Gonzo Gone

This whole thing could and should have been handled more effectively. Gonzalez should have told congress that the US Attorneys were hired for political reasons and terminated for political reasons. Both are true statements and both can be defended constitutionally. End of story.

All Presidential appointees work at the pleasure of POTUS. Congress's only role is advice and consent during the approval process.

[geetrue]

Originally Posted by waste gate

This whole thing could and should have been handled more effectively. Gonzalez should have told congress that the US Attorneys were hired for political reasons and terminated for political reasons. Both are true statements and both can be defended constitutionally. End of story.

All Presidential appointees work at the pleasure of POTUS. Congress's only role is advice and consent during the approval process.

Yes, I agree, but someone advised Gonzalez to do what he did, before, during and after his appearance before Congress.

That advisor is probably no longer with the cabinet either ... know what I mean jelly bean?

Originally Posted by geetrue

Yes, I agree, but someone advised Gonzalez to do what he did, before, during and after his appearance before Congress.

That advisor is probably no longer with the cabinet either ... know what I mean jelly bean?

I know exactly who you mean. I just don't understand why that approach was taken.(??) A piece of the puzzle is missing.

EDIT: I wonder how John Ashcroft plays into the mix?

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by waste gate

This whole thing could and should have been handled more effectively. Gonzalez should have told congress that the US Attorneys were hired for political reasons and terminated for political reasons. Both are true statements and both can be defended constitutionally. End of story....

Now there's the caveat - A lawyer must do what he believes when being prosecutor without threat of his actions being used against him politically and without the threat of his job at stake. So no, Gonzalez can't say that.

-S

Originally Posted by SUBMAN1

Now there's the caveat - A lawyer must do what he believes when being prosecutor without threat of his actions being used against him politically and without the threat of his job at stake. So no, Gonzalez can't say that.

-S

That certainly is the line of the Democrats in congress and the fired US attorneys after the fact, but it is not reality.
How does a political appointee stay above the politics of the job? An example is illegal aliens. Why don't US Attorneys prosecute the mayor/city council of every 'sanctuary city'? Their policies break federal law and they know it. Politics comes into play.

My feeling is that you either uphold all federal law or you uphold the laws your boss deams appropriate. The problem is that congress in its zeal to look like it is meaningful enacts so many laws that the executive branch has no choice but to pick and choose enforcement.

Here is an idea; for every federal law passed by congress two must be removed. In the beginning this will be a simple matter but eventually real decisions will have to be made and congress will be forced to be more beholden to the people who elected them.

[Skybird]

the slow death of the muppets show.

[Tchocky]

I gotta stop sending my posts to the Guardian for proofreading

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/...eaves_rat.html

[Enigma]

So, all those top level DOJ personell that stepped down, resigned etc over this all did it for nothing?



1) Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, today.
2) Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty announced his resignation May 14th.
3) Acting Associate Attorney General William Mercer (the Department's #3) announced that he was withdrawing his nomination for the position June 22nd.
4) Kyle Sampson, Gonzales' chief of staff, resigned March 13th.
5) Department White House liaison Monica Goodling resigned April 6th.
6) Michael Elston, McNulty's chief of staff, resigned June 15th.
7) Executive Director of the Executive Office of United States Attorneys Michael Battle, announced his resignation in mid-February.
8) Bradley Schlozman, an attorney in the Counsel to the Director staff at the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, formerly the U.S. attorney for Kansas City and a former acting assistant attorney for the Civil Rights Division, resigned mid August.





All because Gonzo did nothing wrong. all these folks resigned because of a Democratic with hunt.

[August]

I don't recall such a ballyhoo when Clintons AG, Janet Reno fired all 93 federal prosecutors just because they were Regan appointees.