Latest Media-Driven Obama Admin Scandal du Jour Leaves Many Questions
Given that the media has been predicting the demise of the Obama administration since about ten minutes into his swearing-in, as so brilliantly pointed out by Frank Rich, I'm hesitant to take this report by the Chicago Tribune at face value:
The Obama White House has effectively, and somewhat quietly, answered that question -- for now: With Press Secretary Robert Gibbs explaining that the Justice Department has allowed all the chief federal prosecutors who have not already left in the changing of the presidential guard to remain at their posts, at least temporarily.
Of the 93 U.S. attorneys who served under the previous administration, Gibbs said aboard Air Force One en route to Phoenix with President Barack Obama, 51 remain.
The White House also says that, at the start of the administration, all 93 were allowed to serve temporarily. Thirty resigned before Obama's inauguration on Jan. 20, and 12 more have left since then. And the 51 still serving are technically there on a temporary basis -- Obama hasn't decided that all will remain.
Yet, during his campaign, Obama made it clear that Fitzgerald had his support. The corruption-buster also has the support of Illinois' senior Sen. Dick Durbin. Durbin (D-Ill.) had said in November that he would recommend another term for the Chicago-based prosecutor. And Durbin's office had recently made it known that Fitzgerald would be sticking around, as our colleagues at the Ticket noted.
"I will support what he wants to do," Durbin said in November. "I think he has done an extraordinary job."
I don't have any problem with Fitzgerald staying; I think he takes a very Obama-like post-partisan approach to his work. And with the careful caveat of that these are "temporary" placings and that Obama has quite a full plate right now, there are just some questions that I must ask:
1) How many of these remaining 51 US Attorneys were hired through Monica Goodling and Bradley Schlozman's partisan loyalty litmus test?
2) Obviously, Durbin went to bat for Fitzgerald. Were Democratic Senators in other states consulted about the US Attorneys in their states?
3) Does this include the attorney who went after Don Siegelman, Alice Martin? How about Mary Beth Buchanan in Pennsylvania? All the US Attorneys remaining had passed Rove's loyalty tests. Can they rise above it now in an Obama administration?
4) What's wrong with giving some Democratic attorneys a leg up into the Justice Department?
5) Gibbs clearly hedges his bets in his statement that this is temporary. When GWB43 came into office, he did ask at least one US Attorney, Mary Jo White of New York, to stay, because she was in the middle of terrorism prosecutions. White eventually left and rejoined the private sector. But if Obama removes these USAs later, will anyone remember that their status was temporary? Won't this be the red meat the Republicans and their mouthpieces in the media need to obfuscate on the Bush US Attorney purge, something that Conyers still wants a Congressional investigation on?
Call me a doom-and-gloomer, I think this is going to cause problems in the end for Obama.
"4) What's wrong with giving some Democratic attorneys a leg up into the Justice Department?"
How about this: What's wrong with giving some ("little D"), democratic attorneys a leg up into the Justice Department?
Guys like, oh, say....Jonathan Turley?
We all already know why. Because guys like Jonathan Turley would raise a shit storm at Justice that Obama, Pelosi and Reid and the rest of the DEMOCRATIC PARTY would prefer to avoid.
As an after thought....here are a few more suggestions for The Justice Department...
Michael Ratner:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ratner
And Glenn Greenwald!!!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
Obama is proving to be a major-league sissy when it comes to exerting presidential power in pursuit of the campaign promises that drove him to victory in November. First FISA, then state secrets, now this. What is next - an extension on 16 months and were out of Iraq? These are really not hard issues in that it is very apparent what the right thing is, much less what he promised to do. He just needs to suck it up, forget the Repugs for few minutes, and do the right thing. His enemies will actually respect him more in the morning because they know how to wield power.
...I'd like to have the republican's explain to me.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_bi_...
I think instead of making up issues it would be better to explain to the public why banks charging fees to the unemployed is OK. I think it would be even better to explain to the American public who are paying taxes to bail out these pigs, why we are paying unemployment to those losing their jobs so the banks can charge fees on it. Ain't that double dipping?
Better yet explain it to congress and the president. That way I can watch it on TV.
Jeanne
Screw post partisanship. I don't see that working for us. These people don't represent the Constitution or the Average American. They republicans have proven they represent the war machine, international corporations, and the rich Americans or as they call them "the Haves". Democrats are way to nice.
Partisanship is out the window and the people watched the drama unfold - Obama extending his hand time and again - and the rabid repukes rebuking it, wishing him failure, and acting like total frauds. Frankly, every Republican who voted "no" should be held to the oath of office they've taken and be impeached for NOT caring what happens to the mess THEY'VE created; it's irresponsible and unconscionable that those who created this filth won't cooperate in it's clean-up.
This economic depression is theirs through and through. It's Bush's mess and they enabled him all the way. The people are blaming this disaster on every Republican in office, as well as a double dose of disgust for those who recently voted "against the people". I'd say this represents treason against the people (hostile act AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE) and these folks should have to stand trial for it.
Is there anything Bush did that was wrong? Every time we turn around it's another "compromise with the wingnuts"="wingnuts get what they want (oh, and BTW they were really kind of right)" equation.
I did not sign up for this.
President Obama, if you think your election assuaged the anger in this country over the past eight years, you are sadly mistaken. As you repeated throughout your campaign: "this is about [us]."
So why do those who voted against you, those whose policies you opposed, have so much more say it what happens than those who supported you?
Corruption favors the wealthy.
These are Obama's "enemies within" and I find it difficult to believe that he would permit them to remain even for a few weeks. Temporary? Why not just replace them (they're dead wood and probably traitors who will do their best to sabbotage Holder and Obama).
Time to get qualified, credible people in these critical positions and NOW. What the hell is this temporary crap anyway?
Turley would definitely shake things up - something which these same liars during the Midterms would not like. I'm beginning to think that Pelosi and Reid are really republicans in disguise.
Which ever party they call themselves, it's all always war and endless corporate criminality that goes unpunished. They're almost all whores and everyone knows it. They all, whether Democrat or Repubican, get "elected" with corporate sponsors, then merely do the corporate lobbyists bidding. Period. End of story. The U.S. Congress has become "Quid Pro Quo Central" and everybody knows it.
We can name but a handful of so-called "Representatives" who truly listen to their constituents and take care of business representing these Americans. Rep. Alan Grayson is such a person. He's had the patriotism, as a Freshman Rep., to stand up to some of the biggest traitors our country has ever known, those who are screwing us financially. Of course, all this PALES in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of human beings we have murdered in the past 100 years all over the world! At whose behest and why??
One of W. C. Fields most famous quotes is: "Never give a sucker an even break."??
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
Notice how Obama brought in different Pasters and quickly the public yelled about Warren being included. Obama is not only smart but slick. Look how much more information and documents he can get from the Bush lackies. Don't be surprise if most of the information against the Top guys come from these Lawyers. Bill Clinton said keep your friends close but your enemies closer. These lawyers have a great deal of informtion and jobs are hard to come by along with a possible lost of their law license. As former AG Musk Rat will be charged with obstruction of justice and he to will lose his license but he was smart to be a partner in the Law Firm so he can just draw his share. Now all the AG's and proscuters have found jobs but Gonzo. The lower level of lawyers are unemployed.
he kept skelator for some reason
take a breath and relax.
Heck, what's wrong with giving anybody a leg up? Anybody who's not a Bush plant. These neocon lackeys must be purged with Stalinian vigor, survivors should be transferred to Alaska. At best they will do nothing but obfuscate and obstruct, at worst they'll actively try to thwart any feeble attempts by the Obama team to do the right thing.
...but #3 sounds like a follow up to #1, and as far as #4...
4) What's wrong with giving some Democratic attorneys a leg up into the Justice Department?
Answer: The same thing that was wrong with giving Republican attorneys a "leg up" into the Justice Department. Remember when we used to refer to that "leg up" as "politically motivated hirings"?
How about we hire good smart attorneys who are willing to support the constitution, and just never get around to asking them what party they're in??
Leave in as many Pukes that want to stay and see if they can catch them with their hand in the cookie jar, including that big phoney Fitz.
Nicole,
With our MSM, Obama is damned no matter what he does.
"High Broderism" will defend its non belief's, except in the unicorn-like belief in bipartisanship, one side against the middle.
That, is our "Liberal Media." Idiocy masked by punditry.
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