DOJ employee blasts Bush administration

[Kilarin]

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6308408
John S. Koppel, a current employee of the US Dept Of Justice, writes an op/ed piece blasting the Bush administration.

He is, of course, not an unbiased source, but he is certainly interesting.

[woodchip]

To balance your source Kilarin:

\"Many are also drawing parallels between Alberto Gonzalez and Janet Reno, who fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys shortly after being appointed Bill Clinton’s attorney general. You can bet Hillary was involved in that unprecedented purge. I have a feeling any hearings run by her party won’t touch Hillary – or even Reno.\"

http://www.judicialwatch.org/jwnews/031607.htm

[Grendel]

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_6308408
John S. Koppel, a current employee of the US Dept Of Justice, writes an op/ed piece blasting the Bush administration.

He is, of course, not an unbiased source, but he is certainly interesting.

Interesting.

Oh, and Woody: http://www.savingjudicialwatch.org/

[Kilarin]

I DO thank you for the link!

Many are also drawing parallels between Alberto Gonzalez and Janet Reno, who fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys shortly after being appointed Bill Clinton’s attorney general. You can bet Hillary was involved in that unprecedented purge.

For me, this isn't a Clinton vs Bush thing. I disapproved of the Clinton administration rather strongly. And if Bush had an affair, the fact that Clinton had done the same wouldn't make me feel any better about it.

For me, the question on these behaviors isn't "Did Clinton do it as well", it's are they legal and are they constitutional. As for the firing of the U.S. attorneys for political reasons, well, I certainly don't find it admirable, but I'm not yet certain if it was illegal.

I'm more concerned about:

The public record now plainly demonstrates that both the DOJ and the government as a whole have been thoroughly politicized in a manner that is inappropriate, unethical and indeed unlawful. The unconscionable commutation of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's sentence, the misuse of warrantless investigative powers under the Patriot Act and the deplorable treatment of U.S. attorneys all point to an unmistakable pattern of abuse.

While I'm not certain about every detail, I agree with John S. Koppel that the general pattern here is very disturbing.

Please note that Mr. Koppel lays plenty of blame on the Congress, and I would certainly agree with him. This situation is not all the fault of President Bush.

[DCrazy]

Many [Bush apologists] are also drawing parallels between Alberto Gonzalez and Janet Reno, who fired all 93 U.S. Attorneys shortly after being appointed Bill Clinton’s attorney general [which, unlike Gonzalez's action, is standard practice]. You can bet Hillary was involved in that unprecedented purge [that wasn't really unprecedented]. I have a feeling any hearings run by her party won’t touch Hillary – or even Reno [because unlike in the Gonzalez case there is no hint of impropriety].

[woodchip]

The thing here is, DOJ atty's serve at the pleasure of the president. Their hiring or firing does not have to be justified. While we may not like how the DOJ peeps are handled, it is legal how all presidents treated them (and all presidents have hired and fired as they saw fit). What I object to is how the press and some members here act like it is heinous how Bush had DOJ employee's terminated.

[Lothar]

Same old argument. Nothing new or interesting here that I can see.

[Grendel]

While I'm not certain about every detail, I agree with John S. Koppel that the general pattern here is very disturbing.

Here's an interesting read from a broader POV.

[Zuruck]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070710/ap_ ... politics_1

Yeah Lothar you're right...same old news. They must all be liberals that pretended to be lunatics just so they could embarrass Bush right?

Honor and dignity in the White House...

[Kilarin]

Yeah Lothar you're right...same old news.

Yes, he's right, nothing NEW here. What I found interesting was having it come from a DOJ insider.