Category Archives: Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals

Robert's Stochastic thoughts:

He who knows and knows that he knows is a Teacher. Learn from him.
He who knows not and knows that he knows not is a student. Teach him.
He who knows not and knows not that he knows not is a menace. Avoid him.
He who knows and knows not that he knows is our Attorney General. Impeach him.

This sort of complete incompetence — or dissembling under oath — ought surely to be impeachable.

Think Progress » Gonzales: “I Haven't Really Thought About” Habeas Corpus:

At today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales whether any U.S. citizens are “being held today, for over a month, who have been denied habeas corpus or access to an attorney.” Instead of giving an answer, Gonzales replied, “[Y]ou’re asking me a question I hadn’t really thought about.”

Sherman then followed up and asked whether there any “U.S. citizens being held now by foreign governments or foreign organizations, without access to attorneys, as a result of rendition.” Gonzales again said, “It’s just — quite frankly, I hadn’t thought about this.”

Watch the clip.

This 'Goofus & Gallant: A DOJ Human Resources Primer' by Jesus' General is much too true.

It seems there's lots more rot to root out of DoJ. Don't miss the newscast that Ann Bartow linked to in a comment yesterday: DoJ's civil rights division isn't hiring (m)any minorities for its criminal division. Only two black lawyers out of 50. A number lower than any time since 1978. Although the broadcast doesn't say so in so many words, one gathers the overall number for the civil rights division including the civil side is better — or at least, the best in DOJ (whatever that means). But it's hard to escape the suspicion that there's a connection between the whiteness of the criminal division and this:

One Justice Department chart revealed that over a six-year period the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had referred 3,200 individual complaints of discrimination to the civil rights division for action. They have resulted in only six lawsuits for race discrimination.

It never ends…

NO QUARTER: Letter to George Tenet from “a group of former intelligence officers” including Ray McGovern and Larry Johnson.

It now turns out that you were the Alberto Gonzales of the intelligence community—a grotesque mixture of incompetence and sycophancy shielded by a genial personality.

What does it mean when your name has become a way to invoke “a grotesque mixture of incompetence and sycophancy” — and why is Gonzales still the Attorney General?

I know, I know, for the same reason the US Army is still in Iraq.

I have no idea who “looseheadprop” is, but he or she writes one heck of a great essay over at Firedoglake on The Federal Prosecutor. You should read the whole thing, but in case you're lazy, here's the conclusion:

In short, [then-Attorney General and later Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson saw] the Hatch [Act] as a good excuse for USAs and AUSAs to be able to fend off attempts by politicos to co-opt the awesome power of their office to achieve political ends.

For over a generation, it was these principals that were inculcated into DOJ lawyers serving in the USAOs. Young lawyers like Jim Comey cut their teeth on these ideals. And for my entire professional life, I have seen no other standard, nor ever guessed that any other standard might ever be applied.

Contrary to the gobbletygook, clapptrap, distortions and apparently outright lies being slung around these days; this is not a question of a change in style from a previous administration to the current one.

This is a wholesale departure from long established traditions and well settled fully functioning and successful policies that have served this nation well under both Republican and Democratic administrations since at least our grandparent's day.

I don't know what Jim Comey is going to say today. But I know that he was “brought up” as a lawyer in the same traditions that all federal prosecutors of my generation learned. I also know that I have long admired his integrity and courage and have long feared his wrath (not that it has ever been directed at me, but it is terrifying to witness).

As a side note, I was at the Law Day dinner at the Waldorf on May 1st. All the talk that night was on two topics: 1)The USA firing scandal/raping and pillaging of DOJ, and 2) an online petition that was circulated that day calling for the restoration of habeas corpus.

I am happy to report that lawyers, judges, and other public servants known to me to be registered republicans where amoung the most outraged with respect to the former, and amoung the ardent supporters of the latter.

This is not about political party any more. This is about the rule of law. It is also about whether we are a civilized country striving to reach our best aspirations or whether we have sunk into barbarism where might makes right and where the term “serves at the pleasure of the president” is twisted from a courtly expression used by one who would resign in protest if he could not in good conscience carry out a directive from the President which the appointee felt to be wrong, into an excuse, a coverup for nefarious meddling into the charging decisions made at the District level.

As Lord Moulton once famously observed

“The measure of a civilization is the degree of its obedience to the unenforceable.”

As opposed to the current administrations view “if is it is not a clear violation of an often used criminal statute, then it's perfect;ly OK.” And even then they have some carve out exceptions for “quaint” crimes involving violations of the Geneva conventions.

I will leave you with one last, chilling thought form the eloquent Lord Moulton

“Tyranny is yielding to the lust of the governing.”

If you are a law professor, lawyer, or law student, please consider signing the online petition to Congress requesting that it restore habeas corpus.

In light of the previous post, we have to say that the folks at the Daily Show are the best political scientists around.