This is About to Get Very Funny
The White House was deeply involved in the decision late last year to dismiss federal prosecutors, including some who had been criticized by Republican lawmakers, administration officials said Monday.
Last October, President Bush spoke with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to pass along concerns by Republicans that some prosecutors were not aggressively addressing voter fraud, the White House said Monday. Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, was among the politicians who complained directly to the president, according to an administration official.
The president did not call for the removal of any specific United States attorneys, said Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman. She said she had “no indication� that the president had been personally aware that a process was already under way to identify prosecutors who would be fired.
But Ms Perino disclosed that White House officials had consulted with the Justice Department in preparing the list of United States attorneys who would be removed.
This is going to get very, very funny. Not as funny as Mark Foley’s e-mails or Dusty Foggo’s alleged adventures with hookers, but very funny nonetheless.
Last October, President Bush spoke with Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to pass along concerns by Republicans that some prosecutors were not aggressively addressing voter fraud, the White House said Monday.
“The Preznit was extremely concerned about this, because apparently, not only were they not aggressively addressing voter fraud, they were aggressively addressing vote fraud.” a spokesbeing said. “It’s totally unacceptable to investigate us instead of them!”
The ship be sinkin’
Voter fraud and illegal immigration, I’ve read. Or jaywalking, I’ll wager. Of course they couldn’t aggressively address those, they were aggressively investigating GOP corruption, and that’s so much work it’s like having three jobs. When you’ve got so much on your plate, you just have to let something go.
I hereby proclaim today Schumer Day!
From the WaPo today:
Sneaky, slimy little bastards. The lot of them.
OT: Bradley, look what Coach Dave is up to!
Another good idea from one of Bush’s brainiac friends he wanted on the Supreme Court: Harriet Miers.
So have you started a betting pool for how long Gonzalez lasts? Josh Marshall’s saying there’s more to come, Pat Leahy’s pissed that Gonzalez lied under oath…
Bush knows the country will be out marching against the war this weekend on the fourth anniversary, so he doesn’t want to show any added weakness right now. For that reason, I’ll bet Gonzalez is safe through the weekend, but either he’ll be gone on Friday the 23rd, or Bush will circle the wagons and hang on to Marquis de Gonzalez till it’s clear the Senate’s leaning towards an AG impeachment. Which will happen by April 13th.
Yeah, put me down for the 23rd. Alberto is toast.
Kevin- put me down for Friday MArch 15. I think this is gonna happen fast.
tig- I’ll look at Coach Dave later when I get home 🙂
Personally, I don’t think Gonzalez is going anywhere.
March 16. These guys jumped the shark long ago.
P.S. From Atrios comments:
Abu Gonzales is going to retire to spend more time with his waterboard.
trifecta | Homepage | 03.13.07 – 12:02 pm | #
Gonzalez is safe. It was all Harriet Miers’ fault and she’s already gone. It’s the William Casey defense (blame the dead guy).
Intrade has a contract on Gonzales resignation.
Otra vez.
Kevin- put me down for Friday March 15. I think this is gonna happen fast.
CAESAR
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music,
Cry ‘Caesar!’ Speak; Caesar is turn’d to hear.
Soothsayer
Beware the ides of March.
CAESAR
What man is that?
BRUTUS
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
CAESAR
Set him before me; let me see his face.
CASSIUS
Fellow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.
CAESAR
What say’st thou to me now? speak once again.
Soothsayer
Beware the ides of March.
From the NY Times:
The president did not call for the removal of any specific United States attorneys, Dana Perino, a White House spokeswoman, said Monday. She said she had “no indication� that the president had been personally aware that a process was already under way to identify prosecutors who would be fired.
Doesn’t a denial of these issues from this White House now mean by definition that Bush did, in fact, ask for the firings of specific attorneys, and that he absolutely knew that the process was underway?
Can anything these guys say be trusted?
Anybody watch the press conference? Paraphrase: “I’m the CEO and ultimately responsible, and I promise I’ll work hard to find out who was responsible.” Looks like he doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
Well of course he’s not going anywhere. He is in the optimal position to seek the Real Killers, er, I mean the people really responsible for the firing fiasco.
Watch for him to write a book entitled “If I Had Had Them Fired, Here’s How It Would Have Happened.”
OUCH. I await the announcement by some defender that Gonzales’ targeting attorneys who were investigating GOP corruption “does not make sense.” How could we think this administration would abuse its power? Here, look at the monkey!
But…but…this seems to indicate that the Bush Administration abused the USA Patriot act for political ends. That can’t BE!
Can we now, FINALLY start the impeachment hearings?
Isn’t it time for Gary to appear and tell us that any minute now we’ll be seeing the fired US Attorneys indicted and marched out in chains?
Responsibility without accountability FTW!
Now the little constitutional crisis that’s been ignored for the past six years comes into focus. Bush has no intention of being held accountable. He’ll pitch his old buddy Alberto overboard (ummm, put me down for Friday, April 6 at 3:30 PM EST) to save his own worthless ass, but this issue goes right to the top.
Bush and Rove conspired to use the Justice Department to punish their political opponents. They see absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. Nor do most of the Republican dead-enders.
He’s not going to respond to subpeonas, he’s going to defy Congress, and the Supreme Court when it lands in their lap, and he’s going to defy every last person with a vestige of sanity left in this country.
In the end, we’ll have to impeach both Bush and Cheney, and forcibly remove them from our property.
it’s pretty clear that if Gary shows up, it will be to discuss at length how Clinton fired all the US attorney generals in 1993 after he took over from Bush Senior.
He will probably also mention that “Pelosi hears boos at pro-Israel lobbying meeting” since that is on the first page of Drudge.
I got into this whole thing quite a while ago, just reading between the lines on the Seattle Times website about the McKay firing. Hmmm, I mused, what would cause a Republican appointee who’d been rated fairly highly to be so abruptly terminated? Well, Seattle had a huge bunch of Republican squawking about voter fraud, and now, I guess, his failure to make sure everyone from Gregoire on down was indicted probably signed his warrant.
I think this thing is going to be huge. It may even be the thing that brings the whole Bush house of cards down. When you subvert the federal justice system to punish people for not towing the party line, that’s tin pot dictatorship stuff. And just like the whole FBI scandal, they used the nifty new Bush-adjusted rules to try to run an endgame around the Senate confirmation roles for the replacements.
Of course, I can still remember thinking it was the end for the Republicans when Iran-Contra broke. Guess there is no underestimating the intelligence of a Republican voter.
When our USA was fired here in Arizona they specifically said it was not for poor performance. The guy was expecting to get a good recommendation. Probably would have gotten one too if the whole thing had been kept quiet.
Now the story is they were all fired for cause. What else *could* it be?
And of course, now, in wingnuttia they are all just disgruntled former employees. They probably all have book deals.
?
test
Can no no rid me of this meddlesome priest?