Thursday, March 29, 2007
Properly Made, Poorly Explained
Tom Maguire at Just One Minute blog as a good posting on the expected testimony today of former Attorney General Chief of Staff D. Kyle Sampson. Money quote:
The distinction between 'political' and 'performance-related' reasons for removing a U.S. attorney is, in [Sampson's] view, largely artificial.
Ann Coulter also writes about this in a 'where has all the backbone gone' sort of nostalgic way. Her money quote:
The Bush administration is embroiled in the most ridiculous non-scandal scandal in human history -- set off when the administration stupidly apologized for firing its own employees.
U.S. attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president. The president may fire them for any reason at all. That includes not implementing the president's policy about criminal prosecutions. It also includes being in the way of someone else whom the president wants to appoint for patronage reasons.
The distinction between 'political' and 'performance-related' reasons for removing a U.S. attorney is, in [Sampson's] view, largely artificial.
Ann Coulter also writes about this in a 'where has all the backbone gone' sort of nostalgic way. Her money quote:
The Bush administration is embroiled in the most ridiculous non-scandal scandal in human history -- set off when the administration stupidly apologized for firing its own employees.
U.S. attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president. The president may fire them for any reason at all. That includes not implementing the president's policy about criminal prosecutions. It also includes being in the way of someone else whom the president wants to appoint for patronage reasons.
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 5:10 AM 
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So much for the illusion amongst the populace, most of it anyway, of meritocracy governing our public institutions like the Justice Department.
But Ms. Coulter, see if you can wrap your LBD around this. If the U.S. attorney prosecutes a Republican representative for taking bribes and then is removed b/c she did not implement "the president's policy about criminal prosecutions" and thereafter the position is awarded to "someone else whom the president wants to appoint for patronage reasons" most normal citizens will believe that the dismissal flunks the smell test however "legal" the action may have been.
Oh by the way, flunking the smell test tends to be perceived as a scandal. Just so you know.
But Ms. Coulter, see if you can wrap your LBD around this. If the U.S. attorney prosecutes a Republican representative for taking bribes and then is removed b/c she did not implement "the president's policy about criminal prosecutions" and thereafter the position is awarded to "someone else whom the president wants to appoint for patronage reasons" most normal citizens will believe that the dismissal flunks the smell test however "legal" the action may have been.
Oh by the way, flunking the smell test tends to be perceived as a scandal. Just so you know.
# posted by 
: 9:38 AM
: 9:38 AM
Yes, thank you for the lefty view of a scandal, something perfectly normal which the opposition did which the left can use to create merely the impression of wrongness by putting some stink on it. I have a counter example of partially described facts. While the office of the US Attorney prosecuted a bribe taking Duke she failed to take on many illegal alien trafficers. The first was OK, the second was not so good, and you usually get fired for doing something wrong not for doing something write or make that in spite of doing other things right.
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