Yes, Scott Walker rides again, this time appointing a know-nothing campaign worker over three qualified candidates.

Journal-Sentinel Online:

In picking a new register of deeds for Marinette County, Gov. Scott Walker picked a Republican campaign worker with no experience with land records and vital records.

He passed over three candidates with detailed knowledge of how the office of the register of deeds works, including two deputies who have worked in the office for years.

The appointment comes after the GOP governor faced criticism because the son of a campaign supporter landed a top job at the state Department of Commerce.

Renee Miller started as Marinette County register of deeds on Wednesday, after being appointed to it earlier this month. Miller is a friend of Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), has worked on his campaigns for five years and is married to Nygren's campaign treasurer, Paul Miller.

Every time I read something about Scott Walker, the term "corrupt totalitarian regime" crawls into my head. Read the whole article, where you'll discover that he disqualified the top candidate because she declared bankruptcy. At least, that's the excuse he gave.

Nygren was the only person to recommend Miller for the job. By contrast, Chasensky had 16 letters of recommendation, including ones from Rep. Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz), the Marinette County Board chairman, and local bank, title and real estate officials.

Also recommending her was Melanie Huempfner, the Republican register of deeds for 18 years who resigned midterm in January.

"I was just totally shocked" at the appointment, Huempfner said. "I'm just so disappointed this happened. I'm disappointed in the party. I'm disappointed in the people involved."

Disappointed? Yeah, I suppose. Suspicious was the word that came to my mind. Suspicious and predictable.

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[h/t Heather]

Meet Tom Luna, Idaho's Republican Superintendent of of Public Education, architect of the gutting of Idaho public schools, massive teacher layoffs, and union-buster. Tom Luna is an interesting character. He's a good, solid Republican, 2-year veteran of the Bush Administration's Department of Education, and doesn't really have any educational qualifications for the office he now holds.  No, seriously. He doesn't. Here's his resume in a nutshell:

Education:

Classes at Boise State and Ricks College, Bachelor of Art (2002) in Weights and Measures from Thomas Edison State College, a non-accredited on-line degree factory supposedly based in New Jersey.

[Commenters have pointed out that TESC is indeed accredited, so the person I quoted above is wrong about that.  Even so, there is nothing about a degree in weights and measures that qualifies Luna for the office he holds.] Also, he owns a scale company whose largest account is an Idaho corporation owned by Frank Vandersloot -- Melaleuca. Remember that name. I'll be talking about him later.

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This is not a huge surprise, but the oil-soaked 5th circuit Court of Appeals has denied the Obama administration's appeal of the decision to lift the moratorium on deepwater offshore drilling.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — The Obama administration lost its bid Thursday to maintain a six-month moratorium on offshore deepwater drilling which a federal judge ordered to be lifted last month.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government's request to stay that judge's order pending appeal.

The motion was denied because the government failed to show "a likelihood of irreparable injury if the stay is not granted," the court wrote in a 2-1 ruling.

The government also "made no showing that there is any likelihood that drilling activities will be resumed pending appeal."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has said he will soon issue a new order to block deepwater drilling regardless of how the court ruled.

The court noted that the Salazar "has the right to apply for emergency relief if he can show that drilling activity by deepwater rigs has commenced or is about to commence."

It also ordered that the appeal be expedited so the case can be argued on its merits during the week of August 30.

Given the depth of cronyism between this court panel and the oil industry, their ruling was to be expected. I'm wondering what steps Salazar will take to block drilling despite the court's order. Perhaps he will revoke permits?

Cronyism: Brown is a Fraud

"Now, an investigation by TIME has found discrepancies in his online legal profile and official bio, including a description of Brown released by the White House at the time of his nomination in 2001 to the job as deputy chief of FEMA. (Brown became Director of FEMA, succeeding Allbaugh, in 2003.)...read on"

The problem with this type of cronyism is that many human lives have been lost at the cost of his appointment. Brown should be arrested on the spot for fraud. Allbaugh can pass him shanks from the adjoining cell.

(Update): Kevin Drum has much more on Brown and the rest of his cronies."The story also notes a "brain drain" of experienced disaster professionals at FEMA's lower levels, "hastened in part by the appointment of leaders without backgrounds in emergency management." Wonderful....read on"

Politico has a great article today which reviews the ten pardons President Bush is most likely to make between today and tomorrow. I'd say Scooter Libby is a sure bet, although my favorite candidate has got to be Alberto Gonzalez.

Politico:

3. Pardon Prospect: Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

Status: A special prosecutor based in Connecticut, Nora Dannehy, has been assigned to review whether Gonzales misled Congress or otherwise interfered with inquiries into the firings of U.S. attorneys. He’s also being investigated for allegedly preparing false after the fact notes of 2004 congressional briefing about warrantless surveillance. Gonzales has denied wrongdoing, but lacks a solid job and could still run up big legal bills trying to ward off a prosecution.

Pros: Gonzales a longtime loyal Bush aide; arguably punished by lack of significant employment since resigning under pressure in 2007

Cons: Pardon could be seen as self-serving since it was Bush who reportedly asked Gonzales to memorialize 2004 Congressional meeting; will prompt charges of cronyism.

Politico Odds: 1 to 1.

Cynics' Party: Obama panders to religious fanatics and promises a Jesus-crazy administration. He shouldn't promising to expand the corrupt and unconstitutional Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, he should be promising to investigate their rampant cronyism and close 'em down. Our friend Pastor Dan, takes a slightly different view.

mandroppings: The Department of Homeland Security has deployed 181 'terrorism liaison officers' in Colorado to keep a watchful eye out for anyone engaging in 'suspicious activity.'

TVNews Lies: Yankee Doodle Deadly

Democurmudgeon: Atom Smasher, Black Holes, Strangelets To Swallow The World?

The Satirical Political Report: Citing his Vietnam experience, Forrest Gump announces his candidacy for President.

Go read Addiction: Buying the Cure at Passages Malibu, by frequent Crooks and Liars contributor, Mark Groubert. It's terrific.

Newshoggers: Swiftboating John Kerry was just fine with Rethuglicans and our craven press, but don't ask 'em why getting shot down in an airplane qualifies McCain for the presidency. For that matter, don't mention it to the increasingly complicit Obama, either. Now might be a good time to thank General Clark for his "straight talk".

pandagon: Ignorance may be bliss but it's bad for democracy

The Pump Handle: DoD defies EPA on military site cleanups

Faithful Progressive: But...but... Condi said they weren't involved. Was she lying?

Progressive Blog Digest: All roundup, all the time. Nick Burbules is providing a public service.

HOLY CRAP: Tell congress to investigate cronyism in the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives...Bipartisan creationism in Louisiana...A pastor problem worse than Hagee...Christ Shot Down, missle shield a success...Obama says Dobson is 'making stuff up'...More religious disputes at the Service Academies...22 states are refusing Bush's abstinence-only sex-ed...Craig & Vitter take "New Stance" to affirm marriage...The E. Coli and the Creationist...The FundamentaList... Faith healer boasts of raising the dead, meeting saints, and even being told by God to heal a woman by kicking her in the face!

That list of disgraced ex-Bush administration officials keeps getting longer and longer and longer...

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson announced Monday he was resigning after seven years on the job.

Jackson, 62, is under criminal investigation and has been fending off allegations of cronyism and favoritism involving HUD contractors for the past two years.

He also was under intense pressure from Democrats to resign.

The FBI has been examining the ties between Jackson and a friend who was paid $392,000 by Jackson's department as a construction manager in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.Jackson said he needs time to attend to personal and family matters.

He did not take questions or elaborate on the family reasons he cited for the decision.

Jackson resigns at a time when nation's housing industry is in a crisis so serious that it has imperiled the nation's credit markets and led to a major economic slowdown.

The Seminal points out that this is the last of the Bush Texas cabal to leave.

We've done posts on Don Siegelman before. The former Alabama governor was convicted of corruption on shaky grounds and imprisoned and kept from speaking out or appealing the verdict in an unbelievable story of Republican cronyism and amoral partisanship. Now it looks like the strong arming continues...all the way to the corporate offices of CBS. After all, it worked so well with Dan Rather...

at Largely:

Well folks, seems that 60 Minutes is postponing (read "killing") its Siegelman story. The excuse I am told for this lapse in ethics is that the network needs more time to vet the whistle-blower, Dana Jill Simpson. You see, the reason the network suddenly needs more time to vet Simpson is that the White House has launched a direct campaign inside CBS to discredit her and just to make sure the dirt sticks, they have called in some favors too. I am told that Senator Jeff Sessions has been instructed to help the White House discredit Simpson as part of his "Senatorial" duties. Nice system of government we have here, eh?

So, two things are going to happen now. The first is, we will be including what 60 Minutes did not report as part of the Raw Story series on the case. Instead of 5 installments, we will now have 6. Second, all of you as citizens of this nation must voice your concerns about this situation to CBS. You want a free press? Then fight for it!

ADDRESS:
60 Minutes
524 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019

EMAIL: 60m@cbsnews.com
PHONE: (212) 975-3247

UPDATE: Don Siegelman's birthday is coming up. Mark Crispin Miller has been in contact with him and says his spirits are low. You can send him a card of support via the address here. (h/t MBH)

Democrats.org:

With the Sweet Sixteen set to tip off today, the Democratic National Committee announced the brackets for it's annual Republican "Unsweet Sixteen," featuring this years contenders for the potentially most corrupt, least accountable and least competent members of the Bush Administration. The 2007 Unsweet Sixteen pits the top eight Administration officials whose incompetence, corruption or cronyism have already cost them their jobs against the eight current Administration officials who most deserve to be fired.

Vote now!

As the Hotline noted: The DNC is releasing their "GOP Unsweet Sixteen" today. Of "last year's Unsweet Sixteen, 13 are in jail, out of a job, or lost their election."