I'm on my cellphone so can't post the link but I nearly spit out my juice when I heard this on NPR. Apparently the GOP treasurer kept saying the GOP had way more than they did for congressional campaigns before getting the axe in 04. Now there are tons of House campaigns that need cash that was promised to them ... and it isn't there to be had. They also, like the rest of the country, are in some deep credit card debt.

Who would have thought there would be a Republican who'd imbezzle and steal money!?

(can someone post a link for me, its CNN's 3rd political story atm)

http://m.cnn.com/cnn/ne/politics/detail/85938

This started in early February (http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/breakingnews/21884-1.html), when the NRCC asked the FBI to investigate irregularities that might include fraud. It's been spiralling downhill from there. Chris Ward used an ingenious strategy (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/washington/06gop.html?_r=1&ex=1362546000&en=7a88dcd2f2742a49&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin) for his auditing process -- not actually conducting audits.

Just another bad day at the NRCC helm for Tom Cole, who can't be enjoying his term.

It is most likely due to my extreme disgust for the man that I would even think this, but is there any chance that our old "friend", Speaker Tommy D. might be connected to some of the missing funds somehow?

On a more serious note, this does lend some weight to the calls for more oversight of campaign monies and funding.

The only oversight the Republican party has seemed interested in as far as campaign funds has been in the investigation of Democrat donors for criminal backgrounds or ties to foreign governments. That leaves little time for actually auditing themselves.

It is most likely due to my extreme disgust for the man that I would even think this, but is there any chance that our old "friend", Speaker Tommy D. might be connected to some of the missing funds somehow?Nothing I've seen would indicate this. I suspect that Ward looked around at the standard GOP operation and figured this was an excellent route toward promotion.
The only oversight the Republican party has seemed interested in as far as campaign funds has been in the investigation of Democrat donors for criminal backgrounds or ties to foreign governments. That leaves little time for actually auditing themselves.Due to results of the last several years, Republicans are a bit sensitive about corruption in their midst. This all started when Mike Conaway (R-Tex), a CPA, asked to meet with Ward to look over his audits of NRCC campaign funds. Ward demurred, then admitted that he hadn't conducted any. Conaway went to Cole who went to the FBI, wisely hoping to nip this in the bud.

That the GOPers involved handled this responsibly is good for the NRCC from an ethical standpoint, but I'm not sure that it will overshadow the corruption itself in the mind of potential Republican voters already ambivalent about casting their votes in the GOP's favor.