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Today's Must Read
It's a U.S. attorney firing extravaganza!
26 of the nation's 93 U.S. attorneys were on the firing list at one time or another, reports The Washington Post. It's a list too long and mixed to even try to make sense of. As Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) puts it, the many lists "show how amok this process was."
Let's start with those names that make some sense, given with what we know about the firings so far, and move on to those that don't.
McClatchy reports that two of those names were Gregory Miller, the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Florida in Tallahassee, and Bill Leone, the former acting U.S. attorney for Colorado. Both are battleground states, McClatchy notes, "where allegations of voter fraud and countercharges of voter intimidation have flown in recent years" -- and both are states that preoccupy Karl Rove. Miller appears to have been on the chopping block from the beginning of the process through the end, but somehow escaped -- he's still there. Silsby's still there, too.
Neither Miller or Leone claim to have much of a clue as to what might have put them on a list of U.S. attorneys to be fired. But from both of their backgrounds -- Miller is a career federal prosecutor and Leone is a career trial lawyer who had five years prosecutorial experience when he became the U.S. attorney -- it's evident that neither comfortably fit the description of "loyal Bushies."
The same goes for Maine's Paula Silsby, who apparently made a number of appearances on the firing lists through November 2006, according to the Post. Silsby is that rare thing -- a court appointed U.S. attorney (appointed in 2001, far before the Justice Department slipped in a provision to take that power away from the courts). And although she enjoys the support of Sen. Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), Silsby has never been nominated for the spot by President Bush. You won't be shocked to learn that Silsby's only real qualification is that she's qualified -- she's been an assistant U.S. attorney in that office for 24 years.
But now on to those U.S. attorneys on the list who don't fit the pattern. From the Post:
One memo sent to Sampson last November from Michael J. Elston, chief of staff to the deputy attorney general, suggested firing Mary Beth Buchanan, the U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh, who supervised the nation's prosecutors for a year and now heads the Office on Violence Against Women, sources said.The same e-mail also listed prosecutor Christopher J. Christie in New Jersey, a major GOP donor who has undertaken several high-profile public-corruption probes -- including one into the real estate deals of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) -- and who announced indictments in a terrorism case last week.
Now, I just find this confusing. Buchanan is an administration favorite -- she's one of those few U.S. attorneys who've pulled double duty with a second job at main Justice and was even consulted as part of the U.S. attorney firing process. And Christie, as the Post points out, has all the right qualifications and has pursued all the right prosecutions. So what gives?
Of course, neither Buchanan or Christie actually got the ax. And with all these names flying back and forth, some of them suggested by Justice Department officials, there are still only six U.S. attorneys who are at the center of this controversy, all of whom were apparently targeted for removal by the White House for reasons that no one has explained. Those names stuck. Why?
Comments (61)
I LOVE Larry the Cable Guy!!!!!!! wrote on May 17, 2007 9:43 AM:Oh shit, someone's been caught lying......AGAIN. I know what we can do- let's send them another subpoena they can ignore.
greg wrote on May 17, 2007 9:56 AM:"I know what we can do- let's send them another subpoena they can ignore."
No, no. That's far too meek. Let's really show some spine. We'll threaten to send a subpoena. That'll really get their attention!
Citizen 92 wrote on May 17, 2007 10:04 AM:You might remember that Bill Leone was the (acting) US Attorney that declined to prosecute two “overzealous volunteers” for throwing out the Denver Three (three Denver citizens attending a White House event but thrown out because they had a "no blood for oil" bumper sticker on their car) from a taxpayer-funded event in 2005.
Leone’s decision not to prosecute the two volunteers (who were allegedly impersonating Secret Service agents) effectively protected two White House aides Steve Atkiss and Jamie O'Keefe(Atkiss has close ties to Rove and his dad was the VP of Public Affairs for Exxon Mobil) from being identified for two years .
Was Leone’s decision not to prosecute made to curry favor with the White House and show them he’d play ball? Did Leone get a call from someone at the White House asking him to bury the case with the promise of a US Attorney job?
Anonymous wrote on May 17, 2007 10:04 AM:I saw Schumer comnmenting on this on CNN. I wasn't impressed. His semantics and tone did nothing to underscore the import or scale of this unfolding scandal. He gave the impression that all we require here is Gonzales' resignation, and everything will be just peachy again.
To be honest, I am sick of the tepid response this is recieving from both the media, and our Congress as they supposedly pursue exposure of the crimes of this administration. A "lie" is a "lie". A "crime" is a "crime". "Perjury" needs to be called "perjury", not "misleading Congress", and iot should be pursued as a CRIME, not as a simple transgression..
Gonzales' resignation is simply not enough to save this sinking ship. The crimes are too egregious, the corruption too widespread. We need impeachments, indictments, and punishments. And we need to overhaul and re-institute a system of checks and balances that will prevent these horrendous abuses of power from occuring ever again, both within the Executive Branch, as well as in the Justice Department. If we fail to do so, this democracy is dead.
There are no left wing heroes riding to our rescue here. If the system remains devoid of actively employed checks and balances, BOTH sides of the aisle will abuse them to their advantage. Our system MUST exact accountability for the actions of the last six years, or we are no longer what we have purported ourselves to be for over two centuries.
Don wrote on May 17, 2007 10:06 AM:Seems to me the senselessness of it fits your earlier speculation that the firing idea evolved from Harriet Miers' initial idea. I'd say names began appearing on the various lists as more DOJ players found the firing idea a great way to solve personal angst for particular USAs.
John wrote on May 17, 2007 10:07 AM:Cover for the actual the firings... plausible deniability on intent if things went awry?
mlaw230 wrote on May 17, 2007 10:12 AM:It appears quite likely that they were looking for seats that could be filled with the faithful. That would include prosecutors to throw overboard as well as those to be moved up the chain. So, it is not surprising that Christie or Buchanon would be on a list to be replaced. Both were probably slated for bigger and better things at main Justice.
Also, be aware that there is going to be a mixture of legitimate and illegitimate motivations for these replacements. There is no reason to suspect that the process in 2005 shared the ultimate motivations in 2006.
bordersmuggler wrote on May 17, 2007 10:15 AM:"Other fired U.S. attorneys served in Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan and California."
For the California replacements, was Debra Yang included in the list with Carol Lam and Kevin Ryan, or was her removal conveniently handled with the $1.5 million bribe?
cfaller96 wrote on May 17, 2007 10:17 AM:I speculate that what may be adding to the confusion is perhaps some names were added by DoJ people who were serious about performance (e.g. Comey, perhaps?), and saw Chris Christie and Mary Beth Buchanan as idiots that needed to go. Just guessing.
StlInquirer wrote on May 17, 2007 10:18 AM:Isn't it possible that Christie survived because of the Menendez probe, but that she was on the list because she 1) didn't sufficiently suppress turnout of the poor and people of color in NJ and 2) didn't actually get a number of people falsely convicted in time for the election, a la the US attorney in Wisconsin. She might have been trying to do the job they wanted but not getting the results they were hoping for
Austin Cooper wrote on May 17, 2007 10:18 AM:Remember the joke regarding the Nixon administration, circa 1973?
Senators review documentation and testimony concerning Watergate. The evidence is voluminous of all manner of high crimes and *more* than misdemeanors -- yet the Senators can't act against the Imperial President, the 'War leader', Tricky Dick.
"If he'd just knock over a *bank* or something," one Senator says.
"Yeah!" replies another. "By God, we'd *have* him then!"
Code = debt, as in I don't much care for Mr. Trudeau, but we owe him for the joke.
JLP wrote on May 17, 2007 10:19 AM:is this that complex? even low level thugs know that you should try to cover the tracks.
shrubsy wrote on May 17, 2007 10:19 AM:Voting Rights violations and WH orchestrated attacks on minority/dems voting processes
WH Voting rights violations and attacks on voter roles for dems/minorities
should be the Blunt Instrument used to pummel the administration and republicans into the dust.
Historically taint their name and legacy.
You can't call us immoral or unpatriotic or defeatists or alquaida lovers when arguing about Voter Suppression and Voter Violations. There is NO DEFENDING this stuff about the USATTYs or Voter Manipulation.
Most of the dirt we have on these fascists is in Corporate Corruption and National Security. Heinous abuses. Yet when arguing with Them, or their mouthpieces, or their mindless minions - they find a way (obviously) of successfully defending THOSE crimes: "Mistakes were made. Would we have wanted a better outcome? Absolutely. Was their criminal intent? Absolutely Not."
Same corporate doublespeak they have been perfecting for 60 years. Scapegoat some juniors and be done with it.
Cover it all up Hush Hush by saying it is classified or in the national interest.
Many, many gullible republicans seem to believe the abuse and torture of our Justice System is all part of the grand plan. All fair under the rules of the nebulous term 'politics'. Nothing to see here, move along. Just playing the no rules game of 'Politics'.
Buddying up Govt./Corporations historically has proven to work out very well. They All Get Rich and one or two people take the fall (if caught) and you make it right with them as soon as they get out of the pokey. A perfect revolving door has been operating and evolving for 40 - 50 years whereby the Govt officials then go work for defense (or CIA), then private sector, then back in govt, and so on.
Americans are immune to the corporate rotten touch. We just don't get worked up about it, and we seem to accept a huge amount of corruption and slush and even a few bodies as 'all part of the lovely bargain'. They get away with this stuff, the corporatists. No matter how seedy or unseemly, they have made a centuries long success of this game. The only thing that will probably stop them is cataclysm, the rug being pulled our from under humanity.
But voting rights, minority suppression, and dem suppression from the WH - that is something else entirely.
There really is not an argument that can be made that will be at all palatable to anything other than KKK and real white racists.
Even if there were a strong 30% of americans who were FOR voting corruption that systematically targeted poor, disadvantaged, minority, or strong dem districts (colleges, metropolis, etc.) - those 30% would not want anything to do with getting CAUGHT corrupting the voting system. And they certainly can't come out and give apologies for the repubs and try to defend what the WH is doing.
Now, tie all the fake voter fraud scandals perpetrated by Justice and Rovve and Schlozman.
The Rovve pep sessions with all the levers of Govt. to help pave the way for Repubs and to stonewall and roadblock Dems.
Take a nice video montage of Florida Hanging Chad Recount Republican Stormtrooper Rallies and tactics and final outcome.
Spying on all our email, mail, phones, and internet useage. Infiltrating peace/protest groups and blowing them up right before the Republican Convention...
Take all the Florida Voter Role Scrubbing Campaigns
The Pennsylvania election rigging, the Ohio rigging
The Diebold fiascos and BRADBLOG information
and now the Voter ID outrages and nationwide push to republicanize every aspect and machinery of the voting system
I think this is the drum that can be beaten forever. Can't call you a traitor for wanting THIS taken care of. They can't claim you are undermining the national interest for pointing out their criminal behavior about VOTING. Can't say 'mistakes were made, but no criminal intent'. That works for corporations, when money and corruption are the issue.
But everytime a republican get's up to talk about why it is OK to pervert Justice to go after black voters - they will be exposed. Repubs can get up and talk a blue streak about stealing food off a table (when corporo-corruption is his aim) or a poor soldier in a foxhole (when initiating or perpetuating asinine wars)
but there is nothing they can say that won't get them fired about why it is ok to pervert justice, manipulate voting systems, and actively trying to politically exterminate the voting rights of 60% of the country.
Most people seem unable to follow the intricacies of foreign policy debacles. Most seem unable to follow the massive corruption and corporate ownership of our govt. Most have been unable to determine what would have been wisest after Sept 11 - and when our govt. went ahead and did the unspeakably weak and greedy and corrupt act of launching war in Iraqq the people were buffaloed into silence and second guessing. Now they are pulled both directions by wanting to end the bloody misdeed or being called cowards and traitors (by cowards and traitors).
But I think the common person can follow The Great Buuush Voting Crimes storyline. Lots of people naysayed the OH and FL and PA voting roll purges and vote stealing/swapping and all manner of dirty tricks. Nobody believed it could all come together and actually be pulled off. The conspiracy too vast, the Good Ole USA to Good and too Ole to ever be done dirt like that.
But if the whole thing were shown in a montage - the evidence is there. The stink is there. The smoke is there.
I think now we are ready, as a nation. I think this is the way to people's hearts and conscience. The Voting Crimes Era or whatever moniker we give it (and we have to hurry and get a good moniker hung on this quick)
History will not be kind to Voter Violations. I tremble in my boots when I think there may be a future where (like he says) LeChimp was proven right about this war or something else (what else has he got to hang his hat on? That destroying the Constitution will be proven, in later years, to have been the correct move? That putting our nation in the worst financial hole EVER was a smart plan? That destroying our social fabric and infrastructure in order to give the richest people Trillions in tax breaks so they could hate us even more and put up more fences and pay for dirty tricks to steal our votes - that was the noble thing to do?)
There is nothing that will polish this turd. No amount of lipstick can help this pig. Voter Violations, if properly hung around his neck, will permanently blight this prez and his organizations - and activate the populace.
asdf wrote on May 17, 2007 10:20 AM:Ohio was the key battle ground state in 2004. There was, now proved, fraud in the recount. That, along with open, notorious, suppression of the vote in Democratic areas and barely concealed shenanigans in the first count, all went without real investigation.
Funny, isn’t it, that all the USA’s in Ohio avoided the list.
midwest wrote on May 17, 2007 10:22 AM:My thinking is that there were a number of lists made by different people. Some made it on for performance and some for not being "loyal Bushies." They decided to can the disloyal Bushies.
JEP wrote on May 17, 2007 10:26 AM:It might be enlightening to look at the dockets of all the "surviving" US-A's on this new list and determine if there is a "Biskupic pattern" in their numbers.
It just makes Sherlockian sense, if they sought to bring any questionable, conspicuous indictments shortly before election season, on the very eve of the election, or even immediately AFTER the election (re; Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy), that would be very good evidence of a much larger conspiracy.
And it could also suggest that there was an undercurrent of trepidation spreading among sitting US-A's, promoted by the White House via backdoor tentacles,(Karlooloo), the "scuttlebutt" that the key to keeping their jobs was to toe the party line and "get Dems."
So it should be fairly recognizable to those of us looking back at it, armed with the benefit of our 20-20 hindsight and the sordid truths revealed in testimony from McNulty, Comey and others.
Goodling might just be Pandora, in a new form. Maybe she will receive a heavy dose of the Spirit of Truth before she takes the stand.
Or NOT!
Anonymous wrote on May 17, 2007 10:28 AM:One way or another, that should be a fascinating examination.
I saw that Christie guy on the NewsHour- a loyal Bushie if ever there was one. I think there were various reasons they wanted to replace these folks- for some it was just that they wanted to get someone else in so they could pad their resume. The religious right is obsessed with dominating the judiciary as a means to power- remember, you have born again Monica Goodling in charge of hiring even the career folks where politics was supposed to play no role in the hiring process (but we know it did). That is why every single attorney (not just the USAs) hired under this administration is going to have to be closely looked at- it's obvious a lot of unqualified evangelicals were hired. With some of the other attorneys they weren't considered "loyal Bushies" (that is, they were unwilling to pursue Karl's bogus voter fraud cases or they were perceived as not pursuing them aggresively enough) and so they had to go. Before the election anyone who listened to talk radio would have heard a constant drumbeat of concerns over Democratic voter fraud. I sometimes listen to those programs and it was deafening. I can remember Matt Drudge constantly playing clips of black people and talking about how the Dems were paying people with crack to vote Democratic and how widespread it was- it was an attempt to justify the GOP vote suppression techniques and to scare the "base" into turning out. Republicans are convinced the Dems stole the election. As an aside, if we win big in the next election one of the first things that should be done is restoring the Fairness Doctrine. The public airwaves have been abused to provide the Republicans with a HUGE unfair advantage.
RR wrote on May 17, 2007 10:28 AM:What do you do when the Department of Justice is guilty of obstruction of justice?
If they didn't turn over documents they knew were under subpoena, they're guilty of obstruction. And this is the organization that supposed to prosecute obstruction.
This is really serious stuff, folks.
Security code: Smell, as in this doesn't pass the smell test.
mayan wrote on May 17, 2007 10:32 AM:Be patient with me...I'm trying to think something through. I very much want to see these yeggs go down but, apart from the lying about the numbers (what else is new?), I'm not quite sure what the significance of the new list of 26 is.
Sure, it's awful. Terrible that they were trying to recreate DOJ in the image of KKKarl. But we already know that all 93 were on the block at one point...so this just seems more like a subset to me than something that is, in and of itself, inculpatory. I'm not sure that attempting to look at the draft list as affecting only swing states is going to help...if anything, it may help to show that they had a different agenda entirely. Am I missing something other than morning coffee in my system?
Anonymous wrote on May 17, 2007 10:32 AM:I saw that Christie guy on the NewsHour- a loyal Bushie if ever there was one. I think there were various reasons they wanted to replace these folks- for some it was just that they wanted to get someone else in so they could pad their resume. The religious right is obsessed with dominating the judiciary as a means to power- remember, you have born again Monica Goodling in charge of hiring even the career folks where politics was supposed to play no role in the hiring process (but we know it did). That is why every single attorney (not just the USAs) hired under this administration is going to have to be closely looked at- it's obvious a lot of unqualified evangelicals were hired. With some of the other attorneys they weren't considered "loyal Bushies" (that is, they were unwilling to pursue Karl's bogus voter fraud cases or they were perceived as not pursuing them aggresively enough) and so they had to go. Before the election anyone who listened to talk radio would have heard a constant drumbeat of concerns over Democratic voter fraud. I sometimes listen to those programs and it was deafening. I can remember Matt Drudge constantly playing clips of black people and talking about how the Dems were paying people with crack to vote Democratic and how widespread it was- it was an attempt to justify the GOP vote suppression techniques and to scare the "base" into turning out. Republicans are convinced the Dems stole the election. As an aside, if we win big in the next election one of the first things that should be done is restoring the Fairness Doctrine. The public airwaves have been abused to provide the Republicans with a HUGE unfair advantage.
ssa wrote on May 17, 2007 10:33 AM:Including 'loyal Bushies' on "the list" like Buchanan and Christie sounds to me like the kind of thing you'd do to camouflage your true intentions. Especially in terms of what amounts to a meaningless list, which only gains meaning in hindsight. They were included to provide cover. This discovery will no doubt be followed by statements (Gonzales, R's on the committees) asserting that "this proves there was no partisan intent in the firings."
c4logic wrote on May 17, 2007 10:33 AM:"The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity." WB Yeats
Democracy IS dead. The system is GAMED.
"Aye. You're very good at the English, aren't you?
burro wrote on May 17, 2007 10:34 AM:You see, I don't understand your language.
"Justice." "Mercy." "Clemency."
I literally don't understand what those words mean.I'd like to put in an application to get all my teeth extracted.That way I could put my fist in my mouth and never speak... another word of fuckin' English so long as I live."-- Gerry Conlon
Those names stuck. Why? - P.K.
Lee Attwater's exhortation to "create chaos and swim through it" runs across all of ShrubCo's activities like a neon banner. The amoral foundation that would allow sowing confusion for the sake of confusion is what ShrubCo is based on. And confusion on that basis would be just as effective at undermining the system that they are methodically and relentlessly discrediting. Certainly there's incompetence mixed in with the deviousness but it all amounts to boxes of monkey wrenches dumped into the system.
"Sow confusion and swim through it." Rove and his minions recite it like a holy chant.
As Josh wrote this morning, "The legacy of this administration is frightening to behold, its philosophy of force and violence, its lawlessness."
There is no tool or technique that is beyond the pale with ShrubCo. If we haven't seen it yet, it's just because they haven't felt the need or the pressure.
fronobulax wrote on May 17, 2007 10:35 AM:An interesting side point about Christie from the article in this morning's Star Ledger: Christie says he was told in March that he had been on the list. So this had been floating around for a while before the story broke. (I saw this in the hard copy but can't find the online version to link).
JEP wrote on May 17, 2007 10:35 AM:What do you do when the Department of Justice is guilty of obstruction of justice?
from NYTimes Op-Ed Contributor NEAL KATYAL
JEP wrote on May 17, 2007 10:39 AM:IN 1999, when the Independent Counsel Act (the law that gave Kenneth Starr and Lawrence Walsh their mandates) was expiring, I was given the job of writing the new Justice Department rules for the appointment of a special prosecutor since the department would once again be responsible for overseeing such investigations. There was one hypothetical to worry about once the Independent Counsel Act lapsed: a case in which the attorney general...(is)...suspected of possible misconduct. The rules were therefore written to vest the decision about whether to appoint a special prosecutor in the top Justice Department official not embroiled in the controversy. Today, the only way to get to the bottom of the United States attorney scandal — which involved the administration’s firing of nearly 10 percent of America’s top prosecutors — is to use these rules and appoint a special prosecutor.
The nightmare has now come true.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/27/opinion/27katyal.html
And unless I am mistaken, the only other option to appointing a special prosecutor is Impeachment...
goldberry wrote on May 17, 2007 10:40 AM:Well, Pennsylvania is kind of a battleground state. They went for Kerry in 2006 but just barely. Maybe Santorum was killing himself so well there was no reason to lean on Buchanan to help him out.
Tom Simon wrote on May 17, 2007 10:41 AM:As for Christie, I see NJ as a bit of an enigma. Regardless of how they vote in presidential years, they give both parties about equal time in most of the state, local and congressional offices. We *do* have two Democratic senators but I don't delude myself into believing that a Republican couldn't win here if a moderate popular Republican could be found to run.
Christie did his best for Tom Kean Jr. in 2006 but there was no *there* there in Menendez' leasing deal. Oh, I don't doubt that there is a big Democratic party machine that will support Menendez and Lautenberg quite effectively but I doubt there's anything illegal about what they do. It's probably more seeding the candidate base carefully and superb organization for Menendez. Still, the race was tight and at one point Kean was leading. It could have gone either way.
so, those two were off the hook. They just didn't have much material to work with.
Christie may be called upon again in 2008 when Lautenberg is up. Buchanan will be busy looking into Murtha's background, I suspect. But if they haven't turned up anything of significance by now, I doubt they will.
It won't stop them from trying to purge the voter rolls in Pittsburgh and Camden though.
What is all the fuss? Why it palls in comparision to Bill Clinton's sex drive as a constitutional issue.
bordersmuggler wrote on May 17, 2007 10:42 AM:anonymous @May 17, 2007 10:32 AM
"if we win big in the next election"
Clearly, that is not a given. The Rove Machine has been stalled but not disabled. Even without sympathetic U.S. Attorneys, the threat it poses is still formidable. We are just finding out the extent if its ability to use warrantless surveillance (think Watergate), and in states where there is electronic voting there remains a treat of invalid tallying.
Anonymous wrote on May 17, 2007 10:43 AM:It's just a matter of time before China invades to protect its significant assets in this country.
bobh wrote on May 17, 2007 10:50 AM:Well, think a little people.Put thirty or so ppl on the list and LET THEM KNOW THEY ARE ON THE LIST.
The loayal Bushies operate as they shoudl and GET OFF THE LIST.
Then you only have to purge the disloyal. Easy
On Leahy...OF COURSE he is saying things like AGAG must go, and not railing that all the hires of the last six years must go - so he can get rid of AGAG and have a hand in the new AG's selection so the new AG will start a cleanup before Bush is out of office - think a little people.
JEP wrote on May 17, 2007 10:56 AM:mayan;
"I'm not sure that attempting to look at the draft list as affecting only swing states is going to help..."
Sure it will. Why would you NOT look for evidence like that? And many other "conspiracy theory" angles that any good prosecutor would at least entertain, if not pursue vigourously.
That line sounds like it could be lifted the first paragraph of a subtle Bush apologists' spin maiifesto.
Barbara wrote on May 17, 2007 10:59 AM:Maybe Santorum put her on the list. He was having issues with his residence. The Bushies were also being responsive to Republican senators' requests and complaints.
Woodhall Hollow wrote on May 17, 2007 11:08 AM:Well, think a little people.Put thirty or so ppl on the list and LET THEM KNOW THEY ARE ON THE LIST.
The loayal Bushies operate as they shoudl and GET OFF THE LIST.
Something like this, only you only let *some* of them know that they are on The List--the ones who you are sure can be bullied. Others (like the 7/8) are kept in the dark, and fired en masse, to scare the rest.
It is also clear that the 7/8 were only a first step--a trial balloon, so to speak.
Focused Shifting wrote on May 17, 2007 11:18 AM:This "voter fraud" crap is a perfect opportunity for liberals to engage Luntz/Republican phraseology--it's never too late for turnabout to be fair play. From now on, whenever we discuss Rove's voter fraud fantasies, we need to refer to these cases as "Minority Voting Investigations." Let's call them what they really are and put the burden of proof on Rove and the wingers to credibly demonstrate that it's a false characterization. If the Dems start calling these cases "Minority Voting" watch how much more interested 50% of the electorate becomes all of a sudden. And watch how quickly prominent Republicans begin running away from it. It's about time we started putting them on the defensive with word-games.
Joe
Dan D wrote on May 17, 2007 11:18 AM:It occurs to me all 93 Bush USAs had to be confirmed by the 2000 Democratic senate.
So in 2005, with a solid Republican majority in the Senate, it probably did seem like a good idea to wipe the slate clean, and get rid of all the people they picked in 2001 who weren't really their first choices, but were people they figured the Dems wouldn't object to.
Johnsnottoodistracted wrote on May 17, 2007 11:18 AM:The clock is ticking all this time.The reserve quarterback can't even see the end zone or even cares if there is one.Or even knows if there should be one, or what an end zone is.
Mooser wrote on May 17, 2007 11:21 AM:And what is the worst that can happen?The worst that can happen is the paying public comes back next week to watch again.
Only solution is move the team to a new pay per view league catering to non-cable areas and dismantle the city down past the sewers.
Oh, and do not even discuss rebuilding,ever.
I was just wondering: do many of these people now in the news really think if they wear a suit they sound more rational?
The DOJ was gonna be your Republican one-stop shop for politically motivated prosecutions against the Dems.
Will anyone make the 'collar'
brantl wrote on May 17, 2007 11:28 AM:These people are nothing if not venal, there is no reason to believe that the reasons can't be as small as "they're just not enthusiastic enough in support of our tin-pot fascist agenda", and not necessarily any more than that.
chalmers wrote on May 17, 2007 11:32 AM:How did Chris Christie get on the list? Maybe it was this reaction to allegations of "voter fraud" in Newark during the 2005 NJ gubernatorial election:
"Things have been relatively quiet on the U.S. Attorney's hotline today. About a dozen and a half complaints, all of which have been dealt with successfully. No real allegations of fraud or intimidation as of yet."
Below is a note from PoliticsNJ.com where someone laments that he didn't do more to help Doug Forrester beat Jon Corzine:
"That might mean some of the reports I got from Newark were a little exaggerated. But beyond that, I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering how different today might feel if Christie had decided to get in this thing."
As a New Jersey resident, I never thought of Christie as a hard-core Bushie until the Menendez investigation.
He's often been mentioned as a GOP candidate for statewide office. While a Republican is capable of winning Jersey, it almost surely has to be a Kean, Sr./Whitman moderate. I always thought that Christie played things up the middle to protect his chances at statewide election.
On the other hand, getting fired from the USA position would probably end any political hopes. He didn't have anything on Menendez, but he saw the writing on the wall from Rove and DOJ.
The best middle ground for him might have been letting people know that Menendez was "under criminal investigation" to help the GOP in the election, without going as far as indicting Menendez or anyone else.
This way, he gets to keep his job without bringing a bogus case that would hurt his reputation with NJ voters. Can't blame a USA for merely "investigating," right?
Jean Arf wrote on May 17, 2007 11:35 AM:It's not about the firing, it's about the hiring -- making room for some REAL pitbulls.
Anonymous wrote on May 17, 2007 11:55 AM:It's been said that Christie is the only Republican in New Jersey that has the name recognition and clout to mount a serious campaign against Democrats for top spots (i.e. Govenor or Sen. Lautenburg's seat).
How did he go from little known Morris County Freeholder to top Republican dog of NJ --> US Attorney.
Why wouldn't Rove use the only tool available to him in NJ to create more 'name brand' Republicans in the state?
mo2 wrote on May 17, 2007 12:00 PM:I would like to know why Randall Humm was replaced in 2003 by Mary Neumayr, DOJ attorney and liaison to the Office of the Vice President.
"But when the DOJ attorney originally assigned to handle the case, Randall Humm...was replaced by...Mary Neumayr, the Justice Department reversed its position abruptly."
Anonymous wrote on May 17, 2007 12:02 PM:http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Whistleblowers_allege_influence_peddling_by_members_0329.html
This "voter fraud" crap is a perfect opportunity for liberals to engage Luntz/Republican phraseology--it's never too late for turnabout to be fair play. From now on, whenever we discuss Rove's voter fraud fantasies, we need to refer to these cases as "Minority Voting Investigations." Let's call them what they really are and put the burden of proof on Rove and the wingers to credibly demonstrate that it's a false characterization. If the Dems start calling these cases "Minority Voting" watch how much more interested 50% of the electorate becomes all of a sudden. And watch how quickly prominent Republicans begin running away from it. It's about time we started putting them on the defensive with word-games.
Joe
Posted by: Focused Shifting
That actually makes a lot of sense. Also start calling the Iraq War the Iraqi Civil War and start calling the "surge" the "escalation".
chalmers wrote on May 17, 2007 12:12 PM:The Christie family is a six-digit donor to the New Jersey GOP. The July 28, 2006 entry on this blog goes into more detail.
http://bayshorenews.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_archive.html
chalmers wrote on May 17, 2007 12:14 PM:Oops, here's the link.
parrot wrote on May 17, 2007 12:29 PM:Hmm. Do you think Bush will tap Santorum to be the next AG?
This troll posting brought to you free of charge.
Anonymous wrote on May 17, 2007 12:46 PM:New info from Wisconsin weekly paper re, Wisc USA Biskupic. Could this kind of thing be why he got taken off the list (after not having been rabid enough on alleged voter fraud to suit the GOP)? Remember - this all occurred during a close and nasty governor's election season in Wisconsin.
http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=7081
Biskupic tried to 'squeeze' Georgia Thompson -
U.S. Attorney's office made offers of leniency, tied to her testifying against others
The federal prosecutors who put Georgia Thompson in prison, on charges later overturned by an appeals court as lacking in merit, repeatedly offered to go easy on her if she were to implicate others in the administration of Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle. . . .
alton wrote on May 17, 2007 1:04 PM:"The List" existed long before the insertion into the Patriot Act was a twinkle in Rove's eye. Every USA had to know about it unofficially. Whenever one of the USA's began to behave too independently, a "friend" from DOJ headquarters would surely tip them off that they were being reviewed, i.e., "on the List."
The USA's options at that point were to find other opportunities in the private sector, embrace the political hackery, or continue professionally while knowing the knives were being sharpened back at the DOJ.
Ironically, using the Patriot Act's provision brought the game to ensure "loyal Bushies" to an end. Poor, literal, "What's the point of having the power if we don't use it?" Sampson didn't realize that the point of The List was to modify the USA's behavior without all that troublesome documentation. He honestly thought it was a human resources document, rather than a way to rule by fear!
Mark Kernes wrote on May 17, 2007 1:13 PM:Buchanan's not so tough to understand: She's in the process of screwing up the government's first federal obscenity case of a major adult company in over a decade: Extreme Associates. Extreme's attorney was successful in his motion to dismiss before the trial judge, and Buchanan's counter arguments were pitiful. Likewise her arguments before the appeals court panel -- I know; I attended the hearing -- which overturned the dismissal and reinstated the case because (I suspect) two of the judges were Bush appointees.
Anyway, despite the fact that I'm just about the only one talking about how vigorously the theocons in government and their supporters want to target the adult industry, most "analyses" have ignored this elephant in the room.
Kurt wrote on May 17, 2007 1:21 PM:Dan D:
Didn't the Senate switch to R in 2001 (50-50 tie with Cheny as the "breaker")? I thought the Jeffords switch to Independent and caucusing with the Ds was what enabled the switch back in the May 2001? It would be interesting to know when the USAs were confirmed...
Kurt wrote on May 17, 2007 1:23 PM:Dan D:
Didn't the Senate switch to R in 2001 (50-50 tie with Cheney as the "breaker")? I thought the Jeffords switch to Independent and caucusing with the Ds was what enabled the switch back in May 2001? It would be interesting to know when the USAs were confirmed...
mbbsdphil wrote on May 17, 2007 1:39 PM:I think the common factor among these lists of US Attorneys is that they seem compiled without regard to any objective evaluation of these attorneys as prosecutors and managers. It's a faculty promotion list prepared by the kids in detention, not by school administrators.
The lists seem wholly unrelated to the lawyerly peformance of those on them. Since so many involve Rove's Little Shoppe of Harmers, it suggests that lots of people - who normally aren't - felt empowered to "name names" for grudge reasons or to score political points, while others reacted by taking names off the list because they were friends, or because they thought the process flawed, or because it promoted a competing political agenda.
In short, it's not just unstructured. It is a witches brew composed of emotion, ambition and retribution, cooked by apprentices who don't quite know how to make the mop and bucket dance without flooding the castle. But it operates according to a guiding theme: payback and disruption, not the fair and impartial administration of justice.
Ducky wrote on May 17, 2007 3:23 PM:The "Rove Machine" may be missing a few cogs, but hardly is it beyond patching. I believe the repugs will get the machine back up and running full speed before the 2008 election.
If you look at the GOP field as it stands right now, there is not much to look at. Rudy? He is running on 9/11 not much else. Romeny? The Christians will NOT embrace him. He is Mormon. He is NOT one of them. They really feel he is going to hell in a hand basket. McCain? Too old. He is already pinned with the memory problems of Ronald Reagan. The others. . . too insignificant to drone on about. My point? Watch for Jeb.
It is not completely out of the realm of possibility that he would step forward. I found it curious that he would bow out of the Florida 2004 gubernatorial race. This has probably been the plan for a good long time. Keep passing the power from one bush to the next. They are going to need him in the White House to pardon all the criminals from Georgey's time.
I think Rove has just bought a new pair of F You shoes to walk on the American people with. Another stolen election is not a big deal to these people especially if it is in loyalty to the bush.
Doppler wrote on May 17, 2007 3:29 PM:The simple Rovian reason why so many AUSAs were on the list at one time or another was intimidation. You put them on the list, and then make sure they hear about it, by rumor preferably. Then let them figure out what they did wrong or what they need to do to get right. Then when voter fraud is stated as a priority, everyone knows what that means.
Doppler
Jillian wrote on May 17, 2007 3:43 PM:My impression is that lists of that sort happen when everyone in the bureaucracy realizes how low the bar is being set for putting someone on it. Everyone starts 'suggesting' the people they don't resent. They see their best pals put on it by some other person, and they retaliate by putting on that person's friends, then negotiate.
There's a callous stupidity that sets in when a bureaucracy gets hidden unaccountable powers and starts playing with them. That's what this list of 26 probably represents.
Jillian wrote on May 17, 2007 3:47 PM:My impression is that lists of that sort happen when everyone in the bureaucracy realizes how low the bar is being set for putting someone on it. Everyone starts 'suggesting' the people they resent and dislike. Then they see their best pals put on it by some other person, and they retaliate by putting on that person's friends. When it's gone too far, they have a fight and pass the list around, letting folks cut their friends off it. The people left on the list are usually guilty of being unpopular and inadequate ass-kissers above all else.
There's a callous stupidity that sets in when a bureaucracy gets hidden unaccountable powers and starts playing with them. That's what this list of 26 probably represents.
And yes, the process and end result resemble in essence what a half dozen 5-year olds do when told to play in a sandbox together.
mo2 wrote on May 17, 2007 4:45 PM:I don't understand why having a long list that is trimmed is bad. The trimming makes it appear that at least some kind of process was at work - as opposed to simply 'who is a loyal Bushie.'
Is the problem that someone lied in the past by saying that there was never a longer list?
Aaaargh wrote on May 17, 2007 4:55 PM:Isthmus at http://www.thedailypage.com/isthmus/article.php?article=7081 is reporting that Biskupic was offering Georgia Thompson leniency if she would give up Democratic Gov. Doyle. That had to score some points with Karl.
whidbeygrl wrote on May 17, 2007 8:49 PM:After reviewing Mr. Christie's bio, I think his job is secure with DOJ.
Nominated 2001, now on 2nd 4 year term.
( didn't Gonzo comment in a hearing that USA's usually only serve one 4 year term???)
Graduated 1987, Seton Hall Law School, the only private law school in the state.
Passed bar 1987.
Note his background in election law/service............
In 1987,joined the law firm of Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci of Cranford, New Jersey. where he specialized in securities law, appellate practice, election law, and government affairs.
He was a member of the Election Law Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
and also serves as one of seventeen U.S. Attorneys on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' Advisory Committee.
Before being appointed as U.S. Attorney, Christie was elected as a Republican to serve on the Morris County, New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders.
Noted for a very public investigation of Democrat Senate candidate, Menendez, 2 months before 2006 election, was accused of partisan politics.
details at : Washington Post Thursday, May 17, 2007
*************************************************************
But wait, this gets more interesting.
Before Christie there was Clinton's appointee, Robert J. Cleary. who then moved from New Jersey to serve as So. Illinois USA briefly before joining a law firm defending the likes of Tyco.
He originally came from a DOJ background and his web page states that
"He consults on a regular basis with Department of Justice and White House officials concerning USA Patriot Act issues."..
Seems New Jersey USA office is jumping off point for some readily recognized folks:
Alioto for 3 years, 1987-1990.
Michael Chertoff 1990-94 ( Bush 41)
There is reported talk that Christie is heading for governor or United States senator, so says WaPo article.
fred dodsworth wrote on May 18, 2007 12:19 PM:Guy bears watching....
Am I the only person who wonders whether this latest list isn't just cover. "Look, we're out of our minds trying to fire everyone, not just the USAs involved in investigations against repugnicans!"
There's nothing this DoJ has released that qualifies as the unmitigated truth.
code word nose, as in my nose tells me this stinks