New U.S. attorneys seem to have partisan records

[CatWoman]

Source: McClatchy

WASHINGTON - Under President Bush, the Justice Department has backed laws that narrow minority voting rights and pressed U.S. attorneys to investigate voter fraud - policies that critics say have been intended to suppress Democratic votes.

Bush, his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, and other Republican political advisers have highlighted voting rights issues and what Rove has called the "growing problem" of election fraud by Democrats since Bush took power in the tumultuous election of 2000, a race ultimately decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Since 2005, McClatchy Newspapers has found, Bush has appointed at least three U.S. attorneys who had worked in the Justice Department's civil rights division when it was rolling back longstanding voting-rights policies aimed at protecting predominantly poor, minority voters.

Another newly installed U.S. attorney, Tim Griffin in Little Rock, Ark., was accused of participating in efforts to suppress Democratic votes in Florida during the 2004 presidential election while he was a research director for the Republican National Committee. He's denied any wrongdoing.

Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the four U.S. attorneys weren't chosen only because of their backgrounds in election issues, but "we would expect any U.S. attorney to prosecute voting fraud."

Taken together, critics say, the replacement of the U.S. attorneys, the voter-fraud campaign and the changes in Justice Department voting rights policies suggest that the Bush administration may have been using its law enforcement powers for partisan political purposes.

Read more: http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16962753.htm

[krispos42]

1. You mean... Bush isn't a uniter?

He's still the compassionate conservative, right?

And he's bringing honesty and integrity to the White House, right?

He's the adult in charge, right?

He's still the strong Air National Guard pilot that, through faith in Jesus, overcame cocaine and alcohol abuse, right?

Right?

No?

My world is shattering. Everything I know is wrong!

Must look at the world through beer goggles immediately! Sam Adams, save me!

<edit: spelling>

[Erika]

2. Post of the month Chuckle

W is the president who never was and shouldn't have been.

[CatWoman]

10. yes

that was very, very good.

ironic, snarky and funny as hell :rofl:

[truthisfreedom]

3. The frying sound

is the administration. Frying. And frying. And frying. And frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying and frying

[Hardrada]

4. Didn't Partisan Records used to be a Motown label?

[SusanaMontana41]

9. Bwaaa haaahaha

:rofl:

[19jet54]

5. I wonder...

... could this all be about rigging the NEXT election because they lost so many seats the last election?

[Judi Lynn]

6. Great article, CatWoman. It brought up something I think will be important

until after the next election, concerning something Karl Rove mentioned in a speech:

Last April, while the Justice Department and the White House were planning the firings, Rove gave a speech in Washington to the Republican National Lawyers Association. He ticked off 11 states that he said could be pivotal in the 2008 elections. Bush has appointed new U.S. attorneys in nine of them since 2005: Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico. U.S. attorneys in the latter four were among those fired.
(snip)

I've looked for quite a while to find a transcript of the speech, or other reference to these 11 pivotal states, and got zip for my efforts. I'd really like to know what the other 2 states are. 11 states is far too many. Hope Rove and those who sent him are going to be wildly disappointed in how these 11 pivotal states do for them in 2008.

[AndyTiedye]

8. If They Can MAKE those States Go Repiglican (Regardless of How They Actually Vote) They Win

[Judi Lynn]

13. It may be they think it will be harder for Democrats to find out in time to expose them

if Democrats are having to spread monitoring resources over many states, rather than looking at just one, like Florida, in 2000, or Ohio, in 2004.

One day they may be caught dead in their tracks. I hope and pray that is going to happen. They shouldn't be allowed to keep the entire country, and its foreign policy hostage to the greedy, murderous, criminals of the right-wing.

[ClintonTyree]

7. Hey Karl, "the "growing problem" of election fraud"....

is the only thing that got your pea-brained buddy selected as President in the first place. Talk about projecting your indiscretions onto everyone else! :mad: If it wasn't for voting fraud your creation would be permanently clearing brush on the Crawford pig farm and NOT soiling the White House with his lies and stupid decisions. :eyes: Here's a guy that TRULY can't see the forest for the trees.

[newspeak]

11. keep saying we're in Iraq to create a democracy

Afterall, Iraq had elections--they just kept electing Saddam for some god awful reason. So, with voter disenfranchisement, unauditable machines and other little sneaky unethical tricks, like phone jamming--someone tell me again why we are really in Iraq? Cause it seems to me, that Iraq had that same type of tricky democracy as we seem to be gravitating towards.

Also, the firing of these state attorneys has a chill running up my spine. If some of these "republican" attorneys had ethics and a conscience and actually believed in the rule of law, then they may have been a liability to an administration that seems to have some very corrupt, greedy business partners. They've purged the CIA, the FBI and now, the judicial. No one left to account for corruption, no one left (except Congress, now) to balance power. Here's to Congress--may they show courage, for they are the last stronghold for the protection of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and anthing remaining of "the Rule of Law."

[orleans]

12. what a surprise! i'm just shocked!

.....um, yeah, real surprised

[PegDAC]

14. Gee.

Ya THINK?

[MetaTrope]

15. Ann Coulter still walks the streets

Until she's behind bars for her voting felony, any Bush admin talk about fraud is pissing into the wind.

[Robbien]

16. "seem to have partisan"? There is no seem about it

Before anyone is even handed an employment application to get any job in this bushie government, they must sign an oath that they are good loyal GOPers. Democratic applicants need not apply.

[Up2Late]

17. Gee, Ya think?

:silly:I don't think I even need to read the article, that headline tells it all.

[ChickMagic]

18. You mean, they lied???