A Putin-style power grab in prosecutor firings

[maddezmom]

A Putin-style power grab in prosecutor firings
Friday, March 30, 2007

All U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president -- we hear it over and over -- and, as far as George W. Bush's Republican coat-holders are concerned, that's the end of it. There is no more. Well, yes there is.

It's true the president appoints this army of 93 federal prosecutors and can remove them. But if they are merely patronage employees, bound to do the bidding of the oc cupant of the Oval Office, then they're little more than agents of the party in power in the White House. Legal hacks and potential political hatchet men, in short.

But that can't be true. For if it were, justice in the federal system would function under a completely transitory standard, subject to change with every shift of party control of the presidency. Nothing would be constant. The law and legality would become elastic. Vladimir Putin might as well be president.

Can't happen here, you say. Well look again. For as the mess in the Justice Department unfolds e- mail by e-mail, it becomes increasingly clear that the Bush White House, with active connivance by Attorney General Alberto Gon zales' henchmen, subjected a group of U.S. attorneys to the ultimate political test -- not in proficiency as federal law officers but in how fierce was their "loyalty" to Bush.

more:http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/farmer/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1175232389107850.xml&coll=1

[JDPriestly]

1. Bush's theory that the prosecutors serve at his pleasure

threatens the separation of powers. As a matter of fact it completely destroys Congress as a viable check on the presidency. We saw Carol Lam prosecuting Cunningham. Imagine what would happen to Congress if, in order to keep their jobs, prosecutors needed to a) avoid prosecuting corrupt politicians from the party of the serving president at all costs no matter how much evidence existed to prove the corruption, and b) investigate and prosecute politicians from the opposition party to the president as frequently as possible no matter how little evidence of corruption there really was. Pretty soon, Congress members would not dare to do anything that would displease the president. That is why this attorney firing issue is so important.

Whether or not the attorney firings were a crime, the idea that a president fires an attorney who is conducting corruption investigations and prosecuting corruption by politicians from the president's party is foreign to our system of government. It would eviscerate the Constitution if the president could selectively investigate and prosecute "dissidents," i.e., members of the opposing party in the Congress and thereby silence them.

[cassiepriam]

2. Fascinating how easy it was to establish a dictatorship in America.

So many had to cooperate willingly.

[tom_paine]

4. Don't count our Old America yet, cassie

If you haven't noticed, we're fighting these Bushevik BASTARDS and WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TO FIGHT! :patriot:

Patience.

[cassiepriam]

5. I hear you. At least fighting the good fight is the right direction.

But keep your eye on Rove, he is a slippery SOB.

[tom_paine]

3. Loyal Bushies are Loyal Commies with a different economics.

That is ALL they are and we should NEVER FORGET who and what we are dealing with.