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Help Wanted: Lawyer, Experience Fighting Subpoenas, Democrats
The New York Times gives the rundown on the search for White House counsel Harriet Myers' successor:
Republicans said Friday in interviews that the White House was now, in essence, seeking a politically savvy outsider with ties throughout the capital and in Congress who might be called upon to become something of a public figure in potentially high-profile fights.“They need somebody who can sit down face-to-face with an ornery committee chairman and work out a conflict over an oversight request,” said Bradford A. Berenson, a former associate counsel for Mr. Bush during his first term. “The job will require a certain minimum level of stature and a minimum level of political experience.”
Several Republicans, including some former administration officials, said the new White House counsel would also need the stature to counterbalance David S. Addington, the powerful chief of staff of Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr. Addington has tended to argue against cooperating with Congressional requests for classified information, a position that may require some softening, or at least more diplomacy, in the 110th Congress.
The White House is, in some respects, seeking a figure who is the mirror opposite of Ms. Miers, who has not shown a high level of comfort being a public figure....
This search is in tandem, of course, with the White House's wider effort to beef up their legal ranks in preparation for the coming investigations.
Comments (8)
RepubAnon wrote on January 6, 2007 7:48 PM:Wow, the Bush League is seeking to replace a crony with someone actually qualified to do the work? Maybe W learned something from Iraq after all...
Anonymous wrote on January 6, 2007 9:57 PM:Here's the problem - the White House needs to find somebody who is smart, can appear as if he or she is an honest broker with the Democrats, and who can be absolutely trusted to secretly sell out by keeping hidden all the really bad skeletons in the White House closets.
Repeat: the person must be absolutely trusted: not someone who will turn out to be another Paul O'Neill or David Kuo - because that would sink the White House and lots of other Republicans in the swirl.
In other words, Republicans need somebody who could have been totally trusted to have gone to the mats to defend Nixon knowing everything and yet can maneuver effectively with Democrats. Ummm. It's the beginning of the end.
Good luck guys!
Anonymous wrote on January 7, 2007 9:32 AM:Considering all of the Nixon defenders are either dead or have become born-again Christians, I doubt they'll find anyone willing to accept the $150k salary to defend their sinking ship.
Dusty wrote on January 7, 2007 10:56 AM:Well, since everyone is entitled to the best defense money can buy..I am sure BushCo will get a standup lawyer..actually they are going to need a plethora of good lawyers is my hope. Lawyers that will tell them to suck it up and deal, the mierda is hitting the fan and your gonna get some all over you!
I hope Bush and his minions look good in orange.
Anonymous wrote on January 7, 2007 12:55 PM:Anyone who signs on to be WH Counsel will have his/her salary capped at whatever the going rate is for SES government employees... probably around 162k. Considering whomever takes the job will leave with a rep in tatters... who WILL they get?
DonB wrote on January 7, 2007 11:43 PM:Why not the Godfather of Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, Ted Olson himself?
bubba wrote on January 8, 2007 11:59 AM:Barney, with James Baker as co-counsel
marvin wrote on January 13, 2007 12:04 PM:Yeah ,,he needs a lawyer who can stave off the democrats for say two years. Once he is on his way out of office the fire will die down against him.The middle east war will still be there, the economy will be be even worse than it is today, the voters will have voted in another idiot--but a dumocrat this time,etc.
He can then concentrate on his Library. But because everything he did is classified, he will be able to fit it in an abandoned gas station men's room.Which is good because it will need toilet paper.