Clinton opens up about attorney firings, she likely would replace all if elected

[The Straight Story]

Clinton opens up about attorney firings

DES MOINES, Iowa - Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday dismissed any comparison between the firing last fall of eight U.S. attorneys with the replacement of 93 U.S. attorneys when her husband became president in 1993.

"That's a traditional prerogative of an incoming president," Clinton said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Once U.S. attorneys are confirmed, they should be given broad latitude to enforce the law as they see fit, she said.

"I think one of the hallmarks of our democracy is we have a devotion to the rule of law," Clinton said.

She conceded that should she win the presidency in 2008, she likely would replace all of the U.S. attorneys appointed by
President Bush. She said that's merely following traditions in which presidents appoint prosecutors of their own party.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070326/ap_on_el_pr/clinton_health_care_4

[trumad]

1. You left out an important paragraph...

Clinton argued that the Bush administration's firing of the eight federal prosecutors has caused an uproar because it is seen as a conservative push to shift the balance of power in favor of the executive branch.

[The Straight Story]

2. I just grabbed the first 5 :)

But thanks for dropping it in!

[trumad]

3. The first part of the story sounds like Hill doesn't care...

it's that one paragraph that shows she does.

[The Straight Story]

13. You are correct, thank you! (nt)

[Old and In the Way]

4. Every Democratic Candidate should also plan to do this.

And say that any political corruption that's occurred in the past 8 years will most certainly be investigated. That is an absolute "must have" in anyone we consider for the WH. No more Iran-Contras.

[Miss Chybil]

6. They all do it at the beginning of their term.

As Clinton said, once appointed they should be left to do their jobs.

[jwirr]

10. I would like to see the next Democratic president clean out more

than just the justice department. *ss has replaced workers in almost all departments with his cronies. To get the government back in working order we need to know that it is run by our own people and not some traitor in Dept. of Human Services.

[AndyA]

5. Why is this news?

Don't ALL Presidents replace the United States Attorneys as one of their first duties in office?

Is there ANY President who left attorneys in place from a previous administration?

The issue isn't whether they were replaced when Bush came into office, but the timing of the replacement, and the fact that the replacements don't have to be approved by Congress first. That and the fact that they obviously weren't doing what Bush/GOP wanted them to do, so they put some in place who would.

The fact that the next President would replace all of the attorneys doesn't really seem to be unusual at all.

[frogcycle]

9. it isn't, except

that the RW is conveniently ignoring that "tradition" and saying it is "tradition" to fire whomever you want, whenever you want, for whatever reason you choose, if it pleasures you


they keep comparing their firing of "only nine" to Bill Clinton's firing 93 and trying to say there is precedent. H's saying she'd do the 93 will just give them additional fuel for this BS "talking point" which nobody in the media seems to grasp.

Cong. Duncan was on MSNBC this morning and the woman interviewing him let him get away with that - again. Tomorrow he'll be quoting Hil as well.

Its apples and oranges; thinking people know that. But the vast throngs of non-thinking people need a responsible press to filter BS and get facts.

[fooj]

11. Actually, Clinton didn't replace ALL of the attorneys...

There was one that he left in place. Guess who that was? Michael Chertoff.

[AndyA]

14. WOW! Not a good one to leave in place. n/m

[IChing]

7. "likely"

She "likely" doesn't get it, I see no real outrage from her statement.

[Czolgosz]

8. Your excerpt wrongly implies that administration to administration change in US Attorney staff is

anything like Bush's mid-term purge of US Attorneys who he previously appointed because (1) they performed their jobs when their jobs required investigation of Republicans (2) the refused to prosecute frivolous claims against Democrats when their investigations indicated no prosecution was warranted and (3) they refused to break confidences and release protected information to Republicans who stubborned such blatant breaches of prosecutorial confidentiality.

Bush's violation of the system had nothing whatsoever to do with the beginning of term change in personnel which Reagan did when he took Carter's place, Clinton did when he replaced Reagan, Bush did when he replaced Clinton, and our next president will do when he or she replaces Bush.

[The Straight Story]

12. I apologize for that

The first poster added in the missing text.

I just copy and pasted the first 5 for continuity but included the link.

I SHOULD have included the 6th paragraph that clarified her statement. My bad.