Word: venal
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...smelly politics, Razmara had been a soldier all his adult life, was chief of staff of the Iranian army when he became Premier. He had not been in office long, however, when he found himself whipsawed by U.S. negligence and fumbling, by British hard-dealing, and by the venal Majlis, every member of which would like to be Premier himself. Lately, Razmara made several safety-first concessions to Russia, e.g., banning the Voice of America and BBC broadcasts, allowing Tass, the Soviet news agency, to operate freely...
After Qavam, the Shah had a succession of weak and venal governments, many of whose members were appointed through the influence of his sister, pretty Princess Ashraf. She likes to reward her favorites with jobs, especially in the Finance Ministry. Her love for money meets few obstacles, but her love of power recently received a setback when the Shah asked his other sister, Princess Chams, to pick a bride for him. Princess Chams is retiring and sweet, the exact opposite of Princess Ashraf. The latter was enraged when Chams chose Soraya Esfandiari, daughter of a chief of the powerful Bakhtiari...
...Century even monsters are apt to use both Vitalis and Zip, grease themselves liberally with Mum or Dew, and consult a dentist twice a year. Capp is not fooled. At times, in fact, he seems to suspect that the world is peopled exclusively by bloated big businessmen, brainless editors, venal politicians, sadistic cops, cruel stepmothers and shambling, leaping legions of lesser knaves, oafs and fools...
...rage is usually supplanted by a mood of hilarity and revivified cunning. When the pro-Republican Pittsburgh Press protested that his venal, pompous and reactionary politico, Senator Jack S. Phogbound, was a calculated libel on the reputation of the U.S. Senate, Capp had a soft and devilish answer. He replied that he knew nothing of politics but what he read in the Pittsburgh Press, that Phogbound had been suggested by that newspaper's editorial attacks on Democratic politicians, and that he was not only hurt but genuinely amazed to find the Press damning instead of applauding his creation...
...rule, the people do not complain of dictatorship but of corruption in the government. Since Franco and his cabinet are not regarded as venal, there is far less complaint against them than against the bureaucracy. A small factory owner complained: "To add a wing to my plant, or to get an import license for a small quantity of raw materials, I know I will have to bribe about six people. So only the rich can afford to expand...