Next week, both AG Alberto Gonzales and his former senior aide, Monica Goodling are scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the roles they played in the US Attorneys scandal. The consequences for the United States are enormous.
It is important to note that this isn’t simply about the routine hiring and firing of appointees, but rather, me thinks, about the Bush Administration’s cynical attempt to game the US justice system in order to win future elections.
A key part of this scandal revolves around the willingness or unwillingness of US Attorneys to pursue specious cases of voter fraud against Democratic candidates during the election cycle. TalkingPointsMemo has been following this story, and in recent days, the TPM staff has focused their investigative eye on Milwaukee US Attorney Steven Biskupic, who was apparently on the list of USAs to be fired, then removed for some unknown reason.
If Gonzales et. al. emerge from this scandal unscathed, it sets a horrible precendent, establishing an unofficial policy that any future President can use US Attorneys and the Department of Justice to investigate, harrass and intimidate political enemies if it helps them win elections.
I know that for most, myself included, the idea of reading transcripts of Senate testimony ranks right up there with doing one’s taxes in terms of a good time, but this is a significant moment in US history. If Gonzales is somehow able to keep his job, it means that our future US Attorneys will persecute, not prosecute. Political affiliation, contributions and connections will determine innocence or guilt instead of an equal application of the law.
It’s scandalous that Gonzales hasn’t been fired yet, but it will be much worse if this is all swept under the rug because no one is paying attention. This is a betrayal of our judicial system, and should be treated as such.
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on Saturday, April 14th, 2007 at 9:27 am and is filed under Commentary, Culture, Manichaean paranoia, Media, Politics.
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Take a Moment…
Next week, both AG Alberto Gonzales and his former senior aide, Monica Goodling are scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the roles they played in the US Attorneys scandal. The consequences for the United States are enormous.
It is important to note that this isn’t simply about the routine hiring and firing of appointees, but rather, me thinks, about the Bush Administration’s cynical attempt to game the US justice system in order to win future elections.
A key part of this scandal revolves around the willingness or unwillingness of US Attorneys to pursue specious cases of voter fraud against Democratic candidates during the election cycle. TalkingPointsMemo has been following this story, and in recent days, the TPM staff has focused their investigative eye on Milwaukee US Attorney Steven Biskupic, who was apparently on the list of USAs to be fired, then removed for some unknown reason.
If Gonzales et. al. emerge from this scandal unscathed, it sets a horrible precendent, establishing an unofficial policy that any future President can use US Attorneys and the Department of Justice to investigate, harrass and intimidate political enemies if it helps them win elections.
I know that for most, myself included, the idea of reading transcripts of Senate testimony ranks right up there with doing one’s taxes in terms of a good time, but this is a significant moment in US history. If Gonzales is somehow able to keep his job, it means that our future US Attorneys will persecute, not prosecute. Political affiliation, contributions and connections will determine innocence or guilt instead of an equal application of the law.
It’s scandalous that Gonzales hasn’t been fired yet, but it will be much worse if this is all swept under the rug because no one is paying attention. This is a betrayal of our judicial system, and should be treated as such.
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 14th, 2007 at 9:27 am and is filed under Commentary, Culture, Manichaean paranoia, Media, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.