Johnny Coli

It's called oversight, and I'll pardon you for not recognizing it since we haven't seen any for quite some time.

No problem. Enjoy your lunch.

The Dems won the last election (2006 mid-terms) by a wide margin over the GOP. It's not just about the POTUS.

How about linking to your source, eryn? That second "source" is loaded with opinion. Why not just quote the unbiased McClatchy piece I already linked to, which repeatedly quotes named sources, and isn't loaded with speculatory opinion like "something he declined to do, apparently on grounds that he had better things to do"? The same info from an unbiased piece of journalism, not opinion. McKay was a Bush appointee. He, and the others got high marks from the Department of Justice. Apparently the people best in a position to evaluate these individuals didn't find their performance questionable.

Nope. 5 ousted U.S. attorneys received positive job evaluations

The same 93 that were replaced by Bush when he came into office? You do know that the freaking replacement of 93 US-attys in 1993 by Clinton and in 2001 by Bush isn't what is being scruitinized, right? It's the eight US-attys appointed by Bush who were, by all accounts, doing a fantastic job, that were removed (seven on the same day) for political reasons only...political reasons that had to do with them either not going after democrats hard enough, or for prosecuting republicans all too well. Shed no tears for an administration that operates in the grey areas of the law or completely in the dark, and hasn't had enough experience defending it's ethically dubious MO because of lack of oversight. What a shame that they finally have to answer to people who were voted into office by their constituents.

I see that the cartoonish "Like it or leave it" jingoism is alive and well on the PPP. Here's a thought. You and your right-wing loon ilk are in a rapidly diminishing minority now in this country. Why don't you leave the country that we love.

You're (well not you, Andy McCarthy) comparing a recess appointment (of an actually qualified individual) to the Civil Rights Division to what Gonzales and Rove have done here (a politically-motivated mid-term purge of eight US attorneys)? That's a pretty big reach, but one I would suspect coming from the NRO. I'm astounded that one of the principle arguments FOR what this admin has done is to point back to an administration that many of you bring up on a daily basis as an example of what you despise (ie Clinton), and to further shrug off what they've done because you think they just don't communicate all that well. That's not an effective argument.

Replying to both GG and JSP: Not the same as Clinton (see also CRS report previously linked to): Salon: Inside Bush's prosecutor purge To date not a single reasonable explanation has been given as to why they were removed. In fact, Gonzales had vehemently denied removing them for political reasons. What about their job performance then? So, not for politics, not for job performance, and repeated lies as to who suggested the purge in the first place (made all the more confusing by the emails that were handed over at the beginning of this week, many pointing to Karl Rove). They have been replaced with "interim" appointees who can serve at the discretion of the POTUS without congressional confirmation because of the Patriot Act. To suggest that this should be ignored simply because the current admin is lousy at PR is foolish.

I think the whole-sale dismissal of US-attys is a big deal. However, in the instance of this discussion we're not talking about their replacement during a change of admin hands. These attorneys were all appointed by Bush during his first term, and none had any performance issues of record. Carol Lam was the US-attorney in the Dusty Foggo/Duke Cunningham case. Iglasias was the NM attorney who was repeatedly called by Heather Wilson and Pete Domenici about pushing forward with a bogus voter-fraud case before the 2006 election. Cummins was pushed out and replaced with former Rove aide Timothy Griffin. Seven of the eight were asked to resign on the same day. That's a purge based on a political hit-list.

From the McClatchy story previously linked to: Yes, "uncommon" was the term I used in reference to the suggestion by several in the thread that firing US-Attys is par for the course, and everybody does it. While it may be true that this does occur when the WH and/or AG changes hands, it is not by any stretch a common occurance, as described by the CRS report, for any to be forced to resign during their terms. The CRS describes eight since 1981, not including of course the eight that were summarily purged by Rove/Gonzales.

Just to finally put the idiotic Clinton comparison to rest... Here's the Congressional Research Service report (h/t, Bite by Bite) showing how many US attorneys haven't finished their terms (for those other than admin change-overs). US attorneys who have served less than full four-year terms: 1981-2006 (pdf) Clinton asked for the resignations of two...one for grabbing a reporter by the throat and one for biting a topless dancer.

You're saying this administration's six-year history of denials, obstruction, contsant obfuscation, utter incompetence and contempt for any and all that do not buy into the Unitard Executive theory means that there really is no there there? So, for those of us who don't drink from the Drudge cesspool or parrot Rush and think we know what that smell emmanating from the White House is, we should rest comfortably knowing that "nope", Abu Gonzales and Rove weren't following up on a political hit list, it's just this admin's business-as-usual, all-in-a-day's work ineptness. The mountain of evidence suggests there isn't any evidence at all. Is that the gist of what you're saying? That certainly puts this current admin in a new light for me.

bull sh--. If that was the case it would have been quickly explained away rather than denying it, followed by multiple different stories as to why they were removed, denials by congresspersons as to who they spoke with, when they spoke with them and what was spoken about, and followed hastily by a high-staffer resigning and lawyering up on the same day they did a document dump. There is nothing normal or business-as-usual about this story.

Can we please get past this ridiculous notion that "Clinton did it too!!!!" Via McClatchy, Washington Bureau Current situation is distinct from Clinton firings of U.S. attorneys For those who are a bit slow, or might have a hard time reading while their heads are shoved far up Drudge's ass, these were US attorneys who were removed during this administration's second term, and were removed in the middle of the term. While it is customary to remove previous admin holdovers when taking office (as was done by Clinton in '93, and dubya in '01), it is uncommon have them removed mid-term. One more time...it is uncommon to remove them mid-term. This had zero to do with a normal administration change. This had zero to do with job performance. It's not like Clinton. It's not like Reagan. The fact that someone resigned and lawyered up already, and the fact that some in the GOP are already calling for Abu Gonzales' resignation should tell you just how freaking not normal purging eight US attorneys is.

It's a spindle adapter for a 45.

That's totally genus.

The recruitment quotas were met, or just about met. Freshyness

Why the hell would the Bills even be interested in an over-the-hill RB with zero left in the tank who was just cast off by a team that's in a death spiral into mediocrity? I don't want to see Paytoilet retreds and castaways in a Bills uniform. Screw him and screw the Pats.

Iran-uendo and petulance rules the day at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

We're witnessing the implosion of the Bush regime. Some in the regime are hopping up and down and manically gesticulating at Iran in the hopes that we, the people, will forget that they had no credible evidence (I'll stop short of saying it was purposely contrived) when they stumbled into Iraq, and are banking that a war with Iran will get them off the hook for that debacle. Others understand the gravity and foolishness of manufacturing a war with Iran, and deny the hard evidence exists. Anyone who has been tracking this story for the past week (including the bogus story on Iran's involvement with the kidnapping and murder of the US servicemen) can at once chuckle at the stupidity of the Bush administration, but must also pray that the suddenly emergent cooler heads continue to prevail and shout down the maniacs that have been incessantly beating the war drums for six-plus years now.

Isn't it "Bush Hypocrite!"? Bush’s North Korea accord is a reversal for the administration Hypocrite or no, I applaud his distancing of himself from the sabre-rattling nut-jobs that seemed to have had his ear for the first six years of his presidency.

Like a fresh pair of socks and a clean pair of skivvies, you just shouldn't leave the house if you haven't got something witty to say right before you die. Some old standbys to keep 'em guessing while you're drinking a cold one in the hereafter: You were adopted. The weapons of mass destruction are in the... How much is this stain gonna cost me? Avenge me. Luke, I am your father. Thank you sir, may I have another. What are you gonna do about it, tough guy? Here are a couple links to famous last words and deathbed statements. If you have no imagination, steal someone else's. A collection of famous last words Real Last Words From Famous People

Absolutely the musical genre had something to do with it. Country music is largely pro "god, guns and county". Any other musical style and most people wouldn't bat an eye. You could count the number of pro-Bush punk rock bands on the fingers of a double amputee.

The Dixie Chicks freedom of speech issue is/was one driven solely by the right wing media. As far as I know (I don't like, or listen to the musical genre) none of their music had a liberal, or even a political, bent. In fact, the only political statement that was made prior to this becaming(edit:sp) becoming a big deal was that one of them said something about Bush from the stage at a show in England (a country that was/is overwhelmingly anti-dubya). This was picked up by the right wing noise monkeys and pushed to "newsworthy" headline status. The Dixie Chicks just happen to play music in a genre that is usually pro-right, hyper-nationalist, thus the backlash (manufactured and beaten into the ground by the right wing media) from radio stations that cater to that style. Any other genre of music and this doesn't even register as news, as you could go out to any club in the US on any given night and hear much worse being said about Bush.