So who exactly is this guy Sam Fox? Oh wait -- let's have President Bush introduce him:

March 18, 2002 Thank you very much. Be seated, please. Gosh, thanks for such a warm welcome. It's always good to have a good introducer. [Laughter] Bucky is my favorite uncle when I'm in St. Louis. [Laughter] He's my favorite uncle all the time; he's a fabulous man. Thanks, Buck. And I like to call Sam Fox, "Foxy." Foxy, I didn't realize you were so eloquent. [Laughter] But I thank you for the leadership, and I want to thank you all for coming tonight.

Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh

That's right, people. This crony's got a nickname just like Brownie and it's FFOOXXXYYY!!!!!!

And it's pretty damned obvious that Foxy has no problems smearing Vietnam vets:

The Swift Boat Veterans, riding on the success of their anti-Kerry ads, have raised $6.7 million. Pickens, the Texas oilman, recently gave the group $500,000. But the fastest-growing Republican 527 is Progress for America. Quietly set up last year by Synhorst, Progress has been hitting up donors for big checks. Synhorst has credibility with the Bush crowd. His phone-bank business is a major contractor with the Bush-Cheney campaign, and he is friendly with Karl Rove. "I know these guys well," Rove says in an endorsement on the Web site of Synhorst's firm. "They work as hard to win your races as you do." Plenty of Bush backers apparently agree. So far, the group has raised $26 million, including $6 million last week alone. The latest crop of donors includes Amway founders Richard DeVos and Jay Van Andel, who each chipped in $2 million. DeVos was a Bush Pioneer in 2000, raising at least $100,000 for the campaign. Missouri financier Sam Fox, a Bush Ranger who has raised more than $200,000 for the re-election campaign, contributed $50,000 to the group. An additional $500,000 came from Harlan Crow, a Dallas real-estate magnate and longtime GOP donor who was among those who provided the initial seed money to jump-start the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Check out the date -- the fall of 2004. This scumbag not only donated to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, he did so after their smears had largely been exposed as lies. For a refresher course, you can go to this link for the debunking of the lies, as well as here, here, here, here, and here.

So is this guy Belgian or something, a master of languages, an expert in European affairs? Or maybe just a businessman from St. Louis with absolutely no experience in foreign affairs whatsoever? Bingo, Foxy baby!! George Bush doesn't appoint people because they're qualified, now does he? He appoints them because they delivered the GOP donation goods. Here's the conversation I imagine happened in the fall of '04:

Karl Rove: So, Foxy, care to cough up some dollars to spread the truth (cough*lies*cough) about a veteran who is standing in the way of our guy keeping his job? Foxy: Well . . . Rove: There's an ambassadorship to Belgium in it for you . . . Foxy: Anything for you and W, of course. Does $50 K sound good? Rove: Perfect! Oh, and if we win can you throw us another $100K for the inauguration just like you did the last time. Foxy: Consider it done.

Well, I hate to rain on this crony parade, but there's one little problem with becoming ambassador to Belgium. You have to appear in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to be confirmed. Ahem -- who's on that committee? Why if it wasn't the guy who Foxy funded the lies against -- John Kerry. Gee, do you think he has a couple of probing questions for you, Mr. Foxy?? I guess Karma can be a real bitch!

The hearing is going on right now, and you can watch it here.

One thing has happened already: Sen. Lieberman has just completely kissed up to Foxy. WTF?? I guess his journey to the Dark Side is now complete, now that he thinks it's suitable to play kissy kissy with Swift Boat money men.

Kerry has started his interrogation. God this guy is pathetic! He knows NOTHING, and keeps saying he only knows what he reads in the newspaper.

Kerry asked if the guy believes in "the truth", and the guy responds: "you are a hero". Now he's saying he doesn't remember giving to the SBVT???

Watch with me and comment!

Update 1: The archived video is up. Go here.

The hearing starts 35 minutes in. 1:33 is where Senator Kerry starts his questions, and 1:51:48 is where he brings up the SBVT "Politics of Personal Destruction". Also some good remarks by Obama at the end.

Update 2: Thanks to Samlang for pointing out that my first link didn't definitely show Foxy's SBVT donation. Matchpoint was kind enough to find a better link, which shows a $50K donation on 10/29/04 (very late in the game). Read it here.

Update 3: The AP now has it: