« previous | MUCK HOME | next »
Goodling to Interviewee: What Is It About GWB That Makes You Want to Serve Him?
According to the OIG report released today, Angela Williamson, a deputy to Monica Goodling at the DOJ, was intimately involved in her bosses scurrilous hiring practices, attending interviews and often conducting interviews herself. Here's a sampling of the same questions that Goodling asked those being considered for political positions:
After Goodling resigned, Williamson typed from memory the list of questions Goodling asked as a guide for future interviews. Among other questions, the list included the following:Tell us about your political philosophy. There are different groups of conservatives, by way of example: Social Conservative, Fiscal Conservative, Law & Order Republican.[W]hat is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?
Aside from the President, give us an example of someone currently or recently in public service who you admire.We found that this last question often took the form of asking the candidate to identify his or her most admired President, Supreme Court Justice, or legislator. Some candidates were asked to identify a person for all three categories. Williamson told us that sometimes Goodling asked candidates: "Why are you a Republican?" [emphasis ours]
Why did not prospective employee bring this to someone in the know? This is clearly a violation of the Hatch Act? It is so brazen and out in the open, I would have to believe that many of the prospective employees had to think something strange was going on to say the least!
July 28, 2008 12:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Presumably anyone smart enough to notice how fishy this was would not have made it past the first interview. And any complaints they raised about the process would be dismissed as sour grapes from someone who didn't get the job.
July 28, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's why: When you are denied a job for unfair and illegal reasons, there is absolutely no upside to speaking out, and becoming the basis for prosecution. And the downside -- as the Bush White House has tried to make extremely clear -- is enormous.
July 28, 2008 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Seems like Monica was confusing God and Mammon.
July 28, 2008 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
A condition she shares with the Religious Right in general.
From Leonard Bernstein's Mass:
God made us the boss
God gave us the cross
We turned it into a sword
To spread the word of the Lord
We use His holy decrees
To do whatever we please
And it was good - yeah!
And it was good - yeah!
And it was god-damned good!
July 28, 2008 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good Lord. Talk about cult of personality.
Q: [W]hat is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?
A: I want offer my body and soul in servitude to George W. Bush because of the way his manhood is impressively displayed when he dons the codpiece.
July 28, 2008 12:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did anybody have the presence of mind to answer the question:
[W]hat is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?
Thusly:
His perfect marbling of fat and muscle.
(See here
July 28, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
What did the Abramoff e-mail say about Ashcroft & DOJ?
Words to the effect: It isn't the AG we have to worry about, it's the underlings that will give us a problem.
Obviously, Monica set out to fix that little glitch.
July 28, 2008 1:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Kneel before our Emperor Bush and kiss his Majesty's feet if you want to live."
-- Monica Goodling
July 28, 2008 2:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
His strong defiance of facts, truth, or any other evidence suggesting his policies are a failure. He knows better, failure is only a matter of definition. Who wouldn't want to serve someone like that?
http://www.digitalfuntown. has more information about DOJ firings
July 28, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes! To Serve Man...
July 28, 2008 2:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Or in the words of Stephen Colbert, "George Bush, great President or the greatest President?"
How can you even do satire with these clowns in the house?
July 28, 2008 2:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not hard to get past this interview, if you really want the job...
"Tell us about your political philosophy. There are different groups of conservatives, by way of example: Social Conservative, Fiscal Conservative, Law & Order Republican."
I'm a Jesus Conservative.
"[W]hat is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?"
Because he loves Jesus.
"Aside from the President, give us an example of someone currently or recently in public service who you admire."
My favorite philospher -- Jesus. I really admire him.
July 28, 2008 2:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
That would be so much funnier if it wasn't entirely possible.
I can just imagine the other questions:
Monica Goodling: What is your position on the laws that permit women to murder their unborn babies (with the assistance of unethical medical personnel)?
Applicant: It's wrong because it says so in the Bible.
MG: ...good answer, but can you quote the specific case law to back up your position?
A: I think it's in Leviticus, but I don't really have a specific chapter and verse in mind.
MG: Good enough for me...uh, I mean, for the country! You're hired!
July 28, 2008 8:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Serve"? That makes my brain immediately translate this to:
"What is it about Satan that makes you want to serve him?"
July 28, 2008 2:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Isn't Goodling the one who believed her oath of office was to the president, not to the Constitution?
July 28, 2008 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
If I were interviewed, I would have brought in a book written in a foreign language, named 'To Serve George Bush.'
After hiring me, Ms. Goodling would have the book translated out of curiosity, only to find....
My God! It's a Cookbook! Nooooooooooooo!
h/t to Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone
July 28, 2008 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
----
What is it about George W. Bush that makes you want to serve him?
----
His brush-clearing obsession ensures a hint of hickory flavor that pairs nicely with his salty personality.
Fffft, fffft, fffft, fffft.
- Hannibal Lecter
July 28, 2008 3:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Probably the knowledge that no matter what I do, no matter how many laws or constitutional amendments I violate, no matter how incompetent or corrupt I may be, I will have job security under George W. Bush.
July 28, 2008 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Irony is personified in the "Law and Order Republican" type of conservative Ms. Goodling undoubtedly wants to hire by violating the Hatch Act.
July 28, 2008 6:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
You guys are missing the main point, IMO: Check out the Nexis search strings she was using during her "Thorough Process of Investigation."
Look at how she covers for Gonzales (He didn't know what I was doing.)
She comes off like a Soviet-era apparatchik. Apparatchick?
The interesting thing is that a search strategy reveals a great deal about a person's intentions and motivations, without explicitly stating them. Here's my question: Why does Enron appear in the search string? No other company does. That's just damned interesting.
String follows:
“This is the lexis nexis search string that I use for AG appointments.”
The string reads as follows:
[First name of a candidate]! and pre/2 [last name of a candidate] w/7 bush or gore or republican! or democrat! or charg! or accus! or criticiz! or blam! or defend! or iran contra or clinton or spotted owl or florida recount or sex! or controvers! or racis! or fraud! or investigat! or bankrupt! or layoff! or downsiz! or PNTR or NAFTA or outsourc! or indict! or enron or kerry or iraq or wmd! or arrest! or intox! or fired or sex! or racis! or intox! or slur! or arrest! or fired or controvers! or abortion! or gay! or homosexual! or gun! or firearm!
July 29, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Genocide.
Murder.
Fourth Admendment violations.
Hatch Acts voilations.
Rampant inbreeding . . . And the lack of birth control.
July 29, 2008 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink