today that that his administration accepts “bags of money” from Iran, who want international forces like the U.S. to get out of the Middle East. How else are countries supposed to buy influence? Carry on. (the Christian Science Monitor)

>> Explain this to me: Republicans against the 2008 and 2009 bailouts, who now attack Democrats who supported the bailouts in campaign ads, are receiving tons of money from the companies that were bailed out. The 23 companies who received more than $1 billion in TARP funding have spent more than a million dollars in Republican campaigns, not including unlimited donations to groups like the Chamber of Commerce. Give thanks for nothing, and you will find a lot of money. (the Washington Post)

>> More money news: Republican candidates Meg Whitman of California, Rick Scott of Florida and Linda McMahon in Connecticut have spent a combined $243 million in midterm election campaigning, mostly out of their own pockets. Still, none of them are ahead in the polls. So money can’t buy happiness after all--just political influence and fancy cars. (Politico)

>> Last week, Bank of America said it would resume foreclosures in 23 states after reviewing 100,000 documents with no errors in it. But, wait! Actually, they only reviewed 1,000 documents. And errors have been found in up to 25 of the first several hundred documents. I’m sure the people kicked out of their house won’t mind the bad math. (the Wall Street Journal)

>> And finally: Google CEO Eric Schmidt admitted this weekend that Google can and has been court ordered to release a user’s search history up to a year and a half ago, which happens about 9,000 times a year. Quickly try to think of all the dirty stuff you’ve searched in the last year and a half, and now feel powerless. (CNN)