8/3/2019 Sunday Seattle Times 14 Aug 2011

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BY STEVEN THOMMAMcClatchy Newspapers

AMES, Iowa Rep. Michele Bachmann nar-rowly won a closely watched poll of Iowa Re-publicans Saturday in a contest that dealt a set-back to third-place finisher Tim Pawlenty.

Bachmann, of Minnesota, edged out Rep.Ron Paul, of Texas. The third-place finish ofPawlenty, a former governor of Minnesota, was

a disappointment for a man who freely invest-

ed time and money in searchof a strong showing to boosthis flagging campaign.

Even with the hoopla of freefood, music and red-hot politi-cal speeches and news me-dia from around the world Iowa did not have the politicalstage to itself and Bachmann,the first woman to win the

Ames Straw Poll, was not theonly winner Saturday.

Gov. Rick Perry, of Texas, announced his lateentry into the race Saturday at a conservativeconvention in South Carolina, timing apparent-ly designed to steal some of the spotlight since

he was not competing in the straw poll. Shell

Suber, a GOP political consultant in South Car-olina, called the move smart.

He gets half the newspaper (coverage) to-morrow. All the other candidates in Iowa get

See > STRAW POLL, A13

Bachmann wins Iowa straw poll; Paul No. 2SETBACK FOR PAWLENTY,

3RD-PLACE FINISHER

Perry steals attentionwith candidacy, write-in showing

INSIDE

Texas Gov. Rick Perry adds a newdimension to the Republican race > A13

Rep. Michele

Bachmann

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HAL BERNTONSeattle Times staff reporter

I

n spring 2008, cardiologist Mi-chael Eisenhauer visited the of-fice of the deputy commander atMadigan Army Medical Center to

make a disturbing allegation.Eisenhauer detailed a cozy relation-

ship between the medical-equipmentmanufacturer Boston Scientificandtwo Madigan cardiologists, who in-sisted on sole-source purchases of thatcompanys implant devices.

Eisenhauer hoped the deputy com-mander, Col. Ronald Place, would beupset. But the colonel appeared un-perturbed. His only response was toquite literally pick up the phone andoffer to assist me in an immediatetransfer to another facility, Eisen-hauer recalled.

Eventually, Army officials followedup on Eisenhauers concerns andasked him to wear a wire to collect ev-idence in a joint inquiry with the Jus-tice Department.

In January, that investigation re-sulted in a guilty plea by Maj. JasonDavis,then Madigans chief of cardiol-

ogy, who admitted to taking morethan $4,800 in illegal payments fromBoston Scientific.

The Seattle Times has learned thatthe Justice Department and the Armythis year also began investigating

whether Davis deal with Boston Sci-entific affected patient care in the car-diology department, something Ei-senhauer says he asked Madigan com-manders to look into back in 2010.

As a whistle-blower, Eisenhauersays his own reputation and careercame under attack from his supervi-sors at Madigan, located at Joint BaseLewis-McChord, south of Tacoma.

Army whistle-blowerfights to clear nameA former Army cardiologist whose complaints helped expose illegal

payments from a medical-equipment company to a fellow doctor,says co-workers efforts to discredit him pushed him to retire.

E RI C VA L D E Z

Questions raised by Dr. Michael Eisenhauer, now an Army retiree, led to an investigation of illegal

payments by a medical manufacturer to a fellow cardiologist at Madigan Army Medical Center.

Officials this year have been investigating whether any patient care was compromised. See > MADIGAN, A12

In 2008, Eisenhauer said he

received written instructions

from Madigans then-chiefof cardiology to use only

Boston Scientifics implant

devices. This was a

markedly different approach

from what Eisenhauer had

encountered at his last

hospital.

BY KYUNG M. SONGSeattle Times Washington bureau

As co-leader of the new congres-sional committee on deficit reduc-tion, Washingtons Sen. Patty Mur-ray will wrestle with a monumental

problem that already has a pro-posed solution. Three of them, infact.

In the past year, three bipartisanpanels commonly referred to as

Simpson-Bowles,Domenici-Rivlinand the SenatesGang of Six have hashed outrecommendationson how best tostanch the federalgovernments tril-lions of dollars ofred ink. Thoughthe groups pre-scriptions varied,all three called for

dramatic cuts in spending and bil-lions of dollars in new taxes.Given those templates, the chal-

lenge confronting Murray and the11 other members of the Joint Se-lect Committee on Deficit Reduc-tion is less fiscal than political. Re-publicans in Congress steadfastlyoppose raising additional revenue.Democrats are equally adamantabout tacking on some new taxes toblunt the blow from spending cutsthat would fall most heavily onpoor and working-class Americans.

Debt panel

a politicalminefieldfor Murray

COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR

Building consensuson $1.5 trillion in cuts

poses key test for Democrat

See > MURRAY, A12

Sen. Patty

Murray,

D-Wash.

BY TERRY COLLINSThe Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO An illegal,Orwellian violation of free-speech

rights? Or a smart tactic to protecttrain passengers safety?The question reverberated Satur-

day in San Francisco and beyond asdetails emerged of Bay Area RapidTransit (BART) officials decision tocut off underground cellphone ser-

vice for a few hours at some sta-tions Thursday. Commuters at sta-tions from downtown to the citysmain airport were affected as BARTofficials sought to thwart a plannedprotest over the recent fatal shoot-ing of a 45-year-old man by transitpolice.

Two days later, the move had civ-il-rights and legal experts question-ing the agencys move and drewbacklash from one transit-boardmember who was taken aback by

Censorshipvs. safety:BART jamscellphones

See > CELL, A11

BAY AREA RAPID TRANSITTHWARTS PROTEST

Civil-rights, legal expertsdecry agencys move

http://stories.lib.seattletimes.com/stories/story?p=P20110814R2A00&t=T401S9QGU