The much-anticipated Senate testimony by Kyle Sampson (in photo) hardly brought clarity to the U.S. attorney firings — beyond underscoring how terrible Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, his staffers and the White House have been at keeping their stories straight. One statement by Sampson, Gonzales’ former chief of staff and the man who used the term “loyal Bushies” in a key e-mail, said a lot about the whole mess, though: “The distinction between ‘political’ and ‘performance-related’ reasons for removing a United States attorney is, in my view, largely artificial.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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19 Comments
Hmmm, are these “political” appointed jobs…lets see:
The same Democrats who defended Janet Reno when she ordered the torching of the Koresh compound resulting in the death scores of Americans, including children, defended her for over seven years in office.
Was she the smartest and most competent person to serve as attorney general? Quite the contrary.
When Reno sent armed federal agents to snatch Elian Gonzalez from his relatives and hand him to Fidel Castro’s thugs, the Democrat didn’t criticize her. They lauded her.
When Reno built the wall of separation between the FBI and CIA higher and wider than the law required, the consequences of which were devastating, the Democrats said nothing. When Reno undermined an independent counsel named Ken Starr, the Democrats supported her.
When the INS, which reported to her at the time, expedited the citizenship process to register more Democrat voters, the Democrats supported her.
OK, now you take a stab at deciding if these APPOINTED attorneys jobs are political.
Of course these appointments are “political”, but that is where the politics should end. They new job is not to enforce the will of one party over another but the Federal laws. They represent the American people not the President’s political agenda. Face it they were just caught, the only shame is in that the other times this kind of thing happened they were not caught too. If you wish to fault someone fault those that could not get their stories straight. Trying to hide something that needed no hiding, in their attempt to conceal the politics of these firings they only gave another round to be fired at a target that this administration had on its back.
Senator Feinstein (D) even called the Justice Department about Carol Lam not prosecuting certain cases.
I’m sure there are more examples for each one of the U.S. Attorneys fired.
The reality of the situation is that when policies and pledges are made in a campaign that don’t get carried out, then there is a justification to fire the U.S. Attorney (who is in a temp job.)
Policy for a district may even come under the influence of a Senator, like Feinstein -
When pledges are made to voters to do something about a problem and it is not being done, Senators will speak out, the DOJ is the President’s Ear.
Eight US Attorneys got fired for not listening, doing their own thing, drop in statistics, whatever, bing -bang – you’re out of here!
MrBill – Vernon Howell torched the complex, not Reno. Blame him.
The interesting thing here is that Gonzales specifically denied the firings were political; now he seems to be admitting that he lied to Congress. Like Watergate; like blowjobgate; the big thing here is the lies, not the actual events.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54861
Quote:Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, both already under siege for other matters, are now being accused of failing to prosecute officers of the Texas Youth Commission after a Texas Ranger investigation documented that guards and administrators were sexually abusing the institution’s teenage boy inmates.
if that’s not bad enough…wait for the reason why they were let off prosecution…
Quote:July 28, 2005, letter from Bill Baumann, assistant U.S. attorney in Sutton’s office, declining prosecution on the argument that under 18 U.S.C. Section 242, the government would have to demonstrate that the boys subjected to sexual abuse sustained “bodily injury.” Baumann wrote that, “As you know, our interviews of the victims revealed that none sustained ‘bodily injury.’”
So now, sexual abuse according to republicans can only be done if someone was hurt PHYSICALLY. I’m sure that only applies if the perpetrator was a republican?
Quote:Baumann’s letter further suggested that insufficient evidence existed to prove the offenders in the Texas Youth Commission case had used force in their alleged acts of pedophilia: “A felony charge under 18 U.S.C. Section 242 can also be predicated on the commission of ‘aggravated sexual abuse’ or the attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse. The offense of aggravated sexual abuse is proven with evidence that the perpetrator knowingly caused his victim to engage in a sexual act (which can include contact between the mouth and penis) by using force against the victim or by threatening or placing the victim in fear that the victim (or any other person) will be subjected to death, serious bodily injury or kidnapping. I do not believe that sufficient evidence exists to support a charge that either Brookins or Hernandez used force to cause victims to engage in a sexual act.”
Good old Repuke family values! Just like with the pages!
Children, pages, dead animals. These Republicans are a fun-loving bunch.
Now come on Ben,
You know how this works.. yes it is Reno’s fault and also Clintons fault as well.. Remember the Buck stop at the Preident..
Bush gets blamed for everything on his watch.. well so should Clinton..
No, BG, if a person in Wichita commits a crime I don’t automatically blame Bush. I don’t remember anyone blaming bush for the Carr brothers.
Reading this caused me to wonder if it doesn’t synthesize the true issue surrounding the US Attorneys’ matter, i.e., political or too political.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0330/p01s02-usju.html?page=1
Yeah Mr. Tolle, too political, too pregnant, too governmental, too historical…
Stripes of the zebra, etc. etc. etc.
Bush gets blamed for everything on his watch? Can you please inform Bush’s supporters so they can stop blaming Clinton for Bush’s mistakes?
Bush is gay.
“Bush is gay.Posted by: Art Vandalay | March 31, 2007 at 01:31 AM”
He ‘gayed’ me in a turnpike rest-stop. Really, I’m not just making something up, or posting something ridiculous. Really. Just ’cause something gets posted, it must be insightful, and true, RIGHT??
Hubbard wasn’t a loyal Bushie, when he proposed that preposterous number of the war costing as much as 100 or two hundred billion! People in this admin get fired if they don’t play along.
EXCERPT:
(AP) Thrallport, Maine–Alan Puckerthorn, recently retired lifelong valet of President George W. Bush is surprised that the public thinks of his former master as a “regular guy.”
“I served Master Junior from the time he was out of his nappies until my arthritis made it difficult for me to dress and wipe him everyday,” Puckerthorn said. “I doubt that he could survive more than a few hours or even minutes without servants to attend to his needs.”
Remarkably, he claims the president has never even wiped himself after defecating. “Never. A gentleman does not touch feces even with toilet paper.” In fact, toilet paper has never touched Bush’s posterior. “His mother insisted we cleanse his anus with natural sponges soaked in mineral water, and then blow on it until it dried.”
Good try Leave.
But that is an excerpt from a Website called “Professor Smartass” and nothing to do with the truth or an excerpt from (AP) Associated Press.
You do realize that people have been sued for using the (AP) in their stories that were not (AP). It is copyrighted.
Bush is gay.
Posted by: Art Vandalay | March 31, 2007 at 01:31 AM
Ack. I sure hope not. You straight folks can keep that one. We *really* don’t want him.
Really.
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